Rank Xerox

Rank Xerox Limited was an international office-technology company and brand created in 1956 through a joint venture between the United States-based Xerox Corporation, then associated with Haloid Photographic, and the United Kingdom's Rank Organisation. Its initial purpose was to manufacture, distribute, and sell Xerox copying equipment in Britain and continental Europe. As xerographic copying became a major business technology, Rank Xerox expanded its territory to include parts of Africa and Asia and became one of the principal vehicles through which Xerox equipment reached markets outside North America. The venture emerged from an initiative by Thomas Law, who led a Rank business involved in camera lenses. After encountering an article describing a process capable of reproducing documents, Law investigated the technology's backers and identified Haloid, a relatively small photographic-supply company in Rochester, New York. Rank provided £600,000 for a 50 percent interest in the newly established affiliate. The arrangement gave Xerox access to British manufacturing and a substantial European sales and distribution network, while giving Rank a position in a rapidly developing technology market beyond its established entertainment and photographic interests. The ownership structure changed over time. The original 50/50 arrangement was later adjusted to 60 percent for Xerox and 40 percent for Rank, followed by a further increase in Xerox's stake to 80 percent. In December 1969, control of Rank Xerox passed to Xerox Corporation, and the company received authority to manufacture, distribute, and sell additional product lines, including computers and related electronic data-processing equipment and services. Rank Xerox consequently functioned not merely as a regional copier distributor but as Xerox's international operating arm. The company also used distinctive market-development methods. In Eastern Europe, where conventional Western sales and distribution arrangements were difficult, Rank Xerox pursued direct equipment sales rather than relying only on rental models. It used mobile exhibitions, including a purpose-built demonstration train that toured nine Eastern European countries in 1973 and covered approximately 30,000 miles. The train displayed copying equipment and provided accommodation and hospitality facilities for staff. Later Showliner articulated trucks and other mobile exhibition formats extended the concept to smaller cities. These initiatives allowed Rank Xerox to demonstrate office technology in markets where establishing permanent Western commercial infrastructure was challenging. Rank Xerox participated in further international ventures. In 1962, it formed Fuji Xerox with Fuji Photo Film in Japan, creating a separate joint marketing and manufacturing operation. In India, Rank Xerox and the Modi Group established Modi Xerox to manufacture and sell Xerox equipment on the Indian subcontinent; the business later became Xerox India. During the 1980s, managing director Roland E. Magnin helped develop Rank Xerox as the international arm of Xerox Corporation before moving to Xerox's headquarters in Connecticut. The company received recognition for its quality-management work when it became the first winner of the European Quality Award in 1992. It also had a visible sponsorship presence in British sport, including Southampton F.C. from 1980 to 1983 and Hull Kingston Rovers in 1983. Xerox ultimately bought Rank's remaining 20 percent interest in 1997 for £940 million. Rank Xerox Limited was then renamed Xerox Limited, and the Rank Xerox brand was discontinued in favor of the Xerox name. Its research laboratory in France was renamed the Xerox Research Centre Europe. That laboratory was acquired by Naver Corporation in 2017 and subsequently became Naver Labs Europe. Rank Xerox therefore survives primarily as a historical name associated with the international expansion of xerography and Xerox's pre-consolidation corp…

Rank Xerox Limited was formed in 1956 as a joint venture between Xerox Corporation of the United States and the Rank Organisation of the United Kingdom. The relationship began when Thomas Law, associated with Rank's camera-lens business, learned about xerography and traced the technology to Haloid, a photographic-supply company in Rochester, New York. Rank invested £600,000 for an initial 50 percent share in the new company. The venture combined Xerox technology with Rank's British manufacturing and distribution capabilities and provided a route for Xerox equipment into European markets. Rank Xerox initially concentrated on manufacturing and marketing copying machines. The rapid adoption of xerographic copying made the company an important part of Xerox's international expansion. The ownership arrangement later shifted to 60 percent Xerox and 40 percent Rank, and then to an 80/20 structure. In 1962, Rank Xerox and Fuji Photo Film created Fuji Xerox in Japan, while a later partnership with India's Modi Group produced Modi Xerox for the Indian subcontinent. The company developed an especially notable approach to Eastern European sales. Under Nigel Foulkes, it pursued equipment sales rather than depending solely on rental arrangements and appointed Gordon S. Planner to lead East Export Operations in 1968. In 1973, Rank Xerox operated a specially built exhibition train containing demonstration areas and staff facilities. It traveled through nine Eastern European countries and reportedly returned orders worth more than £3 million. Later mobile Showliners and other traveling exhibitions brought the company's office-technology demonstrations to smaller cities and to wider audiences. In December 1969, Xerox Corporation took control of Rank Xerox. The company's responsibilities expanded to include the manufacture, distribution, and sale of new lines such as computers and related electronic data-processing equipment and services. During the 1980s, managing director Roland E. Magnin helped establish Rank Xerox as Xerox's international arm and later moved to Xerox headquarters in Connecticut. Ralph Land led Eastern Europe Operations from 1976 to 1991. Rank Xerox received the first European Quality Award in 1992 and sponsored British sporting organizations, including Southampton F.C. between 1980 and 1983 and Hull Kingston Rovers in 1983. In 1997, Xerox bought Rank's remaining 20 percent stake for £940 million. Rank Xerox Limited was renamed Xerox Limited, ending the brand's formal use. The company's French research facility became the Xerox Research Centre Europe, was later acquired by Naver Corporation in 2017, and ultimately became Naver Labs Europe.

• 1997

  Rank Xerox becomes Xerox Limited

  [1]Rank Xeroxen.wikipedia.org

  Xerox purchases Rank's remaining 20 percent stake for £940 million, after which the Rank Xerox name is discontinued.

• 1992

  First European Quality Award

  [1]Rank Xeroxen.wikipedia.org

  Rank Xerox becomes the first recipient of the European Quality Award.

• 1973

  Eastern European exhibition train tours the region

  [1]Rank Xeroxen.wikipedia.org

  A purpose-built mobile showroom visits nine Eastern European countries and demonstrates Rank Xerox equipment.

• 1969

  Xerox takes control

  [1]Rank Xeroxen.wikipedia.org

  Control of Rank Xerox passes to Xerox Corporation, with the company also authorized to handle computer and electronic data-processing lines.

• 1962

  Fuji Xerox is created

  [1]Rank Xeroxen.wikipedia.org

  Rank Xerox and Fuji Photo Film establish a joint marketing and manufacturing operation in Japan.

• 1956

  Rank Xerox is founded

  [1]Rank Xeroxen.wikipedia.org

  Xerox and the Rank Organisation establish Rank Xerox Limited as a 50/50 joint venture to manufacture and market Xerox equipment in Europe.

An international Xerox operating and marketing platform focused on document copying, office automation, and related information-processing technologies.

• Photocopiers and document reproduction · 1956

  Xerox copying equipment

  Rank Xerox's central business was the manufacture, distribution, and sale of Xerox xerographic copying equipment. The venture helped bring Xerox's document-reproduction technology to European and later African and Asian markets, supporting both direct sales and more established office-equipment distribution channels.

• Office information technology · 1969

  Computers and electronic data-processing equipment

  Following Xerox's assumption of control in 1969, Rank Xerox was authorized to manufacture, distribute, and sell new product lines that included computers and related electronic data-processing equipment and services. The expansion reflected Xerox's broader ambition to participate in office automation and information processing.

• Demonstration and marketing infrastructure · 1973

  Mobile exhibition showrooms

  Rank Xerox used specially equipped trains, articulated Showliner trucks, buses, and large traveling exhibitions to demonstrate office technology. These mobile facilities functioned as temporary showrooms and were particularly useful in Eastern European markets where conventional Western commercial infrastructure was difficult to establish.

• 1983Hull Kingston Rovers sponsorship

  United Kingdom

  Rank Xerox became the first sponsor of Hull Kingston Rovers in 1983.

  Outcome. The activity formed part of the company's British sports sponsorship presence.

  Source
• 1980Southampton F.C. sponsorship

  United Kingdom

  Rank Xerox became the first shirt sponsor of Southampton F.C., beginning a sponsorship period that ran from 1980 to 1983.

  Outcome. The sponsorship increased the brand's visibility in British sport.

  Source
• 1974Rank Xerox Showliners

  Eastern Europe · United Kingdom

  Rank Xerox extended the mobile-exhibition concept through large articulated trailers with motorized pull-outs, picture windows, a kitchen, and a functional showroom.

  Outcome. The road-based format could reach smaller cities that were less accessible to the exhibition train and continued Rank Xerox's direct-demonstration strategy.

  Source
• 1973Eastern European demonstration train

  Eastern Europe · Soviet Union

  Rank Xerox commissioned a five-carriage train containing staff accommodation, a kitchen, sleeping facilities, and a demonstration salon. It traveled approximately 30,000 miles through nine Eastern European countries to present copying equipment to prospective customers.

  Outcome. The tour reportedly generated orders worth more than £3 million and became a distinctive example of mobile technology marketing behind the Iron Curtain.

  Source

• 1997

  Acquire Rank's remaining interestM&A

  Background

  Xerox already held 80 percent of Rank Xerox and sought complete ownership of the international operation.

  Action taken

  Xerox bought the Rank Organisation's remaining 20 percent stake and subsequently renamed Rank Xerox Limited as Xerox Limited.

  Aftermath

  The Rank Xerox brand was retired in favor of Xerox, and its research center was renamed the Xerox Research Centre Europe.

  Purchase price for Rank's remaining stake. £940 million (1997)

  Source

• 1969

  Expand Rank Xerox beyond copying equipmentStrategy

  Background

  Xerox's international business was becoming strategically important, while office technology was broadening beyond standalone copiers.

  Action taken

  Xerox Corporation assumed control of Rank Xerox and authorized it to manufacture, distribute, and sell computers and related electronic data-processing equipment and services.

  Aftermath

  Rank Xerox increasingly operated as Xerox's international arm.

  Source

• 1962

  Establish Fuji XeroxM&A

  Background

  Xerox needed a local Japanese manufacturing and marketing structure for its office-technology products.

  Action taken

  Rank Xerox and Fuji Photo Film formed a joint marketing and manufacturing facility in Japan.

  Aftermath

  The venture became Fuji Xerox, later known as Fujifilm Business Innovation.

  Source

• 1956

  Create a European Xerox joint ventureM&A

  Background

  Rank sought a technology business that could complement its camera-lens activities, while Haloid needed manufacturing and distribution reach outside the United States.

  Action taken

  Rank invested £600,000 for an initial 50 percent interest in Rank Xerox, which manufactured and marketed Xerox equipment in Europe.

  Aftermath

  The venture became a major platform for Xerox's international expansion.

  Rank's initial investment. £600,000 (1956)

  Source

1. 1Rank Xeroxen.wikipedia.org