Hello!
For the past short while, I’ve been researching and trying to write a much-needed “Manufacturers” section for my IBM Model M keyboards wiki page. I think I’ve now got something decent enough to go live with, so here is a chart and a link…
The main goal was to specify a timeline of IBM divisions, successor companies, and other OEMs involved with manufacturing based on literature sources and what I have collected in my photo archive. I also wanted to do this with considering to buckling sleeve Model Ms as well, which are often omitted (for example, on Wikipedia’s Model M keyboard page.) After that, I’ve described what was known to made in a given IBM factory or by a given OEM. Then, a gave brief description of the plant and/or company where possible. I should be straightforward and say the dates are my current understanding of the timeline. You know how it is - there is probably a credible source or a unicorn keyboard out there that may turn this upside-down in the future…
From a suggestion gave to me on Discord, I decided to make the chart as a visualisation to go at the start of this new section. I think it does a good job of putting some things into perspective easily:
- How IBM Netherlands got in early, making Model M based keyboards as early as 1984.
- How IBM’s own production not only did not stop when Lexmark was founded, but even if the U.S., it continued into 3/5 years Lexmark was making keyboards.
- How late IBM United Kingdom was still making keyboards.
- How long Unicomp has been making Model Ms compared to the others.
Anyway, enjoy the chart, the written stuff explaining them, and the impressive CV/resume of IBM Raleigh and the IBM Raleigh Keyboard Product Engineering Laboratory.