Black and Decker is the world's largest manufacturer of power tools and accessories. Although best known for its drills, benches and jigsaws, it is also a major supplier of information systems and services to government and commercial clients all over the world.
The company began in the early 1900's in Baltimore Maryland, USA. It was founded by two young entrepreneurs, S Duncan Black and Alonzo G Decker, who opened a small machine shop and called it the Black & Decker Manufacturing Company. In 1917 they received a patent for the pistol grip and trigger switch on a drill which is a design still commonly used today.
Since the start of the twenty-first century, the company has actively acquired other power tools businesses to gain its dominant worldwide position. Its huge range of good quality, well-priced and well designed power tools are sold all over the world and have become a by word for reliability.