Today we know Black & Decker as a powerhouse in the production of power tools, accessories, hardware and home improvement products. Their wide range of reliable products is very common in the average household, however, as the majority of companies we still see today, their path to success has a huge story behind it.
Their story began in the city of Baltimore, Maryland in 1910, two young entrepreneurs S. Duncan Black and Alonzo G. Decker, decided to combine their savings, which amounted to just $1,200, and opened up a machine shop. Their early products included machines for making milk bottle caps and candy dipping. 1916 saw Black & Decker launch their first patent application for a ½-inch portable electric drill, it was made using the grip and trigger switch off a pistol. The company then opened its first large-scale manufacturing plant, in Towson, a suburb north of Baltimore.
In just 9 years, Black & Decker’s annual sales reached $1 million. In 1919 the company completes a new 20,000-square-foot factory in Towson. As part of a publicity stunt for expansion across the US, the company sent out two buses across the country with the
Another 20 years of success passed, the company continued to reach huge annual sales and their customers were spread all over the US, a sign of the expansion they had tried to get hold off. The business saw a huge wave of investment in 1936 amidst Black & Decker entering the New York Stock Exchange.
1946 saw Black & Decker start the “DIY Revolution” across the US, with the launch of Home Utility line of drills and accessories, including the world’s first portable electric drill for consumers. Following the death of co-founder Alonzo G. Decker Sr, Robert D. Black, brother of S. Duncan Black was named the president of B+D in 1956. It was success after success for the business, as once again, in 1957, they had managed to revolutionise the US market, this time the market for consumer lawn and garden equipment, with the release of the first electric outdoor tools designed for everyday life.
The 60’s and 70’s was a pivotal time for B+D as they began to become recognised throughout the world due to their products such as the world’s first cordless electric drill, cordless hedge trimmer, workmate portable workbench (which was a huge success in the UK, receiving an award of excellence from England’s Design council) and the Dustbuster, a hand-held cordless vacuum, all which were groundbreaking concepts at the time.
Black + Decker played a huge part in the famous “Space Race”, aiding NASA with equipment such as a cordless, minimum-torque space tool which was for astronauts to use under weightless conditions. NASA also used B+D parts to craft an Apollo Lunar Surface Drill which successfully removed core samples from the moon during NASA’s Apollo 15 mission.
Today, Black + Decker has a reported annual income of just over $605 million.
