# Cincom Systems

> Cincom Systems is one of the oldest independent software companies in the world, founded in Cincinnati in 1968 and now headquartered in Riverside, California. It built TOTAL, the first commercial database that wasn't tied to a hardware maker, and today sells enterprise software that helps manufacturers and insurers quote complex products and manage customer communications. Its flagship products are Cincom CPQ (configure-price-quote), Cincom Eloquence (customer communications management), and Cincom Smalltalk, the leading commercial Smalltalk development environment. Privately held for over half a century under founder Thomas M. Nies, Cincom was acquired by Canadian software group PartnerOne in June 2024.

- **Founded:** 1968
- **Headquarters:** Riverside, California, USA
- **Founders:** Thomas M. Nies (Co-founder & longtime CEO (1968-2017)), Tom Richley (Co-founder), Claude Bogardus (Co-founder)
- **Team size:** Approximately 400 employees at the time of its 2024 acquisition
- **Products:** Cincom CPQ, Cincom Eloquence, Cincom Smalltalk (VisualWorks / ObjectStudio), Cincom Mantis, Cincom SUPRA
- **Notable:** Built TOTAL, the first commercial database management system not bundled with manufacturer hardware (1969), Generated over $100 million in annual revenue for 21 consecutive years - a streak matched only by Microsoft among software publishers, Founder Thomas M. Nies recognized as the longest actively serving CEO in the computer industry

## Products & services

- **Cincom CPQ** — Cloud-based, Azure-native configure-price-quote platform that lets manufacturers and multi-channel sellers configure complex products, price them accurately, and generate quotes quickly, with CRM and ERP integration.
- **Cincom Eloquence** — Customer Communications Management (CCM) platform for creating, managing, and delivering high-volume personalized documents such as policies, statements, and correspondence.
- **Cincom Smalltalk (VisualWorks / ObjectStudio)** — The leading commercial Smalltalk application development environment and deployment platform, used to build and maintain object-oriented business applications.
- **Cincom Mantis** — Long-running multi-environment application development platform, originally an application generator introduced in 1978.
- **Cincom SUPRA** — Relational/mainframe database management software with roots in Cincom's original TOTAL database.
- **Cincom CONTROL** — Enterprise resource planning (ERP) suite for manufacturers.
- **TOTAL** — Cincom's landmark first product - the first commercial database management system not bundled with a hardware manufacturer's system.

## Achievements

- Built TOTAL, the first commercial database management system not bundled with manufacturer hardware (1969)
- Generated over $100 million in annual revenue for 21 consecutive years - a streak matched only by Microsoft among software publishers
- Founder Thomas M. Nies recognized as the longest actively serving CEO in the computer industry
- Recognized by the Smithsonian Institution in 2001 as a software pioneer, alongside Microsoft
- Praised by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 as 'the epitome of entrepreneurial spirit'
- Expanded internationally as early as 1971 to Canada, England, Belgium, France, Italy, Australia, Japan, Brazil, and Hong Kong
- Remained independent and privately held for 56 years before its 2024 acquisition

## Latest updates

- **2024-06** — Cincom Systems acquired by Canadian enterprise software group PartnerOne, ending 56 years of independent private ownership.
- **2025-05** — Refreshed Cincom CPQ positioning as an Azure-native, multi-channel quoting platform ('From Quote to Close - Made Effortless').

## Links

- Website: https://www.cincom.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cincom-systems
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/cincom
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/cincom
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CincomSystemsInc/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/cincom
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-05