About
History
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1986
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Bob Bayly and Tom Carpenter joined forces in Portland, OR to design and build a disposable knife for OSB plants. After a year of work, they chose to proceed with the development of a second concept upon the recommendation of Dudley Smith, who along with Bob’s mother, Jane Bayly, were two of Key Knife’s first financial supporters. The second concept marked the beginning of today’s version of the Key Knife
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1987
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Bob and Tom hired Cecil Ostrander to build the first prototype of a chipper system utilizing steel knife stock “borrowed” from a friendly competitor. The first installation occurred at Mountain Fir Lumber of Dallas, OR in a Mobark chipper and ran for all of 30 seconds. Once they resolved the matters of hardness and radiuses, they hired their first employee, Norma Sherratt in June of 1988 and production got underway in Cecil’s barn. The achievement of producing one box of knives/day was considered a great day. Only two machines could be operated at a time due to the lack of power to the shop and the grinder was in a lean-to heated by a wood stove where the coolant had to be defrosted every morning before start up.
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1989
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The production shop was moved to a 3500 sq. ft. facility in Wilsonville, OR. During this time, the official name of the privately held organization was changed from Commercial Knife to Key Knife. $30,000 in sales for a month was considered record setting at the time. A former saw shop owner and supporter; Herb Frelich became the first production manager and the Chip-n-Saw concept was introduced in
1990. Neil Doherty was hired as the first field rep in January of 1991 and the first CNC machine purchased in 1992. |
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1993
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The manufacturing and office relocated from Wilsonville to a 20,000 sq. ft. building in Tigard, OR and the first High Recovery system was developed. In 1994, the first Blohm (a computerized grinding machine) was purchased, revolutionizing the knife production process. Two additional CNC machines and another Blohm were purchased in 1995.
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1998
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The company relocated again, moving from Tigard to a newly built 50,000 + sq. ft. facility in Tualatin, OR with room for additional expansion. A fourth Blohm and a fourth CNC have since been added along with the establishment of a machine shop center for further expansion into in-house product development. Likewise, in-house production of additional Key Knife system components is taking place on a calculated basis as part of the organization’s overall strategic plan.
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2004
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Key Knife had a record sales year, with sales increasing 26% over 2003. To meet the growing demand for Key Knife products 3 more CNC machines were added. A new R & D test center nick named the Big Beaver, was added to help with the theory and design of the next generation Key Knife chipping systems. To continue the growth Key Knife has developed innovative products for the Pulp mill, Particleboard, and OSB industries. The demand for Key Knife products and services has taken the company to new parts of the world, such as South America and Asia.
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2005
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Key Knife share holders sold 1/3 of the company to employees, starting the exciting process of transferring ownership to employees. Key Knife principles, Bob Bayly and Tom Carpenter, felt strongly that entering into an ESOP was the best way to reward employees for their hard work, and to fuel future growth.
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2006
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Key Knife celebrated 20 years of serving the wood products industry with innovative products and comprehensive service programs. The company continued to invest heavily in their future by opening an office in Santiago, Chile and expanding their manufacturing capabilities with the purchase of a new Mazak CNC.
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2007
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A major restructuring of the executive management team was implemented. Key Knife principle, Bob Bayly, moved from president to CEO. Chris McDonald, who was hired as a production manager in 1998, was chosen to succeed Bob Bayly as president. Pam Anderson, who started her career at Key Knife in 1995 as an office temp and quickly worked her way up the ranks, was promoted to senior vice president.
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2010
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The first group of ESOP participants became officially vested. Key Knife shareholders agreed to sell the final 2/3 of their shares, making Key Knife 100% employee owned.
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2011
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Key Knife celebrated 25 years of providing innovative products and services to the global wood products industry. To celebrate Key Knife employees from around the world converged on Tualatin, OR to partake in a monumental party held at Key Knife’s headquarters.
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2013
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On November 1st, 2013 Key Knife’s founder, Bob Bayly, stepped down as CEO. Key Knife president, Chris McDonald, was elected to succeed Mr. Bayly as CEO. The employee/owners of Key Knife worked together to achieve the most profitable year in the company’s 27 year history.
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2015
2016 2017 2019 2020 2024 |
Key Knife invests in upgrading and installing new cutting, grinding, and hard surfacing equipment. The improvements will yield greater manufacturing efficiencies, and improve both product quality and performance.
Key Knife invested in Haskins Industrial of North Bay, Ontario, Canada. Key Knife employees and their families from as far as Austria, converged on Tualatin to celebrate 30 years of business. Key Knife invested in Peerless Instrument Company, a manufacturer of gear components for the aerospace industry. To further improve efficiencies in manufacturing, Key Knife installed new high speed steel cutting saws and fixtures. After 33 years Key Knife co-founder, Bob Bayly, retired from day to day operations. He will continue to help guide the company as chairman of the board. Key Knife developed and implemented a new heat treatment process that significantly improved knife longevity, enabling customers to operate longer between knife changes and lower operating costs. An incredibly challenging year as the COVID pandemic impacted the world. The unforeseen demand from the US remodel and new home building segments propped up the lumber market, resulting in the 2nd best sales year in company history. Key Knife continued to invest in modernizing their manufacturing facility by installing a Haas VF8. The new CNC has enabled Key Knife to manufacture larger parts, such as solid head hubs, faster and more economically. Kadant Inc. (NYSE: KAI), a global supplier of high-value, critical components for process industries, acquires Key Knife, Inc. to deliver market-leading products and technologies. |
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Mission
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Values
- We Take And Accept Risks
- We Encourage Individual Initiative and Self-Direction
- We Make Sure We Understand Exactly What Our Customers Want Or Need
- We Practice And Foster Mutual Trust & Respect
- We Accept Responsibility For Our Own Actions
- We Work Together Towards a Common Goal
- We Honor our Commitments
- We are Safe from the Start