The history of Starrett has been one of continuous expansion through the patenting of products and takeovers of other manufacturers. In 1878 Laroy S. Starrett invented and patented the combination square and in 1880 he founded the L.S. Starrett Company in Athol, MA in order to produce the combination square and other precision tools. In 1882 Starrett traveled to London and Paris to appoint sales representatives, thereby starting up the international marketing of his products. In 1887 Starrett acquired further patents.
In 1890 L.S. Starrett patented a micrometer with other improvements, transforming the rough version of this tool into a modern micrometer. During the same year Starrett began making and refining saw blades and today Starrett is the world's largest saw blade manufacturer.[citation needed] In 1895 Starrett patented the divider with trammel. In 1920 the company added its first gage to the product line and quickly became the world’s largest innovator and maker of precision calibrators.
Between 1941 and 1945 Starrett increased its production by 800% and won the Army and Navy “E” prize. At the same time, more than 400 employees went into the US armed forces. The post-war period was a time of overseas expansion, with Starrett opening a factory in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1956. In the early 1960s, the Brazilian factory was moved to a new location in the city of Itu, 100 km from São Paulo, and has grown to become one of the region's biggest employers. During an event to mark the 50th anniversary of Starrett in Brazil in 2006, Douglas A Starrett announced that Salvador de Camargo would take over from Antony McLaughlin as president of Starrett in Brazil. McLaughlin had held the post of president for 44 years from 1962 when the Starrett factory was set up in Itu and de Camargo had worked there since 1963.[4]
In 1958 a plant was opened in Scotland and this plant currently makes a great variety of Starrett products for the European and Asian markets. In 1962 Starrett acquired the Webber Gage Company, adding gage blocks to the Starrett product line. In 1970 Starrett took over the Herman Stone Co., a granite product maker, and in 1985 it relocated production to a new plant in Mount Airy, NC. This plant also makes saws and measuring equipment. In 1975 the São Paulo factory reopened in the city of Itu, in an extremely modern plant which currently manufactures saws and precision instruments.
In 1986 Starrett took over the Evans Rule Company, the world's largest tape measure manufacturer, and in 1990 the company bought Sigma Optical, a British manufacturer of optical profile projectors. In 1998 Starrett expanded into China, opening a new plant in Suzhou.[5]
