Verbatim history

Sales in 1972 were a respectable $480,000, but two years later Anderson's signal licensing agreement with IBM had driven his company's annual revenue total to $4.3 million.

Floppy disks, which were used for recording, storing, and retrieving computerized data, were a revolutionary product first introduced by IBM in 1973.

1974 First 8" diskettes produced

By 1976, the company's annual sales had nearly tripled in two years' time, jumping to $12 million.

1979 Limerick, Ireland, plant begins floppy disk production

The company had let its guard down and customers started to complain, beginning in 1980 when problems with Verbatim's floppy disks began to surface.

1981 First monthly production of 1 million floppy disks

In 1982 it formed a floppy disk joint venture with Japanese company Mitsubishi Kasei Corporation (forerunner of Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation), with the joint venture called Kasei Verbatim.

By 1983, Verbatim was touting itself as the world's largest supplier of floppy disks, supported by production facilities in the United States, Ireland, Australia, and Japan.

The company had introduced its own line of 8-, 5.25-, and 3.5-inch disks in late 1984, forming its Electronic Media Manufacturing division to superintend new business, but time was crucial and the company needed to quicken the pace.

In 1985 Eastman Kodak Co., like numerous other large corporations, wanted to expedite its entry into the floppy disk business and share in the enormous profits that were expected to come.

1987 Independent EUMEA Sales & Marketing established EUMEA Head office moved from Geneva to Egham

By 1988, Verbatim had had enough and filed a complaint with the United States Department of Commerce alleging that Japanese companies were violating United States trade laws by selling their 3.5-inch disks at prices well below fair market value.

It was eventually purchased fully by Mitsubishi Kasei Corporation in March 1990, after eight years in a joint venture.

1991 Production of 3.5” Magneto Optical Media begins (First in the market)

The acquisition of Carlisle Memory Products in 1992 and its entry in the memory card and CD-ROM markets helped to engender a significant transformation at Verbatim, as the company diversified from its mainstay floppy disk business to become what it termed the world's largest media manufacturer.

Conversely, the company established sales offices in Argentina, Chile, Columbia, and Venezuela in July 1994, hoping to capture a lucrative portion of the burgeoning South American computer market.

A Verbatim executive explained the initiative in a 1998 Practical Accountant article claiming, "Our company's electronic business strategy was to help us provide our network of distributors and resellers with a 24-hour virtual store, improve our staff productivity, and get ahead of the competition."

1999 Restructuring & establishment of the MKM / Verbatim Group DVD-RW launched

2000 CD-RW High Speed product with SERL technology launched

2001 DVD+RW production started (first in the market) Memory Cards launched

2002 DVD+R and CD-RW Ultra Speed 24x products launched (first in the market) Start of Sales of USB Drives

In 2003, the company launched its Digital Vinyl CD-R media.

2004 DVD 16x and DVD+R Double Layer 8.5GB launched (first in the market)

"Verbatim/MKM Announces Development Plans for Blu-ray and HD-DVD Media," Business Wire, January 4, 2005.

2011 VELVE OLED Lighting launched utilising technology from Mitsubishi Chemical Corp.

2012 Cleansui Water Filters launched in Europe.SSD Launch.

2013 VxRGB LED lamps launched.

2014 Launch of PLA & ABS 3D printing filaments.