Ryobi Tools May Be Based In Japan, But That’s Not Where Its Products Are Made

While Ryobi Tools may have its history rooted firmly in Japan, it no longer makes products in the country. Actually, let’s roll that back a bit: the Ryobi story is more complicated than just saying it moved its manufacturing overseas from its Japanese homeland. The real story is that the original Ryobi company is no longer the company making your power tools. In fact, Ryobi Limited — the original company — still manufactures die-cast parts in Japan, along with builders hardware and printing machinery. That part of the business never left Japan and continues to operate much as it has since the 1940s, although it does also have manufacturing plants in five other countries, including the USA. 

What did leave Japan was the consumer power-tool division. Ryobi Limited officially transferred that side of the business, ending Japanese production of the power tools. Ryobi power tools are now produced under license by Techtronic Industries (TTI), a Hong Kong-based company with manufacturing facilities spread across several countries. As an interesting side note, Ryobi tools used to be blue and not their now familiar yellow/green shade: there are plenty of theories as to why Ryobi tools made the switch from blue to green. 

TTI acquired the Ryobi Tools North American brand in 2000, and Ryobi’s European power-tool arm followed in 2001. The company operates manufacturing plants across the globe, including in countries such as China, Vietnam, Mexico, and the USA. Let’s have a closer look at the company behind Ryobi Tools and what we know about where its products are made. 

While Techtronic Industries might not be a well-known public-facing company like Ryobi, there is an argument that says it should be. TTI’s ownership of Ryobi isn’t the only recognizable brand the company owns. Since it was established in 1985, the company has taken ownership of many familiar household brands. The list includes names like AEG, Dirt Devil, Hoover, Vax, and Milwaukee. In fact, there are even suggestions that Milwaukee and Ryobi tools are manufactured in the same factory. 

However, actually establishing where a particular brand of tool is manufactured isn’t easy. For instance, in the case of Milwaukee, the brand is still headquartered in the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield, Wisconsin, but Techtronic Industries describes its operating facilities as being in the USA, Asia, and Europe. With Ryobi’s power tool range stretching into the hundreds, identifying where any given model is made isn’t a simple matter. However, what we can say is that Vietnam is a likely candidate for many. TTI has been operating in the country since 2018: it now has eight manufacturing plants in Vietnam, and consumer power tools are among the products manufactured there.

Of course, we also need to look to China. TTI’s first factory was opened in Dongguan, China in 1988. Since then, the company has also established the Asia Industrial Park and Innovation Center in the city. This is the factory that manufactures the lion’s share of TTI’s tool portfolio. But there is a little more to the story: while Asia accounts for the bulk of Ryobi tool manufacturing, the company still has facilities in North America and Europe.

TTI operates its companies in a “hands-off” manner. Apart from centralizing production, the major brands — including Ryobi — have their own identity and facilities. For instance, Ryobi’s  US headquarters is in Anderson, South Carolina. This is a massive facility that focuses on both distribution and product production. In terms of production numbers, the Anderson Facility produces about 430,000 units a year; however, these are lawnmowers and not hand-held power tools.

The complexity of TTI’s manufacturing operation means it isn’t possible to pinpoint where every particular tool is made. However, we can break down the company’s overall production footprint. As of 2022, the company reported that 52% of production takes place in China, followed by Vietnam at 25%. The USA accounted for 14% of production, with Mexico sitting at 5%. Finally, the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) region accounts for the remaining 3% of production.

What we can say from this is that the group’s North American operation accounts for a reasonably healthy 19% of total global production. However, for most Ryobi power tools, manufacturing is likely to be in Vietnam or China. In other words, the majority of Ryobi’s most popular tools are likely to have been manufactured outside of North America.