KNIPEX Tools North America introduces the new “Master of Craft” brand campaign in tandem with this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas, NV. As a longstanding partner to tradespeople all over the world looking for best-in-class pliers, KNIPEX will begin honoring best-in-class tradesmen who take their work from ordinary to exceptional. The brand campaign will Read more
Industry News
KNIPEX Tools North America introduces the new “Master of Craft” brand campaign in tandem with this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas, NV.
As a longstanding partner to tradespeople all over the world looking for best-in-class pliers, KNIPEX will begin honoring best-in-class tradesmen who take their work from ordinary to exceptional. The brand campaign will bring to life a true master of their craft in each industry segment the pliers manufacturer has an offering in. From automotive, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, aviation and many more the storytelling will highlight how far each master of craft has come and the tools that helped them get there. With the tagline “See How Far Your Hands Will Take You”, there will be an emphasis on the power of using your physical hands to pave your own road to success.
“For so many years our marketing communication pieces mainly focused on our tools – the applications, specs, features and benefits” Beverly Richards, VP of Marketing for KNIPEX Tools North America said. She continued “We’re really excited to breathe some new life into the KNIPEX brand in North America and feel the Master of Craft campaign is a perfect way to tell the story of our end users here”.
KNIPEX partnered with Charles Sanville, The Humble Mechanic and longtime KNIPEX user, for the automotive chapter of the Master of Craft: See How Far Your Hands Will Take You campaign. Charles is a Volkswagen technician and mechanic. He also is a staple in the automotive community, sharing his knowledge on all types of car repair and offering a place for everyone to connect and learn. He has been fixing cars as well as training & mentoring young techs for over 10 years.
Beginning in September 2022, KNIPEX Tools North America officially began working with the Minneapolis based full-service agency, SixSpeed. SixSpeed defines itself as “an independent creative marketing agency making the world’s most adventurous brands impossible to imitate.” The agency specializes in brand communication strategy, non-traditional consumer marketing, influencer and engagement marketing, events, content capture, production, and more. The “Master of Craft” campaign is the first major project between the two companies.
The Master of Craft campaign will live mainly on social channels (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn) and the KNIPEX North America website. It will come to life through video & photo assets, email marketing communication, print pieces, tradeshow booth graphics, and more.
The Tennessee-based global public relations firm’s CEO says companies that go after awards add a significant weapon to their marketing arsenals Ripley PR, an award-winning global public relations agency specializing in manufacturing, skilled trades, franchising and B2B technology, says that companies that proactively seek and win credible awards — and then strategically promote them — Read more
The Tennessee-based global public relations firm’s CEO says companies that go after awards add a significant weapon to their marketing arsenals
Ripley PR, an award-winning global public relations agency specializing in manufacturing, skilled trades, franchising and B2B technology, says that companies that proactively seek and win credible awards — and then strategically promote them — are more likely to have bigger sales funnels, more satisfied customers and a deeper talent pool than their competitors.
“Awards give your business an edge over your competition,” said Ripley PR founder and CEO Heather Ripley. “Awards boost employee morale and give your company more credibility. Participating in and winning awards increases your chances of being seen by potential customers because of the added visibility. The publicity an award generates is a wonderful acknowledgement.”
Heather Ripley
She said there are a variety of ways to promote company awards, and some of these include:
- Issuing a press release. A press release gives an organization the opportunity to describe the award and the significance behind it. Issuing a release also allows the company to customize distribution to the right trade and local publications.
- Announcing the win on social media. Social media allows a company and its employees and stakeholders to share the win throughout a variety of internet communities. This gets the word out about the win directly to consumers and potential employees.
- Including the win in marketing collateral. Businesses can use their award as a third-party affirmation that their company is established and professional. Consumers feel more comfortable doing business with a company that has built a solid reputation.
Ripley said that award-winning companies are also more likely attract and retain the best talent in their industries.
“When the nation’s top talent sees that you’re winning awards, they become more interested in working with you,” she said. “Recruits that strive for career development want to learn from the best in their field. Awards validate what your company does and how it does it.”
One company that has used its awards as an effective means to drive its recruiting efforts, increase its sales funnels and attract partners is XOi Technologies, the leading provider of technician-first smart technology for commercial and residential field service companies. The company is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.
XOi has been included on the Inc. 5000 list in 2020, 2021 and 2023, and the Inc. Power Partner list in 2022. It has also made the Tech Tribune Top Tech Startups in Tennessee in 2020 and the Tennessean Top Workplaces in 2021.
“People know that PR can help you get your name in the news, but they may not realize that a good PR agency will also guide your company to seek awards that can increase your prominence,” Stacey Bright, chief marketing officer of XOi. “Having a professional writer who can then take the news of those awards and turn them into press releases that platform your company’s achievements leads to more interest from potential customers, employees and investors. You not only earn a prestigious award, but you also foster your brand in the process.”
Tint World® Automotive Styling Centers™, a leading auto accessory and window tinting franchise, also takes advantage of awards by
Ripley said that companies don’t have to restrict themselves to awards that are issued to businesses within their industry. Winning a “best of” award in a local market or having a team member honored as the best in their field offers a company even more credibility.
Ripley PR, which was named to the Forbes list of America’s Best PR Agencies for 2021, offers its clients strategic communications services, including award recognition, crisis management, media relations and social media strategies. The agency’s unique combination of expertise and creativity in public relations helps clients build brand awareness, establish positive reputations and drive prospects to the brand.
For more information visit www.ripleypr.com or call (865) 977-1973.
The first-ever @plumbingnationals wrapped up on Friday (10/27/23) in Tampa Bay, Florida, and boy was it a blast. The energy was high as family and friends cheered on the five finalists who completed the last plumbing challenge of the competition. https://youtu.be/ZG5sNkp9g3k?si=lEHO5wTdywSjIl5D The Plumbing National Championship was created to provide a one-of-a-kind platform to recognize the plumbing trade Read more
The first-ever @plumbingnationals wrapped up on Friday (10/27/23) in Tampa Bay, Florida, and boy was it a blast. The energy was high as family and friends cheered on the five finalists who completed the last plumbing challenge of the competition.
The Plumbing National Championship was created to provide a one-of-a-kind platform to recognize the plumbing trade and the people who keep the country moving every day. The competition provides a platform for men and women in the industry to showcase their incredible training, dedication and skills in a series of head-to-head dynamic challenges showcasing the world-class skills of the trade.
The competition’s first round started in July 2023 in the form of a digital qualifying challenge. Competitors took a three-minute multiple-choice quiz that tested their knowledge across all areas of the plumbing trade. The top 20 scorers advanced to Round 2 in September and received a custom at-home challenge kit designed by industry experts to test their skills on a unique and dynamic task.
SharkBite Plumbing Solutions brand is showing its support for the trades by sponsoring the inaugural Plumbing National Championship, which culminated on October 27 at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Fla. Over four months, the field whittled down to the top 5 plumbers now competing for plumbing glory by winning the title of first-ever Plumbing National Champion and their share of a $20,000 prize.
The finalists were: Craig Childress from Massachusetts, David McDonough from Indiana, Joe Jaspers from Ohio, Justin Coutu from Virginia and David Shanor from Virginia. One of these lucky plumbers won this week’s final round of competition in a custom-built arena along with a $10,000 prize and a unique trophy. Second place won $7,000 and third won $3,000. The winners will be revealed on the television broadcast.
In December, CBS Sports Network will provide national exposure for the plumbing trade, telling the competitors’ personal stories and bringing them all the fun moments of the national championship competition where one plumber won the title of best plumber in the U.S., claiming the industry’s ultimate bragging rights. In addition to the opportunity to win cash prizes, each finalist received a custom VIP prize package from sponsors like SharkBite Plumbing Solutions. You can watch the finals on CBS Sports in December, specifc date yet to be announced.
Beginning in early 2020, supply-chain disruptions and unprecedented construction-materials demand resulted in an influx of F1960 engineered polymer (EP) fittings from various manufacturers and suppliers located around the globe. Unfortunately, some of these “F1960” fittings are not actually manufactured or tested to the same standards as the Uponor ProPEX® F1960 fittings, and contractors are learning a Read more
Beginning in early 2020, supply-chain disruptions and unprecedented construction-materials demand resulted in an influx of F1960 engineered polymer (EP) fittings from various manufacturers and suppliers located around the globe. Unfortunately, some of these “F1960” fittings are not actually manufactured or tested to the same standards as the Uponor ProPEX® F1960 fittings, and contractors are learning a hard lesson about the differences when they experience a failure in their piping system.
In truth, not all fittings conforming to the ASTM F1960 standard are the same. Manufacturers and suppliers that claim their fittings are compliant to ASTM F1960 feel that, in their opinion, they meet the standard. However, there is no third-party agency to confirm that compliance. Uponor ProPEX fittings are a highly engineered product certified by a third-party agency — NSF — to ensure the raw materials, manufacturing process, and resulting product accurately meet the ASTM F1960 standard. In fact, the companies that mold ProPEX EP fittings are partners that are integrated into the codes, helping ensure the highest-quality product. ProPEX fittings also undergo internal quality testing that extends beyond the ASTM F1960 standard requirements to provide customers with the strongest value available on the market.
“It’s important that installers are aware they need to ask for the Uponor brand name from distribution and make sure they are getting what they are paying for in ProPEX fittings,” says Ann Studnicka, director, Channel Marketing at Uponor. “The differences are far beyond just the brand name. Uponor testing on generic F1960 fittings has exposed various manufacturing design and quality inconsistencies, and some fittings can’t even pass the ASTM F1960 standard requirements. This is putting projects at considerable risk for failures and potentially voids the associated system warranties.”
Over the past two years, Uponor has seen a significant increase in claims for failed connections that turned out to be other suppliers’ F1960 fittings. This trend confirms the theory that many contractors simply are not aware of the visual differences between ProPEX and generic F1960 fittings.
“Contractors and distributors need to be aware of the visual differences between ProPEX and low-quality F1960 fittings,” says Studnicka. “How can you tell? The easiest way is to look for the Uponor logo on the fitting.”
Other markers of ProPEX fittings include thicker tube stops and thicker sealing barbs. The thin tube stops on the generic, low-quality fittings are especially problematic as the expanded PEX pipe can extend past the stops and cause leaks.
With more than 150 variations of couplings, tees, elbows, plugs, and multiports in sizes up to 3″, Uponor provides the most comprehensive offering of F1960 EP fittings in the market. The ProPEX connection system is also covered by an industry-leading, 25-year limited transferable warranty when used with Uponor PEX-a pipe and ProPEX rings. And, it is important to note that mixing different suppliers’ fittings, rings, and pipe will lower the term or even void the warranty in some cases.
For further details about the differences with ProPEX connection systems, visit uponor.com/askforuponor. For information about all other Uponor products, systems, services, and solutions, visit uponor.com.
Watts offers “Industrial Pipe Solutions: The Science Behind Making the Right Choice,” an ASPE-accredited webinar worth 0.1 CEUs. Many types of industrial facilities have specific drainage requirements for sanitation, contamination, chemical resistance, temperature, mechanical stress, and fire safety. The right choice of drainage materials, methods, and attention to proper engineering practices can help to mitigate Read more
Watts offers “Industrial Pipe Solutions: The Science Behind Making the Right Choice,” an ASPE-accredited webinar worth 0.1 CEUs.
Many types of industrial facilities have specific drainage requirements for sanitation, contamination, chemical resistance, temperature, mechanical stress, and fire safety. The right choice of drainage materials, methods, and attention to proper engineering practices can help to mitigate contamination and corrosion that can affect drainage systems while providing installation and operational benefits.
On Tuesday November 14th, 2023, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET, participants will learn how to:
- Identify the risks associated from improperly specified drainage materials
- Identify the primary considerations when selecting drainage materials for specific applications
- Analyze and evaluate the performance of various drainage materials
- Describe the unique advantages and benefits of various drainage systems
- Compare the cost ramifications of different drainage solutions
To register, visit Watts.com/PipeSolutionsWebinar.