For nearly two centuries, a New England town manufactured the tools that built America. Now New Britain, Connecticut — known as 'Hardware City' — is losing the last Stanley Black & Decker factory still making products in the company’s hometown. The tool giant is closing its Myrtle Street plant on May 18 and cutting around 300 jobs, including more than 200 union roles, in a move that has sparked anger from workers and local officials.
A Painful End to a Manufacturing Legacy
The closure marks a painful end to a manufacturing legacy that began in New Britain in 1843, when Frederick Trent Stanley founded what became The Stanley Works. At its peak, Stanley employed thousands of people across the city and helped turn New Britain into one of America’s best-known factory towns. But by later this month, the company’s corporate headquarters will be the only major Stanley presence left in the city where it was born.
Why the Plant Is Closing
Stanley claimed the products made at the plant — single-sided tape measures — are obsolete due to buyers demanding double-sided tape measures that are 'more efficient.' Stanley chose not to upgrade the New Britain plant to produce double-sided tape measures because it already has a factory in Thailand that makes them — and labor costs there are approximately 75 percent lower than in the US.
New Britain mayor Bobby Sanchez said he was 'deeply disappointed' by the decision. 'For generations, Stanley Works has been part of the fabric of our city, providing good-paying jobs, supporting families and helping New Britain’s proud reputation,' he told NBC Connecticut.
Historical Context and Recent Challenges
Stanley merged with Black & Decker in 2010 to form Stanley Black & Decker but kept its headquarters in New Britain. The Trump administration’s tariff policies hit Stanley hard — it moved manufacturing out of China and increased prices due to the tariffs. In 2025, the company saw revenue contract slightly, although its profitability rose thanks to higher prices and cost reduction efforts. The factory in Thailand helped with those cost reductions, although it started making tape measures in the 1990s for the US market. Six years ago, Stanley began making double-sided tape measures at the plant to meet rising demand in overseas markets.
Impact on New Britain's Manufacturing Base
'It’s not necessarily an indictment of manufacturing in the state of Connecticut,' said Paul Lavoie, vice president of innovation and applied technology at the University of New Haven and the state’s former chief manufacturing officer. Lavoie told NBC Connecticut that the state’s manufacturing base is focused on high-value products like submarines, jet engines and advanced technology — rather than commodity tool products.
Despite the losses, New Britain still has a decent manufacturing base, accounting for around 15 percent of the city’s jobs. Smaller companies make everything from airplane parts to shotguns — Sanchez said that submarine builder General Dynamics Electric Boat is hiring around 8,000 new workers in the area.
Union and Worker Reactions
The plant closure will lead to approximately 300 job losses, including more than 200 union jobs. Union representative Jeff Santini, of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, told the Wall Street Journal that most of the union workers did not buy Stanley’s explanation. 'They just figured [Stanley] didn’t want to invest in the membership and themselves here in Connecticut,' he told the WSJ.
This is only the latest US plant Stanley has closed recently: It shut two factories in Texas and South Carolina in 2023, and a North Carolina facility in 2024 — all before the Trump tariffs arrived.
