Blount, Inc. Rebrands as Oregon Tool
Published: 31/5, 2021
Blount, Inc. unveiled a new corporate name that position for growth while honoring its heritage: Oregon Tool. The global manufacturer of professional grade cutting tools and equipment selected Oregon Tool as its new name to harness the pow of its pioneering origin story.
The company was founded by Joe Cox in 1947 in the basement of his Portland, Ore., home. Inspired by nature – a timber beetle larva to be exact – Cox studied the creature to better understand how to cut wood more efficiently. He designed a new saw chain that was modeled after the larva’s alternating C-shape jaws. He called it the “Cox Chipper Chain” and started the Oregon Saw Chain Corp. to produce it. Cox’s saw chain revolutionized the timber industry, and it remains widely used today around the globe.
Over the years, the company has grown into a multinational organization with numerous acquisitions and mergers. Today, the newly named Oregon Tool is the world’s #1 manufacturer of saw chain and guide bars for chainsaws and diamond saw chain for concrete and pipe, a leading manufacturer of agricultural tractor attachments, and the leading original equipment manufacturer (OEM) supplier of first-fit and replacement parts.
Oregon Tool CEO Paul Tonnesen says that because Oregon is the undisputed leader in the global bar and saw chain market, “we are confident the inspiration and momentum inherent in the name Oregon Tool will help our organization achieve our goals in the years ahead, including aggressive growth across brands and launching into adjacent categories.”
In addition to launching into adjacent categories, the company’s growth strategy includes: evolving its branding across product lines, building on its legacy of innovation and leaning into global stewardship to promote the sustainability of the industry as well as to support those who work in it.