Klein Tools was founded in 1857 in Chicago, Illinois by German immigrant Mathias Klein. The first tool Klein made was a pair of side-cutting pliers for a telegraphlineman. The company grew as the telegraph and eventually telephone and electrical industries grew after the Civil War by adding 100 types of pliers in the 1910s. From the 1960s-1980s, the company expanded their product line to include leather and canvas products, occupational safety equipment, hex key wrenches, screwdrivers, nut drivers, as well as electrical terminals and connectors. Along the way, Klein acquired the R.H. Buhrke Company of Fort Smith, Arkansas in 1968 and the Company of Jonesville, Michigan in 1986. Also in the mid 1980s, the company started manufacturing adjustable wrenches in the US, which they had previously been purchasing from a Japanese supplier. Klein Tools built a drop forging plant in Moran, Kansas and distribution center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa before the 1990s. In 2006, Klein Tools moved its corporate headquarters to Lincolnshire, IL. Also that year, the company added an affiliate, Klein Connection, to help ensure a of Klein products. Klein Connection is an e-commerce website. In 2011, the company opened their new advanced manufacturing facility in Mansfield, Texas. In 2014, they opened their new heat-treating facility and announced plans to expand on their 100 acres in Mansfield. The company is still owned and managed by members of the Klein family. Klein Tools currently has offices and facilities in Fort Smith, AR; Lincolnshire, IL; Cedar Rapids, IA; Bolivar, NY; Mansfield, TX; and Turn-Key Forging & Design, Inc. operations in Elk Grove Village, IL.
Sponsorships
Klein Tools got involved in motorsports in 1994 to gain visibility with auto racing fans. Drivers of Klein-backed cars included Jacques Villeneuve, who won the Indianapolis 500 and the CART championship in 1995; and Dan Wheldon as well as being an associate sponsor for all of Andretti-Green Racing, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 2005. In 2001, Klein Tools started sponsoring aerobatics pilot Michael Mancuso. He flew the Klein Tools Extra 300L during air shows and at IndyCar events as the official air show of the Indy Racing League.
