SBD's plans for Craftsman

[Finance Guy]

I posted this in the other thread about Craftsman's new factory, but thought it may deserve its own thread. There seems to be some dated or outright misinformation about SBD's plans for Craftsman.

SBD's initial capital investment is $80 million, $35 million for its new “flagship” factory, and $45 million for capacity increases at its existing factories.

SBD's recent comments about its plans for Craftsman:
“… It was really a function of the strategy for re-Americanizing Craftsman … We have 11 tools plants in the United States, and those tools plants, probably the majority of them will be expanding capacity in addition to the facility that we've discussed. And in the end, it may be more than one facility in the U.S. We'll have to see how it all shakes up, but we're looking at various scenarios. So to answer your question, we're very committed to manufacturing in the U.S. for Craftsman.”

“Turning to Craftsman, we are hard at work developing commercial strategies for this iconic powerful brand … Our customer discussions are continuing and are going well as we plan for a mid-2018 Craftsman launch outside of Sears. From a supply chain perspective, we have started up a new distribution center in Charlotte, North Carolina and are aggressively moving supply and customer fulfillment into this facility to support the Craftsman business.”

“… We are working on designing a complete comprehensive product line that spans all categories, that it will be ... high-quality, high-value for the customer and will take some of the best attributes of our high-value products from across all our brands and incorporate them into the designs. The channel discussions, the customer discussions are going very well. The interest level is very high. We haven't really changed too much in terms of our strategy. There will be some decisions made in terms of how we expect to go to market from a channel perspective in the third late third-quarter, early fourth quarter. And then it will be all systems full speed ahead for a mid-2018 launch.”

“… Prior to Craftsman we did not have a large gas engine or small gas engine lawn equipment power initiative. We did have the string trimmers and those types of things, but they were electric. So this gets us into gas. And we are learning a lot about lawn and garden as we speak and we are experimenting with the application of DC brushless electric motor technology to lawn equipment. We do think there is a big future there. But there are some technological breakthroughs that will have to occur relative to the cost of doing that. And so, there's a lot of work going on there.”

 

[B.S.A. (ret.)]

Thank you Finance Guy! Let's see how long this can go without the serial Craftsman bashers showing up to tell everybody why it can never work...Three, Two, One...

 

[dar24601]

Talk is cheap! You know I like everything I'm reading but I'm going to reserve judgement till I product actually hits the street. Hoping that craftsman regains its former crown as best value homeowner tools made in USA

 

[Finance Guy]

Talk is cheap! You know I like everything I'm reading but I'm going to reserve judgement till I product actually hits the street.

That's fine, but my optimism for the brand stems from the fact that it would be completely illogical to pay $900 million for the Craftsman brand so that they can place Craftsman-branded imports on the shelf next to Husky- or Kobalt-branded imports. Thus, I believe SBD when they say that it is their intention to differentiate the Craftsman brand by offering high quality tools that are made in the USA ... there is a large, underserved market for such tools.

 

[Al Borland]

Isn't that what they have Proto for?

 

[Finance Guy]

Isn't that what they have Proto for?

I don't think Proto competes much with Husky, Kobalt, etc.

 

[Al Borland]

Finance Guy:
"Thus, I believe SBD when they say that it is their intention to differentiate the Craftsman brand by offering high quality tools that are made in the USA ..."

Al Borland:
"Isn't that what they have Proto for?"

 

[zendriver]

Reality check.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/mone...ings-stanley-black-decker-craftsman/99484390/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[B.S.A. (ret.)]

"We have ignition and LIFTOFF at 4:31 PM!" Liftoff of the SBD can never do it/Craftsman ***** and will never be equal to the truck brands debate. 5:16 PM Topic is 200 miles downrange and first stage separation is complete. Second stage ignition is successful and we are "GO" for roll maneuver.

Hello Moderators! Can Mission Control hit the "destruct button" before the craft crashes out of control?

 

[Finance Guy]

Reality check.

Ya know ... this didn't come up once on the conference call!

 

[zendriver]

I have nothing against cman Chinese or American made , as I have and use both. They seem to get the job done.

However, imo these guys are businessman, good businessmen, so they know how to make money on the down side of a failing business, that is Sears.

I don't believe they give one **** about producing cman tools here, but it helps their public perception and their current stock prices if they act like they do.

Sorry to rain on the parade, but I like to see things as I see them, as well.

Maybe I am wrong.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Finance Guy]

I don't believe they give one **** about producing cman tools here, but it helps their public perception and their current stock prices if they act like they do.

I don't necessarily disagree with any of this ... I just don't know why I'd be angry about it.

 

[ChrisPace]

I think it's great news! Thanks for forwarding the plans they have committed to. Sounds like they already have the factories in place already so it should be an easy addition. They need to get it right when they launch and I'm sure they know what the market wants.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[L5wolvesf]

"We have ignition and LIFTOFF at 4:31 PM!" Liftoff of the SBD can never do it/Craftsman ***** and will never be equal to the truck brands debate. 5:16 PM Topic is 200 miles downrange and first stage separation is complete. Second stage ignition is successful and we are "GO" for roll maneuver.

Hello Moderators! Can Mission Control hit the "destruct button" before the craft crashes out of control?

"Houston, we have a problem."

 

[mmason7764]

Finance Guy, Thanks for the info, this explains why Sears sold one of their star brands. Don't think it will save the company.

I have been disgusted with Craftsman since I bought some sockets a couple years ago and half turned out to be made in a-communist-country-that-hates-us. Took them back and have stayed out of the Craftsman isle ever since.

It's possible that SBD is considering domestic manufacturing: They have made a big deal out of putting the American flag on tape measures and Dewalt drills. Their biggest competitor, Apex, lost the Craftsman, NAPA, & Kobalt, etc business to PRC outsourcing, and has since shuttered their Armstrong factory. Picking up Craftsman keeps it out of any competitors' hand and may be seen as giving the average Joe access to made in USA.

This makes me wonder if Sears lost volume when they switched to communist manufacturing. If so, it's another example of corporate cost cutting actually speeding up the downward spiral. I would like to think that some percentage of consumers are getting harder to fool with the Country of Origin switch while keeping the name brand labelling the same.

Mark

 

[JazzBlueRT]

I have nothing against cman Chinese or American made , as I have and use both. They seem to get the job done.

However, imo these guys are businessman, good businessmen, so they know how to make money on the down side of a failing business, that is Sears.

I don't believe they give one **** about producing cman tools here, but it helps their public perception and their current stock prices if they act like they do.

Sorry to rain on the parade, but I like to see things as I see them, as well.

Maybe I am wrong.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The purpose of a corporation is to maximize it's profit. Some reduce manufacturing costs, other simply raise prices. Others accept lower margins and make the profit on volume.

Capitalism, like evolution does not leave an exploitable niche unfilled. If SBD sees profit in the "Made in the USA" tool market, they will continue to expand it.

I just wonder how many of the Honda lawnmower owning, Toyota truck driving, Subaru buying, Snap on tool using people out there will actually buy SBD's "Made in the USA" pitch?

 

[Gmonkee]

Stanley didn't go into this to fail, and they have great capacity to make stuff both domestic and worldwide.

I simply cannot see them not doing as they say especially when it seems to mean so much now.

Tooling up takes time and what the guy says seems very reasonable to get a line of products to market.

Hang loose guys. Its not like most of us really need many more tools anyway.
They cannot afford to flub this up with something as silly as dumb lies. They have real money riding on this.

 

[Thumper68]

I for 1 am watching this closely, and am looking forward to walking into a store in 2018 and speaking loudly with my cash. I will most likely buy a starter set of cman USA for each of my kids to show my support for USA made tools.

 

[Wamsutta]

I don't think Proto competes much with Husky, Kobalt, etc.

High quality, USA made, and then be inexpensive enough to compete with Husky and Kobalt? That's what the old SK tried to do.

 

[sberry]

They have lost the market share and will never get it back.
similarly,,, a Bud of mine owns a pizza store. He sells half all the pizza in the city. A genius with some degree works for them as a doughboy and talks them in to opening a store in a different city. It was a bomb for a lot of reasons but mainly due to the fact they didn't have a fan club there and there was already someone that was making 50% of it in that town.
We consulted but there are too many owner problems but our take was to open a second store in the same town in another location that would have really helped them, a super lot with logistics, both delivery and drive time for customers.

 

[kd3pc]

High quality, USA made, and then be inexpensive enough to compete with Husky and Kobalt? That's what the old SK tried to do.

this is the dilemna - And stanley/B&D are in no more of a position to solve it or not, even with their deep pockets. Many companies have been here before, and given the business plans of today that might stretch to a year out - SBD will be unloading the junk, selling off the useful stuff and pocketing the profits - just like every other conglomerate now does.

The American consumer wants SnapOn quality and service at WalMart pricing and has no understanding of the real world of today's business/capitalist practices. They just WANT it.

 

[Tallpilot]

It is comical how heated these discussions get. Maybe we will get some high quality USA made tools out of this for less money than the high quality USA made tools we currently have available. Maybe we won't. Let's just relax and wait until we have some tools to evaluate then discuss it.

As to the financial decisions behind the transaction, CEOs are under intense pressure to create "shareholder value." That is difficult in a low/no growth environment. Once buybacks quit working the next strategy is usually a buyout/merger. There are different ways to structure the transaction but at the end of the day the point is a desperate attempt to increase revenue. This often leads to decisions that are positive for a quarter or two but long term foolish.

 

[Finance Guy]

The American consumer wants SnapOn quality and service at WalMart pricing

One can only surmise that SBD thinks there is a considerable market between Proto and Husky/Kobalt and is willing to invest accordingly. The Craftsman tools made by Western Forge, Vaughn, Stride, Knipex, Wilde, etc. a few short years ago were better quality than today's Husky/Kobalt tools, but a fraction of the Proto prices.

 

[Matt The Hammer]

Considering that most of us "old guys" are pretty much at tool capacity already - the buyers for tools now are the young ones - AKA millennials - who have always had global items in their life. I don't see tools in the future (outside the pros) mattering to the buyer where they are made.

 

[Finance Guy]

I don't see tools in the future (outside the pros) mattering to the buyer where they are made.

And that is (arguably) a good thing ... if SBD differentiates the Craftsman brand solely by COO, it will have limited/no success. I reiterate that, in my view, SBD must offer a premium product if its purchase of the Craftsman brand is to be successful. It must fill the void between Husky/Kobalt and Proto/Williams with products that are available at Home Depot/Lowes.

 

[Tallpilot]

I just wonder how many of the Honda lawnmower owning, Toyota truck driving, Subaru buying, Snap on tool using people out there will actually buy SBD's "Made in the USA" pitch?

Toyota trucks (not all) are made in San Antonio, Subarus (not all) are made in Indiana. Anybody want to Google where Honda lawn mowers are made? I am curious but lazy.

But you are correct, Americans are mostly broke and squeezed by higher prices every year. That makes them very price sensitive and unlikely to pay significantly more for Made in USA.

 

[DadsTools]

Craftsman is the most recognized brand name for hand tools in the USA (I'm talking name recognition). Sears built this name into an institution unto itself. If you doubt this. talk to anyone who frequents flea markets and pawn shops picking for USA tools--they'll charge the most for Craftsman while leaving names like Bonney or Proto in the bargain bins. Who's Bonney? What in the world is a Proto? But everyone knows Craftsman, and the name indeed holds a 'perceived' value with the public no matter what the 'real' value actually is. We mechanically inclined individuals look more at tools from that real-value perspective, but trust me--Craftsman was not built into an empire solely on the purchases by professional mechanics. Think about it. The General Public bought many more Craftsman than all the mechanics in the country put together. Their no-questions-asked warranty was a big part of this. Some of us old timers remember when Sears would even replace competitors tools with a Craftsman. I remember one instance in the 1990s when I brought in my Dad's old Craftsman lineman pliers with a chip in the cutter that was from the late 1940s--they replaced it without a blink.

Another important element coming forth from this scenario is that Craftsman had become a tradition, and a point of pride, and confidence in an established American institution. I've seen many posts in GJ expressing the general theme that, "My Dad bought Craftsman and so I did too." Sears had built the Craftsman image in the public's eye as that of a partner in home repair--a friend you could count on in thick or thin. Anyone who spent a length of time as a professional salesman (I'm not talking about sitting behind a store sales counter--that's order-taking, not real selling) is keenly aware of how huge these selling features are. Someone who just turns nuts, maybe not so much.

These are the value factors I'm sure SBD is looking at, a very successful company and so one that 'gets' these marketing concepts very well. They already know they're not going to make Craftsman a success solely with the professional mechanic or enthusiast--all the banter in these GJ forums from what amounts to a relatively small minority segment of the buying public are rather marginal to them in the greater scheme of things (the long-running TV series Ghost Hunters would not have lasted a single season if the viewership was limited primarily to other paranormal investigators). They need only to win back the hearts and minds of the general public to make it a success. bringing the brand back to the USA is part of that formula, and they know it.

But here's the problem. The perceived value was intrinsically tied to SEARS. Everyone knows Sears is in trouble, and is selling off its possessions to pay its bills. They feel betrayed as they now see Chinese tools that they can buy anywhere, and their prized Craftsman are being replaced with Chiwan stuff. And the warranty in places is no longer hassle free, and they'll give you a used Chiwan ratchet rebuilt by some young clerk to replace the old faithful you had for decades. Sears is no longer the thick-and-thin friend they counted on--the GP is now a number, a statistic, a lump of meat walking through the door.

We already know that SBD knows how to make really good tools when they want to. But in the most critical perception=sales formula, SBD will not only have to win hearts and minds back to Craftsman, but will have to do it without Sears, and that, with Sears still selling a competitor's Craftsman. They're going to have to shift the public perception away from Sears and squarely on the Craftsman name. The stores that sell them will have to go back to the old replacement-with-no-questions-asked warranty no matter where or when the tool was sold, and that means those stores better have substantial diversity of inventory to pull it off. They will need to make the Craftsman buyer feel like someone special, like a friend and partner, not merely a buyer. Otherwise, as many here observed, it will just be another brand alongside Kobalt, Husky and others. If anyone in today's American tool business landscape can, it's SBD. Time will tell.

 

[Sco Deac]

I've said it before in these threads, but on this board we tend to focus myopically on hand tools (it's why most of us found this board to start with) and we analyze the SBD plans for Craftsman with a focus on hand tools. From SBD's perspective, I suspect the lawn equipment (particularly the gas powered equipment) is the prize on which they are focused. If you look at the 2016 sales distribution of Craftsman products on slide 6 (linked below) you'll see approximately $1.9 billion in annual retail
sales. About 35% are in tools, 25% in storage and related products and 40% in lawn and garden. Taken with the quotes above, SBD likely sees Craftsman as their entry to the gas lawn and garden market.

the 1/5/17 presentation linked here: http://ir.stanleyblackanddecker.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=114416&p=irol-presentations

 

[markhm]

DadsTools above post is the essence of the problem and the challenge. What made the Craftsman brand was the warranty. And Sears controlled the warranty. When Sears decided to change the "sorry to hear it broke" warranty to "prove it's covered" warranty, the brand declined.
Stanley will have difficulty overseeing the retailers warranty enthusiasm and will find it costly to cover. Time will tell if they can rebuild the brand if they don't rebuild the perceived warranty value.

 

[icthruu74]

The split Craftsman sales is something that I still don't understand. It seems to me that if you are trying to build a brand back up, the last thing you would want is someone selling a Chinese imitation of it. I really think SBD is going to have to distance itself from the old CM, and produce all new tools and equipment. It will have to be different from the Sears CM so that they can easily say "sorry we can't warranty that, you'll have to take it to Sears".

And as said they have already said that they see this as an opportunity to get into the gas power equipment market.

 

[DadsTools]

I've said it before in these threads, but on this board we tend to focus myopically on hand tools (it's why most of us found this board to start with) and we analyze the SBD plans for Craftsman with a focus on hand tools. From SBD's perspective, I suspect the lawn equipment (particularly the gas powered equipment) is the prize on which they are focused. If you look at the 2016 sales distribution of Craftsman products on slide 6 (linked below) you'll see approximately $1.9 billion in annual retail
sales. About 35% are in tools, 25% in storage and related products and 40% in lawn and garden. Taken with the quotes above, SBD likely sees Craftsman as their entry to the gas lawn and garden market.

the 1/5/17 presentation linked here: http://ir.stanleyblackanddecker.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=114416&p=irol-presentations

I agree to a point. There's no question that the gas lawn/garden market is an important facet to SBD. But....it's still tied in with the Craftsman brand. Stanley could have entered this market on its own without Craftsman, as it has already done with lawn/garden tools. Most brands of the large-ticket riding mowers (including Craftsman) are already made by MTD, anmd it's unlikely they'll get into the mfg end of that business. They could have had MTD make a Stanley tractor anytime they wanted. The key is the CRAFTSMAN name, and they'll need to rebuild its image and perceived value with the general public. Also, I don't think anyone would argue that the expansion of the Craftsman name into other kinds of products grew from the institution established by the Craftsman hand tools over decades. So regardless to the gas lawn/garden, I still see the Craftsman name as the fundamental 'prize', the hand tools as the foundation from which other Craftsman lines are bound, and the rebuilding of the general public's perception of the Craftsman brand as the fundamental challenge. Otherwise, Craftsman lawn tractors are no better or different than any other. If you read the quoted document, the thread running through all of it is not any particular product line, but the exploitation of the Craftsman brand as the core strategy.

 

[DadsTools]

DadsTools above post is the essence of the problem and the challenge. What made the Craftsman brand was the warranty. And Sears controlled the warranty. When Sears decided to change the "sorry to hear it broke" warranty to "prove it's covered" warranty, the brand declined.
Stanley will have difficulty overseeing the retailers warranty enthusiasm and will find it costly to cover. Time will tell if they can rebuild the brand if they don't rebuild the perceived warranty value.

Yes, one of the biggest challenges in this strategy will be to promote individual retailer's commitment to the Craftsman legacy and warranty. And Stanley is no stranger to all the issues surrounding warranties. However, this can be done though national advertising. If they promote the warranty to the general public through advertising, the individual retailers will be at worst humiliated, embarrassed and shamed into honoring it. Remember, many retailers would love to get their hands on the Craftsman brand products also, and wil probably need to enter into a contractual agreement with SBD regarding warranty and other issues. But again, time will tell if they can pull it off. In the best public perception scenario, SBD will be perceived as a hero, a knight in shining armor who rode in to save the Craftsman line for all of us from the corrupt turncoat Sears.

 

[sberry]

They will never see the market share they had no matter how much they dump in to it. Its been gone so long now and there are so many other choices they could never get more than a sliver. Onliist way they could get that is to hook it to Walmart.

 

[ptgarcia]

The number of "professionals" or "power users" vs casual users here are not proportionate with the population outside Garage Journal and it seems members here forget that. I think professionals and power users are aware of the professional and industrial made-in-USA tool brands already available. But I don't think they are SBD's target market. People like me are more the target market. I'm not a professional nor a power user, just a home hack that wants a quality USA made tool at a fair price. And there are way more people like me than professional and power users. My office is full of men who work on their cars, motorcycles, houses, yards, etc. on the weekends and after work. I asked, and NONE of them have heard of Proto, SK, Wilde, Western Forge, Williams, Wright, etc.; but they ALL know Craftsman and ALL own Craftsman tools. One has Snap-On from when he was young and worked in a garage, but that's it. I believe these people are SBD's market, and in my opinion, with a some creative marketing and promotion, SBD will be able to elevate their Craftsman over Sears' Chinese version and sell a lot of tools. I, for one, hope they succeed.

 

[DadsTools]

The number of "professionals" or "power users" vs casual users here are not proportionate with the population outside Garage Journal and it seems members here forget that. I think professionals and power users are aware of the professional and industrial made-in-USA tool brands already available. But I don't think they are SBD's target market. People like me are more the target market. I'm not a professional nor a power user, just a home hack that wants a quality USA made tool at a fair price. And there are way more people like me than professional and power users. My office is full of men who work on their cars, motorcycles, houses, yards, etc. on the weekends and after work. I asked, and NONE of them have heard of Proto, SK, Wilde, Western Forge, Williams, Wright, etc.; but they ALL know Craftsman and ALL own Craftsman tools. One has Snap-On from when he was young and worked in a garage, but that's it. I believe these people are SBD's market, and in my opinion, with a some creative marketing and promotion, SBD will be able to elevate their Craftsman over Sears' Chinese version and sell a lot of tools. I, for one, hope they succeed.

Thank you, ptgarcia, you've made my very point. Were my father not a professional aircraft mechanic, I would have never heard of these brands either and would have cared less. But everyone knows of Craftsman tools, even the fly on the wall. I like your term "power user"...very descriptive and accurately conveys the intended meaning. Craftsman did not build or sustain its market on power users.

Specialists tend to develop what I call an elitist or ivory tower mentality. They grow to believe whatever particular universe they're in is defined by the four walls surrounding their particular niche. I saw it in the office furniture business, and especially in the IT business where the elitist mentality is most severe. They are the experts, the real adherents to the profession--everyone else are merely the 'great unwashed'. They loose sight of the human element. They loose sight that serving the great unwashed are the very reason for their professional existence! In the end, the general public is king--they are the ones at the top of the food chain. Look at all the scientists who harp on global warming, all the supposedly powerful segments of society. Why hasn't it gained traction and empowered them on that subject? Because the general public hasn't fully bought into it yet, and theirs is the real power.

Public perception will be key to SBD's Craftsman success. Professional salesmen and marketers know that an overwhelming majority of purchases are made base on emotional perceived value. Yes, real value is important, but that's not what usually makes the sale. For companies needing to make a profit, it's what makes the buyer pull his money out at that moment. It's reflected in the old salesman's adage, "Sell the sizzle, not the steak." People shell out the money at the moment of purchase for the sizzle, not the steak--they haven't even gotten to try the steak yet!

The difference between real selling (professional salespeople) and suggestive selling (retail sales clerks) is that the professional creates the desire to buy. Some one standing at a retail counter already has some desire to buy, otherwise they wouldn't be standing there. SBD needs to create a genuine desire to buy Craftsman over competing products. The Craftsman name gives them a foot in the door (remember the old door-to-door salespeople literally put their foot in the door when the housewife opened it so it couldn't be closed until he gave his pitch--gotta love it). That's a powerful marketing lever that many other brand names don't have.

Yes, quality will be very important for sustaining the sales model. But you can't demonstrate your quality until a large portion of the general public is induced into tasting the steak. And that initial purchase is going to be largely based on the sizzle, the feeling, and the perceived value. the CRAFTSMAN name carries with it a whole lot of sizzle. That's why SBD bought it. They're going to have to sizzle the heck out of this thing, but also make a good product to sustain it for the long haul. If they approach it with the right philosophy, they CAN do it.

BTW, the old saying that prostitution is the oldest profession is wrong. It may be one of the oldest products. But no matter what the product, it has to be sold first. Sales is the oldest profession.

 

[kythri]

I've said it before in these threads, but on this board we tend to focus myopically on hand tools (it's why most of us found this board to start with) and we analyze the SBD plans for Craftsman with a focus on hand tools. From SBD's perspective, I suspect the lawn equipment (particularly the gas powered equipment) is the prize on which they are focused. If you look at the 2016 sales distribution of Craftsman products on slide 6 (linked below) you'll see approximately $1.9 billion in annual retail
sales. About 35% are in tools, 25% in storage and related products and 40% in lawn and garden. Taken with the quotes above, SBD likely sees Craftsman as their entry to the gas lawn and garden market.

the 1/5/17 presentation linked here: http://ir.stanleyblackanddecker.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=114416&p=irol-presentations

Stanley hasn't exactly been quiet on their desire to get into the lawn and garden market with the Craftsman purchase.

That said, it's not exactly myopic to focus on hand tools, considering every single presentation or news release that SBD issues comments considerably on how they're expanding their hand tools factories to account for Craftsman production.

They haven't said they're building a huge new factory to make lawn and garden equipment. They *HAVE* said they're building a huge new factory, in addition to the other 11 that they have already, to build hand tools.

They themselves have been playing up hand tools far more than they've been playing up lawn and garden equipment.

 

[Corndoggeh]

I guess the best way to put all this into context is that SBD may be the one company that has the -ability- to save craftsman, granted how massive of a brand craftsman still is. Ideal was able to recover SK but they went through a hell of a time to bring it back.

 

[Wamsutta]

this is the dilemna - And stanley/B&D are in no more of a position to solve it or not, even with their deep pockets. Many companies have been here before, and given the business plans of today that might stretch to a year out - SBD will be unloading the junk, selling off the useful stuff and pocketing the profits - just like every other conglomerate now does.

The American consumer wants SnapOn quality and service at WalMart pricing and has no understanding of the real world of today's business/capitalist practices. They just WANT it.

The whole entire problem stems from the premise that tools are supposed to be cheap and inexpensive. I'm just thankful that there's enough people out there who place a priority on quality for there to be a market for high end tools. If every person on the planet was thinking like a Harbor Freight, Lowes, Home Depot, or Sears customer, there would be no nice tools to be had anywhere. The world would be a very depressing place.

 

[anndel]

I the words of the great philosopher Doris Day, "Que Sera Sera, Whatever Will Be Will Be."

 

[jdlong]

Will be interesting to see how it all shakes out. I would expect to see US made tools trickle into department stores and win back serious tool users over a course of years. Until someone tosses some realistic numbers out like 1/2 billion to build a US manufacturing plant, it ain't gonna happen over night.