Oregon Saw Chain
| 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°WCoordinates: 45°29′21″N 122°40′22″W / 45.489144°N 122.672905°W |
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.
Oregon Saw Chain Company was founded by Joseph Buford Cox in 1947. Cox would later found 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 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.
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, Speeco, and ICS brands.
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