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About scotchman

Proud American Manufacturer

Our story

We are proud to say that our world-famous ironworkers are still made in small town Philip, South Dakota, USA. We focus on manufacturing quality machines that can be passed down from generation to generation.

1950’s

1950’s

1956 – Arthur Kroetch started Art’s Salvage in his hometown of Philip, SD.

1956 - Art-Shop
1959 - Wickomatic-Mfg-article-before.Scotchman.Ironworker-1960s
1959-newspaper-30 years of business-from salvage man to chairman of the board(part2-1996)

1958 - Art developed a cattle insecticide applicator and began manufacturing them under the name Wick-O-Matic Oiler Company.

1960’s

1960’s

Early 1960s – Art began making & selling other farm related products such as pickup stock racks, corral panels, gates & chutes.

1967 - Old Cosmos machine2
1967 - The machine that started it all(on the jobsite)
1968 - IW-man - vintage scotchman advertisement
1960 - Newspaper-Art.interview-1973
1969 - Little Scotchman-old logo mascot
1969 - Scotchman-building-before-Scotchman-bowling-ally

1967 - Little Scotchman Industries was born when Art acquired the U.S. patent rights to a 35-ton hydraulic ironworker and began manufacturing the machine. This machine was the first of its kind in the world and would punch, bend, and shear metal using hydraulic pressure.

1970’s

1970’s

1969 – The local bowling alley in Philip, SD was acquired and became Little Scotchman’s new production facility. This old bowling alley is still our current manufacturing plant (plus several additions). The latest addition of 49,000 sq. feet happened in 1999 which gave us enough space to move all of our production under one roof.

1972 - Newspaper.photo-celebrating-1,000th ironworker-1972
1972 - Newspaper-article w-picture-celebrating-1,000th ironworker-1972
1974 - Scotchman-thrives in small town-newspaperr-1974
1975 ish - Little Scotchman Industries Building Photo (1)
1978 - XL ironworker photo
1979 - Giant on the Prairie - magazine article
1979 - Scotchman mfgs international product - newspaper

1972 - Scotchman celebrated the 1,000 Dvorak ironworker to be manufactured in our facility in Philip, South Dakota.

1973 - Little Scotchman Industries was nationally recognized as the “Top Sales of the Ironworker in the United States” and had a full-time workforce of thirty people and approximately 185 dealers nationwide.

1978 - Little Scotchman Industries purchased Canadian ironworker manufacturer Excel Mfg. Ltd. Of Winnipeg, Manitoba. This acquisition doubled the models available in Scotchman’s ironworker line from. The product line now had six models ranging from 18-ton to 90-ton punch stations.

1979 – with a workforce of 100 in Philip, SD and 55 in Winnipeg, Scotchman was no longer “little” and officially changed the name from Little Scotchman Industries to just Scotchman Industries, Inc.

1980’s

1980’s

1982 – The manufacturing plant in Canada was closed and all manufacturing was moved to Philip, South Dakota.

1980 - Scotchman-isn_t-little-anymore-newspaper-1980
1985 - BEWO - Bruce Cold Saw Product Manager
1980s - Little Scotchman XL Advertisement
1981 - Presidential.E.Award-newspaper-1981

1983 - Scotchman diversified and began selling Circular Cold Saws after purchasing Marathon Saw Company of Detroit, MI.

1984 - Began distributing BEWO saws which were imported from Holland.

1988 - Scotchman began manufacturing BEWO circular saws as a joint venture, and officially acquired the whole product line in 1993.

1990’s

1990’s

1996 – Scotchman Credit Corp. (SCC) was formed to offer lease-purchase payment options for Scotchman and non-Scotchman customers.

1998 - Newspaper article - Scotchmans Big Expansion-1
1999 - aerial photo of Scotchman building
1996- SCC formed-logo

1997 - Introduced two new automatic cold saw lines (HFA & RFA) which vastly expanded our cold saw line.

2000’s

2000’s

2002 – expanded product lines once again. This time to include a Band Saw line & Grinder Notchers. This Grinder line (GRIT) we discontinued in 2007, and the Band Saw line was discontinued in 2009

2006 - Art_Eleanor-50.years.of.biz-photo2-2006
2003 - band saw & GRIT product additions
2007 - aerial

2005 - Scotchman acquired a patented Advanced Measuring System to add to the product line up. This line quickly expanded to offer computerized measuring and/or material feed systems.

2006 - 2006 - Our founder, Art Kroetch, celebrated 50 years in business.

2007 - Introduced our high production flat bar shear, ShearMaster 610

2010’s

2010’s

2011 – Became the North American importer of ALMI Tube & Pipe Notcher/Grinders and offered a complete line of manual, electric & abrasive grinder/notchers.

2013 - Expanded the saw line once again with the addition of a utility band saw and large capacity non-ferrous upcut cold saws imported from Spain.

2013 - newspaper - Adding band saw product
2014 - newspaper - Scotchman adds new cold saw product line
2019 - Introduced H-Press banner art-horizontal
Scotchman-50th-Anniversary-Logo

2017 - Scotchman celebrated 50 years of manufacturing our Hydraulic Ironworker.

2018 - Introduced a fully automatic sawing system with material loading capabilities that can run unlimited cut lists at 90°

2019 - Expanded product offering to include a line of heavy-duty hydraulic presses from The Netherlands.

2020’s

2020’s

2020 - Scotchman is still family & employee owned and located in small town South Dakota, USA. Jerry Kroetch, 2nd generation President, is at the helm of Scotchman carrying on a tradition of proudly producing American-made machines in our nation's heartland.

2020 - Current Owners of Scotchman Jerry and Karen Kroetch
2020 - Scotchman_headquarters_USA_Flag
2021 - scotchman-crew
2020 - z American-Made-Scotchman-Ironworker-since1967

2021 - Scotchman is the oldest and largest hydraulic ironworker manufacturer in the United States and the largest manufacturer of circular cold saws in North America.

FACTORY TOUR

A Legacy of Giving

Art left a legacy, in business and in life, and inspired many to believe in the American dream with hard work and remaining steadfast in their faith. We strive to live by the values of our founder and carry on the tradition of paying it forward.

“Scotchman Industries is vital to the economy of Philip and is a major employer in the area. The company has stepped up numerous times to support local efforts to better the Philip community. It’s a tradition that runs deep and long, dating back to Scotchman's founder Art Kroetch’s love of his hometown. If there is a need or a project to make Philip a better place to live and work, Scotchman and its founders are at the center, doing their part.” –Philip Health Services

 

2012 - newspaper - supporting Workshops for Warriors non-profit
Workshops for warriors
WorkshopForWarriors hi-res

Nursing Home Expansion Project
Philip Health Services

Scotchman is proud to be a corporate sponsor and advocate for Workshops for Warriors® (WFW). Headquartered in San Diego, WFW has created the only advanced manufacturing training pipeline for veterans in the nation. Their mission is to train and certify veterans and transitioning service members in advanced manufacturing to ensure they thrive in their new civilian career field. WFW is rebuilding American Manufacturing one veteran at a time, and together we are building the workforce of tomorrow.

Scotchman Donates Milling Machine to Philip High School
school photo2
2001 - Donation-to-Philip-School-newspaper-2001
2016 - Scotchman donates machine to local school

Local Philip High School Shop Class

We believe that building a manufacturing interest among our Nation’s youth is vital to the future of American manufacturing. We seek to expose young men and women to the rich opportunities available in this field and by our commitment to educating the next generation we did not hesitate to donate our HAAS vertical milling machine to our local Philip High School shop class. We want to set these students up for success with not only machinery but training which is why we also sent our senior machinist into the classroom weekly to teach students how to use this CNC machine.

Scotchman has always had a close relationship with the Philip, SD community and throughout the years we have opened our doors to students enrolled in the School to Work program. We strive to help close the skills gap and provide this experience to prepare students with knowledge and skills needed for the twenty-first century work environments.

We embrace the idea of the younger generation pursuing manufacturing careers and encourage our local young people to pursue higher education in the field by offering two scholarships to help them on their journey

Scotchman Living Center Donation-group
Philip nursing home expansion project
Scotchman Living Center breaking ground 2020-1

Philip Nursing Home
for Warriors

2019/2020 Scotchman Industries generously donated $600,000 to the "Investing in Rural Life Campaign" to help complete the Nursing Home Expansion Project. This gift is in addition to the original $100,000 Scotchman donated to the campaign in December of 2018. Plus, the Scotchman employees, through one-time gifts, pledges, and payroll deductions have added another $51,000 to the campaign total.

Wall of Honor welding
Art+of+Honor+Final+Render__Illustration+5+Sun
Art+of+Honor+Final+Render__Illustration+1+Sun
American Eagle w-olive branch
67919856_861940490852879_2346512728849383424_o (002)

America's Wall of Honor

Our patriotism extends further than a commitment to manufacture American made equipment, but encompasses all those who have protected and served America while in uniform. We proudly support America’s Wall of Honor, which is a Memorial Wall that will tour the United States upon its completion, paying tribute to our American heroes from all branches of the military and first responders. This wall will be accompanied by an education center that focuses on PTSD and will raise money to combat it.Visit America's Wall of Honor

Blauch Brothers and Scotchman Tools - WEF and WPS
winchester news2
Wichester newspaper1
Scothman picture_ 50-ton-giveaway recipient

50th Anniversary Ironworker Giveaway

Here at Scotchman we fully support shop class education and trade schools and want to see the younger generation grow up and embrace a fulfilling and productive career in the manufacturing industry and metal fabricating field. We wanted the celebration of our past 50 years to contribute to the future of American manufacturing. In keeping with our commitment to the next generation of American manufacturers, our 50th anniversary giveaway went to one lucky school who received a 50514-EC ironworker. The winner of our 50-ton ironworker was John Handley High School in Winchester, VA.

hat-throw-1

Local Philip High School Scholarships

We believe that building a manufacturing interest among our Nation’s youth is vital to the future of American manufacturing. We seek to expose young men and women to the rich opportunities available in this field and by our commitment to educating the next generation we did not hesitate to donate our HAAS vertical milling machine to our local Philip High School shop class. We want to set these students up for success with not only machinery but training which is why we also sent our senior machinist into the classroom weekly to teach students how to use this CNC machine.

Scotchman has always had a close relationship with the Philip, SD community and throughout the years we have opened our doors to students enrolled in the School to Work program. We strive to help close the skills gap and provide this experience to prepare students with knowledge and skills needed for the twenty-first century work environments.

We embrace the idea of the younger generation pursuing manufacturing careers and encourage our local young people to pursue higher education in the field by offering two scholarships to help them on their journey

Ironworkers

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