Company Profiles: Palmgren & CH Hanson, From the First Machine Vises, Cross Slide and Rotary Tables to Today

Since 1919, Palmgren has the reputation of offering the best multi-function work holding and positioning products that deliver exceptional quality and money saving solutions. Palmgren offers you more choices and move value than any other source.

Since 1919 Palmgren products have proven their reliability, efficiency and durability in over 100 years of use by all types of industry throughout the world. Clarence Palmgren was acclaimed for his achievements and contributions to the metal working industry through his innovative designs and patents. 

He is credited with the design and manufacture of the first machine vises, cross slide and rotary tables that significantly increased efficiency and productivity with metalworking manufacturer’s worldwide.

This created the foundation of innovation and quality that the Palmgren brand is built upon and follows today. So it is no surprise that Palmgren continues to be a market leader not only with our vises and positioning tables but across our whole expanded metalworking product offering.

Palmgren today delivers tools for the generations and solutions that solve the needs of the metal working industry.

Recognizing the value of the brand and the need for supplier consolidation by retailers, CH Hanson acquired Palmgren Steel Products in October 2013.

CH Hanson History

The CH Hanson Team

Celebrating 154 years, family-run CH Hanson has remained committed to their founding values of faith, hard work, and quality products. The company’s founder, Christian Henry Hanson, the ‘CH’ of C.H. Hanson came to the United States of America from Denmark. Shortly after arriving in the US, the 39th New York Volunteer Infantry drafted Christian into the Civil War. The 39th Infantry, sometimes referred to as the Garibaldi Guard, consisted mostly of European immigrants. Christian fought with the 39th in many major battles, but was injured in the Battle of Gettysburg. He was taken to Fort Dearborn in Chicago, and decided to settle in the growing city.

On February 21st, 1866 Christian Henry Hanson founded C.H. Hanson, basing it off the stencil business he knew in Denmark. The first location was on Clark and South Water Street in Chicago, where he began producing hand-cut stencils. Christian also volunteered at the Denmark Consulate. He became the Danish Consul in Chicago in 1866, assisting the Danish immigrants in the surrounding areas. There, and at his own company, he led with kindness, generosity, and courage. The King of Denmark even recognized Christian Hanson for his work helping Danish immigrants.

Six years after the business began; the Great Chicago Fire destroyed almost all his work. After our building burned down with just the clothes on his back and a handful of stencil dies he vowed to rebuild everything.
Throughout the years, the company remains true to its past while reinventing themselves for the future. CH Hanson has produced everything from license plates to barricade tape, hand tools to and marking devices. Recently, the company acquired Palmgren Steel Products, a 95 year old company that offers machine vises, positioning tables and wide variety of other metal working tools.

Today, the C.H. Hanson Company continues its commitment to innovation and quality serving both the metalworking and construction markets and remains the market leader in stencils, tags, steel stamps, workholding and other metalworking machine tools and accessories.  Beyond the products, the high character of CH Hanson’s people keeps the company going. From the tenacity required to start a business in a new land, to the strength and skill of immigrants from all over the world, CH Hanson’s history and current operation are full of hard-working people of character.

CH Hanson remains a family business, with the fourth and fifth generation Hanson’s running the company. It’s not often that a company remains in one family for 154 years, and the Hanson’s credit their success to the Lord’s provision. Upon reflecting on the history of their family’s company, Craig and Phil thank God for His grace and mercy and continue to build the company on strong, faith-based principles.

WBC Stories: Phil Hanson from J.J. Starr on Vimeo.