Irwin Industrial Tools
Huntersville, NC | |
Key people | Charles Irwin, William Petersen |
|---|---|
| Products | Hand tools |
| Website | www.irwin.com |
Irwin Industrial Tools is an American manufacturer and distributor of
History
Irwin was founded in 1885 in
auger bit from a local blacksmith.[3]
In 1924, another blacksmith,
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.[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
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]
Gallery
-
A pair of Vise-Grip locking pliers. -
Vise-Grip curved-jaw locking pliers. -
Vise-Grip long-nose locking pliers. -
Quick-Gripbar clamp. -
-
A spade bit.
See also
- Irwin Tools Night Race—A NASCARrace formerly sponsored by the company.
References
- ^ a b Fortier, Christopher. "Stanley completes $1.95 billion Newell acquisition". New Britain Herald. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ^ Irwin Industrial Tools. "About Us". Retrieved 2008-04-06.
- ^ US 361522, Irwin, Charles H., "Auger-bit", published 1887-04-19
- ^ US 1489458, Petersen, William, "Wrench", published 1924-04-08, assigned to Jules A. Sire & inventor
- ^ Frechette, Leon. "75th anniversary of the Vise-Grip locking pliers". Retrieved 2010-02-25.
- ^ 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) - ^ US 2838973, Petersen, William, "Releasing means for self-locking plier type toggle wrench", published 1958-06-17
- ^ Irwin Industrial Tools. "History". Retrieved 2010-02-25.
- The Associated Press. 2008-09-03. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
- ^ "Stanley buys tool division of Atlanta company". New Britain Herald. October 12, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Irwin Industrial Tools.