NCR Corporation

June 14, 2016

In 1906, Charles Kettering invented the electric cash register. He was working in the research laboratory for National Cash Register – among a vibrant community of inventors in Dayton, OH that included Orville and Wilbur Wright.

More than 100 years later, the company known as NCR Corporation processes more than 550 million transactions a day, supplying the technology for point-of-sale terminals, ATM machines, travel kiosks and mobile boarding passes around the globe.

NCR

“People ask how old our flight department is, but when you consider we were associated with the Wright brothers from the very beginning, it’s hard to pinpoint how long NCR has been involved with aviation,” said Jeff Michael, NCR’s director of aviation.

With operations in 130 countries, NCR’s leadership team logs plenty of airline miles, but for some trips “it’s easier and more affordable” to dispatch the company’s Gulfstream G550 or Bombardier Challenger 300, said Andrea Ledford, senior vice president of corporate services and chief human resources officer.

NCR frequently flies to major financial hubs across the United States: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Dallas, for example. They also use the business aircraft to visit customers.

“A lot of our customers are based in remote places, and the aircraft helps us respond to business opportunities,” said Ledford. That’s also true “on international flights when we’re making a lot of stops or on a short timeframe.”

Increasingly, NCR will fly international missions where they hit up to five or six countries in 10 days. In a global business, the company’s executives are always on the move. “Being able to talk on the plane, meet and use that time wisely, that’s very helpful,” said Ledford.

As a public company, NCR’s use of aircraft is the business of shareholders. “We take that very seriously,” said Ledford. “We’re always asking: Is this productive? Does this make business sense? We use it because we think it’s a competitive advantage.”

View the full profile on NCR in Business Aviation Insider magazine.