British Tabulating Machine Company

A series of meetings were held between the British Tabulating Machine Company Limited and the Burroughs Adding Machine Company in January and February of 1952. The "HOBO Group" consisted of a select number of members from each company. The self-imposed objectives of the HOBO group were "to develop specifications for equipment to satisfy all of the major economic levels of the world market for business machines; to make recommendations covering current short range and medium range programs, and to make further recommendations suggesting areas of long range research that might prove fruitful."

From the guide to the Burroughs Corporation records. HOBO group reports, 1951-1952, (University of Minnesota Libraries. Charles Babbage Institute. [cbi])