Varied brands

In the past Cooper Hand Tools has made a name for itself in the DIY stores by means of the Weller brand, a name which covers all conceivable products under the heading of soldering. It is especially this brand and this product line that the company wants to promote more intensively through DIY stores. An entirely new concept has been worked out for the purpose: the range of products has been revised, as has the POS image as well.
Cooper Hand Tools is acceleratingits policy of supplying direct to DIY stores.
Cooper Hand Tools carries abroad portfolio of brands.
In addition to a new series of soldering irons, the new Weller WHS 40 D soldering station is also included in the assortment. This is a tool that offers digital temperature control in the range between 150 and 450 degrees. What is more, the supplier claims that it also features an extremely rapid heating-up time. The soldering station is equipped with a 40 watt soldering iron and a universal longlife soldering tip.Marketing manager Michael Knör and sales manager Fritz Schmid are responsible for the accelerated distribution strategy through DIY stores. “We see our future in the DIY store sector,” says Michael Knör,  emphasing in particular the new Cooper Hand Tools line. Whereas the company previously worked mainly through single-line wholesalers, direct supplying is now to be promoted. The new concept is being implemented in Germany and France at first; for the time being the old system is remaining unchanged in the other EU countries.The Cooper group has its origins in an iron foundry that was established in 1833 in Vernon, Ohio. Starting in 1960, the company began to diversify.Today Cooper is headquartered in Houston, Texas, has annual sales of around € 3.2 bn and employs a workforce in excess of 28 000 worldwide. The group consists of the Cooper Electrical division and two Cooper Tools divisions: Cooper Power Tools and Cooper Hand Tools. The latter has been continually expanded over recent years through the acquisition of established brand names including Campbell (chains), Crescent (pliers and wrenches), Nicholson (files), Lufkin (measuring tapes) and H.K. Porter (bolt cutters).