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Hand tools 'bag' to differentiate

Responding to retailer needs is paying off for Apple Valley, MN-based Enderes Tools. The company manufactures some 400 different hand tools, selling them to hardware stores and home centers nationwide.

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Many of these tools are sold in bulk displays. That used to create theft and damage concerns. About a year ago, Enderes elected to sell several of its tools in 2-mil polyvinyl chloride heat-shrinkable "A" bags from Seal-It (Farmingdale, NY). "Before we used the bag, it was really easy to take the bits from a multi-bit screw driver," explains Todd Dahl, chief financial officer. The bag helps prevent removal of the bits before the tool is purchased. The bags also protect the steel finish of the tools. Bags are printed with a UPC code. For some of its other products, Enderes relies on a 2-mil heat-shrinkable PVC band, also from Seal-It. In this instance, a band is placed around the tool's handle. The bands are also printed with a UPC code. "We had used just a sticker with a UPC code on it for many of these products in the past," says Dahl. "But we needed something that was easier and quicker to apply. Our customers recognize the added value and we've been able to open [retail] doors with these products that we weren't able to before. That's helped increase sales volume for these tools." Suggested retail prices vary, though Dahl says the typical average is about $4.99.

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