tools

By Rieva Lesonsky

 

The next stop in our journey following the Alibaba.com Discover Today video series is Jinhua, a city in central Zhejiang province in eastern China. The city, a major transportation hub, was founded in the 2nd century BCE and was named Jinhua in 598.

Hardware Capital

Jinhua is considered the “Hardware Capital” of China. In fact, if you go to a hardware store, or even look in your toolbox, chances are many, if not most, of those tools were manufactured in Jinhua.

In order to grow your businesses, business owners need innovative products to sell and strategic partners to work with. If you’re in the business of selling tools and other hardware, you probably know hand tools are a $51 billion industry—and growing. And if you want your business to grow—you need to find some of those strategic partners headquartered in Jinhua.

Essential tools

Powertec Import and Export Co. was founded in 2009 and sells its tools in 80 different countries around the world. After years spent studying the market and understanding what customers want, the company developed its own brand of tools—MPT.

MPT makes and sells all the essential tools any business selling hardware and tools would need. Jelena, an MPT employee, says there are three essential tools everyone needs:  hammers, pliers and screwdrivers. MPT makes numerous types of each of these, and syas their tools are of the highest quality.

MPT’s claw hammer is perfectly balanced and durable. It is so strong in a hammer-on-hammer showdown, the other hammer immediately sustained damage, while the MPT hammer was completely intact. MPT also makes and sells a line of fiberglass-handled hammers.

The pliers made by MPT range in size from six to eight inches. And there’s a series of mini pliers as well. One of their most popular sellers—the needle nose plier have black tips made from CRV, instead of the more typical carbon steel. The CRV tips enable these pliers to more easily cut wires, saving any construction team time and increasing productivity

The MPT screwdrivers also have CRV material on the crosshead. The screwdrivers are magnetic, making it easy to pick up dropped screws. And the bottom can be used as a hammer.

MPT is a new brand—it’s only been selling its tools for one year, and its already in 15 countries. The company attributes a lot of its ability to grow its new brand to working with Alibaba.com, allowing it to be exposed to millions of consumers.

MPT is offering special deals and discounts during March Expo. Be sure to check them out and act fast—March Expo is coming to an end tomorrow.

Abrasive tools

Pegatec has been around for 36 years and is one of the top manufacturers of abrasive tools in the world. The company’s products are sold in more than 90 countries, and they have added staff here in the U.S.

It sells several lines of abrasive tools, all of which the company says make work easier and more efficient. The Golden line features a 2-in-1 tool that works on metal as well as stainless steel, which not only saves time, but saves money by increasing productivity.

The Special line incorporate new technology and features Scissorshand tools, which is a multi-function cutting disc. One disc can cut metal, stainless steel, stone, such as brick, aluminum, concrete and PVA materials. Scissorshand is durable and offer a faster cutting time. Like the Golden tools, construction teams using these discs will save time since they won’t have to stop to change discs.

The Eliminator is a bit bigger and has grooves which offers more consistency when cutting and grinding and has a quicker cool down. And then there’s the Beowulf, named after the old English poem about the actions of a great hero. The Beowulf, a super grinding tool, works in seconds, is durable having double the life of similar products and is so powerful it can grind and transform metal into a mirror.

The tools are made on Pegatec’s premises in Jinhua.

Act now—March Expo ends tomorrow

MPT and Pegatec are participating in Alibaba.com’s month-long sale featuring many deals, promotions and discounts. To take advantage of the deals, check out the action on Alibaba.com and the Alibaba.com mobile app (sign up here) today and tomorrow—March Expo ends March 31.

One of the special incentives being offered during March Expo is 15% off LCL shipping (less than container load) from China to the U.S. It’s all part of Alibaba.com’s new logistics service, which lets small businesses take advantage of Alibaba.com’s existing infrastructure to save time, save money and simplify shipping.

Look into Alibaba.com’s Secure Payment services. Alibaba.com is also introducing a new T/T transaction service during March Expo. This service allows buyers making Trade Assurance orders to make initial payments into a U.S.-based Citibank account. Previously Trade Assurance orders were processed through a Hong Kong-based Citibank account. This speeds up processing time to 2 to 3 days from 3 to 7 days. It also reduces fees, on average, by $15.

Stay current on all the great opportunities at March Expo by following @AlibabaTalk and the #DiscoverNewMarch hashtag on social media.