Forged Steel Products Company

This company was the source of Snap on pliers and Blue Point Wrenches. They were in Newport PA from 1922 to Oct. 1955. The company was owned by E William Myers from Newark NJ. Another company called Perry Forging was in the same area and may be related. There is also the mention of Newport Foundry and Manufacturing Company in the same building. The building is known then and today as the Pier factory.

It is located near the main rail line between Pittsburg and Philadelphia. Although goods can easily move into the Midwest or the east coast, the area is isolated. I assume labor and land were inexpensive in the area (at least in 1920).

The pliers all have the vacuum grip handle design, a famous feature of early Snap on Pliers. Another large customer was Indian Motorcycle. During the demolition of a concert dock, the jackhammers exposed small Blue-point wrenches and plier halves in the concrete. These were obviously the defects from the factory, dumped into the concrete slurry when the dock was formed.

In 1926 – a photo exist with 56 people who worked there, in another photo from 1937 photo shows 96 people. These numbers appear to be very close to the total employees during these 2 periods.

I speculate the company was relocated from Newark NJ to a lower cost area. The other possible reason is that the Myers family was in Newport. Myers is a prominent name in the history of the town.

During WWII many of the young men went to war, the equipment was old. Snap on acquired 100% of Forged Steel Products in 1945. Retooling of the forging capacity of Snap on right after the war in a factory built in Mount Carmel Ill. By Oct of 1955 the plant closed. The work moved to Mount Carmel along with 7 people.