The Charles Manzel Company was established in 1896 to manufacture oil pumps for stationary engines. He acquired at least 15 patents between 1901 and 1923. The Manzel Spring Lubricator Company was formed to market the Tomahawk oiler for leaf springs. The patent number is 1,201,324 dated October 17, 1916. Tools for Fords became an important part of the business.
Ralph Peo formed Frontier Industries in 1946. Frontier was created through the merger of Buffalo Arms, Buffalo Crushed Stone, Fairmount Tool & Forging, and Manzel Brothers. The Manzel Brothers were operated as an independent subsidiary of Frontier. A 1953 catalog shows the company had become an important supplier of automotive service tools. Frontier was merged with Houdaille-Hershey in 1955 becoming Houdaille Industries.
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