The Owatonna Tool Co. began in the 1930's by Godfrey Kaplan, who operated a small machine shop. Kaplan's son Rueben, invented and patented the "Grip-O-Matic" universal gear puller. By 1934, they were selling a variety of mechanic's tools to farmers and service stations. During WWII, the company expanded considerably, providing tools for the war effort. In 1950, they began working in ultra-high-pressure fluid power technology that launched the company onto the track of hydraulic presses and power packs. At some point in the hisotry of the company, they simplified their name to OTC Tools. In 1985, OTC Tools was accquired by Sealed Power Corp., later renamed to SPX Corp. In December 2012 SPX was purchased by Robert Bosch GmbH and OTC became part of their Bosch Automotive Service Solutions division.