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Knowing that the tool you are buying is going to be up to the job, and better still, the best you can get, means selecting from those brands that you recognise as one of THE names producing the type of tool you need.
When it comes to leading brand names and the best tools then the company that has the lot must be Irwin with its huge selection of familiar brands across the board.
The Irwin eye for quality and innovation is evident as soon as you take a look at the company’s history, starting over one hundred and twenty years ago.
The founder of the company was Charles Irwin, who in 1884 was running a pharmacy in Martinsville, Ohio. A customer of his was an inventive blacksmith who had developed a solid centre auger bit. Charles Irwin, showing the instinct for a good product that has been a hallmark of his company ever since, bought the rights to the invention, patented it and found four business partners to help him establish the Irwin Auger Bit Company.
Nearly forty years later in DeWitt, Nebraska, William Peterson, invented the first pair of locking pliers and found there was a real demand for them. He took out a patent and called his new product the VISE-GRIP, which was later to join the Irwin stable of top brands.
In Sheffield In 1909 Charles Hampton was manufacturing hand tools - vices, pipe tools, bolt cutters and planes. He gave his company the name Record. subsequently Record absorbed several other companies with brands such as Gilbow snips.
Another name that became part of Record was Marples, established in 1828 and famous for the high standard of its chisels, as well as its carving tools, marking tools and woodboring tools. All these brands were later to join VISE-GRIP at Irwin.
In 2001 Irwin and its various brands were acquired by Newell Rubbermaid, a company that markets consumer products worldwide. Two years later the new parent company acquired the American Saw & Manufacturing Company, owners of the Lenox brand, known worldwide for its top quality power tool accessories and hand tools. With the addition of Lenox to its stable of leading Irwin was even further able to offer a comprehensive range of hand tool and power tool accessories, all made to the very high standards the company’s customers have come to expect.
All this history of quality and attention to detail is evident in the latest example of the Irwin approach - the new Lenox Gold range of utility knifes. The knives in the Gold range have been designed taking full advantage of modern technological know-how, so they provide users with maximum comfort, control, versatility and safety.
The Gold knives all use the new TiN Coated Bi-metal Lenox Gold blades, which are almost unbreakable and have an extremely hard wearing edge, honed to be as sharp as possible and in tests lasted up to five times longer than other blades.
The knives are made from tough materials - stainless steel with a one piece titanium coated nose, which eliminates spreading - which means they are more than capable of cutting through the toughest of materials including roofing, flooring and insulation. With their ergonomic handles either of the Gold knives are ideal for workmen, whether they choose the fixed blade version, which can store up to ten blades in its handle or the retractable blade version, which can store five spare blades.
The strategy of ensuring its brands are widely recognised as a guarantee of high standards has served Irwin well, the company now has bases worldwide. This has an added advantage, enabling the company to tailor its offerings to the requirements of different parts of the world, or as the company likes to say, ‘think globally, act locally’.
Being the possessor of a good brand name is only half the battle, Irwin has recognised the importance of staying ahead of the pack, maintaining each of its brands’ reputations by continual development.
The Munich design centre is the location where Irwin channels its years of experience and market knowledge and combines it with innovative design. The design centre focuses on creating tools that meet Irwin’s key requirements, that product performance should make the job easier and be quicker and safer.
Both in the past and present Irwin shows that the key to its success has always been through having brand names that are recognised for their high quality. It is a strategy the company obviously has no intention of changing, as Ian Watson, Irwin’s Vice President for Marketing in Europe and Asia says: “Our brand is our future.”
THE BRANDS
These are the main brands under the Irwin umbrella
IRWIN Record – Vices and pipe tools for the professional end-user
IRWIN Marples – Hardwearing chisels, including the Splitproof Pro
IRWIN Jack – Handsaws featuring rolled steel blades to provide excellent cutting ability
IRWIN Quick-Grip – Various sized bar clamps including the versatile Quick Change bar clamp and spreader
IRWIN Strait-Line – Levelling and measuring products, including the innovative Laser Line
IRWIN Knives & Bi-Metal Blue Blades – A range of durable trimming knives and shatter resistant bi-metal blue blades.
IRWIN Vise-Grip – Locking pliers, including the new Soft Touch version.
LENOX – Premium saws and cutting tools for the professional
IRWIN Hilmor – Comprehensive range of high-quality pipe tools
Bernzomatic – An extensive range of blowtorches and gases
Irwin likes to maintain contact with its customers in every possible way. By joining the world of motor-sports with the Irwin Racing Team, the company has been able to raise awareness of its brand and meet with customers face to face. Following the success its NASCAR team in the US, Irwin is making a name for itself in the UK with its own Irwin Racing Europe team, introduced earlier this year to the Stock Car Speed Association (SCSA) series , Irwin says that its team within the SCSA series is the ideal platform to reach customers and demonstrate everything Irwin stands for: speed, performance, stamina and success.
