Are Ryobi And Milwaukee Tools Made In The Same Factory?
Ryobi and Milwaukee operate at different ends of the power tool spectrum, with Ryobi catering its lineup to more DIY-focused customers and Milwaukee advertising more to a professional audience. However, despite that distinction, Ryobi and Milwaukee are owned by TTi, or Techtronic Industries, a company based in Hong Kong.
Knowing that it's worth exploring the question of where each line of tools comes from. Are Ryobi and Milwaukee power tools made in the same factory, and are you paying more for red tools and a Milwaukee logo? The answer isn't really a clear-cut yes or no, as TTi operates factories in several different countries, including the United States, China, Mexico, Vietnam, and more in Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia.
According to a presentation given to investors, the majority of TTi's factories are in China, occupying 52% of the company's manufacturing footprint. But even that figure doesn't give the entire story.
A global manufacturing presence
Taking a look at TTi's corporate website delineates the company's global operations a little further. In Asia, TTi has 10 corporate offices and production facilities. The rest of the world hosts an additional 28 offices and factories, with Ryobi and Milwaukee each having its own separate offices and distribution facilities in the U.S. While 52% of the manufacturing may take place in China, there's still 48% that does not.
According to TTi, the company has "diversified its global production," meaning that your average Ryobi or Milwaukee tool may both say "Made in China/Vietnam/U.S.A./etc." but it's more than likely a conglomeration of components made in multiple different factories all over the world. While Ryobi and Milwaukee tools are undoubtedly passing each other in the factories, each brand's tools and respective lineups are distinct enough in both function, capability, use cases, and lastly, price that it likely doesn't have much of an impact on either brand.
While the Venn diagram of production facilities that produce Milwaukee and Ryobi products is not a singular circle, there's at least a little bit of crossover, as is the case with essentially every other company in the world that uses global manufacturing facilities.