What's new in hand tools

by Rich Vurva

The flood of imports to the U.S. from China and other foreign sources has made the hand tool market more crowded than ever before. This increased competition makes it harder for manufacturers to introduce new products to their distribution channels.

“In today’s market, it is more difficult to introduce new products. With the hand tool pie shrinking and more emphasis on inventory control, distributors are less willing to make these new commitments. There must be more emphasis on the manufacturer’s part to seed a new product,” says Jared Cohen of Bahco North America.

Distributors are hesitant to add a new item to their inventory unless they know there will be a demand for the product. That means manufacturers must now pay closer attention to the needs of end-users before they invest in product development.

“New products are the lifeblood of any company. Everyone is looking to add new products; unfortunately a distributor only has a limited number of pages in its catalog or a limited number of inches on its shelf to put the product. We’re all battling against each other to get the distributor salesman’s attention,” says Channellock’s Scott Jonap.

When manufacturers introduce new products, they often target very specific niche markets. For example, Channellock introduced its new linemen’s pliers to target ironworkers in the midwest and eastern U.S. The 351S linemen’s plier has a larger, stockier head than the 350S, which is preferred by ironworkers on the west coast. Ironworkers in California prefer the 350S because it is a smaller tool for working on rebar. Building code requirements in earthquake-prone areas require rebar to be closer together than in other parts of the country.

Similarly, Bahco developed its new ironworker’s pliers with a bi-molded handle after watching how end-users modified their tools. The 2753-9 linesmen’s plier features a two-component handle to combine durability with a secure non-slip grip.

“We realized that many ironworkers modified their tools in the field. They would buy pliers with grips on both sides, and the workers would cut off one side of the grip to get down to bare metal,” says Cohen. “So, we decided to modify it for them. This is a very niche-oriented product. Electrical guys would never buy this, but ironworkers will.”

Manufacturers can no longer simply dump new product into the channel and expect distributors to chase after sales with little or no direction. To get better results, they must help their distribution sales channel identify potential sales targets.

“It’s incumbent on us as a manufacturer to get in front of distributor salespeople and make them aware of the purpose of the tool and the target audience. In many cases, our sales representatives go with distributor salespeople to help them introduce the new product,” says Jonap.

Opportunities abound
“Many distributors are always looking for new products, something new and exciting,” says John Perillo of the WMH Tool Group. He says good distributor salespeople understand that customers need a compelling reason to buy a new product. With imported products, the reason might be a lower price. But some customers are willing to pay a premium price if they’re convinced a new product will last longer or perform better than their existing tools.

That’s the idea behind WMH Tool Group’s new sledge hammers with unbreakable handles. They are made from tempered spring steel rods surrounded by abrasive-resistant rubber. The design absorbs shock and vibration and reduces fatigue and injuries.

“This product significantly outlasts wood and fiberglass handles. End-users do not have to replace the handle for the life of the product,” Perillo says.

The crowded hand tool marketplace forces distributor salespeople to work harder to match the right product to each customer’s application. Because customers have so many options from which to choose, salespeople can provide a valuable service by introducing customers to new tools that improve their productivity or save money.

“It’s very difficult to raise prices today. As a result, one of the ways you gain revenue growth is by adding new products or by expanding existing lines,” says Jonap.

Product preview
The crowded hand tool market offers customers many hand tool options. Here’s a brief look at some of the newest tools being introduced by hand tool manufacturers. Use the reader response number to request additional information from the manufacturer.

Bahco
Bahco North America’s linesman’s pliers feature a comfortable, two-component handle that combines durability with a secure non-slip grip. The joint placement increases leverage to reduce needed cutting force. Its saw-toothed serrations on the gripping surface provide a solid grip. Item 150

Channellock
The new #351S linemen’s plier features a beveled head design for easier twisting of pre-stressed concrete wire, cold-drawn steel wire and wire mesh. The spring-loaded joint makes it easy to use in tight work spaces. Its convenient “dog-leg”handle provides superior leverage for twisting wire.  Item 151

WMH Tool Group
WMH Tool Group offers its exclusive Wilton unbreakable handle design on 10 sledge hammers, two cross pein hammers, three ball pein hammers, a copper face sledge hammer, a clay pick and three soft face hammers with five different types of soft replacement faces. Each product carries a lifetime guarantee covering defects in materials and workmanship. Item 152

Wheeler-Rex
The Ratch-Cut Model 2790 is a ratchet-operated tube cutter from Wheeler Manufacturing, a division of Rex International. It features an oversized power knob for a stronger grip for cutting hard and soft copper, plastic, mild steel and some stainless steel pipe. Item 153

Brown & Sharpe
The new Tesa-Cal IP67 digital electronic caliper from Brown & Sharpe provides easy-to-read, high accuracy measurements in the most extreme shop floor conditions. The main components are encapsulated for protection against liquid and particulate penetration. It’s designed to measure outside and inside diameters, depth and steps, and features a hardened and ground stainless steel frame and a patented Swiss-made measuring system with a built-in magnetic scale and electronic sensor. Item 154

This article originally appeared in the May/June '04 issue of Progressive Distributor magazine. Copyright 2004.

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