Continual Innovation — Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going

At Klein­schmidt, we talk about a ​“legacy of invention and adaptation. But what exactly does that mean? Let us dive into Klein­schmidt’s past, present, and future so you get a better under­standing that experience and innovation can be a meaningful change for your business.

Edward Klein­schmidt — Innovator

The Klein­schmidt legacy began in 1893 with 22-year-old Edward Klein­schmidt. Born in Germany, Edward came to the United States in his youth. From the outset, Edward was an entre­pre­neur. His branding was unique for the time, ​“Inventions Developed.” His workshop was a combination of a personal workshop and storefront to help enter­prising customers develop their inventions.

One of the initial telecom­mu­ni­ca­tions patents Edward filed was a Morse keyboard transmitter. You may recognize the name, ​“Morse,” that’s ​“Morse” in terms of ​“Morse Code.”

A bit later, Edward would develop a Morse keyboard perforator, an enhanced version of the original developed in 1858.

Klein­schmidt Electric Company

In 1914, Edward’s ​“Inventions Developed” storefront soon became the Klein­schmidt Electric Company. With his business partner, George Seely, he developed railway signaling equipment that is presently used by railways.

The Klein­schmidt Electric Company was also one of the first forays into the development of the telecom­mu­ni­ca­tions device known as the teletypewriter.

Edward’s Business Acumen 

In 1919, the Klein­schmidt Electric Company filed a patent for start-stop synchro­nizing methods for code telegraph systems. The Morkum Company filed for a patent at the same time.

Instead of engaging in patent ownership battles, Klein­schmidt Electric Company and the Morkum Company merged to form the Morkum-Klein­schmidt company; the name was changed to the Teletype Corporation in 1928.

Acqui­si­tions, Labo­ra­to­ries, and Mergers

In 1928, the Teletype Corporation was purchased by AT&T (American Telephone and Telegraph Company) for $30 million. As an innovator, Edward established Klein­schmidt Labs which would later become Klein­schmidt Inc.

In 1940, The U.S. military placed an order that changed everything – 2,000 data printers. To manufacture such a large order, Klein­schmidt Labs strate­gi­cally purchased thirteen acres in Deerfield, Illinois, a site that remains the current home of Klein­schmidt Inc.

Klein­schmidt was acquired by Smith Corona in 1956. Shortly after, Smith Corona merged with the Marchant Calculating Machine Company to form SCM

EDI, Inde­pen­dence, and the contin­u­a­tion of Innovation

By 1979, the Klein­schmidt division had pivoted to EDI (electronic data interchange) and CLM (car location message) network services. Approx­i­mately 10 years later, SCM was acquired by Hanson Trust. However, Klein­schmidt Inc. achieved inde­pen­dence when Harry S. Gapples, the Klein­schmidt division president, purchased the company from Hanson Trust.

Continued Recognition as an Industry Leader

The nineties through the early aughts continued Klein­schmidt’s momentum as an industry leader. Highlights included:

• 1994: Illinois High Tech Entre­pre­neur of the Year Award
• 1997: EDI Pioneer Award
• 2004: Edward A. Guilbert E‑Commerce Profes­sional Award
• 2005: US Customs and Border Protection Award in trans­porta­tion, cargo control, and supply chain security

Innovation Lives On

Today Klein­schmidt continues to be an industry leader and pioneer in providing custom data translation, EDI, and API integration services. 

Keeping customer focus and person­al­ized, expert consulting to develop innovative solutions at the forefront of why we have been successful, Klein­schmidt offers 24/7/365 service and support throughout the U.S.

With the best uptime record in the integration messaging business, we have built strong trust rela­tion­ships with large, middle-market, and small businesses involved in a variety of industries – logistics and trans­porta­tion, retail, warehousing, customs and more.

Eyeing the Horizon

Many of our satisfied clients were connected to Klein­schmidt through word-of-mouth recom­men­da­tions. We are excited to keep that momentum going by contin­u­ously innovating. While we are known for our excellence in EDI, API, and ​“any to any” data integration solutions – we also continue to diversify our offerings including – cloud EDI translation, managed EDI outsourcing, car location messages, and more.

To learn about how Klein­schmidt can help your business innovate with the safeguard of unmatched industry experience – click here.

To learn more about specific product offerings – click here.