Where In The Carolinas Is Ryobi's US Headquarters Found & How Long Has It Been There?

The Ryobi brand of power tools has existed in some capacity since the 1940s. Ryobi's official history begins, of course, in Hiroshima, Japan circa 1943, with the company then focused largely on die casting. In the more than eight decades since its founding, Ryobi has manufactured its tools and devices in facilities located all over the globe, and now offers hundreds of products designed to help DIYers and pro workers alike tackle almost any job that might come their way.

Over the decades, Ryobi has transformed into one of the biggest manufacturers of power tools in the world. Like many outfits that have been around for decades, the brand has seen its share of ownership changes as well. At present, its current leadership is split between two factions, with Kyocera Group taking control of Ryobi's Chinese operations in 2018, and TTI (Techtronic Industries) running the show in most other parts of the world since 2000. Yes, "other parts of the world" includes North America, where Ryobi has become a major player in the power tool arena.

Ryobi's presence has become so large in the US and North American markets that TTI has established a base of operations for the brand in the Carolinas. More specifically, Ryobi's US headquarters is now listed as being in Anderson, South Carolina. Anderson is located about 30 miles south of Greenville, where Ryobi and TTI also have various other bases of operation. 

News of Techtronic Industries' initial plans to build a massive facility in Anderson, South Carolina broke in 2015. The SC Department of Commerce confirmed the news, noting that the outfit was planning to build a sprawling 1.3 million square foot production and distribution plant in Anderson at a cost of $85 million. Moreover, it was estimated that the new facility would create some 216 jobs in the area. The idea was that Ryobi and other TTI brands — including also Milwaukee Tools – might eventually call that location their US home, with estimates noting the facility would be operational by 2016. 

Ryobi and TTI stayed true to that facility's original vision, with techs putting finishing touches on certain tools and devices prior to boxing them up and readying them to be shipped. However, TTI and Ryobi didn't just stop with building its massive production and distribution house, carving out an adjacent 300,000 square foot headquarters on an adjacent plot of land in Anderson. That expansion began in 2018, with the facility opening in 2020. That means Ryobi's legit Anderson headquarters has only been up and running for a few years.

Within the walls of its headquarters, Ryobi undertakes everything from research and design to prototyping, manufacturing, marketing, and even the production of commercials and original social media content. In 2020, TTI announced it would further expand its Anderson operations, ponying up another $100 million to build another manufacturing facility. With Ryobi having already called Anderson home for a few years, it's clearly priming to keep doing so for many yet to come.