When was lexmark founded

About Lexmark, History and Headquarters Information. History Lexmark was founded in the year About Lexmark is an American company that focuses on the designing and manufacturing of various kinds of innovative technologies and solutions, that help in securing, printing and also managing information as well, smoothly and efficiently.

Services The primary services provided by the company include allowing customers and clients to obtain various kinds of technologies and IT solutions, designed and supplied by the company itself. Lexmark Headquarters Photos. Lexmark Corporate Office. Lexmark Headquarters. Lexmark Resources. Close dialog. Lexmark International, Inc. In doing so, we are guided by a simple vision: Customers For Life.

To earn our customers' loyalty, we listen to them, anticipate their needs and act to create value in their eyes. Since being spun off from International Business Machines Corporation IBM in , Lexmark has become a leader in the development and production of a broad line of printing and office imaging products, including color and photo inkjet printers, monochrome and color laser printers, inkjet and laser multifunction devices offering some combination of printing, scanning, copying, and faxing capabilities , dot matrix printers, inkjet and toner cartridges, and other associated supplies and services.

In addition to making products marketed under its own brand, Lexmark also produces items for other original equipment manufacturers OEMs that are sold under the OEM's name. An alliance with Dell Inc. These sites, however, are mainly involved in the more technologically complex aspects of Lexmark's business, such as the production of toner, photoconductor drums, and inkjet cartridges.

The production of the printers themselves is conducted through third-party manufacturers, many of which are located in China. As a spinoff from IBM "Big Blue" , the company inherited a worldwide distribution network that management has built upon and expanded dramatically. Lexmark sells its products in more than countries around the world, and approximately 55 percent of revenues originate outside the United States, more than 35 percent in Europe alone.

The birth of Lexmark International was a result of IBM's attempt to remain competitive in the intense atmosphere of the late s, when so many smaller firms began chipping away at Big Blue's market share in the computer industry. When IBM initiated a strategic downsizing campaign to cut its workforce by selling or spinning off its peripheral businesses, the Information Products Division was designated as one of the targets.

Dubillier, knowing that Lexmark required astute and aggressive management if it was to survive and prosper with such a heavy debt load, hired Marvin Mann, an IBM vice-president with 32 years of experience, to serve as Lexmark's chairman, president, and chief executive officer. Intimately knowledgeable about the successes and failures of IBM's business, Mann jumped into his new position with unbridled enthusiasm. Mann made the plant the focus of the company's production facilities and immediately implemented a strategy to streamline its workforce.

This downsizing significantly reduced Lexmark's operating costs. At the same time, Mann began to hire virtually all of his management team from IBM. Part of the deal with IBM gave Mann the authority to approach IBM employees to work for Lexmark, and the new president had absolutely no qualms about bringing in experienced managers who were willing to reshape the business. Ultimately, Mann managed to recruit the heads of IBM's research and development, sales, marketing, production, and human resources departments.

In order to increase efficiency and smooth the workflow, Mann decided not to establish the traditional "contention system," where staff members from different departments within the company challenge each others' proposals, a primary management strategy at IBM and its subsidiaries. Instead, Mann wanted his managers to focus their energies on positive suggestions that would keep Lexmark ahead of its competition. Perhaps the most innovative management restructuring occurred in the area of manufacturing operations.

Initially, small teams of employees were formed in order to make the production lines more efficient and to eliminate problems related to quality control. But the process of transferring responsibility for decision making from management to workers was not always a smooth one.

In one instance, early on in the reorganization, a team of employees redesigned the laser printer production process and then presented their recommendations to management who asked the group to sign an approval form for the design.

Ultimately, Mann managed to recruit the heads of IBM's research and development, sales, marketing, production, and human resources departments. In order to increase efficiency and smooth the workflow, Mann decided not to establish the traditional "contention system," where staff members from different departments within the company challenge each others' proposals, a primary management strategy at IBM and its subsidiaries.

Instead, Mann wanted his managers to focus their energies on positive suggestions that would keep Lexmark ahead of its competition. Perhaps the most innovative management restructuring occurred in the area of manufacturing operations. Initially, small teams of employees were formed in order to make the production lines more efficient and to eliminate problems related to quality control.

However, the process of transferring responsibility for decision making from management to workers was not always a smooth one. In one instance, early on in the reorganization, a team of employees redesigned the laser printer production process and then presented their recommendations to management who asked the group to sign an approval form for the design. Realizing that the decision making process, and all the responsibility that goes with it, was completely in their own hands, the group of workers shied away and refused to sign the document that would change the production process.

One month later, the same group of workers returned with a more detailed redesign of the laser printer production process, and immediately supported it with their signatures. The two lessons Mann and his management team learned from this experience were that, first, empowerment doesn't work until workers believe that they can actually take ownership of the production process and, second, that involving employees in decisions that affect the production process takes time.

These fundamental changes in management-employee relations went a long way toward establishing a highly motivated and effective workforce at Lexmark. After having reduced numerous layers of management, created highly independent product development teams, organized a brand new, extremely aggressive sales force, and discarded IBM's traditional appraisal and suggestion program, Mann was ready to take Lexmark to new heights.

In , as the company improved its product development time cycles and made its manufacturing processes more and more efficient, a new dot matrix printer was introduced for use at both work and home, along with an extremely lightweight battery-powered printer for portable personal computer users.

Later that year, Lexmark introduced a PostScript-compatible inkjet printer, and also began to make a mark in the field of laser network printing. These laser printers were manufactured for Macintosh and were the first products bearing the Lexmark, rather than the IBM, name. To view this site, you must enable JavaScript or upgrade to a JavaScript-capable browser. Share Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email. Environmental Sustainability Lexmark believe that true sustainability regards ensuring that the demands of the current generation can be met, without compromising future generations potential to meet their own needs too.

To demonstrate this commitment, Lexmark have set up a Design for Environment program that aims to minimise the environmental impact of their products by: Increasing energy efficiency Helping to conserve paper and other supplies Improving product durability and upgradability Using eco-friendly materials and packaging In addition to this, the Lexmark Cartridge Collection Program is a collection and recycling initiative that enables their customers to dispose of their end-of-life products and supplies via environmentally friendly methods.

Summary Lexmark are a truly global imaging solutions company whose core values stem from their desire to create innovative and sustainable products.