Sean Davis, a Cornwell Quality Tools dealer in Swansea, Ill., has been attending the Cornwell Tool Rally for 10 years, but thinks this year’s rally in Dallas, Texas was probably the best ever. Davis, who worked as a tech for seven years, becoming a tool dealer in 2003, saw several new tools at the rally that he thinks will help his customers get their jobs done more efficiently.
Davis also found value in the educational sessions at the Cornwell Tools event. He particularly appreciated one on calculating the break-even point for a business, since he thinks this has become a bigger challenge for tool dealers in recent years.
Davis noted that when he began as a tool dealer, he didn’t even pay attention to his profit margin. The business was so much easier at the time that he didn’t feel he had to. But the current market is a different story. Costs are much higher and competition is much stiffer. Davis recognizes that every transaction needs to make a certain profit margin for his business to be healthy.
One booth that grabbed his attention was the Mueller-Kueps exhibit. Mueller-Kueps, a German- based company with a U.S. facility in Atlanta, Ga., exhibited for the first time at the Cornwell Tools rally this year. Davis noted that he was previously unaware of this company’s tools.
Davis was one of several dealers interviewed by Professional Distributor who noted the Mueller-Kueps universal press support, a tool designed to make the shop press safer and easier to use. The press support has three points of contact and is adjustable to fit irregularly shaped objects. “It can align mounting studs in different locations to brace on a unit for removing bearings,” Davis said. “This allows you to supporting pressing at three points to give you a safe pressing base.”
Davis was also impressed with the company’s universal race puller, a three-legged gripper with sharp edges to provide equal gripping power on each side, avoiding any tilt. The tool is designed to fit bearings and sleeves between 40 and 60 mm. Davis said the puller is small enough to fit in less than an eighth of an inch wrap. It is also wrapped by a chain to prevent spreading.
Andre Van Lagen, national sales manager for Mueller-Kueps, noted that in addition to these two tools, the company displayed its suspension wear indicator, a tool that was introduced at last year’s AAPEX show in Las Vegas. The tool helps identify all types of suspension wear components with the actual load of the car on the tool, so that testing is done under road conditions.
