Danaher Tool Group Professional Tools Division, Hunt Valley, MD, announced the details of its exclusive partnership with Sears Industrial Sales to market Sears proprietary Craftsmanﾮ brand hand tools to the industrial, construction, and government end-user markets at the recent ISMA/I.D.A. Spring Convention in New Orleans.

Danaher and its distributors will assume the marketing, sales and service responsibilities for the 70,000 Sears Industrial customers buying Craftsmanﾮ tools today. Sears Industrial had roughly $180 million in annual sales, with about half of that in mechanics hand tools, but the division had a relatively small direct salesforce to cover a national territory. The agreement includes about 2900 SKUs in the Craftsman Professional catalog, and includes a complimentary range of products outside the pure mechanics hand tool category. These include air tools, shop vacuums and safety products.

Danaher launched its Craftsman program Apr. 1, and plans to offer the Craftsman line on a selective basis to its Armstrong distributors. It is targeting an estimated 120 distributors to service the North American market, primarily through industrial MRO and construction/contractor distributors. To date, Danaher has signed on 83 distributors to the program and hopes to complete its distribution landscape by mid-June. To support this program and their distributors Danaher has opened a new distribution operation in Gastonia, NC.
Danaher Tool Group is the world's largest manufacturer of ratchets, sockets and wrenches. Brands include Armstrong, Allen, Jacobs, Holo-Krome, and K-D. Danaher also manufactures the majority of Craftsman hand tools for Sears, making the agreement a good fit for both companies.