Tool & Equipment Trends - According to our Readers

A couple of weeks ago I reported on the "lifestyle" of today's technicians. Today, I can share the results of our survey on Tools and Equipment. These results reflect the shop owner's experience, not the technician. I have to apologize ahead of time for the manner in which I'm sharing this info - it was a little tough to pull into a cohesive format.


We surveyed the readers of our TechGroup magazines: Underhood Service, Import Car, and Brake & Front End in order to collect up-to-date information on the types of tools and equipment found in independent repair shops. This is another important distinction to make - this information all comes from independent repair shops - no dealerships. We also measured the importance of various attributes affecting tool purchases and the sources of information that shop owners use when they make their purchasing decisions.



Surveys were mailed in September, 2008, and the responses were compiled in October. Once again, I'm just going to share the highlights. A complete copy of the survey results can be made available on request. Of course, I can never resist editorializing as I go....

• 86% of our respondents were either the owner or partner, 12% were managers
• 81.4% have complete purchasing authority on new auto service equipment, 12.2% share the authority with others
• Average dollar value of all personal tools used professionally is $65,300
• Average amount spent on tools each month is $455

We asked, "where do you receive the MOST information on new tools?". 73% said from Trade magazines. The next largest percentage was 17% from mobile distributors. Websites only scored a 2%, and the manufacturers' website scored 0%. I found that VERY interesting. On one hand, good for me because it means our readers still find quite a bit of value in our magazines, and (hopefully) so do our advertisers because their message is being sought out in trade magazines. On the other hand, possibly bad for the manufacturer who has invested quite a bit of $$ in their website, and they may or may not be getting a good return on their investment. You decide.

What makes a technician or shop owner buy a tool? Do you think it's brand, where it's made, price?

According to our readers, the BRAND drives their decision most often. Our readers specify a particular brand frequently or always 73% of the time. If they don't specify, it's because 77% know the brand the vendor will supply.

What helps drive a tool-buying decision? Number one answer is warranty, followed by brand, then availability.

When asked what the 3 most important purchase factors were after brand, 92% chose quality, followed by warranty and then competitive pricing.

Where do they buy their tools & equipment?
57% of their purchases are made from mobile distributors, 14% are purchased from tool & equipment WDs, and the other 29% is dispersed amongst retailers, full-line WD, online, direct from the mfg, and from dealerships.

Have their purchasing habits changed? For a few - yes. 17% have decreased their purchases from the mobiles. While 33% have increased their purchases on-line. (I would still guess that on-line purchase amount is small compared to the rest of their purchases, but can't substantiate my gut feel.)

Specific Product info

• Battery chargers, compressor, tool box/cart - in 90% or more of the shops
• Pneumatic tools, test equipment, shop lights - in 82% - 86% of the shops
• Lifts, specialty hand tools, specialty sockets/wrenches and diagnostic tools are in 79% of the shops surveyed
• 23% had hybrid specialty tools and just
• 19% had flash reprogrammers

And the answer to my favorite question, "Would you find a Buyers Guide of Tools and Equipment useful? 87% said yes, and most said they would hold onto it for 6 months or more. Music to my ears, because we're getting ready to go to press with our 2nd annual Buyer's Guide early next month. And we're the only publisher in the industry that has a printed (as well as on-line) version. After all, our customers are still finding most of their product information from the printed page!

One last comment about this segment of our readers, they reported that they typically spend 46% of their time diagnosing and repairing vehicles. Even though they own multi-bay shops, and they employ 2 or more technicians, they are still spending an incredible amount of time IN the business, versus working ON their business. Only 8% of their time is spent meeting with suppliers. If you are a supplier to this market, you need to understand that as you go forward in your marketing plan. They see a supplier less than 40 minutes/day - and that "supplier" could be a sales rep, a mobile distributor, or a factory person. Ask yourself this question, When you are not in front of them, what have you done to make them remember you?

Jay Lewis talks about Power Tools

When Jay Lewis speaks, people listen. Jay Lewis is GM Charlotte Operations & CPVS Americas for Chicago Pneumatic. Sounds like a big deal. In this role he provides strategic support for the growth and development of the Chicago Pneumatic Vehicle Service market in the Americas. It also means he is constantly on the go go go. A 23-year tool and compressor industry veteran, Lewis joined Chicago Pneumatic in 2002. Prior to joining CP, he held multiple sales and management positions in the tool and compressor industry. Lewis holds a BGS degree in marketing from the University of Iowa. (What, you may ask, is a BGS degree? I don't know.)

Our AMN editor, Amy Antenora, recently caught Jay in-between flights, and spoke with him about the changes at CP and in the industry in general. This is what Jay had to say.

Chicago Pneumatic (CP) has been making tools for professional technicians for more than a century. What have been some of the most notable changes that have taken place in the tool market during that time?

The main thing that’s changed is consumer choice. There are more products, solutions and brands than ever in the market, so as a company we need to keep innovating in design and application to insure we remain a preferred brand with the professional technician.

There has been a shift in focus to ergonomics as well. As technicians have become more aware of comfort as well as performance, we have engineered tools to meet this need, striving in new products for what we call E3Q – ergonomics, efficiency, environment and quality.

Associated with the above objectives is the opportunity to drive change in the tool and equipment market with the incorporation of new materials. This also contributes to improved operator comfort and performance.

CP recently announced it would return for a fifth year as a major sponsor of NHRA. What are the benefits of being involved, and how do you use this sponsorship to leverage your brand?

Because such a large percentage of technicians have an interest in racing, NHRA provides Chicago Pneumatic with a fantastic venue where we can spend time with the user. The opportunity to be involved in this racing series and meet hundreds of thousands of tool users is crucial in mobilizing the Chicago Pneumatic brand and showcasing our new products.

This race season, Wyotech, the Official Technical School of NHRA, will join Chicago Pneumatic and Ringers Gloves as a partner in the 2008 Road Show tour, hitting all 24 POWERade Drag Racing Series events across the country.

Our partnership with Wyotech is another tie that demonstrates our dedication to working with the technicians of tomorrow.


CP recently partnered with one of our sister publications, Tomorrow’s Technician magazine, for the T2 School of the Year competition. Why is supporting tech education important to CP?

Through our partnership with Tomorrow’s Technician, and our dedication to providing the vo-tech arena with educational opportunities, we hope to make a real impact with the young technicians who will lead the next generation of vehicle repair. The sustainability of the industry is obviously very important to us; we want to see it thrive. Making sure the mechanics of the future train with the best tools and understand what to look for when buying tools is key to our future growth as well.

What is CP’s overall marketing strategy and philosophy?

Customer focus and customer driven innovation. Chicago Pneumatic is a brand committed to raising the standards within the vehicle service aftermarket. All of our products are developed with the professional technician in mind - a result of working with key end user groups before, during and after the product design and development process. Large research projects have formed the base of our strategic direction and we make sure we are always realigning our product development in-line with our customers’ needs. A key to our global marketing strategy is focused sales and service in every key market.

How does the company keep a brand with such a long history current and fresh?

Our first focus is always on new product innovation. Look at the ½ inch impact wrench we launched last year, the CP7740. It weighs less than three pounds and still has more than 500 ft.-lbs. of torque – that’s a really big change in what technicians have traditionally been able to choose from. We’ve also entered the cordless category with products that offer unique benefits in power choice, greater access to tight spaces with compact design and surface textures adding to operator comfort, again with the focus on making the tool easier to use for the tech.

We also partner with industry leaders that challenge boundaries. Our relationship with Rich Evans of Huntington Beach Bodyworks, an incredibly talented car designer that is always pushing the envelope in his builds. Our partnership with the NHRA, with Chevrolet as their tool of choice in the FIA World Touring Car Championship – both experiences allow us to connect with customers and show how our tools perform in the most competitive garages in the world. We’re also the official tools of MTV’s “Pimp My Ride” in the UK.

We are doing more in the way of connecting with customers as well, like our new Web site, CP7740Challenge.com. Designed to promote the CP7740 Challenge – the site gives our customers a chance to learn more about this product and have some fun at the same time.

What are your thoughts on the tool segment today and going forward? What are some of the major issues this segment of the industry expects to face in the next few years?

The biggest challenge is convincing technicians that they are not just purchasing a commodity, but selecting a product which can improve comfort and safety, while getting the job done more efficiently.

Shop environmental factors such as reducing waste are obviously becoming more of a focus issue as well. A need to reduce noise and vibration levels in tools will be part of this improved shop environment. We are addressing this not only in tools, but also with the CP QRS rotary technology compressor product offering.

CP is also taking an industry leading position with an innovative product offering in the heavy duty market. In the past, changing wheels on heavy duty vehicles has been cumbersome. By learning from technology that our industrial teams developed for OEMs in vehicle assembly, we’ve been able to develop a product line we call BlueTork. It reduces the weight vs that of the standard pneumatic wrench used to change a wheel, lowers the decibel rating, virtually eliminates the vibration common in typical impact wrenches, and turns what can be a two-man job into an easy one-man operation, thereby improving shop productivity.

What does the company have in store for 2008, anything exciting to share?

We will continue to develop and introduce new products for the professional technician coupled with continued marketing of our brand to enhance the sales efforts of our distributor partners.

For the complete interview, please go to http://www.aftermarketnews.com/

Right Tool for the Right Job - A Shotgun Works Every Time

They taught us in shop class: Use the right tool
This from the MSNBC staff and news service reports, updated 3:44 p.m. ET, Mon., Nov. 12, 2007
SOUTHWORTH, Wash. - A man trying to loosen a stubborn lug nut blasted the wheel with a 12-gauge shotgun, injuring himself badly in both legs, sheriff's deputies said.

The 66-year-old man had been repairing a Lincoln Continental for two weeks at his home in Kitsap County northwest of Southworth, about 10 miles southwest of Seattle, and had gotten all but one of the lug nuts off the right rear wheel by Saturday afternoon, Kitsap County Deputy Scott Wilson said.

"He's bound and determined to get that lug nut off," Wilson said.

From about arm's length, the man fired the shotgun at the wheel and was "peppered" in both legs with buckshot and debris, with some injuries as high as his chin, according to a sheriff's office report.

"Nobody else was there, and he wasn't intoxicated," Wilson said.

The man was taken to Tacoma General Hospital with injuries Wilson described as severe but not life-threatening.

The deputies did not take a statement from the man beyond what they were able to gather while he was being treated by medics, The Kitsap Sun reported on its Web site.

"I don't think he was in any condition to say anything," Wilson said, according to The Sun. "The pain was so severe, and the shock."

It was not immediately clear whether the shotgun blast loosened the lug nut.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Independent Mobile Jobbers - Who Cares?

A follow-up to my earlier post on the ISN Show. I recently spoke with Mr. Lynn Stokes, founder of the Independent Mobile Tool Distributors Association, headquartered in California. He is pleased to announce that when the independent tool distributor asks him or herself "who cares about me and my business?", the IMTDA answers - "we do". He has formed IMTDA in an effort to provide a network of professionals who are all in the mobile tool distribution business. He recognizes that many independent distributors may "feel like you're floating around by yourself". "With IMTDA", he says, "you now have a network to draw from." IMTDA is already offering technical and moral support to their members. Stokes can also provide the members with instant feedback to each other, via the use of their members-only forum. He envisions that IMTDA will provide members a way to keep in touch with each other, to learn best practices from each other and to guide, help, and motivate each other when necessary. He says members can use the e-mail list to ask questions of other members, and they'll get answers, quickly.

He is also in negotiations with a vinyl sign manufacturer to create a new sign for his members' trucks. It will read "Proud Member of IMTDA" and he feels it will add to the credibility of the members.

At the ISN Show they had 10 -12 of their members in attendance and met formally for the first time. They have member distributors nationwide, including Hawaii.

Stokes says they are currently in discussions with SK Hand Tools and Chicago Pneumatic to develop several opportunities for their members, including an advisory board, a demo tool program and special pricing.

As I said in my earlier post, keep an eye on this Association. They have a lofty ambition and an enthusiatic leader. They are going places and bringing people with them.