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The story
Chicago Pneumatic is a brand name in the pneumatic tool industry with a history tracing back to 1901. John W. Duntley had in mind the idea of sourcing and selling construction tools "that weren’t yet available". He established the Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company, with an office in Chicago. The first plant to begin manufacturing product specifically for CP was the Boyer Machine Shop in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1901, Duntley met steel magnate Charles M. Schwab, who invested heavily in the company. On December 28, the company was incorporated and the first single-valve pneumatic hammer was patented.
In 1901, Chicago Pneumatic Tool Co. took over the Grant Company in Franklin, PA, which had produced lathes, boring mills, drilling machines and railway machinery. In 1902, CPT also took over the Franklin Air Compressor Company which had been producing air hoists. The Franklin plant went on to produce Little Giant trucks (1911-1917), portable compressors, electrical powerplants, and drill rigs.
1904 was the year of expansion for CP. Offices were opened in England, Canada, and Germany; and new lines of products had been developed such as air tools and rock drills.
In 1912, CP began to produce a horizontal 2-cycle semi-Diesel oil engine to power CP compressors. One year later, CP finalized the Simplate valve; it deleted valve gear, offered controllability with high speeds and brought more capacity.
In 1925, CP manufactured the Benz Diesel engine that was used in various racing cars in Europe at that time. The same year, CP began manufacturing rotary oil-well drilling equipment.
The CP monogram design trademark (USPTO Serial No. 71299042) was filed on April 18, 1930, covering pneumatic tools, air compressors, and related apparatus.
In 1939, CP designed and manufactured the world’s first impact wrench, both pneumatic and electric versions.
CP developed the “hot dimpling machine” in response to war effort demands, a device heating rivets to 1000 °F and using 100,000 pounds/inch² of pressure to squeeze the rivet head into its final shape.
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In 1943, The Saturday Evening Post published a cover picture by Norman Rockwell portraying a female aircraft worker, Rosie the Riveter, eating her lunch with a CP riveting hammer in her lap.
The 1950s and 1960s were an era of performance research. CP drill bits broke depth records approaching 20,000 feet and were used in oil prospecting. The portable broach puller for aircraft rivets was introduced in 1957. A Chicago Pneumatic electric motor played a role in the U.S. Apollo space mission to the Moon. It powered a pump that inflated three bags on the capsule upon its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969. The bags ensured the escape hatch was on top and the astronauts could open it safely. CP introduced in 1969 the world’s first speed ratchet “CP728” at Ford Motor Company.
In 1970, the CP611 impact wrench was used in the steel erection phase of the World Trade Centers (New York City). Sold for several years into industrial markets, CP torque impact wrenches were introduced in the 1970s into the automotive market. In 1987, Chicago Pneumatic became part of the Swedish conglomerate Atlas Copco. During 1988, more new products were launched than at any time since the late '70s, such as screwdrivers, assembly tools and new ratchet wrenches. The following year, the current logo was designed and adopted.
In 1990, CP won a silver award from the AMA with its "23 parts" advertising campaign. The advertisement portrayed how over 250 light assembly tools could be made from only 23 interchangeable component parts. In 1994, the production of compactors and portable power generators began.
2007 marked the inauguration of a new technology center in Nantes, France.
In 2010, a new global design highlighting the brand colors — red and black — was adopted.
From Wikipedia’s article on Chicago Pneumatic, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4