Welcome to another edition of DEEP CUTS, the SMART Global newsletter. As we wrap up another great year, we will be discussing everything new. From display stands to the overall SMART brand, we thought it was about time to refresh ourselves before 2023 rolls in.
One of the biggest changes we made to SMART was our branding. We have been working on this for a while now and we are excited to be able to fully announce it to you. There were two main elements we wanted to update so we could stand out even further amongst other brands: our logo and our packaging. Read more about these changes on page 4.
Small updates can make big impacts too. Over in New Zealand, we have recently updated our countertop video displays, as well as operating a new distributor support vehicle. These changes have certainly made it easier for us to do business with and support our partners. Check them out on page 2.
To top off this great quarter, the International Hardware Fair in Cologne finally took place, and SMART was pleased to be one of the brands to exhibit at this world-class show. After numerous delays and postponements, the fair commenced on Sunday, the 25th of September and ended the following Wednesday, on the 28th of September. It was a great experience, and we are happy to see the construction and hardware industry liven up again. During the four-day fair, we showcased our new branding, packaging, and latest innovations on a global stage, as well as receiving numerous of high-quality leads from around the world.
Speaking about being around the world, we are currently working on bringing SMART to a new market. But that’s a story for another time. Thank you for reading this edition of DEEP CUTS, and I’ll see you next year!
Sincerely, Katya Soedigwan
Marketing Coordinator EU
On behalf of SMART Global
Special thanks to the following people in making this edition of DEEP CUTS possible: Robert Mallory, Global Marketing Manager David Suckling, NZ Director Simon Suckling, International Sales Manager Denisa Buckley, SC Customer Service Specialist Olivia Busby, UK Content Marketing Lead Stephanie Eastlake, UK Senior Graphic Designer
Summer is finally on its way to New Zealand, and we are crawling out of a long and very wet winter. Soon we will move our clocks to summertime, and dust off the wet suits, kayaks, and surfboards – and of course – pull out the BBQ’s!
During this chilly chapter, we have been busy establishing bigger, better, and newer things for SMART NZ. This meant that we were coming up with new products, new Point of Sale initiatives, and increased distributor support. Since SMART is now the
brand of choice for Kiwi DIYers and tradespeople when selecting a multitool accessory, with the demand not slowing down any time soon, we must be quick to adapt to this everexpanding growth of the brand and the company in our little island nation.
Because of this, we found that it was important to be there for our customers when they need us. What better way to show our commitment than a distributor support vehicle? Our van is decked out in recognizable SMART branding, so even from a distance, you can see that we are on the way.
The van is virtually full-time on the road. It supports the network of clients we have across the country,
In just three months, it has clocked up over 8,000 kilometres. That’s about the distance between London and Seoul!
Our mighty vehicle is operated by the even mightier Andrew Parker, our very own In-Store Merchandising Support Manager.
distributors now have access to a wide range of Countertop Video Display Stands, equipped with 8 pegs to hold 8 different SKUS. These can be customised according to customers market segments, such as blades and accessories used by electricians, plumbers, and engineers. This ensures that the end-user can purchase exactly what they need for their job.
Written by Olivia Busby
At SMART, our mission is to be on the forefront of global multi-tool accessory innovation and offer one of the most comprehensive and high-quality multi-tool accessory solutions in the world. This is the core of our business, and we feel it is important to reflect this and highlight what SMART is today - a truly global brand supplying some of the largest trade and DIY retailers in the world.
Despite SMART being a wellrespected and recognisable brand in the UK, Europe, and New Zealand, we wanted to enhance and strengthen our brand to ensure it is appropriate for a global audience. This involved simplifying and modernising our logo and packaging design to ensure it is suitable for
most languages and ultimately communicate the brand to a global stage.
The new SMART logo font has been emboldened to enhance the impact of the brand and reflect the empowering, ambitious, and thoughtful character of the company.
The blade icon within the A has been streamlined and now ‘cuts’ into the underline making it more recognisable as a blade. The logo works consistently across all our ranges, generally white on the range colours. A texture of blade cut marks is used to add depth and interest to the range colours of Trade green,
Professional blue and our premium long-life blades, Titanium purple.
Bold diagonal lines are used across all our new style packaging to represent the cutting-edge brand ethos. The packaging content has been simplified to appeal to and accommodate our global market.
At the same time, SMART was also developing its approach to become a sustainable and carbon neutral organisation. This approach is highly important within our new brand strategy, and we felt it was important for our new brand identity to reflect this. Therefore, we have highlighted these key aspects of the brand,
including the SMART Starlock Made in Britain range. Plus, our Zero100 campaign which focuses on our packaging using zero single use plastics by 2023 and being carbon neutral by 2025.
To this end, we are very pleased to welcome the new SMART!
Written by Olivia Busby
The United Kingdom has had a long-standing history of manufacturing since the industrial revolution began in the late 18th century. While the United Kingdom retains a strong manufacturing industry, it has slowly diminished over the years due to brands choosing to outsource a more cost-effective production. However, now more than ever brands and retailers are recognising the importance of Made in Britain goods and increasingly look to add the iconic Made in Britain logo to mark the quality of their products.
What is Made in Britain?
Made in Britain is an internationally recognised registered trademark which promotes and acknowledges the very best of British manufacturing. Members who manufacture in Great Britain can use the official Made in Britain mark to support and promote their British manufacturing to consumers and buyers.
Why is British manufacturing important?
Lower carbon footprint
Every sector is attempting to meet sustainability targets to keep in line with the governments 25-year plan to improve the environment. Evidently,
the less a product must travel, the more environmentally friendly it becomes. Therefore, by keeping all work on British soil dramatically lowers a business’s carbon footprint and reduces damage to the environment. This is one of the reasons why Made in Britain has become a badge of honour for brands with an eye on sustainability.
When businesses support British manufacturing, they are not only benefiting their company directly, but they are also impacting the national and local economy. By supporting British manufacturing means there is an increase in employment opportunities and ultimately boost the economy.
Quality is critical for satisfying customers. With the growing importance of social media means consumer reviews and opinions can easily be shared to potential consumers and effect a company’s reputation. However, when a business uses British suppliers, they are providing reassurance to consumers that the product has been manufactured to a high and ethical standard which helps to build trust with their customers.
Also, with reduced travel there is a dramatically reduced chance of products getting damaged in transit which greatly impacts product quality. Plus, despite the Brexit
related uncertainty and changes, businesses who choose British manufactures will have fewer risks associated with their local supply chain as they don’t need to import their finished products.
SMART is a world class brand specialising in high quality multi-tool blades and accessories. Designed to fit popular brands of oscillating multitool, SMART has gained a reputation around the world for developing and innovating high quality accessories that customers can afford and enjoy. SMART provides a wide selection of award-winning, innovative, and affordable blades. To follow suit, SMART have recently developed their Starlock range to offer UK made multi-tool blades and
accessories, promising unbeatable quality and unrivalled versatility.
The developed Starlock range includes the same great blades from the existing range, now made in Britain. This includes the Rapid Wood blade, offering extremely fast and precise, the 90mm Diamond segment blade, the first SMART Starlock grout removal blade. Along with the Sanding Kit containing a 93mm Starlock backing pad and great value 30 assorted sanding sheets available in 60, 80 and 120 grit. Plus, our popular and innovative 35mm Metal Buster blade, ideal for stainless steel, ferrous metals, hardened screws, nails, and abrasive metals. This blade is extra-long life and provides the ultimate versatility for trade use.
After two-year delay, the highly anticipated International Hardware Fair in Cologne, Germany finally took place. Over the course of four days, we got to see the construction and tool industry liven up again. Although some countries still had restrictions and therefore couldn’t attend, the show was still deemed a great success and a fantastic comeback after the postponements. The event hosted around 1,400 exhibitors from 50 countries as well as 25,000 visitors from 140 countries. Although these numbers were significantly less than the previous IHF in 2018, we and many other exhibitors found that the leads and relationships formed during this year’s show were far more valuable than the other years, demonstrating the true definition of quality over quantity.
In the previous newsletter, we included a digital mock-up of the stand, and although we already had an expectation of what it would look like, our expectations were completely blown out of the water once we saw it all assembled in its full glory. The stand comprised of 40 square meters and was one of the most eye-catching booths in the hall, decked out in rich blue with accents of purple and green to signify our
brand colours. Accompanying the fantastic stand were Tanner and Simon Suckling from the Netherlands as well as Paul Parker and David Suckling from New Zealand.
One of the themes of this year’s trade fair is sustainability, and we came prepared with our newly launched ‘Zero100’ campaign. We set this campaign in motion last year, but it was only during this year’s IHF that
we had the opportunity to present it to the public, officially launching it alongside our new branding.
From our inception in 2007, we have always had plastic packaging for our products. However, as the company expanded and demand from end-users increased, we became aware of the impact we created on the environment. Being environmentally friendly is important
to us, so we wanted to rectify this as soon as we could. Through research and development, we designed packaging that did not need or use plastic material, and it would also be fully recyclable amongst other paper-based products. That is how the name came to be—zero-percent single-use plastic, one hundredpercent recyclable packaging. We aim to roll out our product range with this new packaging in 2023, which will reduce the carbon footprint of both SMART and end-users. On top of sustainable packaging, we have also pledged to be carbon neutral by 2025, with an additional carbon offsetting initiative to continue in monitoring and reducing our environmental impact. Many
showgoers and fellow exhibitors were impressed by our commitment, proving yet again that SMART is truly the market leader in the multi-tool blade and accessory industry for quality and sustainability.
Speaking of quality, another point we emphasised during the show was our Made in Britain Starlock blades. We go into more detail about why Made in Britain is important over on page 6. In short, it allows us to have blades produced, assembled, and shipped swiftly to our warehouses across Europe. This system allows SMART EU and UK to closely monitor the production of our blades, making sure that each blade is completely perfect before making its quick journey
across the pond into the hands of European DIYers and tradespeople.
Our capacity to produce blades under private labels and having distribution centres in Europe also created lots of interest, particularly amongst larger retailers. We are currently working to have another distribution centre in another region, but more on that another time.
All in all, we had a fantastic time at this year’s International Hardware Fair. It was four full days of presenting and networking, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome and the leads we got during the show. We look forward to the next IHF on the 3rd to 6th of March 2024.
H32RW - 2X FASTER
RAPID WOOD & PLASTIC
Here at SMART, we always want to be ahead of the game and find it important to set ourselves apart from other multi-tool blade and accessory brands. Although often overlooked, we think it is just as important being ahead of our end-users, innovating products and adding features that they never know they needed.
In a typical customer journey, once our end-user has received their multi-tool blade, they will throw the packaging away, either sooner or later. This means some information that could be valuable to the end-user will be lost. It is possible that they would do a quick Google search or perhaps even land on our website, but that begs the question: how can we make it even easier for them?
To answer this, we recently have experimented with the possibility of etching QR codes onto blades. The laser equipment is readily available in the office at Maasland, the Netherlands, giving us the freedom to try out a few different options of the QR code placement and to which website it links to.
Aside from linking it to our website, we have also tested out QR codes
that link to our partners’ websites, such as Toolstation. This means that our customers could request a sort of personalisation for the blades that go into their store. A downside to this is that etching each individual blade could be time-consuming and would result in the end-user getting the product much later than expected. However, we see the positive potential from these codes and will consider them in the future.
If you’re thinking, “Hey, haven’t I read about this before?” – you’re actually quite right! We did mention the hardware chain Bygma back in the second newsletter of this year. In that edition, we reported the talks we were having with them and seeing the possibility of them distributing SMART blades and accessories throughout Sweden.
Originally hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, Bygma first set foot in Sweden in 1998. Nowadays, the chain has 19 stores across the country, and has three different store levels depending on the volume of products that they can carry. SMART SC offered
to accommodate this system, providing three different ranges to fit the levels.
Located near the local airport, the Bygma facility in Umeå boasts 24,000 square meters of surface area, and they hold the largest
range of timber in town. We are very pleased to see a great range of SMART blades and accessories in this store, such as our best-selling 8-piece blade pack, award-winning Titanium blades, and an assortment of our Made in Britain Starlock blades.
After tackling the Umeå store, we went to their Borlänge facility. More on that later!
SMART