Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW) is an American Fortune 500[2] company that produces engineered fasteners and components, equipment and consumable systems, and specialty products. It was founded in 1912 by Byron L. Smith and has built its growth on a "small-wins strategy" based on decentralization, simplicity, customer-focused innovation, and acquisitions.[3]
As of 2024, ITW employed 44,000 employees in 51 countries and held 20,900 granted and pending patent applications worldwide.[4] The company is based in Glenview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
Wynn's
Wynn's International was begun by a 70-year-old retired attorney, Chestein Wynn, in a garage in San Gabriel, California, making a product to reduce friction in engines.[5][6]