thedrifter
12-15-05, 04:40 PM
Ontario Knife keeps combat Marines sharp
Tracey Drury
Business First
U.S. Marines in combat around the world owe their safety in part to a knife company tucked away in southern Erie County.
The Ontario Knife Co. is known for its cutlery and sporting/outdoor knives. About half of its $10 million revenue stream comes from specialty knives for military applications. This July, the Franklinville company shipped 200,000 bayonets, outfitted with insulated extension rods to protect the user from electric shock when used to cut fencing or wire that may be electrified.
According to the Federal Information and News Dispatch Inc., Ontario Knife's new bayonet and fighting knife passed a training milestone Nov. 10 with the Marines as the blade successfully completed The Basic School's Bayonet Assault Course for the 100th time without failure. The Marine Corps ordered the OKC3S bayonets to replace the M7, and the blade has already seen action in Afghanistan with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, and on the streets of Fallujah, Iraq.
Nick Turbovich Jr., president and CEO at Ontario Knife, said the patented weapon is essentially a survival tool.
"The insulated bayonet protects the user from getting the electric shock and also has a voltage indicator on the knife so before cutting the wires, you can tell if it's live or not," he said. "This patent is somewhat consistent with the military business we do at Ontario Knife."
Ontario Knife, founded in 1889, received six patents in the past three years for such items, ranking it among the 25 Most Inventive Organizations in Western New York (see list). A wholly owned subsidiary of Servotronics in Elma, the company employs 63 at its Franklinville manufacturing plant. Total revenues last year were $10.7 million, with about $5.1 million made up of products designed especially for the government.
Other products include a new pilot survival knife for air crews that replaces a model that had been around since the Vietnam War. The new ASEK knife includes a blad that can cut through the hull of a plane, a strap cutter to cut seatbelts and parachute chords and a special cap on the end that breaks through the canopy of a helicopter.
"Our employment goes through cycles along with our government contracts," said Turbovich, who is also vice president and a director at Servotronics, where revenues reached $22.1 million last year.
Tracey Drury
Business First
U.S. Marines in combat around the world owe their safety in part to a knife company tucked away in southern Erie County.
The Ontario Knife Co. is known for its cutlery and sporting/outdoor knives. About half of its $10 million revenue stream comes from specialty knives for military applications. This July, the Franklinville company shipped 200,000 bayonets, outfitted with insulated extension rods to protect the user from electric shock when used to cut fencing or wire that may be electrified.
According to the Federal Information and News Dispatch Inc., Ontario Knife's new bayonet and fighting knife passed a training milestone Nov. 10 with the Marines as the blade successfully completed The Basic School's Bayonet Assault Course for the 100th time without failure. The Marine Corps ordered the OKC3S bayonets to replace the M7, and the blade has already seen action in Afghanistan with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, and on the streets of Fallujah, Iraq.
Nick Turbovich Jr., president and CEO at Ontario Knife, said the patented weapon is essentially a survival tool.
"The insulated bayonet protects the user from getting the electric shock and also has a voltage indicator on the knife so before cutting the wires, you can tell if it's live or not," he said. "This patent is somewhat consistent with the military business we do at Ontario Knife."
Ontario Knife, founded in 1889, received six patents in the past three years for such items, ranking it among the 25 Most Inventive Organizations in Western New York (see list). A wholly owned subsidiary of Servotronics in Elma, the company employs 63 at its Franklinville manufacturing plant. Total revenues last year were $10.7 million, with about $5.1 million made up of products designed especially for the government.
Other products include a new pilot survival knife for air crews that replaces a model that had been around since the Vietnam War. The new ASEK knife includes a blad that can cut through the hull of a plane, a strap cutter to cut seatbelts and parachute chords and a special cap on the end that breaks through the canopy of a helicopter.
"Our employment goes through cycles along with our government contracts," said Turbovich, who is also vice president and a director at Servotronics, where revenues reached $22.1 million last year.