Itโs literally last yearโs news that Stanley Black & Decker owns Craftsman Tools. Thereโs plenty of work for the company to do as it shifts the Craftsman brand into the fold with DeWalt, Porter-Cable, Proto, MAC Tools, and more. But what happens next?
There are some crossover products in Craftsmanโs offering that seems to compete with the other brands in the SBD family. Anytime a tool group (or other manufacturing sectors for that matter) makes a similar acquisition, you can expect some changes. Weโve collected some whispers, rumors, and batted around some thoughts of our own.
Itโs important to note โ NONE of this is based on anything other than conjecture. Itโs guesswork all the way around, but itโs kind of fun to dream, scheme, and then see if weโre right.
Stanley Black & Decker Owns Craftsman Tools โ What Happens Next?
Theory #1 โ OPE Focus
Theorized by some, including PTR Editor-in-Chief, Clint DeBoer, Craftmanโs tools divisions are absorbed into other brands like Porter-Cable and Stanley (Porter-Cable hand tools, perhaps?) while the Craftsman brand goes completelyย lawn care.
Completely Made Up Probability Rating: 40%
This oneโs possible given how much of Craftsmanโsย business is in lawn care. Well, maybe not the Porter-Cable hand tools. Those would be better shifting to Stanley.
Theory #2 โ Business as Usual
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Itโs possible that SBD may just let Craftsman continue running the majority of their business as is. Some of the direct competition between brands will just fall away from Craftsman where itโs not as profitable.
Complete Made Up Probability Rating: 10%
Itโs just not likely with so many crossover products that SBD would rely on the Craftsman name alone and take sales away from the other branches.
Theory #3 โ Porter-Cable Moves Out and Craftsman Moves In
Porter-Cable has seen very slow expansion compared to the other brands. We know DeWalt isnโt going anywhere on the Pro side and neither is Stanley for DIYers. With Porter-Cable unable to find a solid foothold in the Prosumer market, Craftsman uses their brand recognition to take over that sector.
Completely Made Up Probability Rating: 30%
This one is another attractiveย possibility. Gone are the days of high-quality Pro-level routers (many of which are still in use) as the brand has struggled in this tool group and Craftsman as a Prosumer Brand isnโt a huge leap of faith. Plus, the Prosumer/homeowner route allows them to keep their lawn care business.
Theory #4 โ Craftsman Becomes the New Pro Mechanicโs Choice
In this scenario, DeWalt lets go of their automotive focus and hands it over to Craftsman. With Craftsman already making a lot of hand tools, they move up in quality on the power tool and storage side to maintain a Pro focus.
Completely Made Up Probability Rating: 20%
I really want to like this scenario because of the nostalgiaย that using Craftsman hand tools has, but itโs a bit too much of a stretch to see them give up the lawn care side of their business to focus solely on mechanics.
So Stanley Black & Decker owns Craftsman Tools โ what do you think theyโre going to do? Tell us if you agree with one of our thoughts or if you have another thought in the comments below!
