Blount, Inc.

Blount International, Inc.
Private
Traded as Private
Founded 1949 Montgomery, Alabama
Headquarters Portland, Oregon,
United States
45°29′21″N 122°40′22″W / 45.489144°N 122.672905°W / 45.489144; -122.672905Coordinates: 45°29′21″N 122°40′22″W / 45.489144°N 122.672905°W / 45.489144; -122.672905
Key people
 Joshua L. Collins Chairman & CEO
Products Foresty, agriculture, and construction products
Website www.blount.com

Blount International, Inc. is a Portland, Oregon, United States-based company that manufactures saw chain and other equipment for the forestry, agriculture, and construction industries.

History

Oregon Saw Chain Company

Oregon Saw Chain Company was founded by Joseph Buford Cox in 1947.[1] Cox would later found Precision Castparts Corp.

Omark Industries

In 1953, John D. Gray acquired the company and changed the name to Omark Industries.[2] In the 1980s, Omark began researching and adopting just-in-time manufacturing processes.[3] By visiting factories in Japan, Omark studied examples of lean manufacturing.[4] The concepts kept the saw chain products viable in the export market during a period with a strong dollar.[5] In 1985, Omark Industries was purchased by Blount Industries, Inc. and its founder, Winton M. Blount.[6]

Blount International, Inc.

In 1993, Blount Industries, Inc. was renamed Blount International, Inc., and shifted its focus from construction to manufacturing. In 1997, Blount purchased Frederick Manufacturing Corp. of Kansas City, Missouri and added lawnmower blades and garden products to its portfolio. In 1999, Blount was acquired by Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking.[7] In 2002, Blount's corporate headquarters moved from Montgomery, Alabama, to Portland, Oregon. In 2004, it changed its NYSE symbol to BLT, which remains the company's ticker symbol today.

On December 10, 2015, Blount announced that it would be taken private by American Securities and P2 Capital Partners in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $855 million, or $10 a share in cash.[8]

Products and Brands

The company manufactures a variety of products for the chainsaw, agriculture, forestry, and construction industries. Blount manufactures and distributes products under the Carlton, Oregon, Woods Equipment, Kox, Tisco, Speeco, and ICS brands.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Blount International. Retrieved on July 22, 2015.
  2. ↑ John Gray, the Quiet Lion, Dies at 93. (2012. October 22) Willamette Week Retrieved: July 22, 2015. http://www.wweek.com/portland/blog-29348-john_gray_the_quiet_lion_dies_at_93.html
  3. ↑ Cuff, D. F. (1984, Sep 24). Market place; Omark trying new methods. New York Times
  4. ↑ STEVE LOHR, Special to the New,York Times. (1983, Jun 04). HUNTING FOR LESSONS IN JAPAN. New York Times
  5. ↑ Waters, C. R. (1984, 03). Why everybody's talking about just-in-time. Inc, 6, 77.
  6. ↑ Omark-Blount Merger Set. (1984, November 28). New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/28/business/omark-blount-merger-set-omark-industries-a-leading.html
  7. ↑ Blount to be bought by Lehman partnership. (1999, Apr 20). New York Times
  8. ↑ https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/12/10/794479/0/en/Blount-Enters-Into-Agreement-to-be-Acquired-by-American-Securities-and-P2-Capital-Partners.html
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