Irwin Industrial Tools

Last updated
Irwin Industrial Tools
Company type Subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker [1]
IndustryManufacturing
Founded1885 in Martinsville, Ohio
FounderCharles Irwin
Headquarters Huntersville, NC
Key people
Charles Irwin, William Petersen
ProductsHand tools
Website www.irwin.com
Previous logo Irwin Industrial Tools logo.png
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Irwin Industrial Tools is an American manufacturer and distributor of hand tools and power tool accessories. It is owned by Stanley Black & Decker. It is best known for producing Vise-Grip locking pliers. Additionally, it produces clamps, drill bits, taps and dies, screw extractors, bolt extractors, saw blades, pipe wrenches, screwdrivers, snips, and other construction tools. [2]

Contents

History

Irwin was founded in 1885 in Martinsville, Ohio as the Irwin Auger Bit Company by Charles Irwin, a pharmacist. Irwin had bought the rights to a solid-center auger bit from a local blacksmith. [3]

In 1924, another blacksmith, Danish immigrant William Petersen of DeWitt, Nebraska, invented the first locking pliers [4] and named them Vise-Grips. [5] In 1934, Petersen formed the Petersen Manufacturing Company to produce them. [6] In 1957, Petersen added an easy-release trigger to the design, creating the modern locking pliers design. [7]

In 1985, American Tool Companies bought out Petersen Manufacturing.[ clarification needed ] In 1993, American acquired The Irwin Tool Company, and in 2002, Newell Rubbermaid acquired American. In 2003, American officially changed its name to Irwin Industrial Tool Company. [8]

In 2008, Irwin announced the closing of its DeWitt, Nebraska plant, ending 80 years of American production for Vise-Grips, citing a necessity to move production to China "to keep the Vise-Grip name competitive." [9]

In 2010, Irwin closed the customer service office in Wilmington, OH and moved the customer service department to Huntersville, NC.

In October 2016 Stanley Black & Decker Inc agreed to buy Newell Brands Inc.’s tools business for $1.95 billion. The acquisition was completed in March 2017. [1] [10]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Fortier, Christopher. "Stanley completes $1.95 billion Newell acquisition". New Britain Herald. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  2. ↑ Irwin Industrial Tools. "About Us" . Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  3. ↑ US 361522,Irwin, Charles H.,"Auger-bit",published 1887-04-19
  4. ↑ US 1489458,Petersen, William,"Wrench",published 1924-04-08, assigned to Jules A. Sire & inventor
  5. ↑ Frechette, Leon. "75th anniversary of the Vise-Grip locking pliers" . Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  6. ↑ Nebraska State Historical Society (2003-04-02). "Made in Nebraska Exhibit, Petersen Manufacturing". Archived from the original on July 28, 2003. Retrieved 2010-02-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ↑ US 2838973,Petersen, William,"Releasing means for self-locking plier type toggle wrench",published 1958-06-17
  8. ↑ Irwin Industrial Tools. "History" . Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  9. ↑ "Workers sorry Vise-Grip plant moving to China". The Associated Press . 2008-09-03. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  10. ↑ "Stanley buys tool division of Atlanta company". New Britain Herald. October 12, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
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