# There's NO "Milwaukee" in Milwaukee Power Tools



## BobM001 (Jan 8, 2012)

After finding out that my new Milwaukee 6470-21 circular saw was Made in China did some "digging". It seems that there are damned few if any power tools made in the USA anymore. In this search I found this site. Still Made in the USA Nice to see that there still are several woodworking tool manufacturers still in the USA.


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## BlankMan (Mar 21, 2009)

Yeah, actually hasn't hasn't been any Milwaukee in them for a while but even then they were Made in USA. In the 60's they moved their headquarters from Milwaukee to Brookfield, a suburb of Milwaukee and are still there and still had manufacturing in Wisconsin till about 2004 I think. After that they were made in Arkansas and Mississippi.

Then Techtronic bought them and closed all USA manufacturing plants and shipped it to China.

Delta started here too and they're in China now too. Except the Unisaw might still be made in the USA I think and maybe other stuff too. But they're owned by China now.


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## GrandpaLen (Mar 6, 2012)

Current ownership - FYI

But still manufactured in the USA

In January, 2011, Taiwan-based Chang Type Industrial Co., Ltd. purchased the Delta brand from Stanley Black & Decker.[2] Chang Type formed a wholly owned subsidiary, Delta Power Equipment Corp. to own the acquired assets including trademarks, designs and industrial tooling.[1] Chang Type is moving Delta's production tooling from a Stanley Black & Decker owned facility in Jackson, Tennessee to a facility in Anderson County, South Carolina.[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Machinery


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## startreking (Jan 4, 2012)

These companies must be the "job creators" congress is talking about.


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## BlankMan (Mar 21, 2009)

Thanks Len, that's good to hear, that they're still made here for now… I hope that continues, be a dark day if not.


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## Stephenw (Nov 14, 2011)

I recently checked the country of origin of nearly every DeWalt and Milwaukee power tool at Home Depot.

The Sawzall was marked "Assembled in USA". Everything else was made in China.

DeWalt seemed to be about an even split between Mexico and China.


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## syenefarmer (Dec 19, 2009)

Checking the country of origin on display models isn't always a true picture of whats happening today. Some of the tools on display at the HD here have been there for who knows how many years and ownership transfers.


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## WinterSun (Apr 3, 2011)

^this. I bought a Milwaukee corded drill a couple years back. The display model was USA but had obviously spent some time on the rack. The ones in the boxes were all Chinese.


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

Very few tools still made in the USA these days. Delta Unisaw is one, but Delta is now owned by Cheng Type Industrial, an Asian company. The General line of tools is still made in Canada, but note that they also have a General International line that's made mainly in Taiwan.

I grabbed a Milwaukee 5615 router combo kit about 2 years ago….the motor says made in the USA, the plunge was made in China.

There are still plenty of good saw blades and router bits made in the US (Forrest, Ridge Carbide, Whiteside, Eagle America, etc.).


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## Stephenw (Nov 14, 2011)

syenefarmer,

I didn't check the display models, I checked the boxes on the shelves.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

Vaughn hammers are still American made, but there's only so much you can do with just a hammer. That list of "still made in the U.S.A." will be getting smaller by the day to be replaced by "assembled in the U.S.A." and then just "made in China and sold in the U.S.A.". Finally all reference to the U.S.A. will be gone.


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## danr (Sep 5, 2009)

So I am just curious to know if anyone has an opinion of why all of these well known tool brands are not made in USA anymore and have gone to China. There must be a reason. I have a few opinions but no facts.

Does anyone know?


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

*There must be a reason.*

two years ago, the CEO of Intel wrote a full page editorial that was carried in the Arizona Republic (as well as other newspapers, I believe) and he talked specifically about the cost of manufacturing in the US.

Intell wanted to build a new semi-conductor plant…

the cost to build the plant in Asia…. $1 billion

the cost to build the plant in the USA … $10 billion.

The difference in cost? you guessed it… government regulations, environmental studies, permitting, taxes, etc…

Believe it or not, Intel built their plant in the US…. but that cost puts them at a very significant competitive disadvantage.

Very interesting article…. his view is that we have been in a trade war for years…. yet we pretend that we're not in one and don't make any effort to "fight".

China has a state controlled economy and they pull all of the strings a powerful state can pull to ensure that their industry succeeds…. monetery policy, foreign policy, military strategy…. all brought to bear on making their economy succeed.

IMHO, for too many years, the US has viewed industry as the bottomless pocket from which politicians with a socialist bent can suck money in order to finance their welfare state constituants and ensure their political fortunes.


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

I'm mostly buying European tools (Festool) these days. That'll likely continue to be the case until some of the "American" companies stop making their products in China and pay more attention to quality control.


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## ruel24 (Feb 14, 2012)

Danr, greed… Plain and simple… When you can move your manufacturing offshore, pay about $.20 an hour for labor, avoid all environmental regulations, and ship it back to sell in this country with no penalty, it's a no brainer…

I completely disagree with Intel and ssnvet. Intel has a vested interest in simply making things cheaper to increase their bottom line. They'll twist the facts anyway they deem necessary to fit their agenda, and try to convince you they're right.

The US is approximately 1/3 the entire global market for consumer goods. The entire continent of Europe makes up another 1/3, and that shows you just how much consumption goes on in this country. Instead of leveraging that in their favor, paid off politicians promote "free trade" where companies can move production to exploit the poor populations and avoid EPA and OSHA regulations and ship the product back to the US without any penalty. The only concerns they have are the cost of shipping, theft, and quality control. They have all allowed the quality control to take a backseat to some degree or another in the name of profits. To put it bluntly, this country is for sale to the highest bidder. Politicians don't vote the will of the people, but, instead, the will of their financial backers. They have an agenda: Corporate profits. They also have a propaganda machine in right-wing talk radio. Many honest, hard working, blue collar citizens have now been convinced that making corporations more money by shipping their jobs offshore is in their best interest. People have been reduced to voting because of their stance on gun laws, or abortion instead of how it affects their job outlook and their wallet. The left hasn't help much, either, with their push for unrealistic green energy, unrealistic pollution controls, cap and trade, etc. When Obama came to power, many major refineries, chemical plants, and power houses called off plans for maintenance work because of all the cap and trade talk. It probably sank the economy deeper than it would have been anyway. Eventually that work had to be done, but they played the wait and see game because they could afford to. So the right wants to run industry out to save on wages and make higher profits, and the left wants to run industry out because of pollution.

A simple solution would be to start clamping down on the import of goods from 2nd and 3rd world countries where pollution controls are non-existent, worker safety is of no concern, working conditions are atrocious, and labor wages are at a point so low we can't compete because of exploitation. Instead, we should grant "free trade" with countries that are on the same page as us with those conditions and are willing to sell our goods freely in their markets, without restriction. Instead, we open out doors to countries that restrict the sale of US goods if they're in direct competition with goods made their. There is no reason why we should have to compete for wages with 3rd world countries, except for the fact that politicians have sold us out. Every good coming from countries that are deemed uncompetitive should be levied a tariff so large it makes it unwise to produce in those countries while selling the goods here.

And, ssnvet, you're wrong. Japan also had the same state controlled economy, and where are they now? The fact is, that industry goes where they can exploit the most and become the most efficient. When China starts demanding higher wages, and they can move to Brazil for less, they will. Then, China will nose dive and Brazil will be the new rising star. The countries that have the most industrialization have the strongest economies. It's always been that way. It's difficult to have trade when you don't make much… This is why the politicians need to re-industrialize this country.


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## brtech (May 26, 2010)

Labor cost is a big part.

It's also that they have the ability to react quickly. We don't know how to do that. China can create a new factory in months. They can hire a couple HUNDRED industrial engineers to set up the factory in less than a month. We can't do that. They can get a product change introduced in minutes. Usually, we can't do that.

Read about the change Apple made to iPhones to improve the cover glass of the display.  It took a while to figure out how to cut it. Once they figured that out, they had the factory assembling iPhones in a couple of hours. HOURS, not days, or weeks, or months. Tens of thousands of iPhones started coming off the lines a few hours after the glass arrived, and that was midnight.

You can grouse about how the workers are treated and how much they are paid. You can complain about monetary policy, and environmental policy. All these are true. But if you fixed all of that, you STILL could get the same result there, and you can't here.

The Chinese have changed much more than the COST of manufacturing. They have fundamentally changed the TIME it takes to get something manufactured.

To me, the weird part of it is that they will do prototypes or small runs cheap and fast too. They have decreased the price of a plastic mold 10X and the time it takes to get it by 1/5. They have done the same to printed circuit boards. You can get 5 boards made in two days for $50. That used to be $5000 and 6-8 weeks.
You can customize say, a laptop on a website, have it assembled to your specs in a couple of hours, and have it in your hands in two days.


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## BobM001 (Jan 8, 2012)

You know what? YOU'RE *ALL* RIGHT! Hamstrug by US Gov't bureaucratic regulations manufacturers had no choice but to move manufacturing off shore if they want to provide us with LOW COST or even "reasonable cost". But China's currency manipulation has us at serious disadvantage. They also have their workforce UNDER THEIR THUMB. No unions in China. No pensions to fund in China. No 401Ks in China. No OSHA, EPA, Sierra Club, PETA, or any other "activist" organizations that get in the face of business. If they do get "uppity", they get "re trained" if you know what I mean.


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## ruel24 (Feb 14, 2012)

brtech, that's only because a manufacturing plant was up and running and able to make tooling changeovers fast. And that is because so much manufacturing was already there. Much of Chinese manufacturing is contract manufacturing. They make a lot for their own brand, but rather for established brands on a contract basis. Jobs compared how there simply wasn't an infrastructure of that kind up and running and able to do that in the US. That's because a lot of manufacturing has left the country. 30 years ago, it was probably much easier to get done withing the US.

BobM001, you're wrong about something. They're not interested in providing low cost or reasonable cost. Every manufacturer wishes they could get premium prices. If Grizzly could charge what Powermatic does, it would…period. The entire reason to move offshore is to maximize profits. Many of the activists orgainizations in this country actually have good intentions. I love the cleaner air we breath here, vs. China. I love my clean water. But moving pollution somewhere else basically makes all of that progress useless.

The US should not be in a race to the bottom, like it currently is. With free trade, we have to compete with the wages of people that make $200 a month. That just lowers everyone's standard of living. It not only effects blue collar workers, but white collar, as well. The politicians have been paid off to promote this idealism that moving production offshore was necessary because of unions, but unions are 12% of the entire US workforce. They're not really a factor at all. The bottom line is they are trying to exploit terribly impoverished nations to maximize profits. People should really be up in arms about this, IMO. Children are working in many of these plants. These plants are setup like the old coal mines were, with company housing, company stores, and company currency, and they don't really have a grasp on what they really make.

The US can not, nor should it ever try, to compete against working conditions such as this. They simply need to tariff goods from these countries. I've heard every argument about how that will supposedly lead to inflation, but when they moved the goods there, did they lower prices? Are Powermatic machines any more affordable, now? No… Economics 101: A good or service will sell in the marketplace for whatever the market will bear, regardless of the cost to produce. That means if it costs a company 10 cents or 90 cents to produce a good or service, if they can only get $1 in the market, that's what it will sell for. Basically, the people at the top will receive smaller bonuses, companies won't report record profits, but workers will make more. When those jobs are brought back to the US, that means the supply of jobs will rise, and so will wages. With the middle class spending representing 70% of the US economy, the more money the middle class makes, the more disposable income, therefore more discretionary spending, and therefore the economy will kick in big time. Henry Ford was right when he doubled his workers salary and his sales double in return.


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## BobM001 (Jan 8, 2012)

I decided to send Milwaukee an e-mail regarding my feelings about their tools being Made in China:

I recently purchased a 6470-21 circular saw. I own and have used Milwaukee tools for most of my working career. I'm thoroghly disappointed to now see that these tools are MADE IN CHINA. No mention of this fact is stated on your website. People buy Milwaukee because they feel that they are BUYING AMERICAN, not CHINESE!

Here's the response I got:

Thank you for your e-mail to Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp.

Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation takes a customer's feedback and viewpoint quite seriously. We appreciate you taking the time to contact us with your feelings.

Some Milwaukee tools are still made in the United States, and the majority are assembled in the United States. Because of the global marketplace, some Milwaukee items are sourced overseas, as are parts in just about every item you purchase today, from automobiles to consumer electronics.

Selective outsourcing helps to bring more products to market faster. As a result, we are able to serve our customers with a strong, comprehensive product line at competitive prices.

Keep in mind these tools are still designed by our engineers to Milwaukee's exacting standards. When we do manufacture a product overseas, be it at a sister company in Europe or elsewhere, we do so to the highest standards of quality. These tools are backed by our Five Year Limited-Warranty that is second to none. We clearly mark each tool and package with the country of origin.

Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance.

Ruby **
Global Customer Service 
Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation
Phone: 1-800-729-3878
[email protected]

Now the question, is "Ruby" in Mumbai(Bombay) or Shanghai :>(


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## Martyroc (Feb 1, 2012)

I deal in Electronics, everything is made overseas, but the letter that Milwaukee sent you does have some merit. Most of my vendors including my company designs the equipment here in the US with their engineers, than the drawings, specs, schematics, etc is sent to several overseas vendors. The vendor that returns the sample closest to the spec becomes the manufacturer. There are plenty of situations where we bring the product parts in and assemble them here. The reason is all cost, taxes, wages etc. The last project we worked on, calculated cost was around $300+ the highest quote from our overseas affiliates $63, and that was the highest. We have pushed ourselves out of the manufacturing game. 50 years ago my father-in-law paid 9K for his house it s now valued at over 375k and it's not even in a good neighborhood, salaries increased 100%, the problem is everything else increased 8-900% and on top of that we are taxed to death, everybody has their hand out. Nothing is made here because of us. On the positive side we have the best opportunities here than anywhere else in the world, that counts for something.


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## SugarbeatCo (Mar 10, 2012)

Someone should educate ruby


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## wee3 (Mar 6, 2012)

Good ol china,etc.what else can one say.


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

Our buying power is steadily dropping and soon you won't have a choice about which drill you buy. It will be can I afford a drill. It all goes hand in hand. It all started when Black and Decker introduce the $7.95 drill in the later 1960's. they looked out there and said there is a market that we haven't tapped. The DIY/hobby person. That drill was good for the person that drilled 10 quarter inch holes per year. The person that made his living with a drill wouldn't make it a day with one of those. Then they improved a little and the man that made his living with a drill said I can afford one of these every week and come out ahead. So the cycle continues on. They can make that cheap drill overseas cheaper and faster and don't have to mess with union contracts so they make them and we spend all of our disposable income on over there. Our dollar is weaker because they have it in their hands and we don't. Our buying power goes down because they have our dollar in their hands and we don't. We charge and they get cash. Then our govt needs more money to operate and they tax us and not the importers. we support the importers and our govt while they take our money and ask for more. Soon we are working for them and if things go on we will one day be shipping the cheap US made products to China the mega power. They will have all the money and we will be trying to figure out how to make beads with rounder holes through them and they will have regulatory laws that keep them from making them in their country.


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## Brett_J (Mar 28, 2012)

Someday one of the tool companies, or maybe a new one, will wake up and start building them in the good ole USA again and reap the rewards of the people here who prefer to buy American made. I wouldn't mind paying a little bit more for Made in the USA tools.

I've been making an effort lately to buy stuff, not just tools, that are American made. My Dad hates buying anything foreign made - he spent like 3 hours going around town trying to find socks made here and he finally did.


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## Stephenw (Nov 14, 2011)

Brett_J,

Fruit of the loom socks, made in the USA, sold at Wal-Mart.


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## Martyroc (Feb 1, 2012)

Hi Brett, I certainly wouldn't mind paying a little more for made in USA, problem is, it's never a little more it's a hell of a lot more. If I buy a 6" random orbit sander, (name brand mind you) made in china I can pick it up for $40-$80, that same sander made here, your looking at $150-$200. Maybe if I was rich that would be a different story. You can outfit your shop for a few thousand and have everything you really need, but to do the same for 10 or 20 times the cost, who has that kind of expendable cash? If you know who those people are tell them I am a long lost relative and my affection can be purchased, LOL


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

I read an article about a contractor in Billings, Montana, that bought made in the USA products for an entire home. He searched and ordered it in. The total cost of the home was only 1% higher than if he bought randomly from the yard and had it sent out to the job site. I was surprised but I think we all need to be doing that when possible.


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