Knaack

KNAACK® provides maximum security against theft 24/7. No one has a better track record of proven protection. Well beyond traditional tool storage and security, KNAACK's innovation takes jobsite protection to the next level.Some mornings back in 1960, Howard Knaack would interrupt his milk route deliveries for Cary Dairy to have breakfast with two friends. These friends needed a reliable source for "ready-made" jobsite boxes. One morning they decided it was time to talk Howard into a business opportunity in the sheet metal fabrication business, in order to supply their construction supply house with the jobsite boxes they needed. Together they formed Knaack LLC.

Knaack LLC was the first to offer national distribution of jobsite storage boxes in Chicago, Detroit, Hammond, Cleveland, Denver and Washington D.C. By 1968 Mr. Knaack moved the company to a 16,000-sq.-ft. building in the current location. Along with the move came the purchase of the WEATHER GUARD® Truck Equipment brand from a small sheet metal company in St. Louis.

In the early 1980s, the entire line of KNAACK® tool boxes was redesigned to offer contractors a more secure, durable and safer-to-use tool box. Gas pistons were added to the KNAACK® Gang Boxes and WEATHER GUARD® Truck Boxes making them easier to open and close, therefore being safer to use than previous versions or competitors' models. The company, product lines and distribution grew steadily. Mr. Knaack watched his building grow to almost 10-acres under one roof. Distribution grew, reaching all 50 states in the U.S. and Canada, and van equipment was added in 1984.

Since the 1960s, Knaack LLC's facility has grown from its modest start in a 2,000-square-foot shop to its current 400,000+-square-foot plant at 420 E. Terra Cotta Ave. The KNAACK® brand name is known in the industry as "The most trusted name in jobsite security."

Werner Co. acquired 100% ownership of Knaack LLC in 2012. This joining of forces has created a mutually beneficial product portfolio that collectively leverages the broader company networks in manufacturing and distribution, in addition to sales and marketing.