Stanley/Craftsman update - N. B. Herald

[vettex2]

will they honor the craftsman warranty ?

 

[LB-1911]

will they honor the craftsman warranty ?

CRAFTSMAN WARRANTIES

We understand the Craftsman warranties are important to existing customers and intend to honor existing and offer similar warranties going forward.

Craftsman branded products will continue to be covered under their existing warranties.

In the immediate term, there are no changes to how you will get service regarding your warranty.

For more information about this process, please call us at 888-331-4569.


http://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/

 

[B_Bimmer]

Thanks for the update OP. In my opinion Stanley buying the craftsman name is the single best thing that could have happened to it. I have more hope for the brand I grew up with than I have in years, and am content to wait and see what actually happens. I hope and actually believe all will be pleasantly surprised eventually, but it will take years. The anger when Stanley stops sourcing from competitor's will undoubtedly be intense on this site and could easily push a few products we are used to seeing produced domestically overseas, but when it all settles down I think the quality made in USA marketing sold a lot of tools for sears in the last hundred years or so and is the differentiating factor which Stanley ultimately purchased. Time will tell.

 

[Infinia]

Instead, it has devolved into a paranoia-laced, opinionated sack of drivel that I want nothing to do with and I regret being the origin of these ceaseless attacks on a company trying to do their best at keeping a great American tool brand alive and living in the U.S.A. You "Debbie Downers" all should be ashamed of yourselves and give these people a chance to prove themselves before the mass condemnations start. Get a life and let's give American Business a chance to respond to the election of Donald Trump and give him a chance to bring back jobs to this country. I for one am damn sick of the whining I'm hearing here - ban we if you think I'm wrong!

the Debbie's know the script, they've been around that track once or twice. see the rose colored glasses can come off.
I see people read what ever they want into corporate speak the same as you seem to read into political campaign rhetoric. There are zero promises made here folks, move along. Even if they did, they'd be lying. so there

 

[nahudson]

Yeah, actually I do think people could care less about the Husky and Kobalt names. I doubt anybody buys those brands for any real reason other than the store they're carried in. I'm not saying either chain will actually begin to carry Craftsman, but I do think they would see higher sales if they did. I think Stanley could (and might) use all of their same production facilities as well as sales channels to sell Craftsman tools and I think they will see a pretty dramatic increase.

Agree.

 

[6PTsocket]

I apologize to the readers of this forum for starting this thread this morning. I thought that I was providing a service where a statement from the Stanley Management to the local newspaper would allay some fears that I have heard on this subject over the past few months. Instead, it has devolved into a paranoia-laced, opinionated sack of drivel that I want nothing to do with and I regret being the origin of these ceaseless attacks on a company trying to do their best at keeping a great American tool brand alive and living in the U.S.A. You "Debbie Downers" all should be ashamed of yourselves and give these people a chance to prove themselves before the mass condemnations start. Get a life and let's give American Business a chance to respond to the election of Donald Trump and give him a chance to bring back jobs to this country. I for one am damn sick of the whining I'm hearing here - ban we if you think I'm wrong!

It all started with your delusion that there are that many people that respect the Craftsman name. They have been on a downward spiral for decades. Even when Danaher was making their hand tools, they were made for a price and far below Danaher branded tool standards. The only thing that people knew is if they found a bent old rusty Craftsman tool in the gutter they could bring it to the nearest Sears and get a new one. Their power tools, were slightly modified US brands at worse prices until they went to Chinese junk. I often read comparison tests of stationary woodworking tools and Craftsmsn invariably is at the bottom or is identified as very similar to another brand but selling for a much higher price. The parts and service is useless and parts rapidly become unavailable. The current owners are an investment fund that could care less about tools. People do not bash Sears because they are tool snobs. They bash Sears because SEARS ***** !!!! I eagerly look forward to them going under. Anything that replaces them in the mall wil be an improvement.

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[jdlong]

They bash Sears because SEARS ***** !!!! I eagerly look forward to them going under. Anything that replaces them in the mall wil be an improvement.

A Harbor Freight wing next to the food court??

 

[vettex2]

CRAFTSMAN WARRANTIES

We understand the Craftsman warranties are important to existing customers and intend to honor existing and offer similar warranties going forward.

Craftsman branded products will continue to be covered under their existing warranties.

In the immediate term, there are no changes to how you will get service regarding your warranty.

For more information about this process, please call us at 888-331-4569.


http://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/

Thanks.
I don't have much, just stuff from my dad.
I rarely use any of it.They have been delegated to the "extra" tools category .

 

[maintenancemike]

The pictures on that article are cute kngelv. Where's all the injection molding equipment, the motor winders, the gear hobs, the metal breaks, the machining centers? I only see a whole bunch of people taking stuff out of boxes

Automation is inevitable, and I personally believe it's foolish to think that an administration change will magically bring back American jobs. If they come back, they will be back as machines.

Modern fully automated factories can run "lights out", where no one is present and the lights are literally turned off. The machinery will machine, assemble and package the product for shipping. You just have some guys at the loading dock taking boxes off the end of a conveyor and putting them in a truck.

As far as preferring an American-robot built product, to a Taiwanese-robot built product. That's a tough one honestly. With a local factory, you'll at least be paying local taxes and bills, but then again, with imported stuff you have things like import duty to make up for it. Unless we adopt Bill Gate's proposal to tax robots like people.

EDIT: I stand partially corrected, apparently DeWalt at least winds the rotors for their brushed tools in their US factory. Not sure about brushless or any of the other tool components.

I think if you can answer all the questions with just one photo, we should make someone important out of you after all. The article states there's 7 manufacturing facilities, and despite the fact that the machine shop may be the dirtiest facility, they're going to use that for a media event?
I have skepticism about the branding they're using as well, but don't shoot this down so soon. As far as "lights out", I doubt you have ever visited a manufacturing facility recently. It simply doesn't exist. My qualifications on this subject? Automation and robotics technician of 17 years. The jobs provided in this type of work are similar to production using assembly lines back in the 1950's, but minus the hundreds of employees that do redundant and dangerous tasks: the entire point of automation. You will find mechanical and electrical engineers, technicians like myself, mechanics, quality technicians, lab technicians, managers, supervisors, shipping and receiving clerks, forklift operators, machinery operators, janitors, continuous improvement engineers, facility maintenance personnel, purchasing, controllers, and all of the vendors that provide services to this one facility. The tax revenue and local spending from this one facility makes a huge difference in the local economy.
To say otherwise is absolutely foolish.

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[Gmonkee]

Husky is a name that goes back to the golden age of tool making. Eight decade ago they were crude if strong and effective user tools. Like most stuff then.

The only reason that brand still exists is because a modern Borg of brands owns it and puts the name on stuff made anywhere by the lowest bidder at the time.

That new product has nothing to do with the historic part of the name.

Stanley Borg also buys names and failed other brands then converts them to a viable product in the current market. If it can be made in house with parts from other parts of the borg they win. If they do that to the CM brand and place it in every sales point they can its just good business.

Neither Husky nor CM will ever be again what our grand dad once knew. Mainly because none of the guys that want obsolete overpriced products made in an uncompetitive way shelled out 901 million dollars to outbid Stanley.

We didn't save any other american icon either except maybe Harley Davidson and even those are not what they used to be. Oops.
Progress took a turn on even that effort.

You want to be a luddite or live in a stagnant world be prepared to watch the rest pass you by. The big borgs all know to move and adapt or lose to those that do. If that means you have to accept changes in your life, tiny changes like you can't buy the same wrench dad bought so what? Does the current offering not work somehow?

Those borgs are jobs from the mines to the guy driving the trucks or stocking the shelves. Some of those are factory jobs along the way.

 

[American Locomotive]

I think if you can answer all the questions with just one photo, we should make someone important out of you after all. The article states there's 7 manufacturing facilities, and despite the fact that the machine shop may be the dirtiest facility, they're going to use that for a media event?

That's exactly my point. If they really wanted to convince me they actually care, they would have showed more actual manufacturing. Injection molding facilities are typically very clean, as are large machining operations. A foundry and forge I could excuse them for not showing.

As far as "lights out", I doubt you have ever visited a manufacturing facility recently. It simply doesn't exist. My qualifications on this subject? Automation and robotics technician of 17 years

Phillips and FANUC both run lights out factories. The FANUC factory can run unattended for extended periods of time (they say up to 30 days) - to the point where the company says they can turn the HVAC system way down, or even off completely. Many machining and injection molding operations can also run partially lights out.

A true lights-out operation wouldn't need any of the jobs you just listed on-site. No janitors, no shipping/receiving clerks, no purchasing, no lab techs, no managers, no nothing. A robotic forklift pulls a pallet off raw material off a truck and brings it to the start of the assembly process, then another robotic forklift puts the finished good on another truck.

A central office would manage the entire facility and handle all the logistics. The entire facility would be remotely monitored - if there's a problem on the assembly line - a technician will be dispatched if the issue can't be resolved remotely. If there's a problem with the HVAC system, a technician will be dispatched to handle it. Continuous process improvement can be done with the simulation tools in modern CAD/CAM/CAE packages. QA will be done by vision systems (and/or having samples randomly shipped to the central office).

We might not quite be there yet, but vision systems are getting better, robotics are better and the software that orchestrates it all is getting better.

 

[Loscaldazar]

They keep saying that they will make some Craftsman tools in the USA but "with global materials." See the Craftsman Facebook page for example. I'd almost be willing to bet that what this means is you will see Craftsman power tools built, alongside Dewalt, here in the USA using a bunch of imported parts.

Until Stanley comes out and says otherwise, I wouldn't get your hopes high for American made hand tools. They do have the capability since they already make most Proto tools stateside, but I still have my doubts, especially with the whole situation with Sears and the warranty issues.

Is the Facebook page owned by SBD or sears? All I can find from SBD is that they plan to manufacture at least part of the Craftsman line in the USA. That's all they say. Nothing about global materials that I can find.

Where is this fabulous new manufacturing facility and when will production begin? Anything else is just more horn-blowing for the sake of horn-blowing.

Let's not be too silly here, SBD owns a USA tool factory already (proto/mac). They will use their Texas plant where Blackhawk is already being made. I've been saying this for a while now, but I bet Craftsman will replace the mostly USA made Blackhawk line that no one knows exists.

As far as power tools and other such things, who knows. But SBD has the capability to produce cheap USA sockets, wrenches, and other hardline tools already and have been doing it for a long time!

The point is, the "Assembled in the U.S. with Global Components" tag is meaningless and misleading. It's not a "good start", it's not a "half way point" between making it fully in the US, or making half of it here. It's a marketing gimmick that allows them to sell a tool that's 90% constructed overseas as U.S. made.

I have no problem with SB&D taking Chinese steel, doing the actual forging of the sockets in the U.S., and then calling them "Made in the U.S.A". That's totally fine.

What I would have a problem with is SB&D taking fully forged sockets from overseas, sticking them on a socket-rail, and calling those "Assembled in the USA with global components"

There are actual rules governing the use of Made, Assembled, or Assembled with "X." They can't just put them on a rail and claim assembly. If they do, report them to the FTC.

Call me when SB&D fires up a Craftsman forging plant with a DeWalt motor-winding plant right next to it, and a gear-cutting shop across the street staffed by actual people doing actual work. Until they do that - it's all talk. As far as things changing with the current president - there's a reason every single one of his namesake's products, as well as his daughter's products are made overseas.

Well, they have the Proto/Mac factory that they can just forge Craftsman tools in, I don't know why every keeps forgetting about that. Proto and Mac are primarily USA made (as is Blackhawk), so I don't see why SBD can't just start stamping craftsman on their budget priced Blackhawk tools already.

And good news for you! In addition to a forging plant they can use for Craftsman tools, they also have motor winding plants in each of their DeWalt factories in the US!

The process is much more involved then just putting 3 preassembled parts into the plastic casing and screwing them together. If they were just doing that, they would be violating FTC COO labeling laws.
http://toolguyd.com/dewalt-brushless-drill-building-and-factory-tour/

 

[Bdgjr215]

I notice with these threads that everybody's idiotic no fact based opinions get very quiet when other members start posting links to facts to the contrary of their bogus opinions.
It actually makes you look even more stupid than you originally sounded.

 

[maintenancemike]

That's exactly my point. If they really wanted to convince me they actually care, they would have showed more actual manufacturing. Injection molding facilities are typically very clean, as are large machining operations. A foundry and forge I could excuse them for not showing.


Phillips and FANUC both run lights out factories. The FANUC factory can run unattended for extended periods of time (they say up to 30 days) - to the point where the company says they can turn the HVAC system way down, or even off completely. Many machining and injection molding operations can also run partially lights out.

A true lights-out operation wouldn't need any of the jobs you just listed on-site. No janitors, no shipping/receiving clerks, no purchasing, no lab techs, no managers, no nothing. A robotic forklift pulls a pallet off raw material off a truck and brings it to the start of the assembly process, then another robotic forklift puts the finished good on another truck.

A central office would manage the entire facility and handle all the logistics. The entire facility would be remotely monitored - if there's a problem on the assembly line - a technician will be dispatched if the issue can't be resolved remotely. If there's a problem with the HVAC system, a technician will be dispatched to handle it. Continuous process improvement can be done with the simulation tools in modern CAD/CAM/CAE packages. QA will be done by vision systems (and/or having samples randomly shipped to the central office).

We might not quite be there yet, but vision systems are getting better, robotics are better and the software that orchestrates it all is getting better.

I worked in injection molding for several years. It can be clean some days, in some facilities. I worked in one place with pagesse robots like that, and then I also worked as a subcontractor in a little cockeyed-jhonny small-town injection molder facility with a half-inch of hydraulic oil on the floor, and illegal Mexicans/huber prisoners standing in between the platens pulling parts every cycle.
The machine shop I currently work in is one of the larger facilities in the midwest, and my department is responsible for 69 robots, most of which are fanuc. It looks clean in pictures, but it's absolutely filthy.
Your tale about the fanuc facility is interesting, and really neat for someone who's deeply invested in robotics, but rest assured, there's not one day (ever) that no one is in their facility. There's all kinds of people there, all the time. The story is no different than the DeWalt article you've taken issue with. Their facility is a showcase for their technology, and there's going to be a lot of "sell" on that.
Without a doubt, robots are the future for many applications, but there's no substitute for human beings in the workplace. We can do many things with robots, and their capabilities are exponentially increasing-but they don't see what's going on outside their work envelope, they cannot repair themselves, and they are lost without human intervention.
The best applications for robots are when we need repetitive, redundant, dangerous work accomplished, and there's knowledgeable people available supporting that equipment.
I think we need to get behind whatever type of manufacturing we are able to perform. It truly is the only way to produce wealth and pass on a surplus and economic stability, versus the debt culture we currently are going to stuff down the throats of our children.

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[kctyphoon]

I think this thread is filled with paranoia, conspiracy theories, and "a shot in the dark" based opinions.. not sure where SOME of you guys are getting this stuff from, cause I read the same articles you did.. already we're up the point of full automation with Chinese plastic and steel. Jesus Christ dude.. ENOUGH ALREADY. It's ****** amazing how you've taken it upon yourself to deduce what the future holds by reading 2 sentences regarding manufacturing.. you should start buying lotto tickets since you are obviously completely confident in your supreme ability to predict the future to the point of badgering people away from posting.

If your "lights out" THEORY, or rather FANTASY, were even remotely true, there would be automated McDonald's across the country by now. Or is the technology suddenly not there to cook burgers and fries???? Stop with this bs your posting on here please. Pretty please.. with a cherry on top..

 

[Gmonkee]

There are certain industry sectors that can be fully automatic. But still programmers and technical staff would need to be present. Also those that bring in material and those that take out product and waste.

Food industry has additional regulation that requires human presence for quality of productggoing in as well as sanitary reasons.

A machine that makes burgers would be relatively simple. But left unattended would it know the bread is dry or moldy? Could it detect bugs in the condiments or the drip tray isn't draining?
The idea of making a burger anyone would find appealing is it has to be made by someone who would want to eat his own product or not. Someone has to be proud of his work.

No mechanism can know the flavor is off or the bread is unacceptable to serve. A lot different than bumping out 3,500 bottle openers an hour in a stamping operation.

 

[pstemari]

... Someone has to be proud of his work.

No mechanism can know the flavor is off or the bread is unacceptable to serve. ....

I can guarantee you that no one at McDonald's is tasting the burgers. They go from truck to freezer to grill, do not pass go, do not collect $300. The grill is temperature calibrated and a time controls how the meat is cooked down to the second.

McDs has humans in back because they're cheaper than robots. The moment sales volume slacks the humans get sent on break or home. Robots are depreciating 24x7.

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[kctyphoon]

Oh my god people... I was kidding..

 

[American Locomotive]

Also those that bring in material and those that take out product and waste.

Some factories already employ automated forklifts that remove incoming material from trucks, and can load outgoing trucks with finished product. Couple that with the self-driving vehicles companies like Waymo/Google and Tesla are pushing...

But left unattended would it know the bread is dry or moldy? Could it detect bugs in the condiments or the drip tray isn't draining?

The same way we do: With our eyes, nose and hands. Vision systems could easily detect bread mold and bugs in the condiments, a moisture sensor could tell if bread was dry and a load-cell could give the bread a poke to determine if was hard and stale. An ultrasonic level meter could detect if a drip tray wasn't draining.

No mechanism can know the flavor is off or the bread is unacceptable to serve.

Flavor is a bit tricky, but there is tons of research being done in that field. There are experimental "artificial noses", which are basically just fancy multi-gas-analyzers. You can correlate those gases with certain flavors. Additionally, easily measurable things like pH, temperature and conductivity could give you an idea of the physical taste of the burger. A robot could just stick a probe in a burger after cooking, and get a reading in just a few seconds.

Pretty much every problem you listed has actually been "solved" by robotics and electronics- at least in individual cases. But no one has really combined all of those technologies to make a truly self-running plant or restaurant.

I give it ~5 years before a fully automated fast food joint opens (even if only experimental), and another 7-10 after that to start spreading (assuming the trial works out). Automation can't replace everything, and a lot of things still will require a human touch, but automation is coming, and in a big way. It's going to make a lot of jobs essentially obsolete. I think you're going to see a huge transition to more "service" oriented jobs. Technicians, installers, etc...

 

[Gmonkee]

And that advanced hamburger making machine would cost a ****** fortune going in, but if reliable would present huge savings. If the public would eat robot burgers.

I know fast food, got years in it. Just getting a BK flame broiler calibrated took four hours during the breakfast and he had to return to change a part the next day. Two adjustments, chain speed and burner. And this was the tech that only fixed stuff in twenty odd stores.

Imagine if he had ten sensors to calibrate and program it to perfect after a power spike, in three stores. He better be good or stores won't open for lunch.

Managers would not take kindly to losses like that.

 

[6PTsocket]

I was aware Stanley had Black & Decker but not DeWalt till the other day. Someone told me DeWalt basically a "souped" up B&D. Didn't know how accurate that is. I've had good luck with B&D but I just use them occasionally not weekly.

That is not true at all. For a time DeWalt shared a number of tools with B&D Industrial which they eventually shut down and DeWalt became the industrial brand. The B&D line is strictly home owner quality and competes with Skill and Royobi. DeWalt competes with Bosch and Milwaukee. Many companies have separate lines for different markets . The just share common ownership, not parts.

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[Mechanical Noise]

The Craftsman name itself hold enough of an advantage over the other Asian brands. While us GJ folk know tools, most of America does not. The Kobalt, Husky, and Pittsburg names mean nothing to most people. In fact, I'd even bet that most of the buyers that buy those brands only do it out of convenience since that is what their store of choice sells. If they swapped brand names tomorrow sales would not likely decrease. Meanwhile, the Craftsman name is very well known, and known by most to be "the best", no matter what the facts are.

Maybe, but I'd like to see the evidence that Craftsman sells well outside Sears stores. The local K-mart had a huge selection of Craftsman tools 10 years ago, comparable to a Sears tool section. Now it's shrunk to a couple of short aisles. Craftsman shows up at Menards from time to time but can't hold a lasting presence. I can't comment too much on what's happening with Ace outside of my opinion that Craftsman doesn't seem to be doing any better than their old Ace branded tools.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

This is self evidently true. If ANYONE needed proof, look no further than the sale price of the brand.

Sears estimated the value of the brand at $2 billion when they put it up for bid. Months later, their best offer was $900 million spread over years.

$900 million is sport stadium money these days.

 

[dar24601]

Maybe, but I'd like to see the evidence that Craftsman sells well outside Sears stores. The local K-mart had a huge selection of Craftsman tools 10 years ago, comparable to a Sears tool section. Now it's shrunk to a couple of short aisles. Craftsman shows up at Menards from time to time but can't hold a lasting presence. I can't comment too much on what's happening with Ace outside of my opinion that Craftsman doesn't seem to be doing any better than their old Ace branded tools.

The sales dropped when they moved production overseas. If Stanley is smart they will follow through making things in the USA. Then Craftsman with made in USA stamp will do well in the homeowner market, I'm in my 40's and growing up craftsman was "the good stuff" and the made in the USA stamp gave you that warm and fuzzy feeling. So Stanley just needs to tap into that nostalgia

 

[zendriver]

These endless Craftsman sagas, are about like walking into a bar, filled with nothing but ugly women.

If you keep on drinking long enough, eventually the women will start to get better looking, maybe even become hot models.

 

[jdlong]

My collection of carpentry tools outgrew my 26" Husky bottom chest which I got 25 years ago so this morn, I took a bunch of measurements for what I thought would be the ultimate top chest and went shopping. Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, HF. Close but no bannana. Sears? Good grief. I've never seen so many DIY box designs in one store. Out of five different 26" top chest designs, they nailed it big time. Perfect in all dimensions. 1/4" short in max width. Beefy construction, deep drawers for carpentry tools. Roller glides and all. $140 with tax. Could not be happier.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

The sales dropped when they moved production overseas. If Stanley is smart they will follow through making things in the USA. Then Craftsman with made in USA stamp will do well in the homeowner market, I'm in my 40's and growing up craftsman was "the good stuff" and the made in the USA stamp gave you that warm and fuzzy feeling. So Stanley just needs to tap into that nostalgia

I wouldn't expect nostalgia to be a major factor in the hand tool market. I'd guess most tool buyers buy most of their tools in their 20s and 30s. People now in that age group most clearly remember Craftsman as a brand with cheapening products.

Lawn and garden products are a little different, they get replaced continually and the buyers tend to be older.

It's possible that trade policies will change and Craftsman's competitors will be hurt but that's a new factor, not an old one.

SBD bought the Craftsman brand for less than half what Sears estimated it was worth. Sears might have got their 2 billion, had they not turned off so many potential customers.

 

[ganymede]

I wouldn't expect nostalgia to be a major factor in the hand tool market. I'd guess most tool buyers buy most of their tools in their 20s and 30s. People now in that age group most clearly remember Craftsman as a brand with cheapening products...... .

Agreed.
I think culturally we have been moving in a direction where brand names are as disposable as their products.
The notion of a brand name or a manufacturer being a consistent entity isn't something people think about as much anymore especially among younger folks.

 

[derosa]

So any timelines on when the new craftsman will be rolled out? Doesn't seem like it'd be hard to start slapping the craftsman logo on one of their lines.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

Agreed.
I think culturally we have been moving in a direction where brand names are as disposable as their products.
The notion of a brand name or a manufacturer being a consistent entity isn't something people think about as much anymore especially among younger folks.

I think that's always been true. Back in my Grandfather's day, Burma-Shave was a big deal. It seems every air traveler in 60s and 70s TV and movies flew Pan-Am or TWA. My family has had several Oldsmobiles and they were all good cars. Still, I, and several other million people, wouldn't pay an extra nickel for a car just because it's called an "Oldsmobile".

If the nostalgia market counted for alot to any generation, RCA and Polaroid would still be big players.

 

[ganymede]

I think that's always been true. Back in my Grandfather's day, Burma-Shave was a big deal. It seems every air traveler in 60s and 70s TV and movies flew Pan-Am or TWA. My family has had several Oldsmobiles and they were all good cars. Still, I, and several other million people, wouldn't pay an extra nickel for a car just because it's called an "Oldsmobile".

If the nostalgia market counted for alot to any generation, RCA and Polaroid would still be big players.

Right, but before it wasn't as much about nostalgia as it was consistency .

 

[mudflap]

What would be a good retail chain to pick up and stock the full Craftsman line...?? It would take some sq footage.. But Sears and K-Mart will be gone in a few yrs.. Somebody a SBD has to be wondering this... Target..? Meijer has TEKTON now.. Tractor supply , not big enough, but most of the Rural King stores have the space..and some no name house brand as of now. The auto parts stores are too small, and most already have an established house brand. Ace hardwares are too small.... Maybe Menards..? get rid of Masterforce..and go full blown Craftsman..? I would look hard at Target..they have the space..and now just have a few odds and ends for tools....It would open up a whole new market for them..The way it is now....there is NO reason for a guy to ever step foot in a Target store....So we drop the little woman off at the door, and sit in the car and listen to the game....

 

[drink]

What would be a good retail chain to pick up and stock the full Craftsman line...?? It would take some sq footage.. But Sears and K-Mart will be gone in a few yrs.. Somebody a SBD has to be wondering this... Target..? Meijer has TEKTON now.. Tractor supply , not big enough, but most of the Rural King stores have the space..and some no name house brand as of now. The auto parts stores are too small, and most already have an established house brand. Ace hardwares are too small.... Maybe Menards..? get rid of Masterforce..and go full blown Craftsman..? I would look hard at Target..they have the space..and now just have a few odds and ends for tools....It would open up a whole new market for them..The way it is now....there is NO reason for a guy to ever step foot in a Target store....So we drop the little woman off at the door, and sit in the car and listen to the game....

Didn't they say Home Depot will be selling Craftsman tools soon? Stocking every Home Depot store should amount to a lot of tools being made and shipped.

 

[mudflap]

Didn't they say Home Depot will be selling Craftsman tools soon? Stocking every Home Depot store should amount to a lot of tools being made and shipped.

That would be awesome... would HD keep their Husky line..or scrap it..?