Ostrem Tool Company was founded by Duane Ostrem and Ken Bolds in 1989. The company started in the basement of Ken’s house and relocated to a 2500sf facility in 1991. A 2000sf addition to the building was completed in 1992 and a 2500sf addition to the building was completed in 1994. The first fully automated CNC was purchased in 1996 and we thought that was the only CNC that would ever be needed. Another 4000sf addition to the building was completed in 1999 which made an 11,000sf facility that was our home for the next 9 years. OTC became ISO 9001 certified in 1998 and by the end of 1999 we had 8 fully automated CNC machines and dozens of manual machines.

In 2003 Duane Ostrem sold his portion of the company to Ken Bolds, Heath Bolds and Lynn Center. Ken Bolds is one of the founders and is currently working in sales. He is very proud and very demanding of his company and does whatever it takes to improve his company and satisfy our customers. He has 35 years experience in the manufacturing aspect of the business, especially in the OD and prep-work area of our shop. Heath Bolds is Ken’s son and currently runs the day to day operations. He has a mechanical engineering degree from Clemson University and has been working with his father for the past 15 years. During this time he has become very knowledgeable about the operations, setup, and production capabilities of the machines. Lynn Center started with the company a few months after its inception and is currently the production manager. He is credited with bringing Ostrem Tool into the new age CNC way of thinking. He has 25 years of manufacturing experience and is also very knowledgeable about the operations, setup, and production capabilities of the machines.

Our first CNC OD machine was purchased in 2003. In 2008 we upgraded to a 36,000sf facility. We currently have 15 fully automated CNC cutter-grind machines, 6 fully automated CNC OD machines, 6 manual OD machines, 2 centerless grinding machines, and various other manual machines. Ostrem Tool Company currently employs approximately 40 employees. We plan to continue to grow and continue to invest in the people, technology and resources that enable us to provide world-class, solid carbide cutting tools at a competitive price with on-time delivery.