Knaack Manufacturing Company . . . Great American Success Story!

On some mornings back in 1960, Howard Knaack would interrupt his milk route deliveries for Cary Dairy to have breakfast with two friends. These friends needed a reliable source for “ready-made” jobsite boxes. One morning, they decided it was time to talk Howard into a business opportunity in the sheet metal fabrication business in order to supply their construction supply house with the jobsite boxes they needed. Together they formed Knaack Manufacturing Company.

Knaack Manufacturing Company was the first to offer national distribution of jobsite storage boxes in Chicago, Detroit, Hammond, Cleveland, Hammond, Denver and Washington D.C. By 1968 Mr. Knaack moved the company to a 16,000 sq. ft. building in the current location. Along with the move came the purchase of WEATHER GUARD® Truck Equipment brand from a small sheet metal company in St. Louis. Van equipment was added in 1984.

The company, product lines and distribution grew steadily. Mr. Knaack watched his building grow to almost 10 acres under roof. Distribution grew reaching all 50 states in the U.S. and in Canada.

In 2000, Mr. Knaack and his partners felt that in order to grow the business to the next level it would require substantial resources. They sold the business to Emerson in order to gain the strength and resources of a Fortune 150 Company. Knaack Manufacturing Company joins RIDGID® Tools as part of the Emerson Tool Group. Today, we continue to operate as a separate entity with the same mission.

Over the past 45 years Knaack Manufacturing Company's facility has grown from their modest start in a 2,000 sq. ft. shop to its current 400,000 + sq. ft. plant at 420 E. Terra Cotta Ave. The KNAACK® brand name is known in the industry as "The most trusted name in jobsite security" while the WEATHER GUARD® brand is known as "Secure by Design"™.

About the parent company . . .

Emerson Electric Co., a $15.6 billion NYSE listed company, is recognized as one of the best-managed corporations in the United States. It is a highly diversified, global manufacturer with numerous operating divisions segmented into five businesses. To learn more about our parent company, please visit Emerson's website.