Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation, known more commonly as Milwaukee Tool or simply Milwaukee, is an American multi-national company that develops, manufactures, and markets power tools, hand tools, tool accessories, tool storage, and personal protective equipment. 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, Ryobi, Hoover, Dirt Devil, and Vax. In 2022, $206 million was invested in Wisconsin research and development facilities.
Milwaukee tools today are manufactured globally in China, Germany, Mexico, the United States, and Vietnam. The tools produced include corded and cordless power tools, hand tools, pliers, hand saws, screwdrivers, 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. The company also engages in global distribution of various other tools such as multimeters, thermal imaging equipment, oscillating multi-tools, drilling devices, chargers.
History In 1918, A.H. Peterson developed the Hole-Shooter, a one-handed operation, 1⁄4-inch (6.4 mm) capacity power drill powered by a series-type Westinghouse motor. This drill was lighter than other models available at the time, weighing only 5 pounds (2.3 kg). In 1922, A.H. Peterson and Albert F. Siebert founded the A.H. Peterson Company. The business closed the following year after a financial setback related to a factory-destroying fire. In 1924, Siebert purchased the remaining company's assets and formed the Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation. 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, sanders, and polishers. In the 1960s and 1970s, Milwaukee Tool was focused on product and facility expansion. In 1965, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation moved from its headquarters on State Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to a 212,000-square-foot (19,700 m2) facility in Brookfield, Wisconsin. In 1974, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation opened a 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) manufacturing plant in Jackson, Mississippi.
In 1976, Milwaukee Tool was sold to Amstar. It was later sold to Merrill Lynch in 1986, Atlas Copco in 1995, and finally, Techtronic Industries in 2005. In 2021, Milwaukee Tool opened a 150,000-square-foot (14,000 m2) Service hub in Greenwood, Indiana. The $6.75M investment complemented Milwaukee Tool's 48,000-square-foot (4,500 m2) service hub in Greenwood, Mississippi, as well as the company's network of factory and authorized Service centers across the United States. In 2022, the company continued to expand the system and broadened its focus with workshop storage solutions. In 2022, Milwaukee Tool opened a 95,000-square-foot (8,800 m2) 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 (ROFR) to purchase additional land for future expansion.
Foreign forced labor allegations In 2023, U.S. lawmakers at the Congressional-Executive Commission on China questioned Milwaukee Tool over allegations its suppliers may have used forced Uyghur 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. Milwaukee Tool has been accused in US courts of benefitting from forced labor assignments in Chinese prisons, with former prisoner Lee Ming-che recalling being forcibly tasked with gluing a patch bearing Milwaukee Tool's distinctive lightning bolt onto its leather work gloves while incarcerated in Hunan's Chishan Prison.
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