Brinley Buckley Roberts, Head of Marketing at Carl Kammerling International, the home of C.K Tools, discusses what wholesalers should consider when it comes to selecting the right hand tools.

Tool choice is a careful consideration for electrical professionals and wholesalers alike and can make or break a reputation.

For any electrician, an inadequate tool purchase can lead to downtime, a slow work rate, and ultimately an unforecasted replacement purchase, all impacting bottom lines. A tool that delivers a poor finish can lead to reputational damage and prevent repeat business as well as being unsafe to use. And in the long term, a bad recommendation from the service desk will result in a lack of trust for the stockist.

There are a number of factors to consider when it comes to choosing which hand tools to supply, to ensure wholesalers are providing the best, and safest, solutions for their customers and driving that all important customer loyalty and repeat purchase.

The hidden dangers to consider

Many workplace accidents are down to having inadequate or sometimes incorrect tools for the job in hand. For example a screwdriver made from low quality materials with a blunt tip can cause a painful puncture injury if it slips and electrical shocks can occur when using tools without the appropriate insulation properties.

But there are also the more gradual, hidden hazards from using sub-quality tools which aren’t ergonomically designed for maximum comfort and ease of use. Over time, prolonged use can cause soreness, aches, pains, fatigue and when these symptoms are ignored – even musculoskeletal injuries.

Let’s take Repetetive Strain Injury (RSI) as an example. Did you know that half a million people within the British workforce suffer with RSI? Although commonly associated with extended computer use, those working in the electrical sectors are equally vulnerable, if not more so. The condition (and those related to it) costs the UK around £3 billion each year in lost work hours and production. For those who are self-employed and afflicted by RSI, that cost is carried by them, including lost work hours, treatment and recovery time.

The latest guidance and product innovations

Retailers are ideally placed to provide accurate advice on these issues and offer product solutions which fit the latest guidance. Understanding the latest product innovations and the factors that end users want and need will help customers complete their jobs efficiently and safely. The Health and Safety Executive offers clear guidelines for the prevention and support of RSI in work: use power tools where applicable and appropriate, select tools that are right for the job, consider lighter tools, and those that minimise the amount of force needed.

Listen to the industry

Here at C.K Tools the starting point for any new product is listening to what the industry is asking for. By working closely with a panel of professionals we can develop innovative solutions and product evolutions which tackle the everyday issues electricians face and make their job that much more efficient.

Our NPD team will then consider the design, the multi-functionality, the durability, the materials, and of course – the ergonomics. There’s no product without a clear thought process behind it; each tool is methodically planned, CAD designed, prototyped and thoroughly tested to develop the quality hand tools which C.K Tools is known for. Hand tools have to be inherently comfortable and safe to handle. Ergonomic tools are designed to fit your hand and the task naturally, helping to prevent award postures, harmful pressure points and other health related issues which can emerge from repetitive tasks such as RSI.

Opt for premium hand tools

Strong, durable and high-performing hand tools need to be made from exceptional materials. Material choice is of great importance to C.K Tools and has contributed considerably to the reputation we’ve built over more than 200 years. We’re committed to developing innovative tools which offer exceptional strength and durability. Many of our products, such as our award-winning Dextro VDE range of screwdrivers are made in Germany for this very reason.

Each screwdriver features precision-engineered tips and is torque-tested up to 20Nm, highlighting the strength of steel sourced from North Rhine, a region renowned for its steel production. Designed for exceptional durability, these screwdrivers provide unmatched comfort and control, ensuring users can complete any task with ease.

Stocking a premium hand tool demonstrates an understanding of the challenges electricians face, the requirements of the trade and their health and wellbeing. With some much riding on the performance, reliability and convenience of these tools, it’s this emphasis on quality which is the key securing repeat business and a strong bottom line.

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C.K Tools has announced the launch of its exclusive Mystery Box, providing the perfect gift for busy professionals this Christmas.

Packed with limited edition merchandise and fan favourite tools, worth over £130 – this latest offering from the experts in premium tools will provide some valuable additions to toolkits ahead of the new year.

Featuring 11 products from C.K Tools’ bestselling range. including C.K Cable Cutters, a Magma 3 in 1 tote and a Dextro VDE Ultraslim Screwdriver, this tool-packed box features carefully selected items that will be sure to help the recipient tackle any project with ease.

Not only that but each C.K Tools Mystery Box includes the chance to win over £300 worth of C.K Tools products in the new year, with the winner to be announced on 1st February 2025, as well as counting towards each retailer’s total spend in the brand’s popular Magnetic 24 promotion.

Janet Bourke, Trade Marketing Manager at C.K Tools, commented: “What better way to treat your best customers this Christmas than with a mystery gift packed with some toolbox essentials and limited edition exclusives, not available anywhere else? At C.K Tools we’re passionate about helping busy professionals in their everyday work, and Christmas is no exception.”

The C.K Mystery Box is available to order now, simply contact the CKI customer services team on 01758 701070 or sales@cki.uk.com today.

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Carl Kammerling International (CKI) has partnered with the German brand Jokari, known for its high-quality range of professional tools for stripping wires and cables.

The partnership will see Jokari join the CKI brand portfolio, giving the premium tool business exclusive distribution rights across the UK and Ireland.

Wholesalers will now have access to the full portfolio of the Jokari range through CKI. The brand is well known for its high quality and ergonomically designed cable knives and strippers – providing electricians, heating engineers and plumbers alike with a reliable and safe way for stripping cables.

Michael Chappell, Product and Marketing Executive at CKI, commented: “Jokari is a market leader in cable stripping solutions across Europe and we’re excited to bring this knowledge and success to the UK.

“At CKI, we’re proud of our reputation of producing high quality hand tools that meet the most demanding needs of trade professionals. The Jokari range is in line with this ethos – offering a solution that many of our customers need, with the exceptional high quality and performance customers expect from a CKI brand.

“It’s easy to see why Jokari has such a loyal following due to the increased efficiencies, precise cuts and consistent performance each product provides, helping busy tradespeople get the job done in less time and to a higher standard. Through this partnership, there isn’t a single cable in the UK and Irish market that we cannot provide a stripping solution for.”

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C.K Tools has launched five new IP rated lighting products, including a brand-new range, designed to shine a light onto a multitude of projects for trade professionals, industrial workers and keen DIYers alike.

C.K Tools Folding Work Light provides a powerful and reliable lighting source throughout a full working day (up to 8.5 hours per charge). It comes complete with a 360° folding design and ball-ended hanging hook with magnetic base, for flooding work areas both large and small with light.

Meanwhile C.K Tools T9751 Mini Work Light 1000lm provides a versatile lighting solution with four modes to choose from – whether you need focused lighting for an up-close job or for lighting up an entire working area.

For larger work areas C.K Tools T9752 – Maxi Work Light 2000lm is a versatile addition to the range. It features a flexible 180° folding design with magnetic base as well as being tripod compatible and four lighting modes to choose from.

C.K Tools T9714USB – Magnetic Wide Angle Head Torch 150lm features a wide-angle lens and a powerful 3.7V USB-C rechargeable battery for up to nine hours runtime. Three modes provide varying degrees of light from 50 to 150lm.

For professionals who need a more powerful head light the C.K Tools T9615USB – Magnetic Dual Lens Headlight 500lm is a must. Users can choose from wide or narrow beam lighting which can also be dimmed to suit any environment. With a USB-C rechargeable 3.7V Li-ion battery as well as being x3 AAA battery powered, this latest offering from C.K Tools is sure to provide the optimum level of lighting required for any given situation.

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Carl Kammerling International (CKI), the home of C.K Tools, is giving the trade another reason to ensure its customers have access to the best tools for the job through its 2024 Highlight Promotion.

Live now and running until 31 August 2024, the Highlight Promotion is offering merchants and wholesalers a welcome profit boost with discounts of up to 60% available on C.K Tools top of the range lighting solutions.

All the products in C.K Tools’ lighting range combines the very best of LED technology in a robust and durable package. Discounts are now available on a variety of bestsellers, including the Power Tool Battery Site Light (T9741), the LED Head Torch (T9613) and Neck Light (T9429USB).

CKI is also offering an additional 5% discount to use on new lighting products due to launch in October 2024, each designed to tackle a multitude of situations faced by trade professionals.

Brinley Buckley Roberts, Head of Marketing at CKI, commented: “With more than 200 years of heritage in the trade, we understand the importance to our customers of getting a strong bottom line established, especially during the quieter summer months.

“This Highlight Promotion is our way of supporting the trade with some great value deals across our core lighting products, all which have been carefully designed in collaboration with tradespeople to address a variety of lighting needs. We’re confident that these savings will drive sales from customers looking to stock up on high quality lighting solutions at a fantastic price, ahead of the autumn and winter months.”

Contact the CKI customer services team on 01758 704704 to sign up to the promotion today.

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Brinley Buckley-Roberts, Head of Marketing at C.K Tools, discusses how the EV revolution is placing a spotlight on the electrical trade. The rise of the electric vehicle (EV) is well and truly upon us, as electric and hybrid car sales hit a global record in 2024.

The UK Government has demonstrated its commitment to establishing a robust, accessible, commercial, domestic and geographically abundant charging infrastructure – dedicating hundreds of millions of pounds of funding to support the delivery of thousands of charge points across England to facilitate the mass consumer adoption of EV.

But as the EV revolution continues to gain momentum, how will the electrical sector handle one of the biggest spotlights it has ever experienced? Designers, specifiers and installers will all have roles to play as they are tasked with the challenge of EV charger installation with the pre-wiring, upgrades, maintenance and not to mention repairs of the growing number of chargers up and down the country.

And so, change is well underway in the electrical trade. Universities and colleges nationwide are offering courses in electric vehicle engineering and maintenance. A skills-led green labour market will soon be upon us. There will be no shortage of demand for installers, with a great opportunity to either switch career focus or supplement the existing workload.

But how do electrical wholesalers ensure installers have the equipment they need to do their job? What tools and accessories? How does it differ from a standard electrician’s or electrical contractor’s kit?

The Institution of Engineering and Technology has launched its own code of practice to provide a clear directive on the considerations and mandatories for every type of EV charger equipment installation, in line with the very latest amendment to BS7671. While a tight code of practice (as you would expect), there is no specific requirement for new tools or accessories that aren’t readily available to the everyday electrician, more a requirement of specific tools and accessories to use.

Clarity, comfort and control

As we do with most of our product research and development here at C.K Tools, we spent time with our panel of electricians and installers to develop tools and kits specific for this job, to ensure clarity, comfort, control and efficiency on every job. As a result, we have assembled two high quality EV specific kits for both existing and newly qualified installers – an EV Hand Tool Kit and EV Power Tools Accessories (PTA) Kit. Combined they provide an easy one-stop-shop for any installer.

The C.K EV Hand Tool Kit (T5984) is a collection of premium hand tools that provide everything needed to get the job done efficiently and professionally. It includes a state-of-the-art C.K Magma Technician’s Wheeled Case packed full of 52 premium hand tools designed to complete the stages of: inspection and quotation; routing the cable from MCB to charger; mounting the charge point; fitting the cable to the charger point; terminating to MCB; fitting an earthing rod; and re-assembling the charge point.

The C.K PTA Kit (T5985) – which can be purchased separately – provides a great range of power tool accessories including quality drill bits, driver bits and hole saws to help complete the installation for EV chargers with the minimum of fuss.

The C.K EV specific kits offer everything needed to complete the steps involved to complete an installation efficiently and professionally.

As the proliferation of EV continues and growing demand for charging points is set to scale up dramatically over the next decade, the impact on the skill, capabilities, qualifications and accompanying tool kits of the EV charge equipment installer may also change.

As a business that has been at the forefront of hand tool manufacturing for more than 100 years and is passionate about driving product innovation to equip electricians with the tools they need to do their job effectively, we will continue to support our retail partners and the electrical trade as they navigate one of the biggest demands and opportunities in history on its workforce.

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Carl Kammerling International (CKI), the home of C.K Tools, has launched its Renewables Highlight Promotion offering its trade customers fantastic discounts across premium tools designed for the ever-growing renewables sector.

As the demand for renewable energy increases so does the demand for professionals equipped with the right tools for the project. Live from 1 May until 28 June 2024, this promotion will see CKI support its retail partners in establishing a strong bottom line by providing fantastic savings on popular products, as summer approaches.

This new promotion will see many of the premium tools C.K Tools is known for, available at discounts of over 60 per cent, including range deals, single SKU’s and complete kits optimised for both EV and solar installations.

Janet Bourke, Trade Marketing Manager at CKI, said: “As the nation becomes increasingly reliant on renewable energy, we are passionate about supporting our valued retail partners and trade professionals in navigating this change.

“The Renewables Highlight Promotion is our way of supporting our retailers in growing their businesses by providing an exciting promotional mix of fresh displays and great value deals on our high-quality range of innovative tools, at a time when the renewables sector is front of mind.”

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Carl Kammerling International (CKI), the home of C.K Tools, has launched its Renewables Highlight Promotion offering its trade customers fantastic discounts across premium tools designed for the ever-growing renewables sector.

As the demand for renewable energy increases so does the demand for professionals equipped with the right tools for the project. Live from 1st May until 28th June 2024, this promotion will see CKI support its retail partners in establishing a strong bottom line by providing fantastic savings on popular products, as summer approaches.

C.K Tools has been at the forefront of hand tool manufacturing for more than 100 years, producing high quality tools that meet the most demanding needs of trade professionals. This new promotion will see many of the premium tools C.K Tools is known for, available at discounts of over 60 per cent, including range deals, single SKUs and complete kits optimised for both EV and solar installations.

Janet Bourke, Trade Marketing Manager at CKI, said: “As the nation becomes increasingly reliant on renewable energy, we are passionate about supporting our valued retail partners and trade professionals in navigating this change.

“The Renewables Highlight Promotion is our way of supporting our retailers in growing their businesses by providing an exciting promotional mix of fresh displays and great value deals on our high quality range of innovative tools, at a time when the renewables sector is front of mind.”

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C.K Tools has launched the new ArmourSlice EVO Cable Stripper – designed to deliver greater effectiveness for electricians in their everyday work.

A high-quality redesign of one of C.K Tools most popular innovations thanks to the speed and precision achieved by using it, the new ArmourSlice EVO offers superior stripping and cutting abilities making it faster, easier and safer to strip SWA cables than conventional stripping methods.

The next generation ArmourSlice features an innovative new quick-clamp design allowing for rapid tool fitment and removal as well as a new finger-grip handle for greater rotational force and faster cutting – providing busy electricians with an efficient method of stripping SWA cables ready for termination.

The new ArmourSlice EVO scores armour strands to a uniform depth for a clean break off and trouble-free gland connection. The automatic cable clamp applies constant pressure throughout the cut with no retightening necessary, ensuring no cable slip or over-scoring, while the wide cable clamp ensures perfect blade to cable alignment for precise cuts on cables from 12mm up to 36mm. The high quality, modern tool has a rugged all-metal construction for exceptional durability.

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Earlier this year, Scolmore Group introduced the new role of Product Development and Research Manager, appointed to Surej Solanki who has been part of the organisation’s product design team for the past three years.

His new role will require him to drive sustainability research initially with Scolmore Group company, Ovia Lighting. Already making his mark, Surej has become a member of the LIA’s Tech Forum Young Industry panel and attended the recent Tech Forum Autumn event which covered updates on a wide-ranging agenda. In his first contribution as a member, Surej discussed topics such as sustainability.

Commenting on his new role, Surej said: “I am really excited to have been given what I consider to be a dream role for me. Having founded my passion for product design and development 14 years ago, I am keen to drive sustainable practices and determined to create positive change in the manufacturing ecosystem.”

BDR THERMEA GROUP | Tjarko Bouman

Baxi’s Parent company, BDR Thermea Group, have announced the appointment of Tjarko Bouman as new Chief Executive Officer. Bouman joins as successor to Bertrand Schmitt who is stepping down.

During his current role as CEO of NTS Group, Tjarko has rolled out a refined new global strategy, resulting in record years for turnover and profitability in 2021 and 2022. Prior to NTS, Tjarko spent nine years at Vanderlande Industries as Managing Director, responsible for delivering automated material handling solutions in Europe and Asia Pacific to main markets of the food retail, e-commerce, fashion, and parcel industries.

Marc de Jong, Chair of the BDR Thermea Supervisory Board, says: “Tjarko brings to his new role as BDR Thermea CEO more than 20 years’ experience in business development, operations and supply chain, both in consulting and management.”

Tjarko Bouman says: “I’m looking forward to joining BDR Thermea Group, building on Bertrand’s legacy, bringing my own experience and skills to the company, and cooperating with the teams across the globe.”

DRAPER TOOLS | Sarah Hartland

Sarah Hartland, who previously held the position of Marketing Campaign Manager, will be the youngest member of the 104 year old company’s senior leadership team at just 32 years old.

Having joined Draper Tools over four years ago, Sarah has been an integral part of the marketing team during that time, playing a crucial role in many of the company’s most successful product launches. Sarah also brings her a wealth of industry knowledge having previously held marketing roles at Elliotts Builders Merchants as well as gaining valuable experience at globally recognised PR firms.

Speaking about her appointment as Head of Marketing, Sarah commented: “When I joined the company in 2019 as a Senior Marketing Executive, I never thought I’d be leading the department. Yes, I’m the youngest person in our leadership team, by quite a few years but I’m proof that if you work hard then age does not matter. I am excited to be part of Draper’s future and to support the business with modern marketing.”

ESP | Mike Feist & Chris Cotton

To strengthen support for existing customers and continue to develop new business opportunities, ESP has appointed two Regional Sales Managers. Mike Fiest, formerly Area Sales Manager with Scolmore, takes up the position for ESP’s South region, whilst Chris Cotton has been promoted from Area Sales Manager to Regional Sales Manager for the North region.

Mike joins the ESP sales team with a wealth of experience having spent more than 30 years in the industry. He takes up his new role following 12 years with Scolmore, five years with a leading wholesaler and nine years with a major manufacturer.

Chris brings to his new role more than 13 years’ experience working in the electrical industry in a number of roles including Operations Manager, three years in external sales, and more than seven years working for ESP as Area Sales Manager covering the North East & Cumbria.

Mike and Chris will have the responsibility for developing and implementing effective sales strategies for the company. They will each lead a team of five area sales managers in their specific regions, helping them achieve sales targets across the product categories that currently sit under the ESP umbrella.

CARL KAMMERLING INTERNATIONAL | Mark Grayson Wood

Carl Kammerling International (CKI) has bolstered its senior team with the appointment of Mark Grayson Wood as Head of Marketing.

Grayson Wood will lead on the company’s full marketing mix, range management and brand development to drive sales and brand loyalty. He will oversee a comprehensive marketing strategy to showcase the craftmanship and durability of new and innovative products across CKI brands including C.K Tools, Clipacore and Kasp.

Grayson Wood brings over 25 years’ experience to the position, having worked within industrial and technical commercial sales and marketing roles within major power, aerospace, oil and gas operators worldwide.

Mark Grayson Wood comments on his appointment; “CKI has established a strong reputation for quality, innovation and customer service in its 100 year history, so the opportunity to join the team was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

“I’m looking forward to further shaping the CKI brand narrative to demonstrate the durability and innovation of our premium tool offering. By highlighting the craftsmanship behind the products and demonstrating how they solve problems, we can make a difference to the working lives of professionals who face challenging applications for their tools every day.”

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