"The Baltimore plant, 105 to 115 South Calvert Street, of the Black & Decker Manufacturing Company, the birthplace of the Hex trade-mark and all that it stands for, has been sold complete to the Dieffenbach-Westendorf Manufacturing Company, which is composed principally of the older members of the city plant organization. O. W. Dieffenbach, president, was formerly manager of the Baltimore plant, and William Westendorf, vice-president and general manager, was superintendent. George M. Kimberly, treasurer, has been treasurer of the company for a number of years, which position he still holds. The secretary of the new company is John Sonnenleiter, foreman of the milling machine department.

      The directors of the Dieffenbach-Westendorf Manufacturing Company are O. W. Dieffenbach, William Westendorf, George M. Kimberly, Albert Fankhanel, John Sonnenleiter, Alonzo G. Decker and S. Duncan Black. Numbered among the stockholders are practically all of the older employees of the plant.

      The new company starts off under auspicious circumstances, as the plant is ideally and completely equipped for the manufacture of high-class special machinery and now has enough business booked to keep it busy for a long time; in fact, it is at present operating two shifts." (Quote from 1920)

Information Sources

• The Hardware Review, V26, Mar 1920, pg. 28
• April 1925 Machinery, page 672.

  Dieffenbach Westendorf Mfg. Co., 109 S. Calvert St., Baltimore, Md., has changed its firm name, due to a change in personnel, do Demco, Inc. The word "Demco" was adopted designate the activities of the company, namely, designing, engineering, and machinery manufacturing.

• A discussion of the Mardo Bench Grinder that was manufactured by this firm was posted on the OWWM Forum Website.