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Present Sturgis, Michigan manufacturing facility.
Present Kalkaska, Michigan forge division facility. |
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Midwest Tool and Cutlery Company began manufacturing metal cutting
snips and related edge hand tools in Sturgis, Michigan in 1945. The
company's founders were former employees of the Berridge Shear Company.
Today, Midwest Tool and Cutlery Company is a privately held Michigan
corporation with approximately 100 employees and operates manufacturing
facilities in Sturgis and Kalkaska, Michigan. All models of the company's
Midwest Snips® aviation and tinner snip products are manufactured
entirely in its USA facilities.
From its beginning, the manufacture of forged blade hand tools has
been a core competency of the company. Midwest Tool and Cutlery Company
- Forge Division was established in 1979 with the acquisition of Allegheney
Forge Company. The acquired company was re-located into a new facility
in Kalkaska, Michigan. The "hot drop-forged" process of fabricating
blades has for decades and remains today synonymous with "highest
quality" in the manufacture of edge hand tools.
Initially, Midwest Tool and Cutlery Company operated as a highest
quality "private label" manufacturer of edge hand tools for many leading
professional quality brands including the Sears Craftsman® brand.
Today, while continuing to manufacture the Sears Craftsman and other
professional quality brands of snips hand tools, the company's own
Midwest Snips® national brand has become a leading tradesman brand
both domestically and in many regions globally.
Continuous improvement of forging and other manufacturing processes
to meet more demanding product performance goals and the design of
new products to meet the changing needs of the company's hand tool
user customers is and has been on-going at Midwest Tool and Cutlery
Company. In the 1960's, Midwest Tool and Cutlery Company developed
the "double overwind spring" which was a superior spring design that
remains today the longest-lasting and optimum spring design used in
aviation snips and other compound leverage hand tools.
The company's membership in manufacturing associations such as the
Forge Industry Association, and The Hand Tool Institute; its alliances
with tradesman groups including The Sheetmetal Workers International,
and government agencies including the National Institute of Occupational
Safety and Health; along with its relationship with the ergonomics
departments of two major universities; are resources that are used
to test and develop product improvements and new products. Most recently,
these cooperations have resulted in the development of forge die designs
that produce the strongest aviation snip blades manufactured today,
and ergonomically optimized aviation snip handle openings that make
these products the easiest to use.
As a leading innovator and developer of new metal cutting snips and
related hand tools, Midwest Tool and Cutlery Company owns numerous
product design and utility patents. The company's patented Upright®
aviation snips feature a handle design that is 90-degrees to the cutting
plane of the blades which ergonomically improves wrist range motion
and allows the tool user easier access to tight spaces. Midwest Tool
and Cutlery Company's patented Cable Cutter features compound leverage
handle action for ease of use and a special hardened alloy steel blade
insert for versatility and ease of cutting materials such as hardened
wire, wire rope, cable, and steel rod. The patent pending Magsnips®
line of replaceable blade snips is the company's newest product line
innovation.
Throughout its history, Midwest Tool and Cutlery Company has been
true to its mission: To continue to provide the highest quality USA
manufactured hand tools through continuous improvement while being
honest and responsible to its customers, employees, and corporate
ownership. |
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