Solar and GEDORE form Scandinavian partnership on tools for the industry

The new collaboration between tool manufacturer GEDORE and Solar gives Scandinavian industrial companies access to premium tools. 

As both GEDORE and Solar celebrate their 100th anniversary this year, they also celebrate a new partnership. The partnership between the two gives Scandinavian industrial companies access to GEDORE’s tools via Solar’s logistical setup. 

“With our growing activities in the industry, we have been looking for a strong partner on tools. With GEDORE on board we can now offer our industrial customers some of the best tools available,” says Ole Sørensen, Senior Vice President at Solar.

He explains that German family-owned GEDORE was selected because of its worldwide recognition as an innovative, high-performing and reliable tools manufacturer. 

GEDORE sees the partnership as the best way to approach the Scandinavian market.

“Scandinavian industrial companies are important customers for GEDORE, and that is why we have entered into this partnership. Solar is the perfect match with reference to customer experience, knowledge about the tool business and technical support,” says GEDORE’s Executive Director Chris Metzler. 

Assortment expansion is key
The agreement is just one in many assortment expansions that Solar has made during the past 12 months. The addition of new product categories is a continuation of the strategy of moving Solar from being a technical wholesaler to becoming a digital sourcing and services company. 

“The ambition is to solidify the position as the preferred sourcing partner for select industrial focus segments, and here it is vital to be able to offer the right assortment,” explains Ole Sørensen.

“Our business is based on a solid TCO mindset and a strong ability to continuously challenge ourselves and our customers to develop and improve. We are expanding our range to create more value for our customers. With GEDORE on the team, our customers can further optimise and consolidate their spend, reduce time on orders, invoicing and handling of supplies etc. Combining highly technical products with a wider assortment, effective and efficient logistics, and a digital approach has really proven to be the recipe for substantial value creation. And that is of course something our customers are looking into.” 

Besides tools, Solar has expanded its assortment with cables from Lapp, pneumatics from SMC just as another approx. 40,000 mechanical articles have been added to the product offering. The GEDORE assortment is available in Solar's Danish webshop from April 1, whereas Norwegian and Swedish customers will have access to the products a little later on.

FACTS

GEDORE is one of the world's leading partners for premium tools. The family-owned company is based in Remscheid in Germany and has been manufacturing high-quality tools since 1919. GEDORE employs more than 2,300 people and is represented in over 70 countries. Despite enormous growth, the tool manufacturer is still in family hands. Karen Dowidat, granddaughter of company founder Otto Dowidat, has been managing partner since 2000. With her son Christian Dowidat, who has also been with the company for several years, the fourth generation of the founding family has assumed operational responsibility within the GEDORE Group.

Solar Group is a leading digital sourcing and services company with an annual revenue of DKK 11bn. More than 50 percent of its revenue is generated through digital channels, making Solar one of the largest digital companies in Scandinavia. Solar’s core business centres on product sourcing, value-adding services and optimisation of customers’ businesses. Solar Group is headquartered in Denmark, employs approx. 3,000 people and is listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen.