Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation, known more commonly as Milwaukee Tool, is an American multi-national company that develops, manufactures, and markets power tools, hand tools, tool accessories, tool storage, and

personal protective equipment Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elect ...

. Milwaukee Tool was last sold in 2005 for $626.6 million to the multinational holding company TTI Group. The company now operates as an independent subsidiary of TTI Group alongside brands like

AEG The initials AEG are used for or may refer to: Common meanings * AEG (German company) ; AEG) was a German producer of electrical equipment. It was established in 1883 by Emil Rathenau as the ''Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte El ...

, Ryobi, Hoover, Dirt Devil, and

Vax VAX (an acronym for virtual address extension) is a series of computers featuring a 32-bit instruction set architecture (ISA) and virtual memory that was developed and sold by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in the late 20th century. The V ...

. In 2022, $206 million was invested in Wisconsin research and development facilities. Milwaukee tools today are manufactured globally in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and Vietnam. The tools produced include corded and cordless

power tool A power tool is a tool that is actuator, actuated by an additional engine, power source and mechanism (engineering), mechanism other than the solely manual labour, manual labor used with hand tools. The most common types of power tools use electric ...

hand tool A hand tool is any tool that is powered manual labour, by hand rather than a motor. Categories of hand tools include wrenches, pliers, cutter (disambiguation), cutters, File (tool), files, hammer, striking tools, chisel, struck or hammered tools, ...

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 ...

hand saw In woodworking and carpentry, hand saws, also known as "panel saws", are used to cut pieces of wood into different shapes. This is usually done in order to Woodworking joints, join the pieces together and carve a wooden object. They operate by ...

screwdriver A screwdriver is a tool, manual or powered, used for turning screws. Description 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 ...

s, utility knives, impact drivers, and more. Primary Milwaukee Tool product lines include the M12, M18, MX FUEL, and PACKOUT tool, equipment, and tool storage systems. This company globally distributes other various tools like

multimeter A multimeter (also known as a multi-tester, volt-ohm-milliammeter, volt-ohmmeter or VOM, avometer or ampere-volt-ohmmeter) is a measuring instrument that can measure multiple electrical properties. A typical multimeter can measure voltage, elec ...

s, thermal imaging equipment,

oscillating multi-tool An oscillating multi-tool or oscillating saw is a multitool and power tool that oscillates (rather than rotating or reciprocating), powered by battery or mains. The name "multi-tool" is a reference to the many functions that this tool can perf ...

s, drilling devices, chargers, and more. Red_and_black_Milwaukee_tape_measure_on_white_backgroundpng

History

1918 – The Hole-Shooter

In 1918, A.H. Peterson developed the Hole-Shooter, a one-handed operation, 1/4" capacity power drill powered by a series-type Westinghouse motor. This drill was lighter than other models available at the time, weighing only five pounds.

1922 – A.H. Peterson Company

In 1922, A.H Peterson and Albert F. Siebert founded the A.H Peterson Company. The business closed the following year after financial setback related to a factory-destroying fire. In 1924, Siebert purchased the remaining company's assets and formed the Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation.

1930 – U.S. Navy

In 1930, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation began producing tools for the U.S. Navy. Milwaukee Tool received an equipment specification rating for their electric drill. Milwaukee Tool then began developing portable hand grinders, electric hammers,

sander A sander is a power tool used to smooth surfaces by abrasion with sandpaper. Sanders have a means to attach the sandpaper and a mechanism to move it rapidly contained within a housing with means to handhold it or fix it to a workbench. Woodw ...

s, and polishers.

1935 – 3/4" electric hammer drill

By 1935, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation developed a lightweight 3/4" electric hammer drill. This power tool was designed to drill and sink anchors into concrete. This drill could also be converted into a standard 3/4" drill. Milwaukee also designed an easy-to-handle, single-horsepower sander/grinder that weighed only 15 pounds.

1949 – Tool innovations

In 1949, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation added a spring clutch to handheld Milwaukee sanders, grinders, and

circular saw A circular saw or a buzz saw, is a power-saw using a toothed or Abrasive saw, abrasive disk (mathematics), disc or blade to cut different materials using a rotary motion spinning around an Arbor (tool), arbor. A hole saw and ring saw also use ...

s, significantly reducing tool recoil. In the same year, Milwaukee Tool also introduced their 1/2" right-angle drill. This power tool allowed plumbers and electricians to drill holes in wood and steel.

1951 – Sawzall reciprocating saw

In 1951, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation released its Milwaukee Sawzall reciprocating saw. The Sawzall was the first portable hacksaw to have a reciprocating mechanism. Milwaukee Tool also developed a full line of saw blades that were capable of cutting all materials.

1965 – New headquarters

In 1965, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation moved from its headquarters on State Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to a 212,000-square-foot facility in

Brookfield, Wisconsin Brookfield is a city in eastern Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 41,464 at the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Town of Brookfield and is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. History Brookfield i ...

. In the 1960s and 1970s, Milwaukee Tool was focused on product and facility expansion.

1974 – New manufacturing facility

In 1974, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation opened a 60,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

. In the 1970s, Milwaukee Tool released the Hole Hawg, a power tool designed for drilling large holes in studs and joints. The company also released the Magnum Hole-Shooter, a 1/2" pistol drill, and became the first American manufacturer to produce a 4-1/2" angle grinder.

1991 – Milwaukee Super Sawzall

In 1991, Milwaukee released the Milwaukee Super Sawzall, a reciprocating saw with built-in counterbalance, a gear-protecting clutch, and five different patents. In the later 1990s, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation released a new range of

miter saw A miter saw or mitre saw is a saw used to make accurate crosscuts and miters in a workpiece by positioning a mounted blade onto a board. A miter saw in its earliest form was composed of a back saw in a miter box, but in modern implementation ...

s and a lineup of 18-volt contractor cordless tools.

2012 – New developments

In 2012, the company developed its Milwaukee M18 FUEL product line. The tools specified as M18 tools included angle grinders, circular saws, impact wrenches, brad nail guns, and deep-cut band saws. This was achieved because of the Milwaukee REDLITHIUM batteries released in 2010.

2017 – Packout

In 2017, Milwaukee Tool launched its Packout modular storage system, starting with 5 tool boxes and 3 tool bags. The company has continued to expand the system, and broadened their focus in 2022 with workshop storage solutions.

2022 – USA hand tool production

In 2022, Milwaukee Tool opened a 95,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in West Bend, Wisconsin for the production of hand tools, starting with pliers and screwdrivers. The company has the right of first refusal to purchase additional land for future expansion.

2023 – Milwaukee news

In 2023, U.S. lawmakers at the

Congressional-Executive Commission on China The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) is an independent agency of the U.S. government which monitors human rights and rule of law developments in the People's Republic of China. The commission was given the mandate by the U.S. C ...

questioned Milwaukee Tool over allegations its suppliers may have used forced

Uyghur Uyghur may refer to: * Uyghurs, a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia (West China) ** Uyghur language, a Turkic language spoken primarily by the Uyghurs *** Old Uyghur language, a different Turkic language spoken in the Uyghur K ...

labor from Chinese prisons in the manufacture of work gloves. In response to an earlier inquiry by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, Milwaukee Tool has said they do not tolerate the use of forced labor, and that they have strict policies and procedures in place to ensure that no authorized Milwaukee Tool products are manufactured using forced labor. Milwaukee Tool says they investigated the claims and found no evidence to support them. After questioning company officials, Representative Chris Smith, Chair of the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, said that Milwaukee Tool ultimately discovered multiple examples of counterfeit gloves bearing their brand name being made in China, and cut ties with the manufacturer in question.

Ownership

* 1924: The Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation was established by A. F. Siebert in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. * 1976: Sold to Amstar. * 1986: Sold to

Merrill Lynch Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, doing business as Merrill, and previously branded Merrill Lynch, is an American investment management and wealth management division of Bank of America. Along with BofA Securities, the investm ...

. * 1995: Sold to

Atlas Copco Atlas Copco (''Copco'' from Compagnie Pneumatique Commerciale) is a Swedish multinational industrial company that was founded in 1873. It manufactures industrial tools and equipment. The Atlas Copco Group is an industrial corpration with headq ...

. * 2005: Techtronic Industries.

Awards

* Glassdoor's Employees' Choice Awards – No. 60 Best Places to Work, 2020 * Glassdoor's Employees' Choice Awards – No. 44 Best Place to Work, 2021 * Glassdoor's Employees' Choice Awards – No. 25 Best Place to Work, 2022 * Crain's Chicago Business, Best Places to Work, 2022 * Fast Company Best Workplaces for Innovators – No. 63, 2023

References

External links

* {{Clear Power tool manufacturers Tool manufacturing companies of the United States Electrical equipment manufacturers Manufacturing companies based in Wisconsin Waukesha County, Wisconsin American companies established in 1924 Manufacturing companies established in 1924 1924 establishments in Wisconsin Companies based in Wisconsin Automotive tool manufacturers Goods manufactured in Mexico