S. C. Allyn, a retired chairman of the board, likes to tell a story
about his company -- the National Cash Register Corporation. It
was August 1945, and Allyn was among the first allied civilians to
enter Germany at the end of the war. He had gone to find out what
had happened to an NCR factory built just before the war but
promptly confiscated by the German military command and put
to work on the war effort. He arrived via military plane and trav-
eled through burned-out buildings, rubble, and utter desolation
until he reached what was left of the factory. Picking his way
through bricks, cement, and old timbers, Allyn came upon two
NCR employees whom he hadn't seen for six years. Their clothes
were torn and their faces grimy and blackened by smoke, but they
were busy clearing out the rubble. As he came closer, one of the
men looked up and said, "We knew you'd come!" Allyn joined
them in their work and together the three men began cleaning out
the debris and rebuilding the factory from the devastation of war.
The company had even survived the ravages of a world war.

A few days later, as the clearing continued, Allyn and his co-
workers were startled as an American tank rumbled up to the site.
A grinning GI was at its helm. "Hi," he said, "I'm NCR, Omaha.
Did you guys make your quota this month?" Allyn and the GI

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