Atlas Press Co.
Longtime Tool Maker Began in 1911
Interior of Atlas Press Co., c. 1936. KPL catalog number P-123
Founded in 1911, the Atlas Press Company once symbolized the rich assortment of industries headquartered in Kalamazoo, that drove both the local and national economy during the first half of the 20th century. Focused on the production of arbor presses, drill presses, hand and power tools and metal lathes, the company had immediate success, and by 1957 had become the country’s “second largest manufacturer of machines of its size and class.” Over the years, like so many businesses that were able to remain nimble and future-focused, the company evolved with the changing times, diversifying and transitioning into other markets and product lines to stay profitable.
The G.T. Eames Company
Established in 1911, the George T. Eames Company was organized by Eames, H.H. Everard and John H. Penniman. The upstart business focused on making machinery, and was housed in the Eames Mill, located on Oakland Drive and Stadium Avenue. By 1917, the company had become the sole ownership of Penniman, who then renamed the company Atlas Press. Penniman’s primary product was the arbor press, a machine that was used “to assemble and straighten collars and bearings on shafts.” Around 1919, the business moved into its sprawling, 120,000 square-foot location on N. Pitcher Street.
During the 1920s, when the automobile’s popularity exploded, the company developed a line of small toolkits designed for the automobile owner who needed to conduct repairs on their vehicle. Atlas supplied these tools to the ever-growing General Motors. The depression years of the 1930s were not great for most industries. In order to stay competitive, the company began manufacturing metal lathes, priced considerably lower than their competitors. The company also found a market in the production of small hand tools, drill presses, and power saws, as the practice of home improvement became more pervasive. Many of these smaller products ended up in the hands of students in high school shop courses. As was often the case both locally and nationally, manufacturing companies found their biggest customer in the 1940s was the U.S. government, who needed private companies to switch to the making of things vital to the war effort. Atlas Press was no exception, as they focused on metalworking tools.
“Atlas Press became the first local company to receive the prestigious Army/Navy “E” Award for efficiency in production.”
Kalamazoo: the place behind the products, p.240
The postwar civilian interested in woodworking, would likely have purchased a helpful tool from Atlas Press during the period after the war, when smaller-scale renovation projects or personal hobbies grew in popularity.
Atlas Press factory, c.1936. KPL catalog number P-121
Clausing Industrial Corporation
The 1950s were a time period when many local businesses became less local, either being bought out entirely or merging with another corporation. The age of the conglomeration and subsidiary had begun. In September of 1950, Penniman announced the purchase of the Clausing Lathe Company of Ottumwa, Iowa. Clausing was focused on the production of industrial lathes. The Iowa factory was renamed the Atlas-Clausing Company, and operated independently with 100 employees. In 1956, Atlas Press merged with a British firm called Colchester Company of Great Britain. As the 1960s came to an end, Atlas Press changed their name to the Clausing Industrial Corporation.
The 1970s and 1980s saw the multinational corporation continue to diversify into different markets, and to acquire other concerns along the way. In 1978, Clausing developed a plastic mold-making division which included the Portage firms Mol-Bee, P.E.I. and Pan-O-Grav. And while large-scale drill presses and lathes continued to be the central focus of the ever-expanding company, Clausing also entered into the process controls and industrial saw business.
In 1986, as globalization continued to shrink the footprint of United States-based manufacturing, the company was sold by its parent company, Rexnord Inc. of Milwaukee, to the 600 Group PLC, a British company. That same year, saw the company move into a new building along N. Pitcher Street, just south of their old factory. The mid-1980s saw the number of employees involved directly with manufacturing shrink to 30. However, unlike so many other companies which were born during Kalamazoo’s industrial heyday, that were not equipped to handle market dynamics and the force of de-industrialization, Clausing continued to be malleable and opportunistic, surviving the realities of economic change to produce high-quality drill presses and lathes at their current manufacturing plant on 3963 Emerald Drive.
Article written by Ryan Gage, Kalamazoo Public Library staff, January 2025