Mansfield Economic Development

The company operates around-the-clock, churning out 30,000 hand tools per day from its Mansfield plants. After years of U.S. manufacturers fleeing for cheaper countries, Klein Tools' experience in Mansfield is a made-in-America success story at a time when President Donald Trump is urging companies to recommit to manufacturing in the United States. Klein Tools now owns 100 acres in Mansfield and has two plants, with the possibility of more on the way, in the suburban Tarrant County city of approximately 61,000 people. The company closed its dilapidated, 60-year-old manufacturing plant in Illinois six years ago and moved those functions and more to the Texas town. Since opening its initial plant and manufacturing headquarters in Mansfield in 2011, Lincolnshire, Ill.-based Klein has provided jobs for about 375 fulltime manufacturing workers, 50 corporate employees and 40 temps-to-hire, with more jobs on the way as the company sticks to its growth track. Klein pledged to bring 585 new jobs to Mansfield within 12 years, and to meet other investment requirements, in exchange for $2.8 million from the Texas Enterprise Fund plus $500,000 grants each year for 12 years under an economic incentive package approved by the Mansfield City Council. Despite an economic recovery that has been slower than Klein forecast, the company has met its hiring and investment objectives, said Thomas R. Klein, president of Klein Tools. Here are excerpts from multiple interviews with Klein: Why did you choose to set up shop in Mansfield? We had filters set up for what we were looking for. Such things as a right-to-work state. We wanted to be in a low or no income tax state. We wanted to have access to a very good work force. We wanted to be close to a big international airport so we didn't have to do connector flights all the time. And we wanted a business friendly environment. So we ended up in this area. What's new as it relates to Mansfield? We are still adding employees from the manufacturing floor up to executive positions. We're adding employees at all levels. We're constantly adding engineers, technicians and workers.