Blevney Machine Co. was organized in 1917 to make the abrasive belt surfacing machines originally developed by John C. Blevney of Newark, NJ. William Howe and Arthur Behnke acquired the John C. Blevney Co. and moved the operations to Greenfield, MA. The company's name changed April 1920 to Production Machine Co. The company prospered and expanded by acquiring Peerless Surfacing Machine Co. and Francis Reed Co. During World War II, it employed 85 people.
Production Machine Co. was sold in 1961 to Wanskuck Corp. of Providence, RI and in the 1980s resold again to company employee Philip O'Hara. As of 2004 the company was still operating under the name of Production Machine, located at Cranston, RI.
Information Sources
- Vermont Phoenix (Brattleboro, VT), Sep. 21, 1917, Pg. 5.
- Machinery, Vol. 26, Apr. 1920, Pg. 800.
- Some of the information here is courtesy of Albert Shane, curator of Greenfield's Museum of Our Industrial Heritage.
- The Massachusetts corporate registry database lists this company's first registration as 1917-07-11.
- Seen on eBay: horizontal belt sander that takes 21" wide belts; drums are spaced about 48.5" on center.
- Listed in 1955-56 Hitchcock's Wood Workers' Digest Directory