In the latest edition of Torque Magazine, Torque speaks with one US tool firm that is looking to boost its presence both in Benelux and right across the continent. Zircon Vice President of Marketing, Sharon Gee fills in the details...
Headquartered in California, USA, Zircon has been building on its European presence this year, making key sales representative appointments including promoting Fred de Haas to European Sales Representative, responsible for all sales activities and business development in Europe. Likewise, Jan Decuyper was made Sales Representative for Belgium. The “original stud finder” manufacturer has been looking to bolster its presence in Europe and push for further market penetration, bringing new customers to its extensive line of detectors of rebar in concrete and live wires, metal and studs behind walls, floors and ceilings.
The firm had planned to use Cologne’s Hardware Fair to seek further distribution in the territory, but Covid-19 scuppered that show in 2020.
How was 2020 performing up until the pandemic caused all the disruption?
The DIY and home improvement segments generate billions in revenue annually and has seen continued growth over the past few years. Zircon has been fortunate in the ability to see the benefits.
How’s business for Zircon right now?
Zircon, along with other businesses in the hardware and tool sector, have seen continued strong growth in revenue as people are spending more time on their home than usual since the coronavirus pandemic. The opportunity for people to allocate time to home repairs and improvements increased significantly, creating a high demand for our tools.
Can you give us a rough idea of how important the Benelux market is for Zircon?
The Benelux market is highly important to Zircon with a number of international DIY and wholesale companies that are active in this region.
How has Zircon worked through things like product launches with a lack of trade shows?
Although face-to-face conversations for product launches and for communication are paramount, Zircon has changed in step to a virtual world and conducts online meetings to keep our customers aware of new innovations. Zircon has been fortunate that trade show cancellations have not changed our innovation cycles, or the product launches we have in motion for the future.
Covid-aside – what is Zircon working on right now?
Zircon continually pushes the boundaries of innovation by creating new technology while also refining existing technology to advance our tool offerings to answer market needs. The DIY market will be reset to a new normal which, going forwards in a post COVID-19 era, will constantly be redefined. Paramount, now more than ever, Zircon is dedicated to staying on top of trends and continuously analysing the market to manage uncertainty and adapt to new and evolving market conditions.
