Atex
Encyclopedia
Atex is a company specializing in the development of advertising and content management system
s. The company was established in Massachusetts in 1973 and grew to become a worldwide software supplier to the publishing industry. It participated in much of the change in the print industry involving the move from hot-metal
through photo and then laser typesetting, culminating in computer to plate (CTP
). The company expanded to include web publishing as an integral part of its product line.
Today, Atex has over $1 billion USD worth of software installed worldwide. It claims more than 1000 customers in 55 countries. The company is based in Reading, Berkshire
, U.K. and backed by Norwegian investment company Kistefos
. It employs over 600 people globally.
By 1977, Atex had successfully connected reporters and editors via a paper-free system that allowed working on-screen instead of on typewriters. The system used a terminal-and-server paradigm, but with an unusual approach. The servers used highly modified DEC PDP-11 minicomputer hardware running a custom Atex multi-user operating system. Terminals were little more than keyboards, with the servers directly generating video signals for each terminal. The memory-mapped screen images were monochrome and not high resolution, but they could scroll quickly and fluidly without restriction by conventional serial data connections, which at the time were not very fast. The servers were paired for redundancy; each story saved to disk was written to two separate systems. The systems talked to each other across a high speed intersystem bus, making a set servers seem to their users to be one big system. A built-in messaging system provided email-like functionality among system users, greatly aiding collaboration. Wire stories were funneled into the system electronically rather than having to be re-keyboarded from teletype printouts. The workflow advantages of the system proved enormously popular with staff and management of newspapers and large magazine publishers. The new technology completely changed the way reporters and editors worked.
Between 1978 and 1979 Atex underwent tremendous growth acquiring an impressive list of early adopters including Newsday and the Minneapolis Star and Tribune. Much of the growth can be traced to a series of patents Atex received in 1976 for its Text editing and Display system.
The joint popularity and success of Atex’s newsroom systems helped attract the interest from several major investors and the company was eventually acquired by Eastman Kodak for $77 million. Kodak thought Atex would help them access the commercial industry and build a strong customer based in emerging computer based technology.
Throughout the 1980s Atex continued to grow. In the mid 1980’s Atex for the first time expanded its operations outside the United States with an implementation at The Economist
. This was followed by major installation at Rupert Murdoch
’s News International in 1985 and a $23 million contract with The New York Times
in 1987.
Experience at Atex helped entrepeneur Paul Brainerd see the potential of the Apple Macintosh, Apple LaserWriter and Adobe Postscript for what would be called "desktop publishing." He left Atex to form Aldus and lead the creation of PageMaker.
The company’s investors sought fresh investment in 1995, leading to a takeover by Sysdeco Group AS of Norway.
Sysdeco Group bought Atex and a Finnish supplier of editorial and classified systems, and became known as Sysdeco Media. The two acquisitions were not met with success and in 1995 Atex was spun off again, becoming Atex Media Solutions, retaining its largest shareholder, Norwegian based Kistefos AS.
Atex was able to address Y2K date problems in its proprietary operating system and publishing applications, but many publishers chose instead to replace older Atex systems with new systems from other vendors.
With a new Group CEO, John Hawkins, Atex acquired, in 2006, the media business of Unisys Corporation and then in early 2007, Mactive, an advertising systems developer which strengthened the advertising capability and increased the US market share. 2007 also saw Atex purchase Vogsys, a publishing technology company based in Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil.
In 2008 the company acquired Swedish Java based Web CMS developer, Polopoly which added a digital platform and is core of the company’s print to digital transformation. In 2010 Atex purchased the online classified platform Kaango.
In 2011, the company headquarters were moved to Castle Street in Reading, England, and Jim Rose was appointed as Group CEO. Rose will drive the continued growth and successful development of Atex from its roots as a leader in newspaper workflow management to multi-industry digital content and advertising innovator.
Content management system
A content management system is a system providing a collection of procedures used to manage work flow in a collaborative environment. These procedures can be manual or computer-based...
s. The company was established in Massachusetts in 1973 and grew to become a worldwide software supplier to the publishing industry. It participated in much of the change in the print industry involving the move from hot-metal
Hot metal typesetting
In printing and typography, hot metal typesetting refers to 19th-century technologies for typesetting text in letterpress printing. This method injects molten type metal into a mold that has the shape of one or more glyphs...
through photo and then laser typesetting, culminating in computer to plate (CTP
Computer to plate
Computer to plate is an imaging technology used in modern printing processes. In this technology, an image created in a Desktop Publishing application is output directly to a printing plate....
). The company expanded to include web publishing as an integral part of its product line.
Today, Atex has over $1 billion USD worth of software installed worldwide. It claims more than 1000 customers in 55 countries. The company is based in Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, U.K. and backed by Norwegian investment company Kistefos
Kistefos
Kistefos is a privately owned holding company that pursues investments within venture capital, private equity, offshore, shipping and other sectors. It is owned by Christen Sveaas and led by CEO Åge Korsvold....
. It employs over 600 people globally.
1970s
Atex was founded in Massachusetts in 1973 by Douglas Drane and Charles and Richard Ying, a couple of M.I.T graduates who had an idea for a more flexible electronic composition system. By 1974 they had created a prototype video display terminal, encased in a cardboard whiskey carton, which attracted early interest from the likes of US News and World Reports.By 1977, Atex had successfully connected reporters and editors via a paper-free system that allowed working on-screen instead of on typewriters. The system used a terminal-and-server paradigm, but with an unusual approach. The servers used highly modified DEC PDP-11 minicomputer hardware running a custom Atex multi-user operating system. Terminals were little more than keyboards, with the servers directly generating video signals for each terminal. The memory-mapped screen images were monochrome and not high resolution, but they could scroll quickly and fluidly without restriction by conventional serial data connections, which at the time were not very fast. The servers were paired for redundancy; each story saved to disk was written to two separate systems. The systems talked to each other across a high speed intersystem bus, making a set servers seem to their users to be one big system. A built-in messaging system provided email-like functionality among system users, greatly aiding collaboration. Wire stories were funneled into the system electronically rather than having to be re-keyboarded from teletype printouts. The workflow advantages of the system proved enormously popular with staff and management of newspapers and large magazine publishers. The new technology completely changed the way reporters and editors worked.
Between 1978 and 1979 Atex underwent tremendous growth acquiring an impressive list of early adopters including Newsday and the Minneapolis Star and Tribune. Much of the growth can be traced to a series of patents Atex received in 1976 for its Text editing and Display system.
1980s
In 1980 Atex partnered with the Star Tribune again, this time to develop a news pagination system. The resulting product, Atex News Layout, delivered ‘parallel pagination’ which allowed layout changes to automatically flow between copy editors and layout editors.The joint popularity and success of Atex’s newsroom systems helped attract the interest from several major investors and the company was eventually acquired by Eastman Kodak for $77 million. Kodak thought Atex would help them access the commercial industry and build a strong customer based in emerging computer based technology.
Throughout the 1980s Atex continued to grow. In the mid 1980’s Atex for the first time expanded its operations outside the United States with an implementation at The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
. This was followed by major installation at Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
’s News International in 1985 and a $23 million contract with The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
in 1987.
Experience at Atex helped entrepeneur Paul Brainerd see the potential of the Apple Macintosh, Apple LaserWriter and Adobe Postscript for what would be called "desktop publishing." He left Atex to form Aldus and lead the creation of PageMaker.
1990s
After nearly two decades of continuous growth, which included the construction of a 1,500 person manufacturing plant in the United States, Atex ran into difficult times at the beginning of the 1990s. Citing the need to refocus on its core business, Kodak sold the technology company to a group of European investors in 1992. Those investors started the development of Enterprise and Prestige, which until recently formed the core of the Atex product portfolio.The company’s investors sought fresh investment in 1995, leading to a takeover by Sysdeco Group AS of Norway.
Sysdeco Group bought Atex and a Finnish supplier of editorial and classified systems, and became known as Sysdeco Media. The two acquisitions were not met with success and in 1995 Atex was spun off again, becoming Atex Media Solutions, retaining its largest shareholder, Norwegian based Kistefos AS.
Atex was able to address Y2K date problems in its proprietary operating system and publishing applications, but many publishers chose instead to replace older Atex systems with new systems from other vendors.
2000s
Starting in 2002 when it merged with Media Command, Atex made a series of important acquisitions.With a new Group CEO, John Hawkins, Atex acquired, in 2006, the media business of Unisys Corporation and then in early 2007, Mactive, an advertising systems developer which strengthened the advertising capability and increased the US market share. 2007 also saw Atex purchase Vogsys, a publishing technology company based in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil.
In 2008 the company acquired Swedish Java based Web CMS developer, Polopoly which added a digital platform and is core of the company’s print to digital transformation. In 2010 Atex purchased the online classified platform Kaango.
In 2011, the company headquarters were moved to Castle Street in Reading, England, and Jim Rose was appointed as Group CEO. Rose will drive the continued growth and successful development of Atex from its roots as a leader in newspaper workflow management to multi-industry digital content and advertising innovator.
Products
- Polopoly Web Content Management System
- Editorial Content Management System
- Advertising Content Management System
- Tablet Publishing
- Ad Serving
- Audience Development
- Asset Management
- Text Mining