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Ramstad: How Northern Tool moved production to Minnesota when tariffs ruled out China and Mexico
['Evan.Ramstad Startribune.Com', 'Evan Ramstad']
Star Tribune
Few Minnesota companies have navigated monumental disruptions to its business model as well as Northern Tool + Equipment, the 45-year-old maker and retailer of hydraulic tools based in Burnsville.
"It's a high-end consumer group, people who do things with a lot of pride and passion," said John Bakke, Northern Tool's chief operating officer.
But it is in manufacturing where Northern Tool has experienced the most recent — and biggest — change.
The 260,000-square-foot building was about evenly split between production space and warehouse space.
To find room in the factory, Northern Tool carved into space that had been used for parts inventory.