History in Kenosha
Founded in 1920, Snap-on has been headquartered in Kenosha, Wisconsin since 1930. In 1920, a cultural shift was underway in the United States as the automobile was rising in popularity, creating the need for an emerging automotive repair industry. Joseph Johnson, an engineer from Milwaukee, had an idea that would revolutionize repair and make work easier for professional mechanics.
Five unique handle handles and ten sockets that snapped on interchangeably, coined "Five do the work of Fifty", launched a company that would shape an industry.
Joe and his co-worker, William Seidemann, spent weekends using crude bending jigs and pure muscle to fashion two sample sets of five handles and ten sockets. Using only these demo sets and brochures, Johnson and Seidemann generated over 500 C.O.D. orders. With this initial success, the Snap-on Wrench Company was formed. Johnson and Seidemann sought out the expertise of Stanton Palmer and Newton Tarble to market and sell their product. They would quickly leave their mark with groundbreaking ideas such as the "magic" green cloth and direct-selling.
Production was ramped up with the opening of a 2,500 SF manufacturing facility in Milwaukee and the first 500 orders will filled within six months. Snap-on continued to prosper, the growth strained its rented Milwaukee facility. In 1929, an eleven-acre site was purchased on the outer edge of Kenosha to consolidate manufacturing and its general offices, then located in Chicago. The Kenosha Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Kenosha Land Company recruited Snap-on to diversify the economy.
13,200
Employees worldwide
$4.7 billion
Net sales in 2023
85,000+
SKUs in their product line
4,060+
Active and pending patents throughout the world