Scotchman Celebrates 45 Years of Hydraulic Ironworkers

For the past 45 years, this manufacturer has been building a product that revolutionized the metal fabrication industry. The product? The Hydraulic Ironworker.

In 1967, Arthur A. Kroetch, the founder of Scotchman Industries, Inc. (Philip, SD), saw an opportunity and grasped it with both hands. This opportunity was created by a “newly designed” hydraulic ironworker. With financial assistance from the Small Business Administration, Art purchased the U.S.patent for the Dvorak Hydraulic Ironworker.

This was the first machine of its kind that could punch, bend & shear metal using hydraulic pressure with a 35-ton force! This hydraulic ironworker transformed the metal fabrication industry into what it is today. The acquisition of this patent is considered the birth of Scotchman Industries, Inc.

The business evolved from a humble beginning as a small salvage operation with six employees that also manufactured farm products. The shop began manufacturing this one model of hydraulic ironworker in 1967 at its manufacturing facility in Philip and, since that time, has become the largest North American manufacturer and supplier of hydraulic ironworkers. The present facility has 120,000 sq ft of manufacturing space, sixty-five employees, and a network of over 500 distributors nationwide. It is unlikely the local community of Philip could have foreseen that this company of six employees was destined for such growth.

Even though Scotchman Industries is headquartered in a small town (population 779), it still has a global presence. The company sells in over 50 countries throughout the world, with consistent markets in Mexico and Canada, and fair markets across thePacific Rim. Its business continues to pursue new and emerging markets nationwide. From Venezuela to Indonesia, Russia to Australia, Chile to Canada, the company is there, providing quality products and fabrication solutions to its customers across the globe.

Scotchman provides dependable, quality products that have applications across many end-user markets and industrial segments.  These products are used in general and heavy-duty metal fabrication from farm use to shipbuilding, technical schools to the U.S. military, Fortune 500 companies to the one-man hobby garage shop. The brand is a solution preferred by metal fabricators.