First Aid Only

First Aid Only
Industry First Aid products
Owner Acme United Corporation
Website First Aid Only Home

First Aid Only, Inc. started in 1988 in a garage in Vancouver, Washington.[1] After research, founder Mark Miller concluded he could produce a better first aid kit for the average consumer than the ones that were available at the time.[2]

In the following years, he grew First Aid Only into a business with thousands of products in the first aid area, over 100 employees and well-known clients such as McDonald's, Grainger and Staples.[3]

History

1988 - 1997

After noticing the lack of quality of first aid kits available for home and business use, Mark Miller and his silent partner Dr. Robert Thornton, founded First Aid Only. He put together an all-purpose kit and started offering the product all over the United States.[4]

The first customers soon followed, and when Costco started ordering the first aid kit, Mark Miller knew he was on the right track. The deal with Costco not only gave First Aid Only the opportunity to hire its first employees, but also to move out of the garage into a larger warehouse. The company’s initial product FAO-134 is successful even today.[5]

In the following years, Mark Miller continued to expand the company’s number of offerings, personnel and clients. By 1992, First Aid Only was generating $3.4 million in sales and moved to a modern 54,000 square-feet facility in Vancouver, Washington. At the time it was much larger than necessary, but the company anticipated continued growth.[6]

1998 – 2014

After about 10 years, the Company started focussing on Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) compliance products for the workspace. Instead of turning to lower-cost foreign factories, Mark Miller maintained his assembly and distribution operations in the United States.[7]

In its search for product innovation and improvement of delivery mechanisms for first aid products, First Aid Only acquired First Aid Exchange in 2006. First Aid Exchange owned the rights to SmartCompliance, a first aid solution that makes it convenient for organizations to remain compliant with OSHA as well as ANSI standards.[8]

Today, First Aid Only is known as a supplier of first aid kits, refills, and safety products that meet regulatory requirements for a broad range of industries. The company continues to focus on emergency preparedness products to help employers be prepared and OSHA compliant. It has a distributor network of more than 1,000 customers and has sold over 100 million first aid kits.[9]

In June 2014, Acme United Corporation acquired First Aid Only for $13.8 million. First Aid Only had revenues in 2013 of $17.3 million.[10]

First Aid Only as Acme United Brand

Acme United has been in the first aid business for over 40 years and was a competitor of First Aid Only with its PhysiciansCare and Pac-Kit brands.[11] Combined, the three brands are among the top-10 producers of first aid kits in the United States, and they accounted for 35% of Acme United’s total sales in 2014.[12]

Shortly after the acquisition, Acme United started making capital investments in First Aid Only’s Vancouver facility, both through mechanization and staffing increases.

In 2015, Acme United consolidated its US first aid production facilities. As such, the Pac-Kit production was moved from Norwalk, Connecticut to the First Aid Only plant. This results in production efficiencies and cost savings.[13]

As for 2016, Acme United has introduced ANSI 2015 compliant first aid kits, which exceed newly issued OSHA safety regulations for the workplace. These first aid supplies are intended to deal with most types of injuries and sudden illnesses that may be encountered on the work floor, such as wounds; minor burns; sprains and strains; and eye injuries.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Rival buys First Aid Only for $13.8M". columbian.com.
  2. ↑ "First Aid Only". linkedin.com.
  3. ↑ "First Aid Only". linkedin.com.
  4. ↑ "First Aid Only, Inc.". akama.com.
  5. ↑ "First Aid Only FAO-134 All-Purpose First Aid Kit". walmart.com.
  6. ↑ "First Aid Only". linkedin.com.
  7. ↑ "First Aid Only retains local focus". columbian.com.
  8. ↑ "First Aid Only". linkedin.com.
  9. ↑ "First Aid Only". linkedin.com.
  10. ↑ "Rival buys First Aid Only for $13.8M". columbian.com.
  11. ↑ "Rival buys First Aid Only for $13.8M". columbian.com.
  12. ↑ "Acme United Corporation Acquires Assets of First Aid Only, Inc". wsj.com.
  13. ↑ "Acme United Corporation's Q3 2015 Earnings Call Transcript". seekingalpha.com. Retrieved on December 21, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Acme United Corporation's Q3 2015 Earnings Call Transcript". seekingalpha.com. Retrieved on December 21, 2015.

External links

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