Black & Decker Appliances and Housewares
When you think about household products and appliances one name that surely comes to mind is Black & Decker. A behemoth in the industry, Black & Decker started out as a small machine shop in Baltimore in the early 1900s. S. Duncan Black and Alonzo G. Decker didn’t know their small shop would grow into the huge brand it is today.
From 1917 to 1929, Black & Decker geared its business plan toward international expansion, opening in London, Australia and Canada. Then, in 1941 its plant in Towson, Maryland, began manufacturing fuses, gun shells and other ordnance for the Allies during World War II. Even though many resources were going toward the war effort, Black & Decker did not cease development of its power tools, specifically its line of drills In 1943, the company received a very prestigious Army-Navy “E” award for production.
Just before his death in 1951, Duncan Black got to witness a company milestone the year before when Black & Decker turned out its one millionth utility drill. Following his death, Alonzo Decker became president of the company and opened a 121,000 square foot plant in Hampstead, Maryland.
During the 50s through the 70s, Black & Decker continued international expansion into South Africa, New Zealand, Germany, the Netherlands and eventually Japan. All the while, the Hampstead plant grew and Black & Decker made several acquisitions, including the buy-out of the Carbide Router Company in New Jersey and DeWalt of Pennsylvania.
In 1974, sales surpassed the $500 million mark. One billion was just around the corner in 1979 when the U.S. power tools business was incorporated as a wholly-owned subsidiary under the name of Black & Decker. In 1985 the company turned 75, marking yet another milestone in its history. Two years later the company’s earnings doubled, sales exceeded $2 billion and Black & Decker was ranked by Fortune magazine among the 200 largest U.S.-based industrial companies.
The company has continued to grow by leaps and bounds, becoming a household name. It has continued acquisitions and expansion overseas. Today Black & Decker manufactures everything from power drills to automotive devices to kitchen electronics like toaster ovens and rice cookers. There’s not a home in the country that doesn’t boast a Black & Decker product.
Click here to browse our selection of Black & Decker products.
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