Company Profile
Blount International, Inc.
Company Overview
Blount International, Inc. is a global manufacturer and marketer of replacement parts, equipment and accessories for the forestry, lawn and garden; farm, ranch, and agriculture; and concrete cutting and finishing markets. We are the market leader in manufacturing saw chain and guide bars for chain saws. We sell our products in more than 115 countries around the world, and we have approximately 4,000 employees.
Our forestry, lawn, and garden offering includes saw chain, bars, sprockets, lawnmower and edger blades, and a range of outdoor replacement parts and accessories for professionals, consumers, and original equipment manufacturers. We offer these products under the brand names OREGON®, Carlton®, KOX, and PBL.
Our farm, ranch, and agriculture offering includes attachments, whole goods, and a wide range of aftermarket replacement parts for farmers and rural homeowners. We offer these products under the brand names Woods®, SpeeCo®, and TISCO®, among others.
Our concrete cutting and finishing offering includes diamond cutting chain and concrete cutting chain saws for the construction and utility industries. We offer these products under the ICS® brand and others.
Blount is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, USA and has manufacturing and sales & distribution facilities in the United States, Canada, Japan, Brazil, China, and Europe.
At Blount, we believe it is all about our PEOPLE creating innovative and quality PRODUCTS, providing excellence in PERFORMANCE, and generating sustainable and growing PROFITS.
Company History
In 1947, Oregon Saw Chain Company was founded by Joe Cox in Portland, Oregon. Joe developed the modern saw chain design after viewing how efficiently timber beetle larva chewed through wood fiber. Like many other small companies, Oregon Saw Chain began as a small operation in Joe Cox’s home.
In the years that followed, Joe expanded his saw chain business and hired several employees. Among these employees was John Gray, who eventually acquired the company in 1953 and led the company through a period of strong growth and expansion. In 1957, the company was renamed Omark Industries.
The company continued to grow over the next several decades. In 1980, Omark Industries was listed on the American Stock Exchange as OMK, and the following year opened a new corporate office in Portland, Oregon.
In 1985, Omark Industries was purchased by Blount, Inc., which at the time was a construction company headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama. Its founder was Winton M. (Red) Blount, who started his career as a construction contractor and grew a successful business through world-class construction projects. In 1991, the company founded the ICS business, which focused on developing specialized chain saw applications for the construction industry.
Exiting the construction business in 1993, Blount, Inc. was renamed Blount International, Inc. and turned its focus exclusively to manufacturing. Almost overnight, Blount went from a worldwide construction company to a worldwide manufacturing company.
In 1997, Blount purchased Frederick Manufacturing Corp. of Kansas City, Missouri, a well-known and respected manufacturer of lawnmower blades and supplier of lawn and garden products. The acquisition marked Blount’s substantial expansion of its outdoor equipment parts business.
In 1999, Blount was acquired by Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking and five years later was listed on the New York Stock Exchange as BLT, which remains the company’s ticker symbol today.
In 2002, Blount’s corporate headquarters moved from Montgomery, Alabama to Portland, Oregon to the headquarter offices of the company’s Outdoor Products segment that consisted of Oregon Cutting Systems and ICS.
Blount has grown its business by developing world-class manufacturing operations and a strong worldwide distribution network. The company expanded its operations through the addition of manufacturing plants in Guelph, Canada (1952); Portland, Oregon (1965); Curitiba, Brazil (1979); and Fuzhou, China (2005), as well as through acquisitions of complementary businesses, such as Frederick Manufacturing (1997), Windsor (2000), Carlton Company (2008), SpeeCo (2010), KOX (2011), and Woods Equipment and TISCO (2011).
Notable Products / Brands
Oregon, ICS Bestway, Pentruder, Woods Equipment, Tisco, Speedco
Benefits
At Blount International we offer a competitive benefit plan that contributes to the health and wellness of our employees.
Blount benefits include:
• Health Insurance, including medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Retirement Savings Plan with a generous company matching contribution
• Tuition Reimbursement program
• Paid vacation and holidays
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Life and Accident Insurance
• Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (U.S. locations only)
• Short Term and Long Term Disability Income Plans
• Employee Assistance Program
• Service Awards