What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

Business tool tech

smalltruckbigcid

smalltruckbigcid

1/2 ton status
Joined
Dec 25, 2004
Posts
3,866
Reaction score
5
Location
NE Wyoming
In the tool truck business who owns what? The big 4 are Snap-on, Mac, Matco, and Cornwell.

Snap-on is a publicly traded company (Nasdaq SNA) And they own several brands like blue point Sioux and others as well as offering manufacturing to others.

Mac Tools is wholly owned by Stanley tools who own a bunch of other brands too.

Matco is owned by Danaher who owns 170 other companies too, including Gearwrench.

Cornwell is a privately owned company. They don't own any other brands to the best of my knowledge.

Cornwell and Snap-on still make the flagship steel products in house, those are wrenches ratchets and sockets. The driver bits like torx and allen have moved to china for everybody. Yes some work is till done here so it can say USA made, but its an unregulated part so they can do what they like with the USA made logo and the gov't won't care.

Toolboxes are another animal. Cornwell's still say made in USA. Thats supposed to mean all or virtually all is produced here. Since they just opened a new plant in Phoenix AZ I'm going with it really is made here. All of the newest Mac, Matco and Snap-on stuff have something like assembled in USA with global components stickers. How much of that is canada or mexico, no clue, but how much is from farther away?

I have a guess but no proof that the number is higher than expected. What I know is that Clarke makes the service cart for everyone in China. Yes all 4 buy their cart from the same store. They have different options but its still the same store. So if the factory is fired up doing steel panels for service carts, I'm guessing that toolbox parts aren't far behind.
 
Sorry to say I think your info is a little off. Cornwell still makes their sockets, ratchets, and wrenches in the US, that is about all. Their toolboxes are PRIMARILY foreign products. You can flip through those tool trader fliers and find, no name foreign made toolboxes that look EXACTLY the same as Cornwell boxes. Their boxes were made by the same company as Craftsman for a while a couple years back.

Matco boxes are made in Lakewood, NY. A town in the south western corner of NY state. That is ALL of Matcos boxes. Not like some who make part of their product line in Canada. To the best of my knowledge the only parts that are global components at this point are the drawer slides. That was true as of a year ago anyway. The only reason that is the case, is because Matco likes the company who makes our drawer slides, and that company decided to move to Mexico. Sucks yes, but Matco decided to stick with them because of the quality of the slides. Snap-On used to use the same slide company until they moved to Mexico. It happens.

The above link in relation to "WhoMakesWhat" is total bull****. Go buy a Kobalt wrench, then go buy a Mac/SnapOn/Matco wrench. Hold them up next to each other. Turn the exact same fasteners with them. There IS a difference. I don't care if the same corporate giant owns the same company, they make different levels of tools for different purposes/folks.
 
Sorry Cornwell has a new Toolbox plant in Phoneix Az. And Kennedy hasn't made their boxes for them in 6~7 years.

Hex driver bits for instance come out of the same factory as Mac's and I think Matco's in Taiwan.

But if I'm wrong post pictures of the MATCO factories...All the pics I've seen have a different name on them

Here's some video for Cornwells plant in Phoenix, if you want I'll get you the address too www.cornwelltv.com/featured_landing.php?reset=true
 
Umm, did you see a sign saying "Cornwell Toolbox plant" in that video? I must have missed it. I have seen "Cornwell" boxes under different names in the WD fliers more than a couple of itmes.

Also try searching "Cornwell Tools Pheonix AZ". Tell me what you come up with. Cause all I got was the local Cornwell guy being referenced on some business site.

Then search "Matco Tools Lakewood NY". You will find a dozen sites with the address of the Matco toolbox plant.

I am not up on the Cornwell stuff since I haven't had a Cornwell competitor in over a year, and he had only lasted about 6 months at that point. And I was refering to Waterloo as the manufacturer of Cornwell boxes.

I am not trying to get in a pissing match, I just don't like when misinformation is flying around so I throw in the knowledge I have. When the Cornwell guy I had was around, I never considering him competition in the toolbox market. There are 3 Cornwell toolboxes on my entire route, and honestly I think they are junk. I could have sold the guys a lot nicer box for the same money. That is my honest opinion is all. I haven't seen there latest and greatest boxes, but the ones they were selling a few years back I was totally unimpressed with.
 
this is what my Mac box says.....................


Toolbox.jpg
 
smalltruckbigcid said:
Sorry Cornwell has a new Toolbox plant in Phoneix Az. And Kennedy hasn't made their boxes for them in 6~7 years.

Hex driver bits for instance come out of the same factory as Mac's and I think Matco's in Taiwan.

But if I'm wrong post pictures of the MATCO factories...All the pics I've seen have a different name on them

Here's some video for Cornwells plant in Phoenix, if you want I'll get you the address too www.cornwelltv.com/featured_landing.php?reset=true
Click to expand...
that video says nowhere that it was in phx.
 
found this list on a forum, last updated 2/08

To date we have...

SPG International: Craftsman Canada

Rousseau

Gray: Gray Tools reportedly makes their boxes in-house now. Definitely made in Canada! Formerly made by Beach, and then SPG.

Stanley/MAC: Stanley acquired Beach Industries of Smith Falls, ON in 1987.

Snap-on: Canada: KRA-series, USA: KRL-series

Matco: Lakewood, NY (Toolboxes seem to be the ONLY products Matco actually makes!

Waterloo Industries: Craftsman USA

Kennedy: (Formerly made Cornwell)

Remline: Cornwell

Lyon:

Champion

Montezuma

Ranger: Rep claims, "Ranger products are mfg and assembled at our facility here in Santa Paula, Ca."

Shure

Lista: Products sold in North and South America are manufactured at Lista International headquarters in Holliston, Massachusetts, and in Ontario, Canada.

HammerHead

Gerstner: These aren't toolboxes, these are art!
 
snap on canada plants are going or have gone to china. they have a tool box plant in algona iowa that still makes boxes. they are currently laying off 90% of all workers..
 
The MAc guy had a new brand on the truck last week, Facom from france. He just had pliers type stuff but said they make a superkiller torque wrench. His claim is that Canada Air will only allow they Facom brand wrenches because they stay accurate for so long.

Anyone got more info or experience with this brand? The pair of dykes I held look and feel boxier than my pair of channelock dykes. No idea if they work better or not.
 
Facom is good stuff. They were one of the few hand tool brands allowed in the factory when I worked for Agusta in Italy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom