Innovations aplenty

Enjoyable International Hardware Fair for PFERD – new products and innovations win over trade fair visitors.

The International Hardware Fair took place recently in Cologne and according to Dr Ina Terwey-Scheulen, Director Global Marketing, Product Management & PFERDACADEMY at PFERD, the four-day event simply flew by. Although the Marienheide-based manufacturer of tools for work on surfaces and cutting of material had expected more trade fair visitors overall, Terwey-Scheulen still noted a lively buzz at the stand. “We were usually working at capacity during peak hours from late morning through to the afternoon, with all of the roughly 25 people manning the stand kept busy with discussions and consultations.” Overall, the Head of Marketing highlighted the very positive atmosphere at the stand: “Our colleagues were well-prepared and keen to showcase PFERD’s new products and innovations.”

Campaign impresses retail partners

In keeping with the current retail campaign “Unique tools for any task – discover the PFERD champions”, the stand was set up as a sports facility with the tools as the champions. “We kicked off this campaign last year together with retail partners,” explains Dr Ina Terwey-Scheulen, “and it was so successful that we decided to continue it. We are continuing to open up new sales opportunities for our sales partners with an expanded range of unique PFERD solutions.” Tools such as the CC-GRIND ROBUST grinding disc (the champion when it comes to stock removal), the POLIFAN CURVE (the champion when it comes to work on fillet welds) and the POLIFAN Z 40 SG POWER STEELOX (the champion when it comes to tool life) went down very well amongst B2B trade partners.

No International Hardware Fair is complete without PFERD innovations

As a global manufacturer, PFERD once again showcased two innovations. One was the RCK drive system, a high-performance and extremely economical drive concept, and the other was the new CC-GRIND VIEW grinding disc, which becomes transparent when in use and enables the user to see the area being machined. Both innovations attracted a lot of interest from the visitors to the stand. “PFERD is synonymous with innovation and PFERD’s innovations continuously provide our retail partners with USPs on the market – this is crucial, particularly in an era of increasing predatory competition,” adds Terwey-Scheulen.

Live presentation impresses visitors

Alongside new products and innovations, no PFERD trade fair stand would be complete without some flying sparks, so guests were also able to see demos of the latest PFERD solutions at two stations. In addition to the familiar “Tools in Action” presentation, the event also marked the first time that PFERD had showcased its range of automation solutions live at a trade fair. “Our robot cell enabled us to demonstrate that even traditional grinding processes can be automated,” said Ina Terwey-Scheulen, “and as it all falls under our leading position as a specialist in work on surfaces, the machining results that our customers value so highly are never in doubt. The only thing that’s different is the way in which the workpiece is machined.”

Trade Partner 2023

On the very first day of the trade fair, PFERD was delighted to once again be awarded the title of “Trade Partner” by the German Central Hardware Trade Association (ZHH, Zentralverband Hartwarenhandel). The association evaluated its industrial partners and ranked PFERD first place in the grinding/cutting category. “We’re particularly pleased that we were rated above all other supplier partners in the product innovation disciplines and the field of data/digitalization quality,” explains Terwey-Scheulen. “The fact that the association has certified our excellence in our core area of work as well as the increasingly important field of digitalization makes us very proud and confirms our commitment to providing the best-possible holistic support to our specialist trade partners.”

PFERD currently assessing future attendance

According to the Head of Marketing, the company will consider whether to take part in the trade fair again over the next few weeks. “We’ll first gather our impressions and evaluate the leads.” The International Hardware Fair will be critically scrutinized, just like every other trade fair. “If this review delivers a satisfactory outcome, we’ll be pleased to take part in the International Hardware Fair again as it still provides a great platform for PFERD to present its new products and innovations.”

Overview of trade fair highlights from the campaign

CC-GRIND ROBUST grinding disc

The champion when it comes to stock removal

• The fastest work progress thanks to high-performance VICTOGRAIN abrasive grain.
• Light, quiet and generates little dust.
• Versatile and patented in many countries across the globe.

POLIFAN CURVE flap disc

The champion when it comes to work on fillet welds

• Outstanding tool life when working on fillet welds.
• High stock removal rate for fast work progress and lower production costs.
• POLIFAN CURVE is patented in many countries across the globe.

POLIFAN Z40 SG POWER STEELOX flap disc

The champion when it comes to tool life

• The best conventional flap disc for steel.
• One of the most aggressive flap discs on the market.
• The most economical solution for heavy industrial users.