DeWalt to reshore some manufacturing and injection molding

From 1922, when Raymond E. DeWalt perfected the first radial arm machine, until 1989 when his last name became a household brand, the saws that initially put DeWalt on the map were made in the U.S. Now the company has announced an initiative to bring some of that work back to the U.S., focusing at first on assembly and some manufacturing for cordless power tools, including eventually injection molding of housings for those products.

 

DeWalt, which is a subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker, began production of its American-built cordless power tools in its 75,000-square-foot Charlotte factory in early October, using, what the company calls “global materials.” The revamped facility is expected to create more than 250 new jobs. Production there will include more than 600 different cordless power tools, hand tools and accessories. Stanley Black & Decker has additional operations in Maryland, Tennessee, Connecticut, South Carolina, and Kentucky.  

 

Tim Perra, VP communications for Stanley Black & Decker, told Plastics Technology that the company will utilize existing plastics injection molding at its South Carolina factory, which currently molds parts for Stanley brand storage products and hand tools.

 

“We have put the equipment in place in out Cheraw, South Carolina facility for injection molding for tool casings,” Perra said, adding that the company is in the testing phase and has not yet begun full production. Once established, this will be the company’s only power tool injection molding in the U.S.

 

The company cited a recent Consumer Reports National Research Center study, which found that 78 percent of Americans would rather buy an American product, as part of its impetus for the move. The company has also committed to hiring at least 100 veterans as it staffs up.