Inside Vise-Grip: How One Corporate Decision Erased 87 Years of American Manufacturing

For 87 years, every Vise-Grip locking plier sold in America was made in DeWitt, Nebraska — a town of fewer than 600 people. The tool never failed. The factory never shut down. Sales never collapsed. In 2008, Newell Rubbermaid closed the factory anyway. Over 300 workers lost their jobs. Not because the product was bad. Not because demand disappeared. Because moving production to China would cost less. The Vise-Grip name survived. The factory did not. The town did not. This is the story of how one of America's most trusted hand tools was built, sold, acquired, and quietly dismantled — and what it cost the community that built it for nearly a century. If you grew up using American-made tools, worked in a garage, machine shop, or industrial setting, or remember when a tool lasted a lifetime — this story is for you. #industrialhistory #documentary #americanhistory #factory #visegrip #snapon #craftsman #kleintools