Midwest Tool Celebrates 75 Years
Company began in years following World War II
STURGIS, Mich. — Midwest Tool & Cutlery Company (Midwest Tool) is celebrating its 75th anniversary. It was in July 1945, when WWII was ending, and material became easily available, that Midwest Tool made its first shipment. The following year Midwest Tool landed their dream customer, Sears, Roebuck and Company.
Back then, Midwest Tool was strictly an OEM private label tool company focused on manufacturing scissors, tinners, gardening shears, and other related hand tools for Sears under the Craftsman brand as well as other, now major tool brands.
Throughout the 1950s and 60s, Midwest Tool continued to grow due to the quality of the tools; however, in the 60s the market started to globalize. The first tools to move overseas were the lawn and garden tools. As DIY stores became popular in the 80s, several major tool companies started sourcing their tools from other countries. In the early 90s Midwest Tool made two major shifts. The first was the introduction of the Pocket Socket tool, which was a huge success. This tool was even featured on the Bob Vila, This Old House TV show. The second shift took place in 1993, when Midwest tool introduced its own brand of tools.
“Our success is based off a simple two-part strategy: first, only the highest quality tools leave the plant and second, we stand behind our tools and the tradesmen,” said Chuck Loparo, director of sales and marketing. “Seventy five years of manufacturing tools in the USA is something we are proud of and we intend to celebrate around the world, focusing on the positive experiences people have in the trades.”
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