Cracked BuckeyeCracked Buckeye

Ohio inventions and firsts · Company innovation · 1895-1934

Lincoln Electric welding innovations

John C. Lincoln founded Lincoln Electric in 1895 with $200; arc welding was introduced around 1910. Under James F. Lincoln (manager from 1914) came an advisory board (1914), piecework pay (c.1915), annual merit bonuses (1934) and lifetime tenure policy (1958).

At a glance

Year
1895-1934
By
John C. Lincoln, James F. Lincoln
Company
Lincoln Electric
Place
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County ZIP 44117 · Cleveland · Cuyahoga County

The story

Before arc welding, steel parts were joined with rivets, a slow job needing heavy hardware. Welding with an electric arc promised a more rigid and cheaper joint. John C. Lincoln started a Cleveland company in 1895 with $200 to make electric motors.

His brother James Finney Lincoln joined in 1907 and took over management in 1914. Around 1910 the company brought in the arc welder, and in 1927 introduced the E6010 Fleetweld electrode, which the company history says made its fortune.

The company became known for how it treated workers. It set up an advisory board of elected shop-floor workers in 1914, moved to piecework pay around 1915, started merit-based bonuses in 1934, and in 1958 formalized lifetime employment for workers reaching their third anniversary. A welding school founded in 1917 has trained over 150,000 people.

Lincoln Electric is now headquartered in Euclid, Ohio, with about 12,000 employees worldwide and 2025 revenue of $4.23 billion, selling in more than 160 countries.

Timeline

  • 1895: John C. Lincoln founds Lincoln Electric with $200. (Cleveland, OH) source
  • 1907: James F. Lincoln joins the company. (Cleveland, OH) source
  • 1910: The company introduces the arc welder (around this year). (Cleveland, OH) source
  • 1914: James Lincoln takes over management; an elected workers' advisory board is set up. (Cleveland, OH) source
  • 1917: The Lincoln Electric Welding School is established. (Cleveland, OH) source
  • 1927: The E6010 Fleetweld electrode is introduced. (Cleveland, OH) source
  • 1934: Merit-based bonuses begin. (Cleveland, OH) source
  • 1958: Lifetime employment is formalized for workers past three years. (Cleveland, OH) source

What it changed

  • The welding school has trained over 150,000 people.
  • Revenue of $4.23 billion and about 12,000 employees in 2025.

Why it matters

Helped industrialize welding.

Further reading

Sources

Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.