My first experience with Diebold Inc. was in the early 1980s, when I was introduced to one of its early ATMs.
The company’s name was emblazoned on the front of this new-fangled cash-dispensing machine my bank had installed outside the front lobby, and instantly, I was convinced this “Diebold” thing (ATM hadn’t yet become part of the American lexicon) was the coolest invention since my Atari game system.
I was 11 years old or so, and still getting used to the idea that I had a bank account where I could keep the money my brother, Josh, and I earned selling comic books and candy to our friends and at trade shows. So when the teller handed me this little plastic card and explained that I could use it to take cash out of this new machine without standing in line and — even better — when the bank wasn’t open, it was akin to seeing magic for the first time.
Throughout my life I’ve been drawn to technology, perhaps because my father introduced me to Betamax video tape player/recorders in the early 1970s, the entire line of Tandy (Radio Shack) home computers in the mid-to-late ’70s and then, a few years later, car phones that were installed in the vehicle and weighed several pounds. It was only natural, then, that this cash-dispensing machine I mistakenly called “The Diebold” for many years hence, became my next great wonder.
In the 20-plus years since then, Diebold has continued to innovate, firmly establishing itself as a market leader in integrated self-service delivery systems and services. It’s a testament to both the company’s leadership and its researchers and engineers.
As with any business, the ability to stay one step ahead of the competition and maintain an edge is hard enough in manufacturing, but when your industry is manufacturing advanced technology systems, the pace for adaptation is even more challenging.
Diebold’s latest foray is into the voting technology arena. It’s an exciting venture that’s not just timely, considering the 2000 election, it also capitalizes on updating methodology that was decades behind the times.
As you read Morgan Lewis Jr.’s cover story about Diebold, you’ll get a feeling about how a company of Diebold’s size is able to innovate. And, more important, perhaps it will rub off and induce the inspiration to lead the charge of innovation within your own business.
