For any sales or product inquiries, THE HISTORY OF WESTWARD®
In 2003, Westward® celebrated its 40th anniversary. Our continued success grows from our unique ability to meet the needs of the industrial customer looking for high quality, value priced alternatives to national brands.
Opportunity Knocks
In the early 1960’s management of Acklands Limited Industrial Division decided to try importing a few items from Japan. With an original investment of $100 000, Acklands Limited Industrial Division imported a limited scope of tools to introduce to the Canadian marketplace. They were branded under factory names such as Lobster, Gorilla and Tone. The products sold out almost immediately and a decision was made to buy more. Acklands Limited Industrial Division realized they had met a market need for high quality, value priced alternatives to national brands.
A Brand is Born
In 1963, Westward Distributors was created to unify the imported items under a single brand name that customers could immediately recognize and trust. Since then, the Westward® brand has grown to inventory a wide range of hand tools, pneumatic tools, automotive specialty tools, shop equipment and material handling equipment. Over time, the logo and look of Westward® evolved. It was standardized in 1994, when it took on its current logo, colors and packaging. The Westward® brand is becoming increasingly more recognizable in the Canadian marketplace. Due to the success of Westward®, Grainger expanded the strategy in the USA, and brought the Westward® name to the US market in 1998.
Listening to the Market
Tool cribs, mining, construction, pipeline installation and other industrial sites use tools in large quantities, so value is a key concern. The quality of the tool lines available did not meet their requirements and concerns regarding tool failure and safety made these tools unusable. Westward® capitalized in this opportunity by introducing a higher quality line of tools. Westward® is constantly sourcing quality and unique items. New products are manufactured to comply with the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) specifications. Comparative testing is done against well-known industrial tool lines. In fact, it’s not unusual for Westward® to match the performance of these top lines. Westward® hand tools have a lifetime warranty – an everyday reminder of our commitment to quality. The Westward® name is now known for a comprehensive line of quality, value priced tools and a leader in the import tool marketplace.
