In 1913, Ellsworth Flora and J. Fremont Murphy formed the Seal & Fastener Co. in Chicago. The company made steel strapping systems, which could be used to seal and reinforce large containers. In 1916, the company's name became Signode System. In 1928, when annual sales surpassed $3 million, the name changed to Signode Steel Strapping Co. During World War II, with about 400 employees, the company made radar equipment and other military supplies; sales in 1945 approached $16 million. During the postwar era, Signode expanded nationwide and overseas. Starting in 1955, many of its operations were transferred to Glenview, northwest of Chicago. By the early 1960s, when annual sales reached $60 million, the company employed more than 1,000 people in the Chicago area. In 1964, when the company was renamed Signode Corp., it opened a new plant in Bridgeview, southwest of Chicago. By this time, Signode had begun to sell nylon and plastic strapping, and annual sales had reached $100 million. In the mid-1980s, when the company became known as Signode Industries Inc., it employed nearly 2,000 people in the Chicago area, and annual sales reached about $750 million. In 1986, Signode was purchased by another Chicago-area company, Illinois Tool Works. By the early 2000s, Signode was still a steel strapping di vision of Illinois Tool Works, operating out of suburban Glenview. See also Illinois Tool Works Inc.

This entry is part of the Encyclopedia's Dictionary of Leading Chicago Businesses (1820-2000) that was prepared by Mark R. Wilson, with additional contributions from Stephen R. Porter and Janice L. Reiff.