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Stanley Black & Decker acquired the Craftsman brand in 2017 to revitalize it and bring manufacturing back to the United States. The Fort Worth factory, announced in 2019, was meant to take this vision further by forging iconic Craftsman wrenches, ratchets, and sockets from American steel. The company believed that advanced automation would allow the plant to compete cost-effectively with imported products while meeting consumer demand for U.S.-made tools. Former employees revealed that the factory’s automated system experienced critical problems that couldn’t be resolved before the company closed the facility. The pandemic also disrupted the production timeline, preventing proper testing...

When Craftsman announced a state of the art manufacturing plant in Texas, the company said it would ‘revitalize’ and ‘bring back their American manufacturing heritage’. The $90 million dollar plant in Forth Worth would employ 500 full-time employees as well as an army of state of the art machines to churn out American made tools manufactured with domestic steel. Use of the high-tech robots for much of the manufacturing would lower production costs to a level normally seen in China, it was even claimed. But the whole process became nothing but a headache for Craftsman - owned by Stanley Black...

Automated Texas factory to produce wrenches and sockets at costs similar to work now done in China. Stanley Black & Decker Inc. plans to move production of Craftsman wrenches from China back to the U.S., the latest manufacturer looking to use automation to increase domestic output as tariffs raise the cost of imports from overseas. Stanley is investing $90 million to open a plant in Fort Worth, Texas, by late next year that will employ about 500 people to make 10 million Craftsman wrenches and ratchets and 50 million sockets annually. Robots and fast-forging presses will help boost output about...

Since Sears bought the trademark in 1927, Craftsman tools have had a famous lifetime - and unlimited - warranty. But after nearly 90 years, Sears announced Thursday that it's selling the Craftsman brand to Stanley Black & Decker Inc for $900 million that bosses hope will keep the company afloat. The change of hands has caused some to question whether Craftsman's lifetime warranty will still apply to tools people own now or purchase in the future.

Sears Holdings will sell its Craftsman tool brand to Stanley Black & Decker for about $900 million, the companies announced Thursday. The deal will provide another cash infusion for Sears, but it comes at a cost — broadening distribution of the well-known brand gives consumers one less reason to choose to shop at the struggling Hoffman Estates-based retailer.

Sears, which booked a 2Q loss, says a variety of companies are interested in the floundering retailer’s familiar appliance, tool and auto brands. More Sears Holdings (NASDAQ:SHLD), which booked another loss in the second quarter, has received interest from a variety of companies eyeing the floundering retailer’s familiar appliance, tool and auto brands. The Illinois-based company has grappled with challenges at Sears and Kmart, two chains that struggling to turn things around in a tough environment for retailers. Target (NYSE:TGT), Kohl’s (NYSE:KSS) and others have recently reported weaker sales as shoppers spend more online. Sears is facing some broader issues....

The slow, painful demise of Sears continues. The struggling retailer, which also owns equally troubled Kmart, reported a loss of $471 million in the first quarter, worse than a year ago. Sales fell more than 8%. Sears (SHLD) also announced that it may sell three of its iconic brands -- Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard. The company said it is looking at strategic alternatives for its Home Services installation and repair businesses as well. These three brands -- dubbed KCD by the company -- are still well-known and popular. In a pre-recorded call for analysts and investors, CFO Rob Schriesheim said...

Sears shares fell Thursday, after the struggling department store announced an adjusted net loss of $296 million—in line with the updated guidance it gave in November. The retailer also said it's accelerating the number of stores it plans to close this year, boosting its list from the 130 underperforming stores it announced in its second-quarter earnings release, to a total of 235 stores. Analysts called the move a step in the right direction for the company, which has been tapping into its real estate in creative ways to compensate for downward-spiraling sales. Still, they said the haircut won't be enough...

Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (AP) -- Sam Maloof, whose simple, practical handmade wooden furniture sits in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the White House, has died. He was 93. Maloof died Thursday at his Southern California home, his business manager Boz Bock told the Los Angeles Times. No further details were given. Maloof was praised for putting usefulness before artistry in the chairs, cradles, hutches and other pieces he designed and crafted by hand. Maloof's signature piece was a rocking chair with elongated rockers jutting backward.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2005 – Excellence deserves to be recognized, and an Alabama National Guardsman made sure it was when he nominated his employer for support above and beyond what the law requires. Army Spc. John Winkler nominated the Huntsville (Ala.) Sears, Roebuck & Co. store where he works as a customer service adviser in the automotive department for the support they have shown him when he drills or is deployed. The nomination was made through the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve's Web site, and when ESGR officials checked out the Sears corporate policy toward Guard and Reserve...

Forgive my vanity post, I never post them but I could use some advice and have assisted other Freepers with their vanity questions. I'm buying my poor father a tractor for father's day so he doesn't die of heatstroke while push mowing his 1 acre lawn. I own a Craftsman twin cylinder 21HP tractor that I bought in 2001 and haven't had any problems with it other than replacing the deck but I’m hard on tractors. I'm going to get one of 2 tractors and would like your opinion. If you were my father which one would you like to...