1914

Formed in 1914, as a reorganization of the Waltham Watch Tool Co. by Charles E. and Fred D. Van Norman. The firm made metalworking machinery. primarily milling machines and specializes grinders, although over their history they also made other machines such as lathes and broaches.

Shortly after the 1914 reorganization the company debutied their first oscillating grinder, and then in 1920 they began producing what would become an extensive line of machine tools specialized for automotive engine repair.

The company changed its name in about 1942 to the Van Norman Co. In 1946 they acquired Morse Twist Drill & Machine Co., which continued operating as a separate division of Van Norman. In late 1955 Van Norman changed their name again, this time to Van Norman Industries, Inc. At that point they jumped onto the conglomerate bandwagon, quickly acquiring Insuline Corp. of America, makers of machine tool control automation solutions, followed by makers of electro-mechanical accounting calculators, a maker of components for aircraft radar systems, and a maker of masonry drills.

More research is needed to fill in details but it appears that as they switched their focus away from machine tools they lost their competitiveness in that area, eventually selling that part of the business off to Repair Parts, Inc. (now defunct). It appears that the conglomerate binge was also a failure and the company shrank back to their line of machinery for automotive repair. These remnants, or at least some portion of them, were acquired in 2001 by Kwik-Way Co., which in 2013 became part of Irontite Products, Inc.

Information Sources

• The Massachusetts corporate registry database lists this company's first registration as 1912-05-08.
• History of Van Norman, extending to 1941 and from there is rather sketchy.
• 1946 Hardware Age, volume 158 Issues 1-2. "The Van Norman Co., machine tool manufacturers, 3600 Main St., Springfield 7, Mass., has purchased substantially all of the outstanding stock of the Morse Twist Drill & Machine Co. Morse will be operated as a separate corporation, remaining in New Bedford..."
• October 1955 Business Week.

  Van Norman Co., machine tool maker in Springfield, Mass., is diversifying. Stockholders have been asked to approve changing the name to Van Norman Industries, Inc., and issuing new stock. Its first acquisition: Insuline Corp. of America, an electronics company with designs for automated machine tools.

  Insuline Corp. was based in Long Island City, NY, and had an office in Manchester, NH.
• 1958 Electronics, volume 31 issue 1, p. 14.

  Van Norman Industries Inc., New York, acquired the business of Digit-Ometer Co., Denver, developer of an electromechanical accounting machine ... patents, applications, inventory, tools and dies, but no employment contracts were involved. The new business will be added to the Van Norman's Electronics Division in Manchester, N. H. Digit-Ometer makes the Cal-Ke Punch, an electro-mechanical accounting machine...

• Directory of Metalworking Machinery, 1951, pg. 44