Milwaukee Tool

Back in the 1920s, a guy named A.H. Petersen accepted Henry Ford’s challenge to invent a lightweight, compact power drill for the automobile industry. The five-pound result was called the “Hole-Shooter,” and it began a legacy of innovation for the company known today as Milwaukee Tool.

At the time of the Model T, the firm’s history of ingenuity had only begun. Notable highlights from the company’s first century include the decision in 1930 to apply stringent US Navy standards to all of the company’s portable tools and the 1951 invention of the Sawzall reciprocating saw, among many others. Today, in addition to products used by homeowners and the public, “We make everything lineworkers need,” says Sam Gibson, Territory Manager for Power Utilities in Minnesota, Iowa, and the Dakotas.  

For the utility industry, Milwaukee Tool makes power tools including crimpers, cutters, and impacts. They also make batteries, chargers, and outdoor power equipment, to name a few of the better-known items. “Milwaukee focuses on taking a holistic approach to developing our tools,” says Sam. “Our goal is to make awesome power tools every day.”

Craftsmanship is important to the people at Milwaukee. They design all components of their tools in house, with nooutsourcing to others. “Utilities are a focus and priority for us,” says Sam. “We pride ourselves on making things directly for lineworkers.”

When Milwaukee employees talk about making things directly for lineworkers, they take this seriously. The company’s people have placed a renewed focus on the professional trades in the last few years in order to deliver what they call “disruptive innovation to the jobsite.”

“A big part of my role is being a direct line between municipals, cooperatives and Milwaukee,” says Sam. “That gives us two-way feedback on tools that allows us to improve our products and do what is best for our customers.” Sam and folks in similar roles at Milwaukee enjoy working with hometown utilities because it gives them the real-world jobsite information that helps them continuously improve their tools.

Injuries in the field and a desire to make things better led Milwaukee’s employees to develop the Milwaukee utility stapler. “We don’t have to manually drive staples anymore,” says Sam. “In the utilities field, we all know people who have suffered issues from this.”

Milwaukee Tool’s people bring a commitment to their customers, community, and world that is exemplified by a commitment to decarbonizing their operations. By 2030, Milwaukee seeks to reach a 60 percent reduction in the company’s emissions of tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). In its home area around Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Milwaukee Tool now receives 90 percent of its electricity for operations from renewable sources, nearly 30,000,000 kilowatt-hours per year.

Milwaukee describes their employees as their most valuable resource; individuals who take pride in their work. In the end, Milwaukee Tool’s people are why the company has been successful. “We want to develop products and do things that our customers want to use…and are excited to use,” says Sam.