Registration No. 333-______ UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 ___________________________ FORM S-8 REGISTRATION STATEMENT Under THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 __________________ Hein-Werner Corporation (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Wisconsin 39-0340430 (State or other jurisdiction (I.R.S. Employer of incorporation or organization) Identification No.) 2120 Pewaukee Road Waukesha, Wisconsin 53188-2404 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) Hein-Werner Retirement and Savings Plan and Trust (Full title of the plan) Joseph L. Dindorf Copy to: President and Chief Executive Officer Maurice J. McSweeney Hein-Werner Corporation Foley & Lardner 2120 Pewaukee Road 777 East Wisconsin Avenue Waukesha, Wisconsin 53188 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 (414) 542-6611 (414) 271-2400 (Name, address and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service) __________________________ CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE Proposed Proposed Maximum Maximum Title of Amount Offering Aggregate Amount of Securities to be to be Price Offering Registration Registered Registered(1) Per Share Price Fee ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common Stock, $1.00 par value, with attached 100,000 Common Stock shares and Purchase Rights rights $7.375 (2) $737,500 (2) $217.57 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (1) Each share of Hein-Werner Corporation Common Stock issued will have attached thereto one Common Stock Purchase Right. (2) Estimated pursuant to Rule 457(c) and (h) under the Securities Act of 1933 solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee based on the average of the high and low prices for Hein-Werner Corporation Common Stock on the American Stock Exchange on March 23, 1998. The value attributable to the Common Stock Purchase Rights is reflected in the price of the Common Stock. _________________________________ In addition, pursuant to Rule 416(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement also covers an indeterminate amount of interests to be offered or sold pursuant to the employee benefit plan described herein. PART I INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS The document or documents containing the information specified in Part I are not required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") as part of this Form S-8 Registration Statement. PART II INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference. The following documents filed by Hein-Werner Corporation (the "Company") or the Hein-Werner Retirement and Savings Plan and Trust (the "Plan") with the Commission are hereby incorporated herein by reference: 1. The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1996, filed on March 25, 1997. 2. The Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 29, June 28 and September 27, 1997, filed on May 13, August 12 and November 12, 1997, respectively. 3. The Company's Current Reports on Form 8-K dated April 9, May 29 and August 28, 1997. 4. The description of the Company's Common Stock contained in Item 1 of the Company's Registration Statement on Form 8-A, dated July 31, 1978, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description. 5. The description of the Company's Common Stock Purchase Rights contained in Item 1 of the Company's Registration Statement on Form 8-A, dated May 19, 1989, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description. All documents subsequently filed by the Company or the Plan pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, after the date of filing of this Registration Statement and prior to such time as the Company files a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Item 4. Description of Securities. Not applicable. Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel. Not applicable. Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers. Pursuant to the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law and the Company's By-laws, directors and officers of the Company are entitled to mandatory indemnification from the Company against certain liabilities and expenses (i) to the extent such officers or directors are successful in the defense of a proceeding and (ii) in proceedings in which the director or officer is not successful in defense thereof, unless it is determined that the director or officer breached or failed to perform his or her duties to the Company and such breach or failure constituted: (a) a willful failure to deal fairly with the Company or its shareowners in connection with a matter in which the director or officer had a material conflict of interest; (b) a violation of the criminal law unless the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was lawful or had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful; (c) a transaction from which the director or officer derived an improper personal profit; or (d) willful misconduct. It should be noted that the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law specifically states that it is the public policy of Wisconsin to require or permit indemnification in connection with a proceeding involving securities regulation, as described therein, to the extent required or permitted as described above. Additionally, under the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law, directors of the Company are not subject to personal liability to the Company, its shareowners or any person asserting rights on behalf thereof for certain breaches or failures to perform any duty resulting solely from their status as directors except in circumstances paralleling those in subparagraphs (a) through (d) outlined above. The indemnification provided by the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law and the Company's By-laws is not exclusive of any other rights to which a director or officer may be entitled. The general effect of the foregoing provisions may be to reduce the circumstances under which an officer or director may be required to bear the economic burden of the foregoing liabilities and expenses. The Company maintains a liability insurance policy for its directors and officers as permitted by Wisconsin law which may extend to, among other things, liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed. Not applicable. Item 8. Exhibits. The following exhibits have been filed as part of this Registration Statement: Exhibit No. Exhibit (4) Hein-Werner Retirement and Savings Plan and Trust, as amended to date (5) Opinion of Foley & Lardner (23.1) Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP (23.2) Consent of Foley & Lardner (contained in Exhibit (5) hereto) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes to submit the Plan, as amended, to the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") in a timely manner and will make all changes required by the IRS in order to continue the qualification of the Plan under Section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Item 9. Undertakings. (a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes: (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement. (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. (b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. (c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. SIGNATURES The Registrant. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Waukesha, State of Wisconsin, on this 25th day of March, 1998. HEIN-WERNER CORPORATION By: /s/ Joseph L. Dindorf Joseph L. Dindorf President and Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated. Signatures Title Date /s/ J.L. Dindorf President, Chief Executive J.L. Dindorf Officer and Director (Principal Executive March 25, 1998 Officer) /s/ M.L. Kielich Corporate Controller, M.L. Kielich Assistant Treasurer and Assistant Secretary (Principal Financial and March 25, 1998 Accounting Officer) /s/ D.J. Schuetz D.J. Schuetz Director March 25, 1998 /s/ J.S. Jones J.S. Jones Director March 25, 1998 /s/ M.J. McSweeney M.J. McSweeney Director March 25, 1998 O.A. Friend Director March 25, 1998 /s/ D.L. Krause D.L. Krause Director March 25, 1998 The Plan. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Administrative Committee of Hein-Werner Corporation, which administers the Plan, has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Waukesha and State of Wisconsin, on this 25th day of March, 1998. HEIN-WERNER RETIREMENT AND SAVINGS PLAN AND TRUST /s/ J.L. Dindorf J.L. Dindorf /s/ M.J. Koons M.J. Koons /s/ M.L. Kielich M.L. Kielich The foregoing persons are all of the members of the Administrative Committee of Hein-Werner Corporation which is the current administrator of the Hein- Werner Retirement and Savings Plan and Trust EXHIBIT INDEX Exhibit No. Exhibit (4) Hein-Werner Retirement and Savings Plan and Trust, as amended to date (5) Opinion of Foley & Lardner (23.1) Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP (23.2) Consent of Foley & Lardner (contained in Exhibit (5) hereto)