The USA is a highly industrialized country. Despite what you hear or read, American manufacturing is not dead—far from it—and this does not mean importing parts and assembling them here. Instead, it means manufacturing a product from start to finish, from raw materials, and, as applied in this instance, manufacturing knives.
TACTILE KNIFE CO.
Founded in 2012, Tactile Knife Co.’s first products were not knives but quality writing instruments bearing the name Tactile Turn. Around 2020 the company introduced knives under the Tactile Knife Co. brand, made with the same precision and attention to detail as its pens. Both brands employ 43 full-time employees.
“We have about 24,000 square feet dedicated to our operation at the moment,” said Will Hodges, president of both brands. “We have another 24,000 square feet if/when we need it.” Within the square footage are 23 CNC machines: 11 lathes, five mills, three grinders, three wire EDMs and one hole popper. Tactile also has a small army of other equipment to assist with finishing and final assembly.
After making pens for a
