SK Hand Tools
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| SK Logo | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Founded | Chicago, IL (1921) |
| Headquarters | Chicago, IL |
Key people | Claude Fuger, President & CEO Cliff Rusnak, Vice President & Board Chairman[1] |
| Website | www.skhandtools.com |
SK Hand Tools Corporation is a major manufacturer tools for automotive and industrial customers. Following a takeover by Stanley Tools in 2005 of their former parent company, French based Facom Tools, they became independent through a management buyout in.[2]
History
SK began as the Sherman-Klove Company, specializing in screw-machine products. A major customer at the time, Hindsdale Tools, ceased operations during the Great Depression, left SK with a large inventory of products and a tool division was created to sell it off.
SK invented and recieved a patent for the round head ratchet wrench[3], which remains a mainstay of their, and every major competitor's product line today.
In 1962, SK, along with manufacturing partner Lectrolite Corp., of Defiance, OH was bought out by Symington-Wayne. That company was later bought out by Dresser Industries. In 1985 SK became part of Facom Tools.[4]
Manufacturing Locations
SK maintains manufacturing plants in Chicago[5], and Defiance, OH, in the former Lectrolite plant. Screwdrivers are imported from France, a legacy of the Facom era, and the air tools line is imported as well.
References
- ^ http://www.skhandtool.com/Default.aspx?fusemode=15
- ^ http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/product-management/7830433-1.html
- ^ http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT1981526
- ^ http://www.alloy-artifacts.com/sk-knurled-sockets.html
- ^ http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Tourism/ThingsToDo/CityGallery/CityGallery.html