Chicago Pneumatic, also known as "CP", is an industrial manufacturer providing power tools, air compressors, generators, light towers and hydraulic equipment. Products are sold in more than 150 countries through a worldwide distribution network. CP is active on markets such as tools for industrial production, vehicle service, maintenance repair operation for mining, construction, infrastructure equipment.
History
Chicago Pneumatic is a brand name in the pneumatic tool industry with a history tracing back to 1901. John W. Duntley had in mind the idea of sourcing and selling construction tools "that weren’t yet available". He established the Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company,
with an office in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. The first plant to begin manufacturing product specifically for CP was the
Boyer Machine Shop in
St. Louis, Missouri.
In 1901, Duntley met steel magnate
Charles M. Schwab, who invested heavily in the company. On December 28, the company was incorporated and the first single-valve pneumatic hammer was patented.
In 1901, Chicago Pneumatic Tool Co. took over the Grant Company in Franklin, PA, which had produced lathes, boring mills, drilling machines and railway machinery. In 1902, CPT also took over the Franklin Air Compressor Company which had been producing air hoists. The Franklin plant went onto produce Little Giant trucks (1911-1917), portable compressors, electrical powerplants, and drill rigs.

1904 was the year of expansion for CP. Offices were opened in England, Canada, and Germany; and new lines of products had been developed such as air tools and rock drills.
In 1912, CP began to produce an horizontal 2-cycle semi-Diesel oil engine
to power CP compressors. One year later, CP finalized the Simplate valve; it deleted valve gear, offered controllability with high speeds and brought more capacity.
In 1925, CP manufactured the Benz Diesel engine
that was used in various racing cars in Europe at that time. The same year, CP began manufacturing rotary oil-well drilling equipment.
In 1939, CP designed and manufactured the world’s first impact wrench, both pneumatic and electric versions.
CP developed the “hot dimpling machine” in response to war effort demands, a device heating rivets to 1000 °F and using 100,000 pounds/inch² of pressure to squeeze the rivet head into its final shape.

In 1943,
The Saturday Evening Post published a cover picture by
Norman Rockwell portraying a female aircraft worker,
Rosie the Riveter, eating her lunch with a CP riveting hammer in her lap.
The 1950s and 1960s were an era of performance research. CP drill bits broke depth records approaching 20,000 feet and were used in oil prospecting. The portable broach puller for aircraft rivets was introduced in 1957.
A Chicago Pneumatic electric motor played a role in the U.S.
Apollo space mission to the Moon.
It powered a pump that inflated three bags on the capsule upon its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969. The bags ensured the escape hatch was on top and the astronauts could open it safely. CP introduced in 1969 the world’s first speed ratchet “CP728” at
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...
.
In 1970, the CP611 impact wrench was used in the steel erection phase of the
World Trade Centers (New York City). Sold for several years into industrial markets, CP torque impact wrenches were introduced in the 1970s into the automotive market. In 1987, Chicago Pneumatic became part of the Swedish conglomerate
Atlas Copco. During 1988, more new products were launched than at any time since the late '70s, such as screwdrivers, assembly tools and new ratchet wrenches. The following year, the current logo was designed and adopted.
In 1990, CP won a silver award from the AMA with its "23 parts" advertising campaign.
The advertisement portrayed how over 250 light assembly tools could be made from only 23 interchangeable component parts. In 1994, the production of compactors and portable power generators began.
2007 marked the inauguration of a new technology center in
Nantes
Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
, France.
In 2010, a new global design highlighting the brand colors — red and black — was adopted.
Organization structure and activities
CP Power Tools
The CP Tools main center for power tools is the Technocenter in Nantes (France), where over 100 people work in R&D. Teams research, develop, design, build prototypes, test, and certify industrial tools on the market. Industrial (Metalworking and Energy) and vehicle service tools are also manufactured in
Budapest
Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
, Hungary,
Qingdao, China,
Nashik, India,
Osaka, Japan, and
Clifton, New Jersey, United States.
Two distribution facilities provide the world market with powertools products;
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
that serves the United States and Canadian markets, and
Hoeselt, Belgium, for the rest of the world. Two Logistic hubs are located in France and China.
CP Construction
The main product marketing functions are located in
Essen, Germany, but design, development and production are located in facilities worldwide. In Essen, specialized teams design and produce medium-size to heavy rig-mounted hydraulic breakers, from 550 kg (1,212 lb.) up to 4,200 kg (9,259 lb.) The light compaction equipment and the handheld hydraulic construction equipment are developed in the
Rousse plant in Bulgaria.
Plants in
Kalmar, Sweden), and Nasik, India, collaborate closely on product design, prototypes and testing of the pneumatic handheld tools. Two distribution centers, located in Texas (U.S.) and Hoeselt (Belgium) provide products to distributors worldwide.
CP Compressor
The main centers are located in
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
, Belgium, for compressors and
Zaragoza, Spain, for generators. Production is located in facilities worldwide.
The company
Neuman & Esser acquired the Chicago Pneumatic Tool Co.
reciprocating compressor technology in 1993. Along with Chicago Pneumatic Tool the customer service organization NEAC Compressor Service is owner of eight other brands.
[City bids farewell to remaining ties to CPT, In: The News-Herald: Monday, Feb. 11, 2008, p. 1 and 5]
Products
CP products were used on many famous construction projects,
among which are:
File:Empire_State_Building_from_the_Top_of_the_Rock.jpg, Empire State Building, New York City
File:GoldenGateBridge-001.jpg, Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
File:Lincolntunnel-1955.jpg, Lincoln Tunnel, New York City
File:Hell_Gate_and_Triborough_Bridges_New_York_City_Queens.jpg, Triborough Bridge, New York City
File:HooverDamFrontWater.jpg, Boulder Dam, Arizona
File:Grand_Coulee_Dam.jpg, Grand Coulee Dam, Washington
File:Sydney_Harbour_Bridge_from_Circular_Quay.jpg, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia
File:Lafayette_Square,_Buffalo,_NY_-_52686067705.jpg, 660 Fifth Avenue, New York
File:Triborough_Bridge,_February_2022.jpg, Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (Triborough Bridge), New York
File:Carquinez_Bridge_-_panoramio.jpg, Carquinez Bridge, San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
, California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
File:Glen_Canyon_Dam_and_Bridge_Panorama.jpg, Glen Canyon Dam and Bridge connecting Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
and Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
File:Apollo_8_Saturn_V_at_twilight.jpg, Chicago Pneumatic electric motors were used on the Apollo 8 capsule
Distribution
Chicago Pneumatic products are sold exclusively through authorized distributors worldwide. The distributor network consists of specialized distributors in construction, demolition, vehicle service, industrial maintenance, public works and general industry. CP also made air tools for Sears Craftsman under the "756" model prefix, and in some cases even when branded as Sears Craftsman, still had the trademark "CP" logo on them.
References
Further reading
Consolidated Pneumatic Tool Co. LtdMechanization in Industry, Harry Jerome, 1934
External links
Official siteCordless Tools siteTITAN siteCP Youtube channelCP Linkedin company page
{{Authority control
Power tool manufacturers
Tool manufacturing companies of the United States