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MSC History
Since 1941, MSC has set the industry standard for quality, selection and customer service. More than half century later, our dedication to these standards has made us one of the nation's leading distributors of metalworking & MRO industrial supplies, with over 500,000 products.
Take a look at some of the highlights of MSC below. Every milestone in our history has been based on servicing the needs of our customers. Join us as we look forward to the achievements yet to come!
MSC Timeline| 1941: | Sid Jacobson founded Sid Tool in New York |
| 1964: | Published its first catalog, The Big Book™. Moved operations from New York City to Ames Court in Plainview, Long Island - MSC's first Customer Fulfillment Center |
| 1969: | Entered into computerized inventory management and order processing, one of the first distributors to do so |
| 1978: | Established a fully integrated Quality Assurance Department, one of the first distributors to do so |
| 1982: | Sid Jacobson's son, Mitchell Jacobson, became President of MSC |
| 1988: | Offered UPS 1- to 2-day delivery |
| 1988: | Opened its first branch in Pawtucket, RI |
| 1989: | Introduced Total Quality Management |
| 1990: | Opened a second Customer Fulfillment Center in Atlanta, GA |
| 1991: | Started the industry's first Same Day Shipping Guarantee |
| 1994: | Began major product expansion into MRO type product categories |
| 1995: | Began trading on the NYSE (ticker symbol MSM) |
| 1996: | Opened a third Customer Fulfillment Center in Elkhart, IN |
| 1997: | Relocated its Plainview, NY, Customer Fulfillment Center to Harrisburg, PA |
| 1998: | Moved its Customer Support Center/Corporate Headquarters to Melville, NY |
| 1999: | Opened a fourth Customer Fulfillment Center in Reno, NV |
| 2000: | "Big Book" items offered on the Internet |
| 2002: | Awarded GSA Contract #GS-06F-0010N |
| 2003: | Awarded USPS MRO Contract #2CMROS-03-B-4457 |
| 2004: | Started the West Coast expansion by opening our first sales office in Southern California (the Los Angeles sales office) |
| 2005: | David Sandler promoted to CEO. Launched New Keyword Search on mscdirect.com. |
| 2006: | MSC acquires J&L Industrial |
| 2007: | Successfully merged J&L's systems to MSC's computer systems. Completed the integration of the J&L distribution centers, positioning MSC to begin working on full integration and offering customers the best of both worlds. |
| 2008: | MSC launched its "Get It Next Day...at no additional cost" program with a standard national ordering cut-off time of 8:00PM ET. |
| 2008: | MSC fully integrated J&L and launched a new brand, "MSC/J&L Metalworking", focused on offering technical information and assistance, products and services targeted towards our metalworking customers. |
| 2009: | MSC completed the final phase of the brand transition and MSC/J&L Metalworking became MSC Industrial Supply - Metalworking's Best Choice. The focus continues to be on metalworking - offering customers best-in-class service and technical assistance. |