Who Owns What: Ladders and Job Boxes

1 MIN READ

What does an extension ladder have in common with a Knaack box?

Both are made from metal but the real commonality is this — the country’s best-known ladder company recently bought the best-known maker of job boxes. In early September, Emerson Electric sold Knaack LLC to the Werner Company. Knaack makes commercial grade job boxes; Werner makes ladders, staging, and fall-protection equipment. Knaack owns Weather Guard, so Werner got that too.

Emerson is a St. Louis-based conglomerate with multiple connections to the tool industry. They own the Ridgid brand, which includes plumbing and diagnostic tools, shop vacuums, pneumatic tools, and hand-held power tools — which are produced under contract by Techtronic Industries (the parent company of AEG and Milwaukee).

About the Author

David Frane

David Frane is a former foreman with Thoughtforms Corp., a construction company based in West Acton, Mass., and former editor of Tools of the Trade.

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