A Brief History

Albert Tool & Die Co., Inc., a Wisconsin corporation, was established in 1947 by Albert Ciocarelli. The company was first housed on the third floor of a downtown Milwaukee building, and three years later a building was purchased on the northwest side of Milwaukee. Additions to the building were added in 1956 and again in 1979. Albert Tool & Die Co., Inc. has been at its present location since December of 1995.

Albert Ciocarelli emigrated in 1927 from Switzerland, where he learned the tool and die trade. Upon arriving in Milwaukee, he began working in various tool shops during the bitter days of the Depression. In 1947, with a $10.00 deposit, Albert purchased an existing business from Karl Ackerman. With the support and help of his wife, Josephine, who handled the office work and various odd jobs in the shop area, the business grew at a steady pace.

In 1958, Albert and Josephine’s eldest son, Ray, joined the firm after apprenticing at Midwest Tool & Die. In subsequent years Albert’s other two sons, Albert Jr., and Ted, came on board. Albert, Jr. passed away in 1968. Ray was elevated to President in 1974, and along with his wife, Pat, who accepted the office duties, became the second generation to keep the family business on course.

In 1991, after graduating from college and working summers in the shop, Ray’s son, Michael Ciocarelli, joined the firm and now manages the office and business end along with his mother, Pat.

It is apparent that this is a family business and we like to instill family values to all our employees. At the present time 90% of our employees have grown with us in the past twenty years. We continue to cultivate young and energetic tool makers and machinists for, we hope, future generations. We continue to add machines with current technologies and pass this expertise on to the people who keep us vibrant – our customers!