Litton Industries Business Services |
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Litton Industries in the 1980s and 1990s grew increasingly interested in strengthening its business services sector. This led to a string of acquisitions including Intermec, and the development of robust tracking systems using wireless handheld computers, scanners, and bar coding.
Intermec was an industry leader in the early 1990s in the area of bar coding, and their bar code symbology set is currently the most widely used in the world. They developed bar code printers, scanners, and electronic cash registers and bar code scanners at point of sale. This was a very attractive feature to Litton Industries, which at the time was looking for ways to help the United States military manage its growing inventory of high-tech equipment with an ever-decreasing number of men to run their systems. The acquisition of Intermec was an enormous boost for both companies. Litton Industries suddenly had the technology for tracking they craved. And Intermec had been adopted as the system of choice by one of the government's largest high-tech contractors, and was almost guaranteed that its systems and barcoding symbology would become standard for the rest of the world, starting with the government. It didn't take long for these systems to be adopted by the Post Office, and then other delivery services. Large manufacturers and retailers followed quickly. But Litton was not interested in a long-term relationship with any of its business services, though they may not have realized that at the time. Their public sector and military interests were diverging quickly, and it was growing harder to manage both arms of the business effectively. In 1993, Litton Industries made the decision to spin off their public sector arm, into Western Atlas Corporation. Western Atlas was an oddly cobbled together company primarily composed of oil field services on the one hand and business services on the other. These two arms stayed together for a while, but by 1997 the decision was made to spin off the business services arm into UNOVA. Western Atlas merged with another oil field services company the following year. Today, UNOVA seems to have started the process of spinning off Intermec into a private company again. The difference is that if Intermec again becomes a private company, it stands a very good chance of entering as the industry leader because of its now-standard systems. |
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 Tiffany Litton (þ25/þ10/þ2006) |
| I am curious as to whether any Litton Corporation companies are located in Ohio. If anyone can answer this, please email me at Litton.4@wright.edu, Thanks. |
| Phil Thompson (þ23/þ11/þ2006) |
| About 5 years ago a company known as TEC manufactured electrical connectors in Enfield Nth London ENGLAND and was later bought by the Litton group, who moved the manufacturing to Scottland. Could you advise me if the manufacturing site for connectors is still there, and if so I need a contact name and address please.
many thanks
Phil Thompson
Quality Engineer
Defence Systems Division
BAE SYSTEMS
Periscope Facility
Lot 3 Signal Court Technology Park
Mawson Lakes SA 5095
Tel: +61 8 8262 4099
Fax: +61 8 8262 4050
Mobile: 0416 141 867
Email: |
| Emily Thomas (þ25/þ06/þ2007) |
| My Grandfather died while on business working for this company. It was 1972, he was 34, and my father was 11. He had five children. I have gone my whole life wondering what happened to him and where his body was. It would mean more than anything to me to be able to visit his grave. Know for sure what happened. But I am left with nothing. So I will be in touch. I am tired of contemplating. I have to know. |
| Jane Way (þ09/þ09/þ2007) |
| To Ms. Thomas, Litton was a very large company even in 1972. You need to provide information like your grandfather's name and other pertinent facts known by you to someone who will take an interest in your quest. Have you tried to contact Human Resources? This information could be available if you can reach the right department. Good luck! |
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