Best of LinkedIn: Digital Powertools CW 37/ 38

00:00:00: This episode is provided by Thomas Allgaier and Frenis based on the most relevant LinkedIn post about digital power tools in calendar weeks, thirty seven and thirty eight.

00:00:08: Frenis is a B to B market research company that supports enterprises in the power tool sector with a market customer and competitive insights.

00:00:16: they need to navigate dynamic markets and drive customer centric product development.

00:00:21: Welcome back to the deep dive.

00:00:22: Today we're diving into the professional power tool sector.

00:00:26: Lots happen over the last couple of weeks.

00:00:28: Yeah, a lot of noise.

00:00:29: Exactly.

00:00:30: So our mission here is to filter that down, you know, pull out the strategic stuff that really matters if you're handling procurement, managing assets, or even developing products.

00:00:38: Absolutely.

00:00:38: What really stood out in weeks thirty-seven and thirty-eight was, well, a sort of split in the market wasn't there.

00:00:44: How so?

00:00:45: Well, a

00:00:45: huge push to define that, like absolute top-end, the elite performance class,

00:00:50: plus

00:00:50: big moves in battery tech and platform competition.

00:00:53: Right, driving that power up.

00:00:55: And then

00:00:55: this fascinating focus on really specific, almost niche, digital tools designed for particularly job site problems.

00:01:03: Okay, let's unpack this.

00:01:04: We really have to start with the biggest single event, I think.

00:01:08: That hashtag Bosch PRO experience in Metzingen.

00:01:11: Oh, yeah, that was huge.

00:01:12: I mean the scale alone, twenty-six thousand square meters over a thousand partners from twenty-five countries.

00:01:19: That's more than just a product show.

00:01:20: It's a massive statement.

00:01:21: It

00:01:22: really is.

00:01:22: It's a huge investment.

00:01:23: just in getting the message across and Thomas Sonato was clear.

00:01:27: The theme was performance and partnership.

00:01:30: Partnership seems key there.

00:01:31: It is, especially because the whole thing really centered on launching their new expert product line.

00:01:37: Right, the expert line.

00:01:38: And this isn't just, you know, a small step up.

00:01:41: Donato explicitly called it the new top performance class for power tools, for measuring tech aimed right at the specialized trades.

00:01:48: So what does that mean for their old top tier?

00:01:50: Is that now second best?

00:01:52: That's a big branding shift?

00:01:53: Effectively, yes.

00:01:54: And the resources needed to back that up

00:01:56: are

00:01:57: pretty staggering.

00:01:59: What kind of resource?

00:02:00: Well,

00:02:00: the promise alone, Bosch is planning to launch over two thousand new products in Europe in the next two years under this expert name.

00:02:08: Two thousand?

00:02:08: Wow.

00:02:09: That's ambitious.

00:02:10: How do they plan to manage that rollout?

00:02:13: Well, part of the strategy seems to be controlling the distribution.

00:02:16: It's not just about the volume of products.

00:02:19: Ah, okay.

00:02:20: That's the really interesting business angle here, the channel strategy.

00:02:23: What did we learn about that?

00:02:24: The key takeaway is that this expert line, it'll only be available through selected distributors starting in twenty twenty six.

00:02:31: Elected

00:02:31: distributors, so not everywhere.

00:02:33: Exactly.

00:02:34: It's a selective distribution system.

00:02:36: Dr.

00:02:36: Matthias Wenzel even mentioned the legal team had to get involved to set it up properly.

00:02:41: So for you listening, that means.

00:02:43: a couple of things.

00:02:44: Protecting the brand, protecting margins for those selected partners.

00:02:47: Right,

00:02:47: keeping it premium.

00:02:48: But maybe a headache for procurement departments used to buying from anywhere.

00:02:52: It complicates access.

00:02:53: Yeah, that makes sense.

00:02:54: Ring fencing the high-end stuff.

00:02:55: Smart.

00:02:56: But what about the tech?

00:02:57: What makes these expert tools actually expert?

00:03:01: Antonio Gonzalez and Thomas Kohler had mentioned some breakthroughs.

00:03:04: The WallSkiner Expert D-TECHT-EighteenV-Two Hundred Seventeen C is probably the perfect example.

00:03:09: Dr.

00:03:10: Heiko Skars was showing it off.

00:03:11: Okay, what's special about it?

00:03:12: It's the first wall scanner they have with AI object detection, and importantly, the only one in its price class with actual, three D imaging,

00:03:20: three D imaging.

00:03:22: So it's not just finding a stud.

00:03:23: It's what mapping inside the wall.

00:03:26: Pretty much.

00:03:26: It reduces the guesswork, potentially avoiding really costly mistakes.

00:03:30: Instead of just beeping for metal or wood, the AI helps tell the difference between, say, conduit, pipes, rebar, with more confidence.

00:03:38: Okay.

00:03:39: I can see how that de-risks things on a tricky job.

00:03:42: Definitely.

00:03:42: And, you know, Dirk Frohberger called the whole event a fireworks display of innovation.

00:03:47: Ah, yeah.

00:03:47: But Simon Denton made a good point.

00:03:49: The hands-on stations were crucial for those thousand retail partners.

00:03:52: Right.

00:03:52: It's not just about showing cool tech.

00:03:54: No, it's about making sure that channel is ready and excited to sell these things come twenty twenty six.

00:03:59: It's about enabling that sell through.

00:04:02: Okay, so that's the top tier defined, but all that performance needs power.

00:04:08: What brings us nicely to theme two, platform power and battery innovation.

00:04:13: How's Bosch backing up the expert class on the battery front?

00:04:16: They're really packing a punch with the new expert batteries.

00:04:20: Nali Kohler and Federica Foppoli went into the details.

00:04:23: What's the tech there?

00:04:24: The core is these tablet cells in the EXBA-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-B-A-E-X-.

00:04:36: Well basically they have a better surface area for getting the power out compared to the uh the usual cylindrical cells.

00:04:43: Okay.

00:04:44: This design lets them handle the heat better and deliver more power consistently.

00:04:48: They're talking up to two thousand watts sustained maybe even peaking at twenty four hundred watts.

00:04:53: So twenty four hundred watts cordless.

00:04:55: That's the claim.

00:04:56: So truly competing with corded power now.

00:04:59: but you know that much power means bigger batteries managing heat.

00:05:02: There are trade-offs.

00:05:03: And

00:05:03: if you're draining batteries that fast, charging speed becomes critical,

00:05:07: right?

00:05:07: Absolutely.

00:05:07: And they address that.

00:05:08: They launched what they're calling the fastest ATV parallel charger.

00:05:12: How fast?

00:05:12: It can charge two ATV batteries in just thirty-nine minutes.

00:05:16: Wow, okay.

00:05:17: That keeps things moving.

00:05:18: It has to if you want to maintain workflow with those Hydra tools.

00:05:22: And it's not just Bosch's own system, is it?

00:05:25: The alliance strategy is still growing.

00:05:27: Yeah, Thomas Alexander-Bader noted the AMP share alliance is up to thirty-six partners now, something like three hundred and fifty tools.

00:05:34: So that one battery many brands idea is gaining traction.

00:05:39: It seems to be and that's important context for the competition.

00:05:42: While Bosch builds this broad alliance.

00:05:44: Others are doubling down on their own systems.

00:05:46: Exactly.

00:05:47: Look at Hiltay.

00:05:48: They keep pushing the limits of their Neuron Chantuvi system like the TE- one thousand twenty-two breaker.

00:05:53: they're saying it can break up two hundred and fifty kilos of concrete on one charge.

00:05:58: So it's this interesting tension, broad compatibility versus, you know, maximum power within a single optimized system.

00:06:05: Okay, that brings us to theme three, which I find really interesting.

00:06:08: Job site specificity and digital enhancement.

00:06:11: Tools getting super specialized, often using digital feedback.

00:06:14: Yeah, Milwaukee is a really strong example here.

00:06:16: They seem to listen very closely to specific trades.

00:06:19: What do we see for them?

00:06:20: Andre Muvith introduced the M-Eighteen Fuel Steel Pipe Cutter.

00:06:25: Think about cutting steel pipe usually slow with a bandsaw, you need clamps.

00:06:28: Yeah, a paint.

00:06:29: This promises to be up to four times faster.

00:06:31: Straight cuts, no clamping needed.

00:06:34: That's a direct win for plumbers, HVAC guys.

00:06:37: And Emily Nuren mentioned the M-A-Teen branch conduit bender came directly from user research.

00:06:42: That's right, a perfect example of taking a specific job site headache and engineering a solution for it.

00:06:48: Very responsive.

00:06:49: That level of specific need goes pretty deep, doesn't it?

00:06:52: It

00:06:52: does.

00:06:53: Christian de Stefano highlighted their MX Fuel DCD coring machines.

00:06:57: Coring machines?

00:06:58: For what exactly?

00:07:00: They're designed for really accurate tarmac removal.

00:07:03: Think road sensors, telecom boxes, fiber optics, anywhere you need precise holes and asphalt.

00:07:09: It's niche, but think about how much of that work goes on.

00:07:11: True.

00:07:12: And it's not just Milwaukee doing this hyper-specialization, is it?

00:07:15: No, definitely not.

00:07:16: Drew Bartlett outlined some specialist solar tools from Bosch.

00:07:20: Ah, solar's booming.

00:07:21: Makes sense.

00:07:22: Exactly.

00:07:23: So they've got torque-controllable wrenches with super tight accuracy, like plus or minus two percent, and cordless band saws specifically for cutting solar struts.

00:07:32: Trying to get installers away from using generic tools for specialized safety critical work.

00:07:37: Precisely.

00:07:38: And we saw it elsewhere, too.

00:07:39: DeWalt's DCF-Nine-Two-One Impact Wrench was apparently a hit at the Skaff X show, Sean W mentioned that.

00:07:45: Why that one specifically?

00:07:46: Compact size, but still powerful enough for Skaff folders.

00:07:48: That combination is key.

00:07:50: And for heavy metalwork.

00:07:51: Jurgen Kortenkamp pointed to Hilti's upcoming SF-Thirty M-Twenty-Two cordless mag drill.

00:07:57: The focus there is precision and holding power for demanding continuous use.

00:08:02: Okay, so lots of specialized tools, which leads into theme four, digital fleet management and the strategy behind it all.

00:08:09: With all these expensive specialized tools, how are companies helping users manage them?

00:08:14: Well, digital asset management isn't really a nice to have anymore, is it?

00:08:17: It's basically essential.

00:08:19: Right.

00:08:19: Hilti's on-track system just celebrated ten years.

00:08:23: Christian Levé noted that.

00:08:24: Ten years.

00:08:25: That's a long time in this space.

00:08:26: It

00:08:26: really is.

00:08:27: And the focus seems to be shifting now from just knowing where a tool is to using all that data for compliance checks, tracking utilization, proving ROI over the long term.

00:08:36: And Milwaukee's one key.

00:08:37: What's the focus there?

00:08:39: Christian T was emphasizing the move beyond just tracking assets.

00:08:43: They're focusing on productivity gains, like using one key to configure tool settings for specific jobs, manage performance, really dialing things in.

00:08:52: That integration of digital control goes right into manufacturing too, doesn't it?

00:08:55: Like industry.

00:08:56: four point out stuff.

00:08:57: Absolutely.

00:08:59: Tom Dodd at Hamer showcased their tool presetting systems.

00:09:02: How does that help?

00:09:03: It

00:09:03: massively boosts machine utilization.

00:09:06: By cutting setup time by fifty percent or more, you reduce downtime.

00:09:10: But critically, it also removes manual offset errors.

00:09:13: Sticking

00:09:14: human error out of the equation.

00:09:15: Exactly, ensures quality and repeatability, which is core to industry.

00:09:19: four point oh.

00:09:20: This idea of controlled improvement, getting things right.

00:09:23: Yeah, that ties into something Christian Reed from recon tools shared about innovation tokens.

00:09:27: Yeah.

00:09:28: a really insightful concept.

00:09:29: His point was about limiting major new features, maybe just two or three tokens per product generation.

00:09:34: Why limit innovation?

00:09:36: Well, the idea is to avoid launching, you know, half-baked products, especially with complex digital features, focus on iterative user-tested improvements instead.

00:09:45: Makes sense.

00:09:46: Ensure things actually work reliably in the field, not just in a demo.

00:09:49: It's a good check against launching too much, too fast.

00:09:52: Especially with the volumes we talked about earlier, quality control has to keep pace.

00:09:57: Okay, let's wrap up with our final theme.

00:09:59: Theme five.

00:10:01: Community, partnerships, and sustainability.

00:10:05: Brands seem to be looking beyond just the job site now.

00:10:07: Yeah,

00:10:08: building that broader connection.

00:10:09: Partnerships are key for the workforce pipeline.

00:10:12: Jeremy Torrock mentioned DeWalt working with Toolbank USA.

00:10:16: And Maria Ford highlighted their support for the heavy metal summer experience.

00:10:20: Right, both are about investing in the community and helping address the skilled labor shortage.

00:10:24: Building loyalty from the ground up.

00:10:26: But then there are those less traditional partnerships.

00:10:29: The sports ones, yeah, those are interesting.

00:10:31: Mextor, Rohan Wilner shared Stanley expanding deals with huge European football clubs, FC Barcelona, Tottenham.

00:10:38: And Raphael Garcia mentioned Hilti partnering with the Dallas Cowboys over in the U.S What's the angle there?

00:10:45: It's about brand visibility, obviously, but also aligning the brand with that narrative of power, elite performance, professional excellence, reaching a huge audience, maybe influencing future tradespeople, or just cementing that high-end perception.

00:11:00: And sustainability is definitely becoming more visible, more tangible.

00:11:04: It has to be.

00:11:05: Ewald A. Colusia shared a great example from Hilti, their closed-loop recycling for tool cases.

00:11:10: How does that work?

00:11:11: They take back old cases from their fleet management customers, process the plastic, and use it to mold new cases, proper circular economy stuff.

00:11:20: That's concrete action.

00:11:21: And that focus on efficiency links back to manufacturing, too.

00:11:24: Yeah, there was an Industry Four Point O Award for Robert Bosch Power Tool KFT.

00:11:29: Tomas Jarvis was involved in that project.

00:11:31: What did they win for?

00:11:33: Using AI for quality evaluation in LION battery production, the AI replaces destructive testing, meaning they scrap far less material.

00:11:41: Saving waste on the most expensive part of the tool.

00:11:44: Smart.

00:11:44: Very smart.

00:11:45: OK,

00:11:45: so wrapping up the last two weeks, what's the big picture?

00:11:51: It feels like hyper-specialization, this race, to define the absolute peak performance tier.

00:11:56: Definitely.

00:11:57: And the absolute necessity of sophisticated digital systems to manage it all.

00:12:02: and the core message echoed by people like Emeline Noren at Milwaukee seems to be that really listening to users doing that deep research isn't optional anymore.

00:12:11: It is the innovation engine.

00:12:13: Couldn't agree more.

00:12:14: Which leaves a pretty critical question for you, the listener, doesn't it?

00:12:17: Go on.

00:12:18: Well, if the future of the highest end tools involves selective distribution, like this Bosch expert line starting in twenty twenty six, and this intense specialization, how does your company need to adapt its buying strategies, its training programs now?

00:12:31: How do you ensure you actually have access to and can effectively use the best tools for the job when that future arrives?

00:12:37: Something to think about.

00:12:38: If you enjoyed this deep dive, new episodes drop every two weeks.

00:12:41: Also check out our other editions on digital construction and smart manufacturing.

00:12:45: Thank you for tuning in and remember to subscribe to The Deep Dive.