Apex Tool Group is an American supplier of hand tools and

power tool A power tool is a tool that is actuated by an additional power source and mechanism other than the solely manual labor used with hand tools. The most common types of power tools use electric motors. Internal combustion engines and compressed ...

s. It was formed as a joint venture of

Cooper Industries Cooper Industries was an American worldwide electrical products manufacturer headquartered in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1833, the company had seven operating divisions including Bussmann electrical and electronic fuses; Crouse-Hinds and CEAG ex ...

and Danaher by the merger of Cooper Tools and Danaher's Tools and Components segment. In October 2012, Danaher and Cooper sold Apex to

Bain Capital Bain Capital is an American private investment firm based in Boston. It specializes in private equity, venture capital, credit, public equity, impact investing, life sciences, and real estate. Bain Capital invests across a range of industry sec ...

for about $1.6 billion. Apex is headquartered in

Sparks, Maryland Sparks is an unincorporated community that is located in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is situated approximately north of Baltimore and is considered to be a suburb of the City of Baltimore. The Gunpowder River runs through Spar ...

, and has over 20 factories globally including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, China, and South America.

Hand tool brands

* Allen –

Hex key Hex keys of various sizes Socket head screws of various sizes A hex key (also, hex wrench, Allen key and Allen wrench) is a simple driver for bolts or screws that have heads with ''internal'' hexagonal recesses (sockets). Hex keys are fo ...

s * Armstrong Tools – Industrial hand tools * Atkins – Hacksaws * Belzer – Mechanic's hand tools * Campbell – Manufactures

chains A chain is a wikt:series#Noun, serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression (physics), compression but line (g ...

and

clamps Clamp may refer to: Tools and devices *Brick clamp, an early method of baking bricks *Clamp (tool), a device or tool used to hold objects in a fixed relative position (many types listed) **C-clamp **C-clamp (stagecraft) ** Riser clamp, a device ...

. Winner of the "Member's Choice" award for Best New Program at the Do It Best Fall Market in Indianapolis for its chain accessories. * Caulkmaster – Pneumatic dispensing guns. * Collins – Machetes, shovels, and axes *

Crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...

– Produces general hand tools and tool sets. Winner of

Popular Mechanics ''Popular Mechanics'' (sometimes PM or PopMech) is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do-it-yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation and transportation o ...

' 2006 Breakthrough Award for its Rapid-Slide variant. Acquired by Cooper in 1968. * Delta – tool boxes * Erem – Precision

pliers Pliers are a hand tool used to hold objects firmly, possibly developed from tongs used to handle hot metal in Bronze Age Europe. They are also useful for bending and physically compressing a wide range of materials. Generally, pliers consi ...

. * GearWrench – Ratcheting wrenches and hand tools * H.K. Porter –

Bolt The BOLT Browser was a web browser for mobile phones including feature phones and smartphones that can run Java ME applications. The BOLT Browser was offered free of charge to consumers and by license to mobile network operators and handset manuf ...

and

cable cutter Pliers are a hand tool used to hold objects firmly, possibly developed from tongs used to handle hot metal in Bronze Age Europe. They are also useful for bending and physically compressing a wide range of materials. Generally, pliers consist ...

s. * Iseli – Precision matched parts * Jacob's Chuck – drill chucks * JOBOX – truck boxes and site storage * K-D Tools – mechanic's hand and specialty tools * K&F – files and rasps * Kahnetics – Dispensing systems. *

Lufkin Lufkin is the largest city in Angelina County, Texas and the county seat. The city is situated in Deep East Texas and about 60 miles west of the Texas-Louisiana border. Its estimated population is 35,021 as of July 1, 2019. Lufkin was founded ...

– Manufactures measuring tools such as

calipers A caliper ( British spelling also calliper, or in plurale tantum sense a pair of calipers) is a device used to measure the dimensions of an object. Many types of calipers permit reading out a measurement on a ruled scale, a dial, or a digital ...

, gauges,

micrometers The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...

, and

measuring tape A tape measure or measuring tape is a flexible ruler used to measure length or distance. It consists of a ribbon of cloth, plastic, fibre glass, or metal strip with linear measurement markings. It is a common measuring tool. Its design all ...

s. Lufkin was Cooper's first hand tool acquisition in 1967. * Mayle – Mechanic's hand tools * Nicholson – Produces

files File or filing may refer to: Mechanical tools and processes * File (tool), a tool used to ''remove'' fine amounts of material from a workpiece **Filing (metalworking), a material removal process in manufacturing ** Nail file, a tool used to gent ...

rasp A rasp is a coarse form of file used for coarsely shaping wood or other material. Typically a hand tool, it consists of a generally tapered rectangular, round, or half-round sectioned bar of case hardened steel with distinct, individually c ...

s, and

saws A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, wire, or chain with a hard toothed edge. It is used to cut through material, very often wood, though sometimes metal or stone. The cut is made by placing the toothed edge against the material and mov ...

. Acquired by Cooper in 1972. * Plumb – Striking tools, such as

hammers A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as w ...

axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has ma ...

s, and

chisels A chisel is a tool with a characteristically shaped cutting edge (such that wood chisels have lent part of their name to a particular Grind#Typical grinds, grind) of blade on its end, for carving or cutting a hard material such as wood, Rock (g ...

. Acquired by Cooper in 1980. * SATA – Mechanic's hand tools. * Spline Gauges – gauges * Weller –

Soldering Soldering (; ) is a process in which two or more items are joined by melting and putting a filler metal ( solder) into the joint, the filler metal having a lower melting point than the adjoining metal. Unlike welding, soldering does not in ...

tools. Acquired by Cooper in 1970. * Wire-wrap –

Electrical connection Components of an electrical circuit are electrically connected if an electric current can run between them through an electrical conductor. An electrical connector is an electromechanical device used to create an electrical connection betwee ...

equipment. * Wiss –

Scissors Scissors are hand-operated shearing tools. A pair of scissors consists of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles (bows) opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutt ...

and

snips Snips, also known as shears, are hand tools used to cut sheet metal and other tough webs. It is a cutting tool. Workers use various types of snips, either straight or blend one be obtained. The straight or bent being not only for straight cuts b ...

. Acquired by Cooper in 1976. *

Xcelite Xcelite is a brand of hand tools geared towards the electronics service industry. It is currently owned by Apex Tool Group and markets screwdrivers, nut drivers, pliers, and various specialized electronics tools. History Xcelite was founded i ...

–

Electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

tools such as general and specialized

screwdrivers A screwdriver is a tool, manual or powered, used for turning screws. A typical simple screwdriver has a handle and a shaft, ending in a tip the user puts into the screw head before turning the handle. This form of the screwdriver has been repla ...

and

. Acquired by Cooper in 1973. For Hand Tool portfolio, since 2018, Company has decided to focus 3 major brands such as Crescent, Gearwrench and SATA globally.

Power tool brands

The Apex Tool Group Power Tool Division is headquartered in

Lexington, South Carolina Lexington is the largest town in and the county seat of Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of the state capital, Columbia. The population was 23,568 at the 2020 Census, and it is the second-largest municipality in th ...

. It is made up of the following brands: * APEX Assembly & Fabrication Tools – production impact sockets, bits, and universal joints * Buckeye – material embossing * Cleco – assembly tools * Cooper Automation – automated fastening systems * DGD – automated systems * Doler – advanced drilling equipment * Dotco – material removal tools * Geta * Master Power – industrial air tools * Metronix – Servos, drivers, and speed controls * Quackenbush – advanced drilling equipment * Recoules – drilling tools * Rotor – assembly equipment * Utica – torque measurement and control tools

References

External links

* {{Power tool manufacturers Tool manufacturing companies of the United States Tool manufacturing companies of China Power tool manufacturers Automotive tool manufacturers American companies established in 2010 Manufacturing companies established in 2010 Bain Capital companies 2012 mergers and acquisitions Manufacturing companies based in Maryland Companies based in Baltimore County, Maryland 2010 establishments in Maryland