Industry supplier Simmons Knife & Saw, based in Glendale Heights, Illinois, is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
Simmons Knife & Saw got its start in 1946 as a producer of bread-slicing blades and consumer cutlery. By 1953, Simmons’ leadership discerned a market shift toward welded scallop bands for large-scale bread-slicing operations. As a result, the business renewed its focus on the production of welded Scallop bandknife blades, as well as new edge types for other emerging applications.
Since then, Simmons has moved its headquarters three times to allow for new lines of production and more employees. In addition to expanding domestic operations, the business has invested more in international distributors and end users by placing a sales manager in Europe.
Today, Simmons Knife & Saw offers a wide range of products, including 21 unique edge types, for cutting, sawing and slicing a variety of materials across more than a dozen industries, including foam fabrication, food processing, metal cutting and packaging.
“We couldn’t be more excited about reaching this great milestone,” said Colin Murphy, fourth-generation president and owner. “I am so incredibly thankful to our loyal customers, many of whom have been with us for multiple decades, and our hard-working employees for helping us achieve and maintain this level of success for the past 75 years. We couldn’t have done it without them.”
