Huot celebrates 95 years in business
Huot Manufacturing, a St. Paul, Minnesota-based manufacturer of cutting tool storage systems, is celebrating its 95th year in business.
In 1926, a Minnesota machinist named Gene Huot got tired of storing his drills in a cigar box, which was the normal method at the time. He hand formed a metal box, then drilled all the sizes he used most often into aluminum panels, and mounted them in the box. As a result, the first drill index was born. This method of storing and organizing drills made Huot much better organized, efficient and productive.
Realizing he was on to something, he started Huot Manufacturing to mass produce drill indexes, which led to dispensers that held a full package of drills, then created more dispensers for storing other round tools commonly found in machine shops. Through the decades, Huot Manufacturing expanded to make tool boxes for the automotive industry and cooking utensils, while still focusing on its core product, drill indexes.
In the 1990s, Huot Manufacturing started making carts specifically for machine tool tooling. As CNC machines grew in size, these became popular as they allowed shops to store and organize toolholders for machines with large capacity carousels. Today, Huot Manufacturing focuses only on storage and organization solutions for tooling found in machine shops, while continuing to maintain the drill index business.
In July of 2018, the third-generation of the Huot family sold the company to another long time Minnesota based manufacturer, the Bondhus Corporation. Today, a dedicated group of Huot employees, many that have been with the company for decades, keep the brand and the products fresh with new, innovative ideas.
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The March/April issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about Joyce Lansdale and Vallen. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dirk Beveridge, Frank Hurtte, and David Kahle, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
