Pratt-Read is an American
manufacturing
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ...
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 ...
, 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
Ivoryton is one of three villages in Essex, Connecticut in Middlesex County. Ivoryton Historic District, the historic district in the village, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 15, 2014. , in 1798 as Pratt, Read & Company, originally producing beads, buttons, and billiard balls from
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...
tusks imported from
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. The company began to specialize in manufacturing
ivory
Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals ...
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
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the company continued producing screwdriver blades and suspended production of piano parts to manufacture
Waco CG-4
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and Interstate 35, I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin, Texas, Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the List ...
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
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
-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
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, whet ...
bankruptcy 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
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 gl ...
glider
Glider may refer to:
Aircraft and transport Aircraft
* Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight
** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of gliding
...
, made for the U.S. Navy during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, 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
Craftsman may refer to:
A profession
*Artisan, a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative
*Master craftsman, an artisan who has achieved such a standard that he may establish his own workshop and take o ...
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
The Pratt-Read LBE-1 was a prototype glide bomb, or "Glomb", developed for the United States Navy during World War II. Although there were high hopes for the concept, the limitations of the Glomb led to the production contract for the LBE-1 being r ...
*
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