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When Craftsman Stopped Making Tools in the USA
Craftsman’s full-scale U.S. manufacturing of hand tools effectively ended in the late 2010s, with the final major U.S. production facility closing in March 2023.
Timeline of the Decline
2008–2010: Sears began replacing many USA-made Craftsman hand tools with imported versions, starting with sockets, wrenches, and ratchets
toolguyd.com
toolguyd.com
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2012: Sears discontinued the Craftsman Professional line and many USA-made hand tools, shifting to imported suppliers
toolguyd.com
toolguyd.com
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2013: Sears fully transitioned many product categories to imported manufacturing, including prying bars made in Taiwan
toolguyd.com
toolguyd.com
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2017: Sears sold the Craftsman brand to Stanley Black & Decker (SBD), which inherited the supply chain but did not restore the old U.S. manufacturing network
carlmurawski.com
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The Fort Worth Factory Attempt
In 2017, SBD announced a $90 million, high-tech hand tool factory in Fort Worth, Texas aimed at bringing Craftsman tools back to U.S. production
www.warehouseautomation.ca
www.warehouseautomation.ca
. The plant used advanced automation and fast-forging presses, but faced:
Equipment failures (presses, clutches, brakes, oil leaks)
toolguyd.com
toolguyd.com
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Design and testing issues with supplied machinery
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Supply chain and pandemic disruptions
www.warehouseautomation.ca
www.warehouseautomation.ca
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By March 2023, just over three years after breaking ground, SBD announced the closure of the Fort Worth factory, citing that the technology did not meet expectations and production challenges could not be resolved
www.warehouseautomation.ca
www.warehouseautomation.ca
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Current Status
No large-scale U.S. hand tool production for Craftsman exists today.
SBD still markets “Made in the USA” Craftsman products, but these are limited and often use global materials
toolguyd.com
toolguyd.com
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The brand continues to sell tools worldwide, but the U.S. manufacturing base that once produced Craftsman tools for Sears is gone.
In short: Craftsman stopped making most tools in the USA around 2013–2014 when Sears shifted to imports, and the last major U.S. production attempt in Fort Worth closed in March 2023
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