Klipboard is celebrating its 50th anniversary this October, marking five decades of “working alongside and supporting businesses with highly specific sector software and knowledge to help them adapt, grow and make the most of changing technology.”
Founded in 1976 as Kerridge Computer Company, the industry-specific business software firm states that it has evolved considerably over the past half-century. What began by providing software for particular industry niches in the UK has grown into Klipboard today: a global provider of industry-specific business management technology supporting 55,000 customers across automotive, distribution, rental and field service.
The milestone comes at a time when the pace of technological change continues to accelerate. Over the past 50 years, businesses have had to navigate the arrival of personal computing, graphical user interfaces, the internet, cloud computing and mobile technology, alongside periods of significant economic and industry change. Today, developments in artificial intelligence, data and automation are creating another major shift in how businesses operate and make decisions.
Klipboard now operates across 30 global offices, combining international scale with the industry expertise “developed through decades of working closely with customers.”
CEO Ian Bendelow said: “50 years is a remarkable milestone, and one that gives us an opportunity to reflect on just how much has changed. Since Klipboard began its journey, we’ve seen the arrival of the internet, mobile phones, cloud computing, social media and now artificial intelligence. We’ve also lived through economic booms, recessions, global crises and enormous changes within the industries our customers operate in.
“Through all of that, one thing has remained constant: our commitment to helping our customers succeed. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together and grateful to every customer, partner and employee who has been part of that journey. But while 50 years gives us plenty to celebrate, what excites me most is what comes next.”
From industry software to connected business technology
Klipboard asserts that its development over five decades reflects the changing role technology plays within the businesses it supports. From the earliest business systems designed to help companies manage everyday processes, technology has become fundamental to how organisations manage stock, sales, customers, assets, finance, operations and increasingly the information behind their commercial decisions.
Accordingly, the company has evolved alongside these requirements, “developing and bringing together industry-specific ERP and business management solutions designed around the way customers actually work.”
And this evolution continues today. Alongside its core business management platforms, Klipboard reports it is investing in delivering cloud technology, connected applications, embedded payments, data intelligence and solutions with native or embedded AI; all with the aim of “helping customers compete better by reducing manual work, improving visibility and making better-informed decisions.”
The recent introduction of Klipboard Intelligence is described as representing another step in that journey, combining “industry-specific operational data, sector expertise and advanced analytics to help businesses understand what is changing and identify where to act next.”
Always looking forward
Throughout its 50th year, the firm says it is “celebrating the customers, colleagues, partnerships and innovations that have shaped the business.” A new timeline charts some of the milestones from 1976 to today, from the company’s early years and first software developments through international expansion and successive generations of technology, however the anniversary is intended to look forward as much as it looks back.
As AI, data and connected technology reshape the industries it serves, the company says it will continue investing in technology designed around real operational challenges – while building on the industry knowledge and customer relationships built over the past five decades.
Ian added: “The technology will continue to change, just as it has throughout our first 50 years. Our job is to understand what those changes mean for our customers and turn them into something genuinely useful. We’ve achieved a huge amount together in our first 50 years. Now we can build on that experience and help our customers navigate whatever comes next.”
Click here for more information on Klipboard’s solutions for merchant businesses.
