SIC 3429 Hardware, Not Elsewhere Classified

SIC 3429

This category covers establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing miscellaneous metal products usually termed hardware, not elsewhere classified. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing nuts and bolts are classified in SIC 3452: Bolts, Nuts, Screws, Rivets, and Washers; those manufacturing nails and spikes are classified in the major group for primary metal industries; those manufacturing cutlery are classified in SIC 3421: Cutlery; those manufacturing hand tools are classified in SIC 3423: Hand and Edge Tools, Except Machine Tools and Handsaws; and those manufacturing pole line and transmission hardware are classified in industry group SIC 3640: Electric Lighting and Wiring Equipment.

NAICS CODE(S)

332439

Other Metal Container Manufacturing

332919

Other Metal Valve and Pipe Fitting Manufacturing

332510

Hardware Manufacturing

This industry manufactures a diverse range of products, including brackets, clamps, couplings, door locks, fireplace equipment, handcuffs, nut crackers, and piano hardware.

Industry leader Ingersoll-Rand Co., which had 2005 sales of almost $10.5 billion, bought the door hardware assets of Master Lock in 1998 from Fortune Brands Inc. of Old Greenwich, Connecticut. Ingersoll-Rand reincorporated in 2002, moving its official headquarters from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, to Bermuda, in an effort to reduce its taxes. Other leaders Fortune Brands, which generated 2005 sales of more than $7 billion.

In 2004, industry shipments reached nearly $43.8 billion, a slight increase over the 2002 figure of $43.1 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Employment between 2002 and 2004 declined from 195,015 to 175,125, despite increased shipments, largely due to increased automation. Of these employees, 126,508 in 2004 were production workers, putting in 265 million hours to earn total wages of nearly $4.5 billion.

Traditionally, production in this industry was centered in the New England area. Many small blacksmith shops produced simple but useful household items made of low-grade iron and steel, known as "Yankee notions." The availability of rail and ship transport allowed for rapid distribution along the eastern seaboard and the central United States. The shift toward mass production techniques and away from a reliance on skilled craftsman, however, resulted in the migration of the industry to the Midwest. The industry tended to follow the source of cheap...

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