First, there were rumors that SK Tools was up for sale. Not long after, there was an official announcement that Ideal Industries was selling SK Hand Tools to Hangzhou GreatStar Industrial Co.
And then came the backlash for “SK Tools selling out to China.”
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The comments being made by some of SK Hand Tools’ most vocal users and customers vary widely. Some of of the consumer feedback so far include perfectly valid concerns, while other comments are unfairly harsh.
Users’ emotions continue to run high.
SK Hand Tools’ response has been very weak.
On Instagram, an SK fan or follower wrote:
So when are you liquidating all your foundry and manufacturing equipment? Never to be USA again?
In a rare reply by SK, they said:
we’re not liquidating anything!
There have not been any official communications regarding SK Hand Tools’ plans. Ideal Industries, GreatStar, and SK Hand Tools have all been largely silent.
Earlier today, in a comment to our post on SK Tools’ sales rumor, Mickey O shared some news:
Talked to several long time Ideal employees over the weekend, they told me they’ll be shutting down the plant in DeKalb in about a year. They also told me they’re changing their name to SK Tools USA before the sale is finalized. I assume that’s so when the Chinese takes production to China the tools will still say USA on them.
Ideal Industries associates might not have the latest or most accurate information, and all this should still be considered unsubstantiated rumor.
Still, this is exactly what a lot of users and SK Tool fans are worried about.
Some users have already jumped ship:
Done with sk already started buying USA proto. Will stick with them and snap on now and possibly Wright. No thanks sk it will be a belly flop
Too bad they’re gonna be made in China now. Looks like I’m just gonna buy old used stuff. No more new SK for me..
In reply to a post about SK’s limited edition backpack, one Facebook follower said:
I am positive it was made in China its a shame I am going to retire my s-k tools because I am positive if I had to warranty my tools I would get back some cheap crap made in China.
Others are waiting for more information.
Newly acquired by a Chinese company wonder how long before they move production back to China
It seems that, of all the people commenting to SK Tools’ social media posts, there are several recurring themes. Some people have already made up their minds that this sale is a bad move for the brand, although most don’t seem realize that the brand doesn’t seem to have had a choice in the matter.
Others are hopeful, curious, or cautious. What’s going to happen to the SK Hand Tools brand? Nobody knows! Or at least, nobody’s talking.
Looking through SK’s most recent posts, all they’ve said so far is that they’re not liquidating anything, but this isn’t much of a forward-looking statement.
The question on everyone’s mind is whether SK Tools will continue to be made in the USA, or if all production will be moved to China.
What are SK’s plans for future tool production?
Are the rumors, speculations, and concerns all true, and that SK Tools will be moving everything overseas?
The longer that Ideal, SK, and GreatStar stay silent about this, the more pessimistic the outlook becomes. Is the absence of any formal statements or clarifications because plans are still fluid or the sale has not completely gone through yet? Or are the 3 companies holding quiet because they know users won’t be happy with their plans?
Paul hacker
Like the old song .. “another one bites the dust …. “
JoeM
…That song is far from old… it never gets old…
But yeah, I get the sentiment… and agree…
Serendipity
It’s older than me, barely. It’s old.
JoeM
It’s older than I am as well… but I mean it never gets old in the “Never get tired of it” sense. Age? Sure, but… I was trying to be funny.
I should really just stop trying to be funny… Never translates in text.
Jared
I remain hopeful. Prove me wrong SK.
Maybe an influx of capital and new eyes will allow SK to continue. Ideally prices will drop a bit and most or all production will remain US-based.
I’m not going to complain if there are Chinese-made tools added to the SK catalogue so long as USA tools continue too.
DC
The new owners will move production to China, no doubt about it. Just like Goldblatt, Jorgensen/Pony, etc. I don’t need anymore ratchets or sockets but if I do, Snap-on will be on my list. About 30% of my tool collection is S-K from pliers, screwdrivers, sockets but no more unless they’re made in U.S.A.
Rob
In your example: the old owners moved production to China. Just an FYI.
fred
Since Ideal is not a publicly traded company – it is hard to get full information about either the sale or SK’s financials over the last few years.
Some of Great Star’s prior acquisitions have been grabbing up other US companies that either were in distress or bankrupt. But to be fair – they did not seem to just want the brand name – bought on the cheap – to slap on some junk. They seemed to have maintained some semblance of quality in what’s being produced under their Arrow, Goldblatt and Jorgensen/Pony brands – and maybe they might even restore ShopVac (which IMO had been declining).
With SK – maybe Ideal’s strategy includes a part that helps increase demand and sell off current US-made inventories at a profit – before the deal is finalized.
rob
They were already making Jorgensen/Pony, as far as I’m aware. I was under the impression that they bought the brand so that they could continue that revenue stream.
Stuart
GreatStar also has a good relationship with Lowe’s. Pony and Jorgensen gives Lowe’s an alternate.
If I were at GreatStar, I would look to do two things with the SK tool brand – either use their designs to launch a higher tier of Kobalt tools at Lowe’s, or use the SK brand itself as a more pro offering at Lowe’s.
Home Depot has Husky, Gearwrench now, and Milwaukee. Lowe’s has Craftsman and Kobalt, and SK could really up their game.
Jared
I’m hoping the plan is to push SK harder as a pro brand. Maybe expand the catalogue a bit. That might give Lowes an edge since Home Depot doesn’t really have a “pro” mechanics tool brand.
rob
If SK shows up in a place like Lowes, I’ll bite off my toenails and eat them. Sherman-Klove means nothing to those customers. Never heard of it. Heck, around here, that name is synonymous with Berland’s first and then, “oh yeah, that old socket company”.
rob
Lowes has Jorgensen/Pony right now because it’s their turn. As you may know, Lowes and Home Depot swap Jorgensen/Pony and Bessey for seemingly no other reason than “just because” every few years it seems. This game is annoying, since I don’t like Lowes for some reason and if I want to avoid the devil (ITW), I have to go to Lowes to buy Simpson…this year. I am guessing Lowes is where I’ll have to buy my Fischer wall plugs soon, too, since Cobra is taking over that section and I guess GI Joe is out to lunch.
Jim Felt
I’ve never owned nor needed SK branded tools. I’d simply like their newest owner to raise the QC of the actual tools. That’s what actual “tool” progress would be.
As for the so far silent corporate view we’re all howling in the wind.
But it’s their investment to build on or like Pony just sort of preserve from. Though indeed from another continent.
Ain’t globalism a hoot? (As I’m tapping on my iPhone with a Wera tool in front of me)…
Nathan
so other than Goldblatt I don’t see where great star has done anything positive for for any of those other tool brands. Jorgensen./pony new stuff is very poorly rated to the point where I passed them over when looking at new pipe clamps.
So I will say I am hopeful to see what comes out of them but I’m not optimistic.
Also as an aside – its not liquidating if the new parent owner moves the equipment. and moving dies and machinery is really not that expensive vs trying to setup new equipment to make parts.
OldDominionDIYer
Ironically I was introduced to SK tools while in the military, we would get several sets of them and I never thought they were great tools, not bad mind you but they never struck me as being high end, just solid. We also bought Snap-On which seemed to be in an entirely higher class of quality. SK I’m sure made a lot of money selling to the military but I’m not sure they still do that much business there anymore. Probably one of the major income streams that has dried up. I never invested in SK tools likely because of the stigma created by seeing them all over while I was in the service. I used to buy Craftsman Professional when they were USA made but gave up completely on Craftsman since their gosh awful past few decades of strife. I did invest in Milwaukee hand tools and have been very happy, not USA made but thus far have performed flawlessly and way cheaper than Snap-On which as a DIYer are priced far above what I am willing to pay. Despite what we have “not heard” I would be shocked if SK maintained manufacturing in the USA for longer than it takes to transition to whatever cheap junk factory that will take over making the future SK hand tools, sad really but consumers typically drive this because of the purchase decisions we make, I know I’m guilty on several occasions.
Wayne
That comment about liquidating the foundry, etc was ME! I am a fan and user.
I am sick and tired to hear and see US companies falling to China. I am a dedicated SK user- I have SK tools older than myself.
Stuart
It’s definitely a valid concern. It’s quite possible the factory will close, but that the acquisition happened prior to any of that means that GreatStar might have been interested in keeping the factory open or transferring the equipment.
Respectfully, “US companies falling to China” is not an accurate way of describing what is happening here. I think it’s fair to say that SK Hand Tools has failed, or was in the process of failing. Ideal was looking to sell. In this case, a US company sold a subsidiary company to a publicly-traded Chinese company.
GreatStar has also purchased parts of other companies that had already failed and closed. Whether you’re talking about SK or these other companies, there are plenty of other buyers, including American companies, but they weren’t interested.
Quite a few years ago, Sears had Craftsman Professional ratcheting wrenches on the shelf – USA-made if I recall correctly – and they had Gearwrench sets nearby. Sears offered aggressive discounts on the Gearwrench sets fairly regularly. The Craftsman sets gathered dust and were eventually discontinued. Many tool users bought the other Craftsman Pro hand tools until Sears discontinued those too in a series of incomprehensible changes to the Craftsman brand.
If SK were a stronger brand, Ideal wouldn’t have been looking to part with them.
“What does the future hold for SK?” This is the uncertainty right now, and the longer SK stays silent, the longer I lose hope that they’re at all interested in catering towards their current fans and buyers.
There are still several notable USA hand tool manufacturers, with Stanley Black and Decker and Milwaukee Tool working to open new factories. Milwaukee Tool is owned by TTI, a publicly-traded company HQed in China, and they have been pumping money into USA factories and facilities as they continue to grow and expand. How much of a contribution has Milwaukee Tool made to the tool industry with respect to innovation, advancements, and competition?
Black & Decker (now part of Stanley Black & Decker) acquired Porter Cable in 2004.
TTI acquired Milwaukee Tool in 2005.
Which is the stronger tool brand today, Porter Cable or Milwaukee Tool?
rob
That’s cool and all, but out of the past 36 years, SK wasn’t a foreign owned brand for about ten of them… Alternate timeline theory: Dresser doesn’t sell SK to Facom. Do you honestly believe they’d have kept production in the USA heading into the 1990’s? How about under Halliburton and under GE? Perhaps they’d have been shuffled under Ingersoll-Rand? American made SK under any of those scenarios? Sure, their’s lucrative government contracts to be had…but I would guess Haliburton would rather concern themselves with selling other infinitely more profitable things to the pentagon than a couple thousand tool kits.
rob
*there are
Sorry, I’d blame me, but I have this ipad to blame instead.
Jaycob P.
The announcement happened less than 2 months ago. Having gone through a few buyouts where I work it takes a long time for the final decisions to be made and the buyout to be complete (as far as I know Great Star still doesn’t officially own SK). In that interim you’re not going to hear a lot as there are regulatory implications for any announcements that are made.
All the people saying they aren’t buying SK anymore regardless of what happens are doing is guaranteeing production will go to China by not continuing to support them.
The SK Tools USA thing is ridiculous also considering I’m pretty sure there are trade regulations that prevent you from marking products like that. The old rumor of companies doing that goes back decades to when Japan started importing heavily and its pretty easy to debunk.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/made-in-usa/
Matthew
Yes it is ridiculous… Ridiculous when it happens. Example: “Rhino USA”
Maps Bam
It’s not ridiculous. People have very valid concerns.
Yes, there are regulations stating how you can label country of origin on tools. But what the tools say now doesn’t mean they’ll say that in the future.
Maps Bam
They can say what they want, but history says quality will be degraded and/or manufacturing will move to China.
Will Ideal still be made in the USA?
Stuart
Since Ideal and SK don’t have a lot of overlap, I don’t think this will really affect Ideal offerings at all.
Maps Bam
Good to know. Ideal is a new brand to me and they have some nice looking stuff so I may give them a try. Thanks for the input.
rob
The ideal/sk pliers (except where obtained from Wilde and Channellock) are Western Forge/Sears designs and quite popular. I like their Linesmans.
Bobby
I’m still upset about Ideal closing Western Forge last year. It’s hard to say what will happen, but I think that moving SK production overseas is a net loss for the brand.
Chris
I’m bummed, I bought 4 socket sets from SK a year or two ago with a student discount. I am very concerned about what will happen if I need to warranty one of those sockets out. I will not accept a poor quality, overseas import of a tool with a once well respect brand name laser etched on it.
In my opinion, everyone has a right to be fearful and upset for what will happen to SK. just remember, this isn’t SK’s fault. This is ideal industries fault. Although I would expect SK to have some sort of say on the matter if the brand was being sold off. Frankly, I’d be pissed off if a brand I oversaw was sold to a foreign entity without my input.
And I really want to clarify that I’m not against overseas manufacturing. There are some fantastic tools coming from all over the world. China just has a very poor reputation for producing quality products. What I am against is a foreign company taking a well respected and highly trusted name and sending it to its grave. Also, we can NOT play chinas game of monopoly with them buying out companies to fund their communist, forced labor country. I wish SK was sold to a European tool company at least. Not sure what companies it would fit well under, but anything would be better than China.
I’m not very hopeful for the future of SK. I will absolutely stick to Snap-On, while expanding my brand interests to other companies.
Stuart
I wouldn’t exactly hold SK blameless, although they likely had no control over the sale.
Western Forge tried to adapt to losing Sears’ sales volume, and ultimately couldn’t, closing after several years.
Some brands have suffered and failed from short-term affects, especially in the past year and a half, but SK’s woes seem to have been long-term.
Back when Waterloo (now owned by Stanley Black & Decker) complained about unfair competition from import brands that benefited from foreign subsidies, brands that would be affected by the tariffs argued that “Waterloo’s failure to innovate drove declining sales.”
Warranty concerns are valid, and the same was true when they were purchased by Ideal out of bankruptcy 11 years ago. It is too soon to predict what will happen, but it’s very disappointing that SK hasn’t even attempted to put users’ minds at ease.
Robm
I bet by the end of the decade The SK factories will be permanently closed. Along with all production moved over seas.
Mike
Even if they don’t move production to China, the money still flows to them.
My Grandmother fled China just before the revolution in 1949. Many of her family who didn’t flee to Taiwan disappeared. I go out of my way to limit what products and companies I deal with who have ties back to China. Add to that what they’re doing with the Uyghurs they can keep their mass produced cheap crap.
Nathan
Thank you – not to get political but this is a big part of my issues.
JoeM
I don’t disagree with that motivation… That said… They get more from the devices we are typing on right now, than they do from any kinds of manual tools. If this was 40-50 years ago, when the market was de-regulated and opened up global trade, I would say keep fighting that fight.
This far in? Even things made in the USA are made in China. From your clothing, to the military gear that soldiers wear… China. And it’s not because the factories were moved from the USA, or anything like that. China produces Nylon, Rayon, and a huge number of component plastics and polymers that we’re all dependent on. Sending the patterns that are developed in the Americas, over to China for production, just saves production cost. Specifically shipping weight.
Do I Like It? No. Of course I don’t. But it’s too late to stop them. I wish we could, but we’re decades too late.
JoeM
One note though: Some things made in China are magnificent pieces of art, which are of much higher quality than anywhere else in the world. There are some housewares like Vases, Dishes, and Bowls, that are actually far above what I’d worry is a “knock off” or of low quality. The original Chinese exports of pottery and stoneware, I have to admit fully, that I find it to be very enviable to see those things in China, but not have them in my home for regular use.
Not knocking any of the Anti-China Monetary issues you raise, just putting a caveat in there to admit there are some things that exist counter to the rule. Just so no one can accuse me of not acknowledging the exceptions that are legitimate.
DRT42
When I was still working, I was told by our factory people that Rayon is no longer made in the US because of the EPA. I was never able to learn exactly what the problem was, or even if there was a real problem.
JoeM
Rayon is a highly toxic polymer, and it’s made from super-heating two other toxic polymers, in a third polymer bath. They form an entirely new string of molecular bonds, but they attach to the other compounds in places where elements have to “break off” to allow the polymer chain to be reshaped. The elements that break off don’t get used, and often form their own, toxic, chemicals that are of absolutely no use to anyone, and are extremely toxic unto themselves.
So, yes, you get a relatively safe, but potentially carcinogenic, substance you make fabric from. But that process leaves us with toxic fumes, unusable other polymers that are nearly impossible to make safe, and a whole lot of by-products that we wouldn’t want our worst enemies exposed to, let alone ourselves or our loved ones.
DRT42
Interesting! Thank you for the synopsis. Sounds like we as consumers should avoid Rayon completely.
John
You hit the nail on the head. We’re decades too late to do anything about it. Go back to the 50’s plus and everything was made in the USA. I’m talking about the components of components of other components whether it was a simple piece of clothing to some complex tool. Everything was made here. Guess what everything is now made in China which makes it extremely easy to make products there beyond just the labor costs.
There’s videos on YouTube of the massive malls in some Chinese cities that are only focused on goods and parts and things to produce other things.
They have it now, we don’t and it’s likely we won’t ever have it again for so many reasons.
Robm
That’s one reason I don’t buy Milwaukee tools. Chinese parent company.
Stuart
Milwaukee keeps growing and expanding their USA footprint.
https://toolguyd.com/milwaukee-usa-manufacturing-expansion-2022/
https://toolguyd.com/milwaukee-made-in-usa-hand-tools-announcement/
Corded Sawzalls are all made here, as well as most if not all linear cutting accessories (hole saws, reciprocating saw blades), plus step drills and oscillating multi-tool blades.
Milwaukee Tool has a lot of good people and they’re supporting and expanding USA jobs. They acquired USA companies and put more money into them to modernize their capabilities.
You’re entitled to your opinion; my intent isn’t to sway you but to make sure you have all the facts as I often see a LOT of false assumptions about this.
fred
For what its worth, TTI is listed on the Hong Kong stock market and is one of the component stocks of the Hang Seng Index. If you are like me – having a diversified portfolio of US and Foreign index funds – you are likely in a small part an owner of TTI.
I’m also not sure how how companies like TTI – founded under British rule of Hong Kong – now relate to the PRC. Certainly TTI has factories in China but also in the USA, Mexico, Europe and Vietnam.
Robm
I have all the facts, I just avoid all Chinese companies I can. I’ve been that way my whole life. On a side note I’ve had Milwaukee tools in the past, terrible tools then, terrible customer support, and terrible service. And from what I hear from guys that have bought into the Milwaukee hype, all say great tools at first and they don’t last.
JoeM
*Eyeroll* …Yay… “Globalism Bad” Debate again…
Okay… Let me just… Inject some Logic into all this.
If SK Tools was doing tons of wonderful things, and employing huge numbers of people, providing a huge chunk of cash to the Economy… Why the hell would Ideal be in any state to be willing to sell it at all?
Think about it a second. If they were so great the way they were, why would anyone sell it off? Great Star has lots of other targets they could go for if they want something profitable… Huge numbers of brands hidden among all the sub-brands of the big companies. But they went to Ideal, and bought SK tools. Why? Think about that question really hard.
Here’s the painful truth. SK was a garbage brand. Yes, something made in the USA was garbage. It happens. SK was going to die, one way or another. Their USA properties were going to shut down, one way or another. Ideal needed too much financial help to keep it, and along came Great Star that wanted something that Ideal couldn’t handle anymore.
Great Star, for whatever you think of them, took out the Trash for Ideal. Whether you ever buy an SK tool ever again is totally irrelevant. Whether you care about if a tool is made in the USA or not is irrelevant. How long you’ve had your SK tools is irrelevant. At this point, it won’t matter if SK tools survives or not. They weren’t surviving before the purchase, and your emotional attachment to them wasn’t enough to keep them afloat. So… Get over yourselves… Let it die. That’s how Capitalism works.
As Stuart is so fond of saying “We vote with our Wallets”… Well… SK tools didn’t have a lot of votes in the election, and now they have a new running mate. Just like in politics… Vote or accept that you won’t win the Election. If you can’t save SK tools yourself… You have to accept whoever wins the vote. Abandon SK tools simply because China bought them… There won’t be an SK tools anymore anyways. Either way… You’re just as responsible for SK tools’ demise as anyone else involved. You just have to take responsibility for that, and accept it.
And, hey… I get the feeling that you’re upset. You have every right to be. But… You’re also the reason why this happened, so… Keep that in mind when you’re pointing fingers. You didn’t or couldn’t buy enough to keep them afloat. Their business model was, perhaps, unable to handle the Pandemic. Whatever other factors exist, SK was not strong enough the way it was working, where it was working, in order to survive. It’s a commodity like any other. Ideal had something that Great Star wanted, and Ideal was in no shape to say otherwise. The deal is done… so… Deal with It.
Pitting the USA against the rest of the world is only going to hurt you in the long run. You need resources from all over the world to make tools these days. The US is extremely low on natural resources available, and you can’t utterly destroy your environment to get more. If you want this Us versus Them stuff to dominate your life, you’re part of the problem. If you recognize how much we all work together, and need eachother to survive, then look at the barriers to that unity. Attack that barrier with all this anger. It’s your right to do, it’s healthier than empty promises not to buy tools, and maybe, just maybe, you might make more friends in far places that way.
The world is really messed up right now. There were 4 years there, where the global infrastructure was so damaged by a handful of people, that we all got screwed. Don’t linger on it or debate it. Just know we have a much bigger fight to handle than Globalization. Education and Health Care need more attention than this. That way we A ) Are educated enough to not be pitted against eachother by people in power doing the wrong things anymore. And B ) We’re all still alive to see our hard work come to something we can be proud of.
Stuart
Objectively, competition is good, variety is good, options are good.
I never said “USA = good, globalism = bad.” There are both good and bad things that can come out of this sale.
The biggest problem right now is the SK’s negligent attitude towards their customers, as evident by the lack of communications. Users and fans want reassurances, but they’re all being ignored.
The question of where the tools will be made is an important one.
How many NEW tool manufacturers create new factories and facilities in the USA? There are a few. But how many are leaving? Once a brand leaves or a facilities closes, that’s it, they’re gone, and a lot of what makes them special might disappear with them.
In my opinion, it seems likely that the plans are to dismantle the SK Hand Tool brand into its parts – tool designs and any other IP, maybe also manufacturing equipment and know-how – but this sale and acquisition simply happened before that all happened rather than after, securing a higher price tag for Ideal Industries.
There are a lot of unfair “China manufacturing is bad” sentiments, but that doesn’t excuse the lack of communications or disclosures from the brands involved. They are only supporting the idea that SK is in its final days, which would be disappointing for everyone.
Andy
I agree that the whole “Chinese manufacturing is inherently bad” sentiment is ridiculous. I also don’t get how losing manufacturing jobs in the US is such a problem. How many people really want their kids to end up in those jobs anyway? My personal problem with Greatstar is that close to 50% of their stock is owned by 1 family. I don’t really care where that family is from, the fact that half of a companies profits go to 1 family bugs me. That’s really not much better than a sole proprietorship, and really doesn’t give the general public the opportunity to share the wealth.
I concede that SK was a damaged brand with limited value, to say the least. But I still am not prepared to throw money at a company that doesn’t really give me the opportunity to invest in itself.
JoeM
Wasn’t really referencing anything in the Article, Stuart. Sorry for the misunderstanding. It’s the conversations in the comments that I was generally commenting on. Because it applies universally, including all comments made after this one.
Issues over communication from the companies are completely valid. If you don’t want money to go to China, that is also valid. But to try and magically pull all manufacturing back to the USA via complaint alone… That’s just 40+ years too late. It’s time to accept globalization as a necessary evil. You, Stuart, are pretty neutral on this, so it’s not a message that you find difficult to grasp. unfortunately, there’s a lot more “USA OR NO WAY!” sentiment in many of these other comments… and that’s where it escapes logic, and falls directly into some seriously dangerous territory.
I know, no politics allowed… but I will make one single political reference to make my point, and move on:
If you want to bring jobs and quality back to the USA, The Americas at the bare minimum, then protest against your governing body violently, until they start signing in laws that reflect your need for these jobs. That is really the only solution to that… Time and Technology have moved much faster since Globalization, so it’s too late to undo that. We can’t bring back the past, but we can take control over our politics through revolt and writing campaigns. It’s legal, it’s necessary, and it’s a hell of a lot more effective than simply standing there, like a child, and throwing a tantrum every time Globalization wins another company from the USA. Throw that tantrum on your Politicians until they make deals to re-regulate the market to prevent an excess of capital from leaving the local economy. That’s it. That’s the sum total of the Politics involved. Shred the Politicians until you get one that will actually play nice with the way you want the country run.
Beyond that? Yeah… SK Tools and Great Star need to communicate what their plan is, or the deal should be shut down by the… FCC is it? FTC? I’m not from the USA, so… the one that controls Business Laws and Stocks. There’s a lot to be desired from their backwards dealings right now.
Stuart
Ideal is a private company, they can do what they want. GreatStar is a publicly traded company, but I’m fairly sure they’re out of the SEC’s jurisdiction. There’s nothing other regulatory bodies can do about this deal, nor is there anything that they need to be doing about it.
JoeM
Agreed… but I’m just sharing the sentiment that the SK/Great Star deal is not communicating appropriately. I have no clue what can be done, but this level of ambiguity isn’t right. That part, I am wholeheartedly with the more angry voices.
And, Thank You, Stuart. SEC. Totally zoned on that one. I appreciate your patience with my Non-American slip-ups like that.
Don
USA or I don’t pay!
John S.
I just want to point out that when great star acquired shop vac, they made the decision to REOPEN the Williamsport, PA plant that Shop Vac had closed!!! And rehired the fired employees! Why anyone is so certain that SK production is going to China boggles my mind.
https://www.lockhaven.com/news/local-news/2021/02/new-owners-rehire-shop-vac-employees/
rob
Because they don’t know what they’re talking about. 90% of these talking heads say that they “know” that Greatstar will shut down the SK plant and send the forging dies to mainland China because “that’s what they did with Pony”. I don’t personally know anyone from The Adjustable Clamp company, but we sure as heck share mutual acquaintances. Now if I know somebody that knows somebody that flew off to China to oversee the final transition of 100% foreign manufacturing in a last ditch effort to save the company and appease the big box store buyers, and I know where I was and what I was doing when the pallets of plastic handled Cabinetmasters started showing up, and I also know where I was and what I was doing when I got the news that the owner called it quits, annnnd I also know where I was and what I was doing when Greatstar picked up the pieces…..how does that line up with “Greatstar closed down the factory and moved production to China”?
Ironically, if going by strictly factual history as a determining factor, Greatstar will be running the SK company in the same location, feet away from Ideal. Do I either know or believe that to be the case? Nope. I haven’t a clue.