Type | Private |
---|---|
Founded | 1947 in Portland, Oregon |
Headquarters | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
Key people |
|
Products | Forestry, agriculture, and construction products |
Website | www |
Oregon Tool, Inc. is an American company that manufactures saw chain and other equipment for the forestry, agriculture, and construction industries. Based in Portland, Oregon, Oregon Tool globally manufactures their products in ten different plants across five countries. Oregon Tool produces and markets saw chain, chain saw bars and sprockets, battery operated lawn and garden equipment, lawn mower blades, string trimmer line, concrete cutting saws and chain, and agricultural cutting equipment for OEMs, dealers, and end-user markets. Oregon Tool employs approximately 3,300 people across the world in 17 global locations.
Joseph Buford Cox founded the Oregon Saw Chain Company in 1947. [1] 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. [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]
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 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. [8]
On June 3, 2020, Paul Tonnesen was appointed chief executive officer.
On May 10, 2021, Blount Inc. unveiled a new corporate name that positions it for growth while honoring its heritage: Oregon Tool. The shift from Blount, Inc. to Oregon Tool became effective June 2, 2021. [9]
On June 2, 2021, Blount Inc officially became Oregon Tool, Inc.
On July 14, 2021, American Securities and P2 Capital Partners announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which Platinum Equity will acquire Oregon Tool. [10]
On October 18, 2021, Platinum Equity announced that the acquisition of Oregon Tool had been completed. [11]
The company manufactures a variety of products for the chainsaw, agriculture, forestry, and construction industries. Oregon Tool manufactures, markets, and distributes products primarily under two hero brands: Oregon and Woods Equipment. Further brands under Oregon Tool include Carlton, Kox, Speeco, Merit, and Pentruder.
In November 2022, Epiroc acquired Wain-Roy from Oregon Tool. [12]
Oregon Tool is the largest manufacturer of saw chain in the world, with the Oregon brand holding the title of #1 saw chain in the world. Saw chain sold under the Oregon brand is sold to OEMs, dealers, and direct-to-consumer. Other products sold under the Oregon brand include: chain saw bar, sprocket, lawn mower blades, and string trimmer string. In addition, the Oregon brand sells several battery-powered and corded electric lawn and garden tools aimed at DIY consumers. These products include lawn mowers, chainsaws, string trimmers, and leaf blowers.
ICS was rebranded Oregon in October 2022. [13]
Woods is the inventor of the first tractor-mounted rotary cutter. Over the years, innovations and upgrades in the design evolved and led to the creation of The Batwing. The Batwing name is derived from the folding motion of the cutting decks as they are brought into their transportation position. This design allows for a wide cutting path while also allowing for easy transportation.
Oregon, formally ICS, is a pioneering force in the concrete-cutting industry. As most concrete cutters are of the circular style, Oregon develops, markets, and distributes an abrasive style concrete cutting system. This allows users to cut irregular shapes, conduct plunge cuts, and attempt other forms of cutting that are not physically possible with circular cutters. In addition, the abrasive cutting system is safer and has been proven to reduce kickback over circular style cutters. [14]
ICS was rebranded Oregon in October 2022. [15]
A power tool is a tool that is actuated by an additional power source and mechanism other than the solely manual labor used with hand tools. The most common types of power tools use electric motors. Internal combustion engines and compressed air are also commonly used. Tools directly driven by animal power are not generally considered power tools.
Joseph Buford Cox, was an American inventor and businessman. He invented what is now known as the chipper type chain for chain saws. He based his design on the C-shaped jaws of the larva of the timberman beetle. Cox watched the destructive larvae of the timber beetle for many hours. The beetle's cutting action was left and right, side to side, rather than scratching or burrowing straight ahead. Cox adapted this concept to a new chain saw of his own design put into production during the late 1940s.
A string trimmer, also known by the portmanteau strimmer and the trademarks Weedwacker, Weed Eater and Whipper Snipper, is a garden tool for cutting grass, small weeds, and groundcover. It uses a whirling monofilament line instead of a blade, which protrudes from a rotating spindle at the end of a long shaft topped by a gasoline engine or electric motor.
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DeWalt Industrial Tool Company is an American worldwide manufacturer of power tools and hand tools for the construction, manufacturing and woodworking industries, as well as home craftspeople. DeWalt is a registered trademark of Black & Decker (U.S.) Inc., a subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker.
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Snapper, Inc. was an American company, formerly based in McDonough, Georgia, that manufactured residential and professional lawn-care and snow-removal equipment. Snapper was known for its high-quality red "rear-engine" riding lawnmowers that are capable of standing on-end for storage or repairs, and for its invention of the first self-propelled rotary lawn mower.
Homelite Corporation is an American power equipment manufacturer, i.e., that became notable for being one of the largest post-World War II manufacturers of portable electrical generators and professional and consumer level chainsaws, as well as holding the distinction of producing the world's first one-man operated chainsaw.
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Bettcher Industries, Inc. is a developer and manufacturer of cutting tools used in food processing operations and industrial applications. The company, often referred to as just Bettcher, manufactured the first mechanically powered hand-held meat trimmer in 1954. Since then, the company has introduced successive design generations of trimmers which are sold under the Whizard® and Bettcher Quantum® brand names and are used in meat processing plants in the United States and more than 50 other countries.
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MPF Industry Group is a Hungarian-owned multinational manufacturing company with investments in East-Central Europe and in the Far East. The company headquarter is in Singapore with European Union and the United States as its major markets. According to Forbes magazine, it is the second-biggest Hungarian-owned family business. MPF Industry Group is featured in 1000 Companies to Inspire Europe published by the London Stock Exchange.
A brushcutter is a powered garden or agricultural tool used to trim weeds, small trees, and other foliage not accessible by a lawn mower or rotary mower. Various blades or trimmer heads can be attached to the machine for specific applications.
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