Snap-on Industrial Brands, historically J.H. Williams Tool Group, is a division of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

hand tool A hand tool is any tool that is powered by hand rather than a motor. Categories of hand tools include wrenches, pliers, cutters, files, striking tools, struck or hammered tools, screwdrivers, vises, clamps, snips, hacksaws, drills, and kni ...

manufacturer Snap-on that makes and distributes tools to industrial markets. In addition to the Williams brand from which it originated, the group includes

Bahco Bahco is a Swedish brand within the hand tool industry, which is now part of ''SNA Europe'', part of Snap-on. Its roots go back to the industrial revolution in Sweden in the late eighteen hundreds, starting with innovations such as the pipe wre ...

and CDI Torque Products.

History

In 1882, James Harvey Williams and Matthew Diamond founded Williams & Diamond in

Flushing, Queens Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and the ...

, a

drop forging Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which it ...

business. The business was relocated to

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

in 1884 and took the name J.H. Williams & Co in 1887. The company was one of the first to offer mass-produced drop-forged hand tools. A second factory was opened in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

in 1914, now the site of

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

Tonawanda Engine Tonawanda Engine is a General Motors engine factory in Buffalo, New York. The plant consists of three facilities totaling and sits upon . The factory receives cast engine blocks from Defiance Foundry in Defiance, Ohio and Saginaw Metal Casting Op ...

plant. The company was acquired by Snap-on in 1993. In 2011 it was officially renamed Snap-on Industrial Brands.

Gallery

Image:Williams flex-head ratchet.jpg, A Williams flex-head

ratchet Ratchet may refer to: Devices * Ratchet (device), a mechanical device that allows movement in only one direction * Ratchet, metonomic name for a socket wrench incorporating a ratcheting device * Ratchet (instrument), a music instrument and a ...

. Image:Williams adjustable wrench.jpg, A Williams

adjustable wrench An adjustable spanner (UK and most other English-speaking countries) or adjustable wrench (US and Canada) is any of various styles of spanner (wrench) with a movable jaw, allowing it to be used with different sizes of fastener head (nut, bolt ...

. Image:Williams hard handle screwdrivers.jpg, Two Williams "hard handle"

screwdriver A screwdriver is a tool, manual or powered, used for turning screws. A typical simple screwdriver has a handle and a shaft, ending in a tip the user puts into the screw head before turning the handle. This form of the screwdriver has been repla ...

s. Image:Williams ratcheting screwdriver.jpg, A Williams ratcheting screwdriver.

References

External links

*
Alloy Artifacts: "J.H. Williams, The SuperCompany"

* ttp://maggieblanck.com/BrooklynRedHook/Williams.html "James H. Williams, Drop Forging"
J.H. Williams Tool Catalog No. 401
��A tool catalog, believed to be from the late 1950s. {{Tool manufacturers 1882 establishments in New York (state) American companies established in 1882 Tool manufacturing companies of the United States Companies based in Queens, New York Flushing, Queens