Bosch Power Tools hits €4.6 billion in Europe & revamps 18m seller Ixo

Bosch has fired its latest salvo in the power tools market, revealing sales of €4.6 billion, a new version of its best selling Ixo screwdriver and the news that the firm believes cordless tools have now surpassed corded tools.

Bosch's 18-million-unit-seller Ixo screwdriver has been revamped with a new look that retains its distinctive silhouette. The Ixo is lighter, there's now a speed control feature, the Ixo screws 'more sensitively and flatters the material'. There's also a new ergonomic handle and an all-round soft grip. Finally, three LEDS now show the battery's charge status, taking the guesswork out for users.

"Cordless tools now better than corded"

Bosch's Biturbo tools are a new generation of cordless tools, including three angle grinders, three saws and two rotary hammers. They are optimised for maximum performance with ProCore 18V batteries, making them more powerful that all previous cordless tools from Bosch, offering the equivalent power from a 1,000 to 1,800 watts corded tool. And - according to the brand - they are as powerful as competitor models with two batteries.

At a press conference, Lennart de Vet and Stephan Hölzl, Managing Directors of the Robert Bosch Power Tools GmbH, said: "A growing number of professionals are relying on cordless tools. The total market share of cordless tools when looking at professional power tools in industrialized markets was 66 percent in 2018. This trend will continue in coming years. Why? Cordless tools offer high mobility on construction sites without long set-up times – tradespeople can start work immediately. They are fast and flexible which leads to higher productivity. But only if the performance is also right.

"We are entering a new dimension of performance with our cordless tools. For the first time, cordless tools from Bosch have become better than corded tools. But let me begin with a few words about the needs of our users. What do professionals want? They want cordless tools with the power of a corded tool. They want compact, light tools with a long runtime. And this is exactly what we are offering with our new professional 18 V system. I am proud to present you with a new generation of cordless tools today. A generation, which fully utilizes the potential of our ProCore18V high-performance batteries with 8.0 and 12.0 Ah. Our flagship tools with 18 V: Biturbo."

Meanwhile, Bosch has created a line of power tools specifically for DIYers, named YouSeries. They are intuitive, compact and make for "smoother DIY work than ever before".

The busy firm has also launched the DigiLab 3D20 Flex from Dremel. Making 3D printing easier and more efficient, the product is said to open 3D printing to novices as well as printing experts.

“We are shaping the technical development of the industry," said Henk Becker, President of the Robert Bosch Power Tools GmbH. "It is our claim to have the smallest and most powerful batteries on the market, to replace corded tools by cordless tools in the long-term. Our new Biturbo tools for tradespeople are advancing into a new dimension of performance. For the first time, cordless tools are better than corded tools.”