Illinois_Tool_Works
Illinois Tool Works
American company
Illinois Tool Works Inc. or ITW is an American Fortune 200[3] company that produces engineered fasteners and components, equipment and consumable systems, and specialty products. It was founded in 1912 by Byron L. Smith and has built its growth on a "small-wins strategy" based on decentralization, simplicity, customer-focused innovation, and acquisitions.[4]
Today, it employs approximately 45,000 people[5] in hundreds of businesses across 53 countries,[6] and is based in Glenview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
ITW has more than 18,000 granted and pending patent applications worldwide.[6] The company typically ranks in the top 100 of patent issuers in the U.S.[citation needed]