Skil
Encyclopedia
- For the fish, see SkilfishSkilfishThe skilfish, Erilepis zonifer, is one of two members of the fish family Anoplopomatidae and the only species in the Erilepis genus. Found on deep rocky bottoms in the North Pacific at depths of up to 440 metres, they can reach up to 1.83 metres in length and weigh up to 91 kilograms...
and SablefishSablefishThe sablefish, Anoplopoma fimbria, is one of two members of the fish family Anoplopomatidae and the only species in the Anoplopoma genus...
Skil is a brand of power handtools
Power tool
A power tool is a tool that is actuated by an additional power source and mechanism other than the solely manual labour used with hand tools. The most common types of power tools use electric motors. Internal combustion engines and compressed air are also commonly used...
produced by Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
. The line traces its heritage to the invention of the portable circular saw
Circular saw
The circular saw is a machine using a toothed metal cutting disc or blade. The term is also loosely used for the blade itself. The blade is a tool for cutting wood or other materials and may be hand-held or table-mounted. It can also be used to make narrow slots...
, marketed as a Skilsaw. The Model 77 which evolved from it set the industry standard for handheld worm-and-drive circular saws and remains in production almost unchanged today. In an example of a genericized trademark
Genericized trademark
A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...
, portable circular saws are often still called Skilsaws or Skil saws.
Skil products include circular saws, cordless drill/drivers, cordless screw drivers, cordless tackers, cordless sealant guns, belt sanders, random orbit sanders, multi-sanders, angle grinders, hammers, drills, mixers, jig saws, lasers and measuring tools, reciprocating saws, routers, and planers.
History
The portable circular sawCircular saw
The circular saw is a machine using a toothed metal cutting disc or blade. The term is also loosely used for the blade itself. The blade is a tool for cutting wood or other materials and may be hand-held or table-mounted. It can also be used to make narrow slots...
was invented in 1924 by Edmond Michel
Edmond Michel
Edmond Michel was a Frenchman who immigrated to the United States in the early 20th Century. He lived in New Orleans. His claim to fame was the invention of the handheld circular saw...
, who along with partner Joseph L. Sullivan founded the Michel Electric Handsaw Company. Mitchell Electric renamed itself Skilsaw Inc.
In the 1950s, the company changed its name to the Skil Corporation and expanded outside its native borders for the first time, beginning in Canada. Skilsaw remained the brand name used for the company's products. European sales followed a few years later, by which time Skil had entered the consumer market. By 1959 it had a full and successful range of DIY tools. Skil's European factory was built in 1961 in the Dutch town of Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
, followed soon after by an electric motor plant at Eindhoven, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
From the 1970s onwards, Skil constructed a network of factories, service centres and sales offices all around the world, its name becoming synonymous with power tools. Emerson Electric acquired Skil Corporation in 1979. In 1996, Skil was sold to Bosch
Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
.
Skil still has its European head office in Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
. All manufacturing of power tools for the European market is outsourced, mainly in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Pre-development, Logisitics, Sales, Marketing and Finance are among the activities of the Dutch head office.