Page 34 - HW March 2022

hand & power tools & accessories
THE PLAYERS IN hand and power tools are very busy indeed. Many thanks therefore to those who did pick up and respond
– you will find their latest news and considered views around the following pages.
Let’s start with Nick Armiger, Stanley Black & Decker’s Sales Director New Zealand, who’s not alone in considering the hyper-inflationary cost of freight and global capacity as key issues of the moment, especially with Omicron working its way through different countries.
For Nick, both the pro-user and the DIY markets been “pretty buoyant.”
Reasons for the above are all givens, like Kiwis’ inability to travel, instead feeding a home improvement frenzy, like cashed up tradies faced with the first lockdown investing in upgrading their equipment, plus some stockpiling as builders tried to get ahead of shortages and price increases on products and materials.
“There was quite a good influx in demand,” says Nick, before adding “The challenge now is the cost of homes and building of new homes and the availability of building materials.”
His outlook?
“It’s going to be a tough year, I think, for people. But we will get through. New Zealand is usually insulated from the worst of some of the economic impacts, but I don’t think we’ve seen anything in New Zealand that’s different from anywhere else around the world.”
Although saying he doesn’t think Omicron had quite hit
the building industry or hardware channel when we talk in late February (although remember this variant is moving at pace, dear reader), Nick Armiger foresees issues for especially distribution centres and retail, where you can’t work remotely.
“It’s about juggling those COVID cases and close contacts as it sweeps through businesses,” he says. “I think keeping our warehouses and stores running will be the main challenge for most of us this year.”
Having said this, Nick says there still seems to be “plenty of growth for everybody out there at the moment, so we’ll see if it gets tighter at the tail end of the year.”
HAND TOOLS ON THE UP AND UP
Ben Foster is Director at OX Tools NZ, and he too believes that, while the year ahead may be tough, it also holds opportunity.
“We’ve got a good point of difference in that globally we are one of the fastest growing hand tools brands right now,” he says bullishly.
Indeed, Ox Tool products can now be found at Lowe’s Home Improvement in America, the brand is starting to get good recognition, and growth is substantial, despite “supply chain problems coming out of our ears.”
“Pretty encouraging,” says Ben Foster, before adding that 2022 has started off a little slower than expected and may be “a little bit softer” than 2021.
POWERSTACK promises more power, longer life, less weight
The highly anticipated New Zealand launch of DeWalt’s new POWERSTACK cordless battery system is a go, with stock rolling out at the end of April and live in-store from May.
Using stacked, specially designed pouch cell batteries, DeWalt says its POWERSTACK 18V compact Lithium-ion battery delivers 50% more power than its DCB183 18V XR battery and in a 25% more compact design.
More power means a broad range of cordless applications
while the batteries’ reduced size makes for improved handling, manoeuvrability, precision, and reduced fatigue when used in tight workspaces.
With DeWalt’s cordless power tool application said to be an industry first, compared to other Li-ion formats, the advantages of
pouch cell batteries include higher energy density without additional weight, a higher discharge rate, more safety, performance, and lower internal resistance.
An additional benefit of POWERSTACK, says DeWalt, is the promise of twice the lifespan compared to its DCB183 battery, providing user’s the additional benefit of longer payback on their investment.
The POWERSTACK battery also includes features like an LED fuel gauge that displays the battery’s state of charge, and a durable, non- marking rubber outer that provides impact resistance at the same time as helping to protect finished surfaces.
Other good news is that the POWERSTACK battery is compatible with all DEWALT 18V XR tools and chargers in the 18V XR system.
www.dewalt.co.nz/Powerstack.html
32 NZHJ | MARCH 2022
MORE AT www.hardwarejournal.co.nz