How it started
History
Joseph Buford Cox founded the Oregon Saw Chain Company in 1947. An avid inventor, Cox designed the modern saw chain after witnessing a timber beetle larvae chewing through some timber in a Pacific Northwest forest. The saw chain he ultimately created serves as the foundation for the modern chipper chain design, and influenced other forms of modern saw chain design. Known as Biomimetics, Cox solved a complex problem by taking inspiration from nature. After experimenting with casting techniques, Cox later founded Precision Castparts Corp.
In 1953, John D. Gray acquired the company and changed the name to Omark Industries. In the 1980s, Omark began researching and adopting just-in-time manufacturing processes. By visiting factories in Japan, Omark studied examples of lean manufacturing. The concepts kept the saw chain products viable in the export market during a period with a strong dollar. In 1985, Omark Industries was purchased by Blount Industries, Inc. and its founder, Winton M. Blount.
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. In 2002, Blount's corporate headquarters moved from Montgomery, Alabama, to Portland, Oregon. In 2004, it changed its NYSE symbol to BLT, which remained the company's ticker symbol until 2015.
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.
On June 3, 2020, Paul Tonnesen was appointed chief executive officer.
From Wikipedia’s article on Oregon Tool, Inc., shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2