« Professional tooling is becoming connected in a big way »

Eurobois trade show partner SECIMPAC, the confederation of major professional tool brands, is happy with the state of the sector and its innovation momentum, with connected solutions leading the way.

After three years of high-tempo progress, reaching 5% or 6% per year, how does the market stand in 2019 as regards professional tools dedicated to construction and fitting out?

The market has remained positive in 2019, with growth at the end of September standing at 2.6% across the physical and e-commerce channels. In both of these distribution segments, it’s interesting to note the share of battery powered equipment, which now accounts for more than 57% of sales. The French market is dynamic, taking advantage of the buoyant state of new home construction and of marquee projects like Grand Paris and the 2024 Olympic Games, which will generate significant investments over several years. We are in the midst of a strong technological thrust, with big European and global leaders like Bosch, Makita, Stanley, or Black & Decker staking heavily on product connectivity, driving the market and stimulating innovation.

Which falls nicely with my next question: what are the big innovation trends in this market?

Portable electric tools are veering into the world of connected objects. Manufacturers are now offering more and more smartphone apps that let tradesmen locate their tools from a distance, memorize settings, receive alerts on charge levels or on issues like overheating, etc. These new features enable professionals to optimize their work procedures, anticipate breakdowns, avoid fruitless journeys, and consequently improve their productivity. The other big area of innovation concerns cordless appliances running on batteries, whose prices have fallen dramatically while the chase for perfection continues, be it in terms of charge life, weight, or power. In two years, cordless has gained 10 points in market share. That’s a big trend in the evolution of tools. Innovation efforts are also being directed at solutions for improving safety of use, for example stud bar cut-off tools that, unlike disc grinders, do not give off sparks. Last and far from least, industrial companies, inspired by digital solutions, are revitalizing their external communication and reinforcing direct links with professionals via the social networks and other channels.

This is SECIMPAC’s first involvement as a Eurobois partner. What are your expectations?

Eurobois has become a go-to event for timber and fitting out. Our role as a confederation of professionals is to offer our members, who together account for 3000 jobs and €3bn turnover, visibility at major events attended by end customers. Festool, Flex, Robert Bosch France, Spit, Virutex, Stanley Bostitch—almost a quarter of our members have booked stands at the show to show off their new products and features.  We intend to seize upon this gathering to pass on a message from the whole sector, to demonstrate to professional users and distributors alike the strong momentum and high level of innovation. We will notably be participating in round-the-table talks and on the TV stage, with communication on accident prevention, market trends, and product recycling that we will relay to all our members. We will thus bring further visibility to the trade show: it really is a win-win partnership!