Sidchrome is an Australian brand of mechanics' tools. It is a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...

Stanley Black & Decker Stanley Black & Decker, Inc., formerly known as The Stanley Works, is a Fortune 500 American manufacturer of industrial tools and household hardware and provider of security products. Headquartered in the greater Hartford city of New Britain, ...

History

The brand emerged when

Royston Siddons Royston Siddons (15 December 1899 – 24 November 1976) was an Australian metal working industrialist. Siddons founded an industrial empire Siddons Industries Ltd, with subsidiaries in six countries and 1500 employees. SIL included Siddons Drop F ...

' Siddons Drop Forgings Pty Ltd turned to tool making to fill post war shortages after

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Original production of Sidchrome tools in Australia was in the area of Brunswick, in the city of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Victoria. Sidchrome was acquired by

The Stanley Works Stanley Black & Decker, Inc., formerly known as The Stanley Works, is a Fortune 500 American manufacturer of industrial tools and household hardware and provider of security products. Headquartered in the greater Hartford city of New Britain, ...

(now Stanley Black & Decker) in 1991. Sidchrome closed the plant and ended all local manufacturing in 1996 and started to move all tool manufacturing to Taiwan, whilst sourcing various items from Proto in the USA (marked as Proto on items) due to supply of left-over Australian-made tools being sold out until all manufacturing was fully established in Taiwan.

Racing

Sidchrome sponsored several Australian and New Zealand racing drivers in the 1970s, notably New Zealand and Australian saloon champion Jim Richards.

Present

Sidchrome is still a top selling automotive tool brand in Australia and New Zealand and since 2007, the brand sponsors the ''Most Improved Award'' in Australia's V8 Supercar Championship Series.

References

External links

*
Founder Royston Siddon's entry at Australian Dictionary of Biography Online

{{Power tool manufacturers Automotive tool manufacturers Tool manufacturing companies of Australia Australian brands Stanley Black & Decker brands 1990 mergers and acquisitions Manufacturing companies based in Melbourne