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1981: APC is founded by three engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Incorporated in 1981, the American Power Conversion Corporation was established with a focus on research and development of solar electricity.
1982: To stay afloat, APC begins manufacturing lead batteries.
In 1984, government funding and incentive programs for solar research began to disappear, portending the worst for APC. The company's management responded by introducing its first uninterruptible power supply (UPS) product the same year.
Dowdell's Arrival in 1985
Formed by three electronic power engineers from MIT, APC then opened a Rhode Island-based manufacturing facility in 1986; the company also produced its first UPS that year, the 450AT+, which received a PC Magazine 'Editor's Choice’ award.
In 1988, APC stock was made available for public trade.
1989 brought the introduction of the award-winning PowerChute® software which revolutionized power management; as well as product sales through two major distributors, Tech Data and Ingram Micro.
The company introduced its Smart-UPS brand in 1990, a line of products that grew to become the industry's leading network power protection solution.
In 1990, Inc. recognized Dowdell as the magazine's New England "Entrepreneur of the Year," the same year the company moved its headquarters to West Kingston, Rhode Island.
The company entered the surge protection market in 1991 and the UPS market for mainframe computers the following year.
National Quality Assurance granted the company its ISO 9000 quality seal in 1993 and the West Kingston, Cranston, and Galway facilities have been audited to the even more stringent ISO 9002 standards.
In 1994, APC made its first move overseas, where most of the company's products would be produced in the future.
Gross revenue for 1994 was $378.3 million.
Gross revenue for 1995 was $515.3 million.
The company also reorganized its domestic sales force in 1995 in order to provide a much closer focus on the customer by creating customer units dedicated to specific customer groups.
“Power Strip Sparks Surge of Affection,” Windows Magazine, October 1996.
The first plant was established in Galway, Ireland, and was followed by a plant in the Philippines in 1996.
The company was feted with awards and recognition in 1996, receiving nearly 40, including six for Back-UPS Office, four for Smart-UPS, three for Back-UPS Pro 280, three for Smart-UPS 2200, two for Back-UPS Pro PNP, and two for Smart-UPS 1000.
Gross revenue for 1996 was $706.9 million, a 37 percent increase over 1996.
In January 1997, the company purchased a second facility in the Philippines for approximately $3 million.
Gotschall, Mary G., “America’s Powerhouse of Growth Companies,” Fortune, May 12, 1997.
APC entered the residential tech market in 1999 with PowerShield, a solution for the growing broadband needs of cable and fixed wireless applications in homes.
In 2000, Dowdell acquired EnergyOn.com, an Internet company that allowed customers in deregulated energy markets to shop for the most inexpensive electricity and natural gas prices.
After acquiring ARRIS in 2001, APC further expanded its broadband networking power capabilities.
In 2002, APC introduced PowerStruXure™, its first piece of network-critical physical infrastructure (NCPI) architecture, which revolutionized data center power management.
2003: Sales approach $1.5 billion.
The InfraStruXure line was expanded in 2004 with cooling systems and on-site power generation.
On February 14, 2007, APC was acquired by Schneider Electric, a multinational European corporation known globally for its expertise in energy management and automation.
"American Power Conversion Corporation ." International Directory of Company Histories. . Retrieved June 21, 2022 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/american-power-conversion-corporation-0
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