Pratt-Read is an American
manufacturing company based in
Sycamore, Illinois
Sycamore is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. It has a commercial district based and centered on Illinois Route 64. The population was 18577 at the 2020 census, up from 17,519 at the 2010 census. Sycamore is the county seat of De ...
, that produces
screwdrivers. It is a subsidiary of
Ideal Industries
Ideal Industries is an American company that produces connectors, hand tools, testers, and meters for the electrical and telecommunications industries.
The company manufactures many of its products in the United States. It also owns Western Fo ...
. Founded in 1798, it is one of the
oldest companies in the United States.
History
Pratt-Read was founded in
Ivoryton, Connecticut, in 1798 as Pratt, Read & Company, originally producing beads, buttons, and billiard balls from
elephant tusks imported from
Africa. The company began to specialize in manufacturing
ivory piano keys in 1839 and eventually piano action mechanisms.
The company made its first screwdrivers in 1834 but stopped in 1840, instead selling the handles and blades to smaller companies made at the
Pratt, Read and Company Factory Complex
The Pratt, Read and Company Factory Complex is an historic industrial facility located in Deep River, Connecticut. Established in 1863 by Pratt-Read and significantly enlarged in 1914, it was one of the principal sites of ivory processing in Co ...
. During
World War II, the company continued producing screwdriver blades and suspended production of piano parts to manufacture
Waco CG-4 gliders for the military. The company built 956 of the fabric-covered wood and steel airframes.
Piano part production continued after the war, but the company gradually shifted its focus to manufacturing screwdrivers, and in the late 1980s, ended its piano parts business, closing a facility in
Central, South Carolina, and began to focus on screwdrivers exclusively. Pratt-Read manufactures its own handles, blades, and—after a 2005 acquisition of
Wisconsin-based American Industrial Manufacturers—bits, all in the U.S., which it sells directly to users under its own name, as well as to manufacturers such as
Stanley,
Snap-on,
Danaher, and
Klein.
In 2009, Pratt-Read filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
protection.
On March 22, 2010,
Ideal Industries
Ideal Industries is an American company that produces connectors, hand tools, testers, and meters for the electrical and telecommunications industries.
The company manufactures many of its products in the United States. It also owns Western Fo ...
announced the acquisition of Pratt-Read from bankruptcy. Ideal acquired the Pratt-Read name and equipment and continued production out of existing Ideal facilities, as the Pratt-Read facility in
Shelton, Connecticut had already ended operations.
Gallery
Image:Pratt-Read keyboard assembly.jpg, A Pratt-Read keyboard assembly removed from an organ.
Image:Pratt-Read LBE-1 Glomb.png, A Pratt-Read LBE-1 "Glomb" (Glider-Bomb) prototype.
Image:Pratt-Reed LNE-1 (2834535755).jpg, A Pratt-Read LNE-1 glider, made for the U.S. Navy during World War II, on display at the New England Air Museum.
Image:Pratt-Read super stubby screwdrivers.jpg, A set of Pratt-Read "super stubby" screwdrivers. These have shortened blades but regular-sized handles.
Image:Pratt-Read Craftsman cushion grip screwdrivers.jpg, Two Pratt-Read cushion grip screwdrivers, manufactured for the Craftsman brand.
See also
*
Pratt, Read and Company Factory Complex
The Pratt, Read and Company Factory Complex is an historic industrial facility located in Deep River, Connecticut. Established in 1863 by Pratt-Read and significantly enlarged in 1914, it was one of the principal sites of ivory processing in Co ...
*
Pratt-Read LBE
*
Pratt-Read TG-32
The Pratt-Read TG-32 was a 1940s American military training glider, designed and built by the Gould Aeronautical Division of the piano manufacturer Pratt, Read & Company of Deep River, Connecticut, for the United States Navy. The Pratt-Read gli ...
*
Sohmer & Co.
References
External links
Pratt-Read web sitePratt-Reed archives at National Museum of American History Archives Center
{{Tool manufacturers
Tool manufacturing companies of the United States
American companies established in 1798
Privately held companies based in Illinois
Companies based in Middlesex County, Connecticut
Aircraft manufacturers of the United States
Ideal Industries
Ivory trade
Manufacturing companies established in 1798