Just Getting Started – Discussing Milwaukee’s 100 Year Anniversary with President of Milwaukee Tool Canada, John Myers

September 23, 2024

By Blake Marchand

It goes without saying that the Milwaukee brand is historic. Their longevity is a testament to company culture and innovation.

As this year marks Milwaukee’s 100^th anniversary, the company held a tree planting ceremony earlier in the year to mark the milestone, planting 100 trees in partnership with Tree Canada, as a gesture and example of Milwaukee’s commitment to sustainability both in their global and local communities. The company’s century mark comes down to a long list of factors, critical among them are the people of Milwaukee, the mindset of high expectations and standards, and a commitment to the end-users as well as the industries to which they belong.

“We’ve got a large team of people that work very hard and are responsible for the results,” said President of Milwaukee Tool Canada, John Myers. The milestone has created a lot of energy within the company, he said, adding their mantra for the milestone is ‘We’re Just Getting Started’. The focus then, is a continued commitment to innovation.

Myers explained that when TTI purchased Milwaukee in 2005, there was a shift in focus for the company, “We really changed our approach to our tool industry and said we’re going to become an innovation company more than a power tool company.”

“There are really two things that we focus on. It’s great products and great people.”

The connective tissue between great products and great people is organizational alignment, clear communication, and ambitious goals.

“I’ve never worked for [a company] that’s so aligned on goals – right from the product development teams through to the sales teams everyone is aligned.” noted Myers. “Everyone knows what we’re launching and is working toward the same objectives.”

For a company with a diverse product range tailored towards multiple trades and industries, there are a lot of ropes, Milwaukee is so successful because they’re all being pulled in the same direction.

Key to that, as Myers said, is the people. Milwaukee has cultivated a strong company culture to support and develop their employees.

“We like to hire from university campuses, bring them into our organization at a junior sales rep level calling on home depots or other retailers. We like to think that we’re cultivating future professionals.”

“As a result, I think that really helps build our culture. Our people, I truly believe, love working for Milwaukee. There’s a passion for our brand and everybody sees a lot of opportunity to continue to grow and develop, especially as we continue to grow at the rate we have over the last number of years. It creates a lot of new roles for people and there’s a lot of energy within our organization.”

President of Milwaukee Tool Canada, John Myers

Another key aspect of their culture is setting ambitious goals. Myers explained that each year they aim for a significant growth margin, some years they achieve it, some years they don’t, either way, he explained, it sets them up for success.

“We believe that we have some of the most talented people in the industry, we have great planners and visionaries who can put a plan together that will get us to 20% growth and we’re not afraid to invest in those plans. And you’d be shocked, like you’d really be shocked how many times, if you say I’m going to grow 20% at the beginning of the year, and you put a plan together to get there, how often it happens.”

“It’s a mindset. It’s one of those crazy things in life where goal setting is just really important. The more I do this job, the more I shake my head in disbelief in how often something does happen because you say it’s going to happen and that’s a fun culture. It’s a culture we want to continue to invest in within the business to grow and really have a lot of fun doing it.”

Beyond company culture, Myers stressed the importance of relationships in this industry, with end-users on jobsites as well as with retailers and wholesalers.

“We feel it’s not an industry that’s just about grinding it out over pennies.  Industry relationships, not letting your partners down and making sure you’re always there for them – I think these things are more important in the long run.  If you take care of people and are always there for them, then they are there for you and the recipe works.”

A key there, particularly when it comes to the innovation piece of product development, is the relationships developed on the jobsites for Milwaukee. End-User feedback and thoughtful consideration of productivity for professionals is a core component of Milwaukee’s process when they are developing new products,

“Our focus has always been, we’re going to develop something that is unique to the industry,” Myers noted.

“For example, I can guarantee you, if you pick up any Milwaukee hand tool, it will have a feature on it that is targeted toward our core trades. Things like little wire benders in the shaft of the screwdriver. Or wire strippers: a slot to strip wires in our utility knife. Little things like that, that are thoughtful, that are going to help our core trades become more productive on job sites.”

Specifically, two products that highlight that approach are the M18™ FORCE LOGIC™ 6 Ton Knockout Tool and the M18™ FORCE LOGIC™ Strut Shear. Those are two instances where they went out on the jobsite to consult electricians on how they could make knockouts and shears more efficient. Both of which can be a tedious process. The 6 Ton Knockout Tools allows you to setup and align without the weight of the tool, for example, to speed up repetitive punching. Similarly, the Strut Shear eliminates exposed blades to improve safety, and its added portability improvs aims to improve productivity.

From an innovation standpoint, it’s those little details that Milwaukee focuses on to add value for end-users. However, the battery technology they have developed and the way it pairs with FUEL™  motor technology is what really distinguishes Milwaukee’s power tool line up from a performance perspective.

“We’ve got our own proprietary motor & electronics system that is just world class,” Myers explained, “we call this technology FUEL™. Milwaukee FUEL™   tools combine a powerful brushless motor, a best-in-class REDLITHIUM battery, and most importantly intelligent REDLINK PLUS technology that allows it all to communicate. When the battery & the tool communicate, they can optimize performance for any application!”

With that communication what Myers is referring to, the battery is measuring the load on the end of the tool and adjusting the power output based on that. Meaning that optimum power is drawn for each application. For the user this means that their battery life is being preserved in lighter applications while still delivering maximum power in those tougher applications.

As Myers touched on, Milwaukee has a long history that they are proud to build on, they have experienced a lot of growth in the last 16 years in particular, which, ultimately, comes down to the people doing the work, day-in and day-out. “We really do feel the future is very bright for the Milwaukee brand in Canada,” Myers concluded, “and that’s going to be driven by great products and great people.”