Company Profile | Sturtevant Richmont and The Re-invention of Productivity
It’s not everyday we get to bring you a story here at Abbey, and this one has it all. Explosions, fierce competition, innovation and craftsmanship to define a revolution in engineering. In this story we bring to you Sturtevant Richmont, a company that has not only re-imagined but also re-invented productivity.
Like any great company; Sturtevant Richmont was founded in recognition and answer to a problem, a problem encountered in 1924 by Mr Walter P. Chrysler whose aluminium block racing engines were blowing up. And it was whilst observing two workers tightening bolts on his engines that Chrysler finally realised the source of his explosive conundrum; one worker was 6’4” tall with bulging biceps, and the other was 5’8” with a slight build. Both workers were tightening the bolts according to what was their own definition of ‘tight’.
Realising that a more fool-proof alternative which would standardise the definitions around a perfectly tight bolt was the need of the hour, Chrysler invented the flat beam torque wrench and licenced Paul Sturtevant to manufacture and sell his invention, and thus the torque tool industry was born.
Fast forward to 1940, and Frank W. Livermont arrives on the scene and similarly to Sturtevant, registers his business (Richmont Torque Tools) as a limited company in the same year. Livermont, a former Lockheed Martin Engineer, went on to become a fierce competitor for Sturtevant, as the two, in a game of one up-man-ship, go on to innovate and create, the vast majority of the tools seen in the torque industry till this date.
In amongst a staggering number of amazing inventions, Frank Livermont designed and patented the Torque Screwdriver, a value of which Cleco were very quick to recognise. Keen to purchase the patent, but faced with an unwilling seller in Livermont, Cleco upped the offer and bought out Richmont Torque Tools instead.
Up until this point, many inventions and innovations had come to light from both firms as they both continued to redefine the boundaries of efficiency and productivity in manufacturing. Examples include improvements in Click Wrenches and tools such as the Tension Gauge which is designed for testing and calibration.
The story moves forward through multiple mergers and acquisitions to fall into the hands of the Reynertson family to bring together Sturtevant Richmont as we know it today.
With a continued ethos in innovation and productivity; Sturtevant Richmont has come to be somewhat synonymous with the enhancement and re-imagining of efficiency in manufacturing. Whether this is creating interchangeable heads for torque wrenches, which were patented in 1956, creating marked efficiencies in production, or becoming the first American company to use the microprocessor in torque tool calibration equipment, Sturtevant Richmont are a company with a fantastically rich history in innovation.
Sturtevant Richmont are a family run organisation which recognises and therefore carefully nurtures relationships of warmth and sincerity with both consumers and employees. This is perhaps why generations of workers and consumers are loyal to Sturtevant Richmont and their tools, which are prided upon being consistently accurate, reliable and durable.
As a proud distributor for Sturtevant Richmont products in the UK, Abbey has joined this colourful narrative and family orientated firm to bring to the British market, products which are both pioneering and price sensitive. Unlike other manufacturers in the torque wrench market, Sturtevant Richmont are both agile and responsive to market needs, and the specialist service engineering team at Abbey have been fully trained at the Sturtevant Richmont Chicago Headquarters to be able to deliver original manufacture standard maintenance and repairs to your tooling investments.
Contact the team at Abbey Industrial Solutions today to learn how we can help you maximise your manufacturing productivity: discover@abbeyis.co.uk | 01924 224240
