Andis

Andis is an American manufacturer of professional and at-home grooming tools, best known for the electric hair clippers and trimmers used by barbers, stylists and animal groomers. The company was founded in 1922 in Racine, Wisconsin, and remains family-owned and operated into its fourth generation, today led by co-presidents Matt K. Andis and Laura Andis-Bishop [1]. Its products are sold in roughly 90 countries [4].

The business is still active, with a live e-commerce operation, ongoing barber and groomer education programs, and current product lines [1].

Andis traces its beginnings to a tool-and-die maker who turned a chance opportunity into a new line of work. According to encyclopedia accounts, the founder opened a tool-and-die shop in Racine in 1918, and after a bankrupt customer left behind dies for handheld hair clippers, he used the materials to produce clippers and developed the first self-contained electric clipper in 1921. He sold his share of the tool-and-die business and established the Andis Clipper Company in 1922, building the first Master Clipper in the basement of his home in Racine.

Sources differ on the founder's name and background. The company's own site records the founder as "Mathew Andis," while nearly all third-party sources spell the name "Matthew Andis" (1883–1976) [1][3]. His birthplace is likewise unsettled: an encyclopedia account states he was born in Austria, while local reporting says he emigrated from Hungary in 1908 — both plausible given that Austria-Hungary was a single empire before 1918 [3][4].

Within a few years the young company had expanded beyond the basement. A 16,000-square-foot facility was built in Racine in 1926, and by 1928 the company's patented clippers were being distributed worldwide, making it the largest producer for professional barbers [3]. Leadership passed down the family line over the following decades: the founder's son, M.G. Andis, became president in 1954, and a third-generation Matthew L. Andis took over in 1971.

International operations grew in the late 1970s, with a Hong Kong distribution office opening in 1978 and production beginning in China. In 1997 the company relocated to a new headquarters and manufacturing plant in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, near its original Racine location. Product development continued into the 2000s, including the 2004 introduction of the Speedmaster Clipper and Pivot Pro Trimmer, which used a new pivot motor technology. The company marked over 100 years of operation, reaching its centennial in 2022.

Andis is privately held and has remained under family ownership throughout its history. The company describes itself as family-owned and operated for four generations, and as of 2026 is led by co-presidents Matt K. Andis and Laura Andis-Bishop [1]. No acquisitions or outside ownership are recorded in the available sources.

The company positions itself around a single quality principle attributed to its founder: "If it isn't the best, we don't make it," a commitment Andis says it has maintained for more than a century [1]. It frames its work through four stated values — championing creativity, a focus on customers and community, treating quality as paramount, and innovative leadership. In the professional trade, Andis is generally regarded as a standard reference point in clipper performance, with its tools positioned at the professional tier alongside consumer and at-home ranges.

The company's product range spans professional barber tools (clippers, trimmers, blades and accessories), styling tools, and grooming equipment for pets and larger animals.

Andis's history is closely tied to clipper technology, beginning with the founder's self-contained electric clipper of 1921 and the worldwide distribution of its patented clippers by 1928. A later example is the pivot motor technology introduced with the 2004 Speedmaster Clipper and Pivot Pro Trimmer.

Andis's stated commitments are framed mainly in social rather than environmental terms. Through the Andis Foundation, the company says it is "dedicated to creating positive, long-term change in the communities we serve through education and action," and it has publicly addressed racial inequality and supported organizations including the Equal Justice Initiative and The Conscious Kid [2]. The available company sources do not state environmental sustainability practices or certifications.

Third-party coverage of Andis comes largely from local history and barber trade sources rather than mainstream beauty press, reflecting its standing as a professional grooming-device manufacturer. A 2019 local-history feature in the Racine County Eye profiled the founder and the electric hair clipper, noting the company's products were sold in 90 countries and that it remained in its fourth generation of family ownership [4].

Andis is an active, family-owned manufacturer. As of 2026 it operates a live e-commerce site, runs barber and groomer education programs, employs more than 400 people at its Sturtevant facility, and distributes to roughly 90 countries [1][4].