Proto (tools)
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| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Founded | 1907 in Los Angeles, California |
| Founder(s) | Alphonso Plomb, Jacob Weninger, Charles Williams |
| Headquarters | New Britain, Connecticut |
| Products | Industrial tools |
| Parent | Stanley Black & Decker |
| Website | www.stanleyproto.com |
Stanley Proto—more commonly known simply as Proto and historically known as Plomb—is an American industrial hand tool company. It is a division of Stanley Black & Decker. The company is credited with creating the first combination wrench.
History [edit]
Proto was founded in 1907 by Alphonso Plomb, Jacob Weninger, and Bob Seger as the Plomb Tool Company, a small blacksmith shop making chisels in Los Angeles. In the 1930s, Plomb released what is commonly credited as the first combination wrench.[1]
Plomb acquired a number of companies during the 1940s, including Cragin Tool of Chicago, Illinois in 1940, P&C Tool of Oregon in 1941, Penens Tool of Cleveland, Ohio in 1942, and J.P. Danielson of Jamestown, New York in 1947.[2]
In 1946, Plomb was sued by another tool manufacturer—Fayette R. Plumb, Inc., now a brand of Cooper Hand Tools[3]—for trademark infringement.[4] The company began manufacturing its tools with the Proto name, a portmanteau of "professional" and "tools," in 1948. In 1957, the company began operating as Pendleton Tool Industries.[5]
In 1964, Proto was acquired by Ingersoll Rand, and in 1984, it was acquired by Stanley and became Stanley Proto Industrial Tools.[6]
References [edit]
- ^ "Plomb: A Gallery of Tools". Alloy Artifacts. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- ^ Stanley Proto. "Company History". Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- ^ Lamond, Tom. "Fayette R. Plumb Co.". YesteryearsTools. Retrieved 2010-03-27.
- ^ "CORPORATIONS: Plumb v. Plomb". Time. 1948-12-06. Retrieved 2010-03-27.
- ^ "Plomb: A Gallery of Tools". Alloy Artifacts. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- ^ Thomas, Bob. "Company History". Retrieved 2010-01-31.
External links [edit]
- Stanley Proto web site
- Plomb Tools—Pictures and history.
- Alloy Artifacts: "Plomb: A Gallery of Tools"
- Alloy Artifacts: "The Proto Empire"
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