History: decades of innovation

In 1894, he established the Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company, with an office in Chicago . The first plant to begin manufacturing product specifically for Chicago Pneumatic was the Boyer Machine Shop in St. Louis , Missouri.

One year later, Chicago Pneumatic finalized the Simplate valve; it deleted valve gear, offered controllability with high speeds and brought more capacity.

The same year, Chicago Pneumatic began manufacturing rotary oil-well drilling equipment

Chicago Pneumatic 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.

the Saturday Evening Post published a cover picture by Norman Rockwell portraying a female aircraft worker, Rosie the Riveter, eating her lunch with a Chicago Pneumatic riveting hammer in her lap. In the following years, the iconic Rosie figure was used for the “We can do it” campaign during WWII.

Chicago Pneumatic 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 America’s Apollo space mission to the moon. It powered a pump that inflated three bags on the capsule upon its splashdown in the Pacific on July 24, 1969. The bags ensured the escape hatch was on top and the astronauts could open it safely. Chicago Pneumatic introduced in 1969 the world’s first speed ratchet “CP728” at Ford MotorCompany.

Sold for several years into industrial markets, Chicago Pneumatic torque impact wrenches were introduced in the 1970s into the automotive market.

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.

with its "23 parts" advertising campaign. The ad 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. CP789H reversible drill, CP828H ratchet, CP854 angle grinders launched as “The Classics”

In 2010, a new global design highlighting the brand colors—red and black—was adopted.