Page 28 - HW MARCH 2020

power tools & accesssories
TIME IS MONEY
– buying cheap is a false economy
Today’s time-tight tradies are looking to minimise downtime with quality power tool accessories, while suppliers are exploring new options to drive sales. Andy Kerr reports.
WITH THE BUILDING industry going great guns and home renovation as popular as ever, those who deal in power tool accessories are, unsurprisingly, experiencing strong or increasing demand.
What’s more, with time as tight among tradies as it is right now, they’re looking for power tools, consumables and add-on products that will help them cram in as much work during the day as possible.
A market that’s intent on quality and in quantity? Sounds good, read on...
Kicking things off on an upbeat note is Steve Hart, Marketing Manager at Smart Tool Group in Wellington, who reports good overall sales growth for his extensive range of cutting blades in the past year and says 2020 has started strongly, too.
While he says the company hasn’t changed its entry-level offer, it has changed its approach in order to get into a wider range of stores.
“For example, we’re selling multi-packs across all our blade ranges to plumbing and electrical stores, neither of which have been traditional targets in the past. Having blades available for plumbers and electricians at the shops they go to the most is proving a big convenience for them.”
An exception to this retail pattern is the latest addition to the Smart Tool range, the Smart Purple series, which Steve Hart describes as “a premium-quality set of blades that offers longer life and is proving very popular for cutting wood and wood with nails in it.”
Smart Tool usually sells its blades through big boxes, builders merchants and smaller retailers but this range is initially exclusive to Bunnings.
Explains Steve Hart: “It was a good fit because they like to offer the best in the category and it works for us as a way of getting our foot in the door and securing more shelf space. It was quite a big job getting our range in there in the first place.”
So far, Smart Tool Group has focused on blades because there’s been so much potential in the category but the company
is also researching other complementary product lines and looking to expand its offering in time – with the proviso that new products “must support our ‘repeat custom’ ethos that higher-end, higher-quality products are the ones that people tend to come back to buy again and again.”
Indeed the company has added to its team twice recently to increase warehousing and admin support and to set itself up for future growth.
EYES ON THE PRIZE
Also with an eye on future growth is Jinjun Hua, MD of Hua Tools. The Auckland-based company predominantly sells power tool consumables and accessories but Jinjun says there’s always room for expansion in what he regards as a market that’s focused on quality and welcomes more buying options.
“We’re trying to do more with abrasives to get that line on a par with drilling and cutting discs. At the moment we’re adding a couple of SKUs every few months. We also do dust guards for all different types of machines. There’s always been demand for these because concrete dust has always been a huge issue.”
As with the Smart Tool Group, a trend has been the addition of more trade shops to Hua Tools’ customer base. “With
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26 NZHJ | MARCH 2020
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