Lufkin (brand)

Lufkin
Product type	Tape measure
Owner	Apex Tool Group (2010)
Country	United States
Introduced	1869
Previous owners	Cooper Industries (1967)
Website	lufkintool.com

Short description: Measuring devices marketed by Apex Tools

Lufkin is a brand featuring primarily measurement tools such as calipers, gauges, micrometers, and measuring tapes. Lufkin is a brand of Apex Tool Group.

History

Early Lufkin logo

The company was founded by Edward Taylor Lufkin, an American Civil War veteran of the Sixtieth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry^[1] in Cleveland, Ohio, 1869^[2] and was originally named E.T. Lufkin Board and Log Rule Manufacturing Company. Its Canadian manufacturing plant was first at Windsor, Ontario and later at Barrie, Ontario. The company's headquarters and chief U.S. manufacturing plant later moved to Saginaw, Michigan, and remained there for decades.

The company was acquired in 1967 by Cooper Industries,^[3] which aimed to create a stable of hand tools brands through acquisitions. The Saginaw plant was soon closed and a new plant in Apex, North Carolina became the chief U.S. manufacturing plant.

The brand was a member of the Cooper Tools group until that group was sold off to form Apex Tool Group in 2012 and Cooper Industries was acquired by Eaton Corporation.

Innovations

Throughout its history Lufkin patented a variety of devices and manufacturing processes.

Lufkin, Edward Taylor, "Improvement in Board Measures", US patent 149321, issued April 7, 1874
Lufkin, Edward Taylor, "Headed Lumber Rule", US patent 272279, issued February 13, 1883
Lufkin, Edward Taylor, "Machine for forming and dressing lumber-rules", US patent 272892, issued February 27, 1883