Both Chief models were made and sold in Europe by Gestetner Cyclograph Company, and were also marketed in the United States by the Itek and Ditto corporations.
David Gestetner (March 20, 1854, Csorna, Hungary – March 8, 1939, London) was the inventor of the Gestetner stencil duplicator, the first piece of office equipment that allowed production of numerous copies of documents quickly and inexpensively.
Gestetner acquired other companies during the years: Nashua (later changed to Nashuatec), Rex Rotary, Hanimex and Savin.
In 1996, the international Gestetner Company was acquired by the Ricoh company of Japan.
In early 2010, Gestetner led a PR effort in a campaign asking then-Florida Governor Charlie Crist to grant a 60-day clemency to Martin Grossman to make times for a court appeal.