Rockwell Tools

Last updated
Rockwell Tools
Rockwell Tools Logo.png
Product type
Owner Positec Tool Corporation
Country
Introduced2005
Website www.rockwelltools.com

Rockwell Tools is a line of power tools that is currently owned and distributed by Positec Tool Corporation, a China-based company with North American headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. [1] [2] The brand offers power tools and hand tools that are most often used in professional and private construction, automotive repair, and woodworking. [3] Its products are sold at a variety of retailers including Lowe's, Costco, and The Home Depot. [4]

Contents

History

Rockwell SoniCrafter Rockwell Sonicrafter.jpg
Rockwell SoniCrafter

The Positec Tool Corporation was founded in Suzhou, China, in 1994 by Don Gao. [4] It primarily sold OEM tools to established brands like Black & Decker. [5] In the early 2000s, Gao decided to branch out by manufacturing tools and lawn care accessories under his own brand name. [6] Meanwhile, Tom Duncan, the current CEO of the Positec Tool Corporation in North America, was the vice president of a Robert Bosch GmbH-owned company called Vermont American. He quit that job in 2003 to pursue the manufacture of a line of power tools. He purchased the rights to the brand name "Rockwell" which hadn't been in use for power tools since 1981. [7] [8]

Gao and Duncan met in 2004, with Gao looking to launch the "WORX" brand of lawn care accessories and Duncan looking to manufacture the Rockwell Tools brand. [9] They decided to partner up, and Duncan became the head of the North American division of Positec in 2005. Both the Rockwell Tools and the WORX brands were originally sold directly to consumers via infomercials. Products branded with Rockwell Tools first appeared in the retailer Lowe's, in October 2009. [7] By 2012, the main North American distribution center had moved to Huntersville, North Carolina, from Long Beach, California, to facilitate the increased sales. [10] Rockwell Tools could also be found in Costco and The Home Depot (among other retailers) in 2012. [4]

Kasey Kahne driving the #4 truck sponsored by Rockwell Tools at Rockingham Speedway. Kasey Kahne Pit Rockingham.jpg
Kasey Kahne driving the #4 truck sponsored by Rockwell Tools at Rockingham Speedway.

In 2012, the Rockwell brand was designated the "Official Power Tool" of Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. They also served as the sponsor for Kasey Kahne's vehicle in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in Rockingham that year. [11] In 2013, Rockwell Tools was a part of an integrated ad campaign that was featured on both the History Channel and its reality TV series Counting Cars . The campaign's slogan was "Rock Your Garage", which was also the title of a sweepstakes associated with the campaign. [12] [13]

Products

The Rockwell Tools brand features power tools (both corded and cordless) and hand tools. Some of these tools include drills, VersaCut circular saws, power planers, miter saws, G-Force angle grinders, sanders, and bench grinders. [3] Many of the products offered by Rockwell Tools come with free batteries for life. [14] Rockwell Tools also offers a variety of specialty tools including the Sonicrafter, an oscillating multi-tool that is used for remodeling and general home improvement. The Jawhorse is a clamping device that is similar in style to a bench vise, but offers hands-free operation. [3] [15] Rockwell also offers the ShopSeries, which is a line of tools aimed at budget-conscious DIYers. [3]

Recognition and awards

In 2011, Positec was honored with the Product of the Year award by DIY Week in the power tools category for Rockwell's Sonicrafter oscillating tool and the Rockwell G-Force angle grinder. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power tool</span> Tool that is actuated by an additional power source and mechanism other than by hand alone

A power tool is a tool that is actuated by an additional power source and mechanism other than the solely manual labor used with hand tools. The most common types of power tools use electric motors. Internal combustion engines and compressed air are also commonly used. Tools directly driven by animal power are not generally considered power tools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Costco</span> American multinational chain of membership-only stores

Costco Wholesale Corporation is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only big-box retail stores. As of 2022, Costco is the fifth largest retailer in the world and is the world's largest retailer of choice and prime beef, organic foods, rotisserie chicken, and wine as of 2016. Costco is ranked #11 on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kasey Kahne</span> American racing driver

Kasey Kenneth Kahne is an American dirt track racing driver and former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2018, driving the No. 95 Dumont Jets/Procore Technologies Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Leavine Family Racing. Currently, Kahne competes in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, driving the No. 9 sprint car for his own team, Kasey Kahne Racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Private label</span> Brand made by one firm, offered by another

A private label, also called a private brand or private-label brand, is a brand owned by a company, offered by that company alongside and competing with brands from other businesses. A private-label brand is almost always offered exclusively by the firm that owns it, although in rare instances the brand is licensed to another company. The term often describes products, but can also encompass services.

Dremel is a multinational brand of power tools, focusing on home improvement and hobby applications. Dremel is known primarily for its rotary tools such as the Dremel 3000, 4000 and 8200 series which are similar to the pneumatic die grinders used in the metalworking industry by tool or moldmakers. Dremel later expanded its product range and now produces butane tools, benchtop and hand-held saws and oscillating tools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evernham Motorsports</span> Former American racecar team

Evernham Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing organization that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 2000 by former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Ray Evernham, entering full-time competition as a two-car operation in 2001 and fielding additional full-time entries in alliances with Ultra Motorsports and the Valvoline corporation. The organization was renamed Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2007 after former Montreal Canadiens and Liverpool F.C. owner George Gillett bought a controlling interest from founder Evernham, and merged with Petty Enterprises in 2009 to become Richard Petty Motorsports.

Delta Power Equipment Corp. designs, manufactures and distributes power woodworking tools under the Delta Machinery brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milwaukee Electric Tool</span> Power tool manufacturer

The Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation is a multi-national company that develops, manufactures, and markets power tools. Milwaukee tools are currently manufactured in China, Germany, Mexico, The United States and Vietnam. In 2005 the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong based Techtronic Industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeWalt</span> Tool company

DeWalt Industrial Tool Company is an American worldwide manufacturer of power tools and hand tools for the construction, manufacturing and woodworking industries, as well as home craftspeople. DeWalt is a registered trademark of Black & Decker (U.S.) Inc., a subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skil</span> Brand name of power tools

SKIL Power Tools is a brand of electric power tools and accessories located in Naperville, Illinois, United States. It is a subsidiary of Chervon, a company based in Nanjing, China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makita</span> Japanese manufacturer of power tools

Makita Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer of power tools. Founded on March 21, 1915, it is based in Anjō, Japan and operates factories in Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico, Romania, the United Kingdom, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Canada, and the United States. Annual sales were equivalent to $3.1 billion in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metabo</span> German power tool manufacturer

Metabowerke GmbH is a manufacturer of power tools for professional users headquartered in Nürtingen, Germany. The company was founded in the 1920s and got its name from a hand drill, the so-called "Metallbohrdreher". Today, Metabo offers a wide range of power tools. The company is owned by the American investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Discovery Place</span> Museum in North Carolina

Discovery Place Science is a science and technology museum, located in Uptown, Charlotte, North Carolina. Discovery Place Science operates The Charlotte Observer IMAX Dome Theater, also referred to as an OMNIMAX theater. It is the largest IMAX Dome Theater in the Carolinas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WORX</span> Brand of lawn and garden equipment

Worx, is a line of lawn and garden equipment and power tools owned and distributed by the Positec Tool Corporation, a manufacturing company based in Suzhou, China, with North American headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. The brand is known primarily for its lawn and garden tools like trimmers, lawn mowers, and chainsaws. In North America, Worxproducts can be found at numerous major retailers including Lowe's, Walmart, The Home Depot, Canadian Tire, and Costco. The brand is also sold on other continents, such as in Europe.

Kobalt is a line of hand and mechanics' tools, power tools, and tool storage products owned by the American home improvement chain Lowe's. It is the house brand for both Lowe's in North America and their joint venture with the now defunct Masters Home Improvement in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Education Lottery 200 (Rockingham)</span>

The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at The Rock Presented by Cheerwine was a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race held at the Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. The race consisted of 200 laps, 203.4 miles (320 km). The inaugural race was run on April 15, 2012, and was won by Kasey Kahne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Lenox Industrial Tools 301</span> Motor car race

The 2012 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on July 15, 2012 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, United States. Contested over 301 laps, it was the nineteenth race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Kasey Kahne of Hendrick Motorsports took his second win of the season, while Denny Hamlin finished second and Clint Bowyer finished third.

The Positec Tool Corporation, or simply Positec, is a manufacturing company that specializes in the production of power tools and lawn and garden equipment. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Suzhou, China and the head of its North American division is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Positec is known for its production of the Rockwell Tools, WORX and Kress brands which can be found in retailers like Lowe's, The Home Depot, Costco, and Walmart.

Tom Duncan is an American entrepreneur and business executive who is the current President and CEO of the North American division of the Positec Tool Corporation. He was previously an executive for the Vermont American Tool Company, which was a joint venture between the Robert Bosch Tool Group and the Emerson Electric Company. He has been featured in publications and media like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Bloomberg Television program, Taking Stock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Shiplett</span> NASCAR crew chief

Michael G. Shiplett is an American NASCAR crew chief who works for Richard Childress Racing as the NASCAR Xfinity Series competition director.

References

  1. ↑ Boye, Will (15 July 2011). "Positec finds tools for growth". Charlotte Business Journal . Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "New Pride of Ownership". www.PositecGroup.com. Positec Tool Corporation. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Marshall, Chris (6 April 2010). "Rockwell Tools: New Company, Same Quality". Woodworker's Journal. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Shao, Heng (3 July 2012). "Chinese Power Tool Company To Expand U.S. Market". Forbes . Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Minter, Steve (3 June 2011). "Positec's Path to Success Built on Brand". IndustryWeek . Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  6. ↑ Flannery, Russell (3 December 2010). "Doing It Himself". Forbes . Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 "Positive Technology". Greater Charlotte Biz. August 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  8. ↑ Duncan, Tom (26 May 2012). "Immersed in Global Business". The New York Times . Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  9. ↑ Pellet, Jennifer (15 February 2012). "DIY Brand Building". Chief Executive . Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  10. ↑ Wilson, Jen (24 February 2012). "Positec Tool Corp. opens Huntersville distribution facility". Charlotte Business Journal . Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  11. ↑ Wilson, Steven B. (30 March 2012). "Rockwell Tools Joins Up With Kasey Kahne To Race at "The Rock"". Speedway Digest. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  12. ↑ Hoffmann, Melissa (1 November 2013). "Power Tools Brand Tries to Nail Down Target Audience With History's Counting Cars". Adweek . Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  13. ↑ "History & Rockwell Tools 'Rock Your Garage'". Woodworking Network. 4 November 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  14. ↑ Johnson, Roland (13 January 2011). "Small cordless drills offer big benefits". Fine Woodworking . Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  15. ↑ Tate, Rhonda (September 2010). "Rockwell Tools Leverages Advertising Elasticity to Boost Sales by 25 Percent". Response Magazine. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.