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Mag-Lite history
Mag-Lite company history timeline
The rest of this “rags to riches” story continues with his opening in 1955 of a small machine shop in Los Angeles, named “Mag Instrument”. He made machine parts for the military and started to make a few dollars.
In 1955 he set up a small job shop in his garage in Los Angeles as a side venture.
Dismayed by the poor quality of their product, in 1976 he decided to build a better flashlight.
Initially targeted for the public safety sector, the Maglite® flashlight was introduced in 1979.
was invented in 1979, it was named after the owner of the company, Anthony Maglica.
But he developed other Maglite Flashlights in the next several years, in the 1980’s.
Headquartered in Ontario, California, since 1982, Mag Instrument now has several hundred employees and occupies over 700,000 square feet of space, including its factory, offices and main distribution center.
The Maglite Rechargeable Flashlight System (Mag Charger) was introduced in 1982.
The Mini MAGLITE® AA flashlight was launched in 1984 and set a new standard for personal size flashlights.
1988 Marquis and Solitaire and Solitaire History
Brown, Paul B., "Magnificent Obsession; Company Founder Obsesses Over Quality Control and Spends Millions on Patent Protection, All to Keep His Product Unique," Inc., August 1989.
Emshwiller, John R., "Copycat Flashlight Firms Are Hit by Battery of Suits," Wall Street Journal, Enterprise Sec., August 22, 1989.
Barrier, Michael, "Why a Quality Pacesetter Chooses to Hide His Light Under a Bushel—Tony Maglica, Flashlight Manufacturer," Nation's Business, June 1991.
A major one was filed by his former live-in girlfriend, Claire, of over 20 years, in 1994.
In 1994, Mag donated 40,000 flashlights inscribed with "Remember Sarajevo" for the closing ceremonies at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics.
According to the Business Press of California, part of Mag's appeal was an eight-year gap after the request of a renewal in 1995 in which Mag had no patent protection.
After this rocky history, Maglite® has become a standard for all flashlights. It has been called “the Cadillac of flashlights” by the Wall Street Journal in 1996.
In 1997, Maglica established the nonprofit Maglite Foundation in Croatia.
In November 1999, Mag began leasing another, 300,000-square-foot facility as a stopgap measure to meet increasing demand.
The company was valued at $775 million, Maglica's attorney told Ontario's Business Press in 2000 after settling a palimony suit brought by Maglica's longtime companion.
"Mag Wins Lawsuit," Ontario Business Press, Business Briefs, January 27, 2003.
In 2003, Mag won a rare monetary award ($113,000) against a Japanese manufacturer, Asahi Electric Corp., which was found to have infringed upon Mag's patent.
Employees: 900 Sales: $150 million (2003 est.) NAIC: 335129 Other Lighting Equipment Manufacturing
Powers, Kemp, "Anthony Maglica: Mag Instrument," Fortune Small Business, September 1, 2004, http://www.fortune.com/fortune/smallbusiness/articles/0,15114,681497,00.html.
Park, Carol, "Ontario, Calif.-Based Flashlight Maker Seeks Patent Protection," Business Press (San Bernardino), October 4, 2004.
Join Date Feb 2004 Location secret underground bunker Posts 2,514
The company began construction of a new $80 million, 700,000-square-foot facility in 2004.
2004: Construction begins on a new plant.
The 17-year patent on Mag's flashlight, however, was due to expire in March 2005.
Join Date Nov 2005 Location Can't get out of the desert! ARGH! Posts 327
In 2006, the Maglite® LED flashlight was introduced.
In 2010, Maglite XL100 made the “Holiday Hot List” (Dec 2010) – Sunset Magazine.
In 2011, they started the Mini Maglite Pro & Pro+ sales.
In 2018, Mag Instrument, Inc. took its next step forward in their its Internationalization strategy.
© 2021 MAGLITE® Europe GmbH & Co.
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Mag-Lite competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZF MICO | 1946 | $810,000 | 4 | - |
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| Hit Promotional Products | 1981 | $160.0M | 525 | 2 |
| Temple-Inland | 1925 | $3.8B | 10,500 | - |
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| Georgia-Pacific | 1927 | $17.0B | 35,000 | 162 |
| Rapid Displays | 1938 | $23.5M | 200 | - |
| Valid Usa | 2012 | $52,000 | 1 | - |
Mag-Lite history FAQs
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Mag-Lite may also be known as or be related to MAG Instrument Inc, Mag Instrument Inc, Mag Instrument, Inc. and Mag-Lite.