British Tabulating Machine Company facts for kids
The British Tabulating Machine Company (BTM) was a British company. It made and sold machines that processed information using punched cards. These machines were based on a system invented by Herman Hollerith. During World War II, BTM built special machines called "bombes". These machines helped Bletchley Park break the secret codes of the German Enigma machine.
How BTM Started and Grew
The company began in 1902 as The Tabulator Limited. This happened after Robert Porter got the rights to sell Herman Hollerith's special machines. These rights came from the American Tabulating Machine Company, which later became IBM. By 1909, the company changed its name to the "British Tabulating Machine Company Limited".
In 1920, BTM moved its main office from London to Letchworth, Hertfordshire. At this point, the company also started making its own machines. Before this, they had only resold Hollerith's equipment.
Company Size and Money
BTM's yearly earnings grew a lot. They went from £6,000 in 1915 to £122,000 in 1925. By 1937, they reached £170,000. The number of staff also increased. In 1916, there were 45 employees. This grew to 132 in 1922, 326 in 1929, and 1,225 by 1939.
Working with America
BTM had an agreement to sell Hollerith machines only in Britain and its empire (except Canada). In return, BTM paid 25% of its earnings to the American company. This payment became a big problem over time. BTM tried many times to change the agreement. It was finally ended in 1948.
Helping Win World War II
During World War II, BTM was asked to design and build a machine. This machine was needed to help break the German Enigma machine's secret codes. This special machine was known as a bombe. The idea for the bombe first came from Alan Turing. However, the actual machine was designed by BTM's chief engineer, Harold 'Doc' Keen. He had led the company's engineering team for many years.
This secret project was called "CANTAB". A computing pioneer named Dora Metcalf managed the project until 1942. By the end of the war in Europe, more than 200 bombes had been built and put into use.
Building Early Computers: The HEC Series
BTM also built an early type of computer called the Hollerith Electronic Computer (HEC). This computer used vacuum tubes, which were called "valves" back then. The very first model, HEC 1, was built in 1951. An example of this early computer is now kept at the Birmingham Museum.
BTM continued to improve its computers. They developed the HEC 2, HEC 2M, and HEC 4 models. In total, they built over 100 of these machines. These computers had a small amount of memory, about 2 kilobytes, and used 1,000 vacuum tubes. They could take information from punched cards and also print out results.
Joining Forces: A New Computer Company
In 1959, BTM joined together with a company that used to be its competitor, Powers-Samas. They merged to form a new company called International Computers and Tabulators Limited (ICT). Later, ICT became part of International Computers Limited (ICL). Eventually, ICL was taken over by a Japanese company called Fujitsu.
