Founded as Micro D, Inc in 1979 in California by Geza Czige and Lorraine Meccathe, the company has grown significantly[citation needed] due to acquisitions and expansions into new markets.

[6] In 1996, Ingram Micro became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange, with revenues exceeding $12 billion.

In July 2005 Ingram Micro purchased AVAD, LLC, a wholesale distributor for home automation and A/V gear.

[9][10][11] Ingram Micro built a presence in areas adjacent to its traditional distribution business, including enterprise computing, automatic identification and data capture (AIDC); point-of-sale (POS); managed, professional and warranty maintenance services; mobility; physical security; and consumer electronics.

[15] In February 2016, Ingram Micro announced its agreement to be acquired by the Chinese company Tianjin Tianhai Investment, an associate company of mega-conglomerate HNA Group, for $6 billion; upon completion, Ingram Micro would become part of Tianjin Tianhai Investment and therefore a subsidiary of HNA Group.

The strategic reason for the transaction was to better reach "business opportunities in emerging markets, which have higher growth rates and better profitability."

[29] Bülent Ural, who currently works as a sales consultant for Ingram Micro's German branch, was a member of the German-Turkish musical group Sürpriz, which represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1999.