Black+Decker
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Power tools, home improvement products, hardware, fastening technology |
| Founded | September 1910 (as The Black & Decker Manufacturing Company) in Baltimore, Maryland |
| Founder | S. Duncan Black Alonzo G. Decker |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Nolan D. Archibald ceo |
| Products | Power tools |
| Revenue | $6.09 billion (FY2008)[1] |
| $293.6 million (FY2008)[1] | |
Number of employees | 27,000 |
| Parent | Stanley Black & Decker |
| Website | Consumer Website |
Black & Decker Corporation is an American manufacturer of power tools, accessories, hardware, home improvement products and technology based fastening systems headquartered in Towson, Maryland. On March 12, 2010, Black & Decker merged with Stanley Works to become Stanley Black & Decker.[2] It remains as a wholly owned subsidiary of that company.
History
Black & Decker Corporation was founded in 1910 by S. Duncan Black and Alonzo G. Decker as a small machine shop in Baltimore. Decker, who had a seventh grade education, had met Black in 1906, when they were both 23-year-old workers at Rowland Telegraph Co.[3]
In 1917, Black & Decker invented the familiar portable electric drill, obtaining a patent for a hand-held drill combining a pistol grip and trigger switch.[4] Its logo, a hexagon, was used in one form or another from 1912 to 2014; it represents a hexagonal nut, a universal fastener.[5]
For many decades, the director of design was Glenn Calvin Wilhide, a friend of Walter Gropius and other leading industrial designers of the day. Wilhide filed many US patents for Black & Decker, including, granted in August 1941, the patent for a portable power driven tool unit USD129046 S which is the famous drill known today.
- 1917 – Received a patent for the pistol grip and trigger switch on its drill. The first factory was opened in Towson; the company is still headquartered there today.
- 1928 – Acquired Van Dorn Electric Tool Company of Cleveland, Ohio.
- 1936 – Common stock begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
- 1943 – Received the Army-Navy "E" Award for production, one of four World War II citations awarded to the company.
- 1949 – First Black & Decker U.S. trademark awarded four years after filing in 1945.
- 1960 – Acquired DeWalt from American Machine and Foundry.
- 1975 – Francis P. Lucier succeeded Alonzo G. Decker, Jr. as chairman of the board, the first time a family member did not hold the post.
- 1984 – Acquired small-appliance business from General Electric Company.
- 1986 – Nolan D. Archibald is named chief executive officer.
- 1989 – Acquired Emhart Corporation, which includes the brand names Kwikset, Price Pfister faucets, Molly wall anchors, POP rivets, True Temper golf club shafts and other consumer and commercial products. Inducted into the Space Foundation's Space Technology Hall of Fame for its cordless power tool achievements and contributions to NASA's Gemini and Apollo programs.
- 2000 – Alonzo G. Decker, Jr. resigns from the board.[6]
- 2010 – Black & Decker merges with Stanley Works to become Stanley Black & Decker.[7]
- 2017 - Black & Decker purchases Craftsman from Sears.[8]
Current Brands and Subsidiaries
Black & Decker (the corporation) is distinct from the "Black & Decker" brand; more than one corporation uses the brand. In particular, "Black & Decker" branded household products in the Americas (but outside of Brazil) are marketed by a division of Spectrum Brands, a consumer products corporation based in Madison, Wisconsin. In December 2012, Spectrum Brands also purchased Black & Decker's hardware and home improvement division.[9]
- DeWalt
- Porter-Cable
- Craftsman
- Emhart Teknologies
- Oldham Blades
- Black and Decker Firestorm
- Vector
- DustBuster
Former Brands and Subsidiaries
- Delta Machinery (sold to Chang Type Industrial)
- DeVilbiss Air Power (sold MAT Holdings)
- Kwikset (sold to Spectrum Brands)
- Baldwin (sold to Spectrum Brands)
- Weiser Lock (sold to Spectrum Brands)
- Price Pfister (sold to Spectrum Brands)
References
- ^ a b Black & Decker annual income sheet via Wikinvest
- ^ "Stanley and Black & Decker Complete Merger" (Press release). Stanley Black & Decker. 2010-03-12. Retrieved 2010-03-19.
- ^ Somerville, Sean (1997-01-05). "Alonzo G. Decker: He's still a company man Founder's son: Alonzo G. Decker Jr., son of one of the founders of Black & Decker, helped spark the do-it-yourself movement. As he approaches his 89th birthday, he maintains his connection to the family business". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
- ^ US patent 1,245,860, S. D. Black & A. G. Decker, "Electrically driven tool", issued 1917-11-06
- ^ Black & Decker 100-year anniversary site
- ^ Kelly, Jaques; Frederick N Rasmussen (2002-03-23). "Alonzo G. Decker Jr., 94; Engineer, Power Tool Innovator". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
- ^ "Stanley And Black & Decker Complete Merger". The Street.
- ^ "Sears sells iconic Craftsman brand for $900 million". Retrieved 2017-01-05.
- ^ http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=75225&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1767908
Further reading
- Black & Decker, 1989 Competition Commission report
External links
