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A Diversifying Workforce: HP’s Growth
Wartime production demands led Hewlett-Packard’s workforce to grow from 3 employees in 1940 to around 200 by 1945. The combination of a national labor shortage and the company’s nondiscriminatory hiri ...
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A Jolt to the Line: HP 400A Voltmeter
The 400A vacuum tube voltmeter was Hewlett-Packard’s first voltmeter. Voltmeters would become one of the young company’s most important business avenues.
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A Letter of Commendation
The war brought Hewlett-Packard into its first work on microwave technology through the Leopard project, a top secret program to disrupt enemy radar and protect Allied ships. The demands of the projec ...
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A Look at the Logo: HP’s Simplified Logo
In 1946, with the company’s instrument and measurement business growing by the day, the Hewlett-Packard logo was simplified to create something legible and easy to engrave. Its basic elements remained ...
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A New Page: HP’s Production Grows
Although Hewlett-Packard’s production operations grew in scale as the company expanded dramatically the 1940s, floor plan arrangements continued to emphasize open spaces with employees working side by ...
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A Revolution: HP 400AC Voltmeter
When Dave Packard designed the HP 400AC voltmeter in 1948, he was on to something big. This product launched the beginning of a voltmeter product line that would continue for 50 years and more than a ...
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A Riveting Job: Wartime Women at HP
Wartime production brought more employees into the fold, especially women and retirees. “Rosie the Riveters” were a common sight on Hewlett-Packard assembly lines in the mid- to late-1940s. ...
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Army-Navy “E” Award: Sharing Credit
Hewlett-Packard employees were invited to share in the company’s Army-Navy “E” Award with personalized certificates of appreciation.
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At Attention: HP Attenuator Department
A group of employees were busy at work in the Attenuator Department, which in 1946 was made up mostly of women. Workers constructed attenuators — a small current-regulating device — and performed othe ...
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Bill and Dave Search for Their Niche
Bill and Dave tried their hands at multiple projects while they were searching for their young company’s market niche. Among the devices they pursued were an automatic toilet flusher, an electric weig ...