The Ajax Mfg. Co. plant in Cleveland, OH

      Prior to 1875, John R. Blakeslee founded the Blakeslee Manufacturing Co., which manufactured nuts, bolts, rivets, and pins. In 1875, John R. Blakeslee founded the Ajax Manufacturing Co. of Cleveland, OH, to make forging, heading and upsetting machinery. Blakeslee died in 1906 but the company continued under the control of John R. Blakeslee, Jr., until 1987, when the firm was sold to the Crawford Group. In 1996,it was sold to Park-Ohio Industries and two year later to Forging Developments International, Inc. at which time the firm's name was changed to Ajax Technologies. Then in 2021, Park-Ohio combined Ajax with other similar manufacturers, Ceco and Erie Press, forming Ajax/Ceco/Erie Press.

     The firm moved to Euclid, OH in 1925 and the Ajax/Ceco/Erie Press is located in Erie, PA.

Company officers in 1958:

John R Blakeslee, Jr., president; G. G. Fristos, vice president & sales manager; F. W. Gaines, general manager

This ad appeared in issue of The Iron Age, July to December 1898

Information Sources

• Railroad gazette, Volume 41, 1906, page 149. "John R. Blakeslee, President of the Ajax Manufacturing Co., Cleveland, Ohio, died on November 9th. Mr. Blakeslee was born in Connecticut in 1843, and served in the Union army through the Civil War. In 1872 he went to Cleveland, Ohio, and organized the Ajax Manufacturing Co. at that place in 1894."
• A patent search revealed numerous patents assigned to this company. Most were invented by John R. Blakeslee. Since many are dated decades after the death of company founder John R. Blakelee we presume that his same-named son succeeded him. The last patent we could find that was assigned to the company was granted in January 1936.
• Hitchcock's Machine Tool Cyclopedia, 1958, pg. 1B
• More history can be found at the Encylopedia of Cleveland History.