Buck’s move will save bucks

Chuck Buck, chairman of Buck Knives Inc., sometimes gets disgruntled letters from customers, asking why their knife has a “made in Taiwan” sticker.

Over the years, the American maker of sport and utility knives has shifted about 15 percent of its production to Asia, a move necessary to produce the $19.95 and $25.95 knives demanded by retailers such as Wal-Mart, Buck said.

But Buck hopes to see that 15 percent figure decrease in coming years. “We can’t make (those models) in San Diego,” he said an interview in Spokane Monday, “but we hope we can make some of them in Idaho.”

Buck Knives will open a plant in Post Falls in January, a move that will bring more than 200 new jobs to the area and help the102-year-old knife-maker lower its costs to remain competitive against foreign imports.

Buck Knives is currently based in El Cajon, a suburb of San Diego. By moving its production facilities out of California, Buck expects to save more than $1.2 million annually. The majority of savings will come in lower payments to Idaho’s workers’ compensation fund, the state pool that provides insurance for injured workers, according to Buck. In California, workers’ compensation costs are extremely high, he said. Buck Knives’ electric bill will also drop after the move to Idaho, and labor costs are about 30 percent less.

The groundwork for Buck Knives’ move was actually laid several years ago, when the company converted to “lean manufacturing,” he said. By developing a more efficient production line, Buck Knives ended up with extra space in its 200,000-square-foot factory. The privately-held company decided to look for a new home.

“I liked Idaho because it was so conservative and very business minded,” Buck said. “Gov. Arnie (Schwarzenegger) is working very hard to change the business climate in California …but we haven’t seen it yet.”

The Outdoor Writers of America Association conference brought Buck to Spokane this week. The company set up a booth in Riverfront Park Monday, where salesmen were busy introducing outdoor writers to new knife models. Among the just-out varieties: the Rush Exl,a spring-assisted knife for the hunting crowd, and the Small Revolution, designed with a clip-on for backpackers and mountain climbers.

Buck Knives, which anticipates $34 million in sales this year, is one of the top names in sports utility knives. The company dominates the U.S. market in fixed-blade knives, and is also one of the top sellers of folding knives, according to Buck.

The company dates to 1902, when blacksmith apprentice Hoyt Buck, Buck’s grandfather, forged his first knives. The company incorporated in 1963, after developing a popular folding knife that locked into position for safety. The Model 110 Folding Hunter remains one of Buck Knives’ best sellers.

John Bedlion looked over a table full of Buck Knives Monday, trying to select a new one. The Nevada hunter said he really doesn’t need one: He still has the Buck knife his parents gave him on his 16th birthday in 1972.

“I’ve had a long association with this company,” he said. “I’ve carried my knife so many miles that the sheath is contoured to the shape of my hip.”