Kaiser Tool Co. Celebrates 60 Years
Kaiser’s ThinBit offerings include over 100,000 precision cutting tools.
Kaiser Tool Co. (KTC) is celebrating 60 years in business. The company was founded in 1964 by William (Bill) and Hazel Kaiser with the purpose of supplying small lathe cutting tools. Lathe tools were known as bits and the tools were thin, leading to ThinBit being chosen as the product name. The first ThinBit tools were insert sizes 0.010" through 0.050" in 0.001" increments made from high-speed steel with a 1/4", 5/16" and 3/8" toolholders.
From 1964 until 1980, the production and sales of ThinBit tooling was done at the family home on Weisser Park Avenue in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Manufacturing took place in the garage. In 1980, KTC outgrew the garage and a new facility was built on Sherman Boulevard. Lenore Kaiser took over KTC from her parents in 1982. She increased ThinBit product offerings, digitized the shop and office operating systems, expanded advertising and modernized the manufacturing processes.
Over time, ThinBit sales took off, enabling the company to hire more employees and add more equipment. Lenore’s husband, Doug, was brought on board in 1987. He used some of the first laser marking systems to engrave ThinBit products with indelible identification codes and began the Laser Images division.
In the 1990s, Kaiser recognized the advantages of CNC equipment and automation, which allowed continued expansion of product lines and a focus on custom tools. KTC outgrew the Sherman street location in 1994 and built a new manufacturing facility on Centennial Drive. The land purchased was large enough for a new building and future expansion.
Machines, work cells, inspection equipment and material storage were added and processes upgraded until the manufacturing floor filled up. In 2018, an addition was built to expand the manufacturing space.
Today, ThinBit stocks over 100,000 precision cutting tools and offers millions of standard tools with fast delivery. Custom tooling is available for all products. Industries KTC serves include aerospace, medical, semiconductor, automotive, research, protective seals and more.
