Screwdriver Company Growing in Michiana
Megapro, a little Canadian company that started with a concept for a better screwdriver, has been making its tools for the past 20 years in the South Bend area. The company is expanding in this area and is planning a move to a larger property in Niles.
The company’s screwdrivers are assembled and shipped in only two places: here and Vancouver, British Columbia, which is where CEO Hermann Fruhm started the company. Megapro’s building in South Bend, the 7,500-square-foot building, isn’t big enough for Megapro anymore. That’s why the company is planning to move to a 21,000-square-foot building that it bought last year at the corner of Third Street and Bertrand Road in Niles.
“I can’t wait to get in there. We’re hoping to be in there by October,” Fruhm said. Megapro is still a small company. It employs seven people in South Bend and another eight people in Vancouver.
It sells about 300,000 screwdrivers annually, and demand for the company’s screwdrivers is growing. He expects to hire more people here after the move to the larger building in Niles is complete. Most of Megapro’s screwdrivers are sold to industrial suppliers. The company has different models designed specifically for mechanics, electricians, elevator-repair technicians and other trades. It also has started a lower-cost line of screwdrivers for general retail sale.
Megapro’s screwdrivers are different in that they’re made to be versatile and comfortable to use. The screwdriver’s bits are stored in a cartridge inside the retractable handle. The handle also is designed to be ergonomic so that workers don’t feel strain or develop blisters.
Video demonstration of Megapro screwdriver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eIoHC0my-o
