Manufacturing tools for professional tradespeople is one thing. Developing first-class power and air tools literally in the hands of tradespeople is quite another. In the process, we attach great importance to quality and reliability.

Many Festool power tools have already been in use for 30 years – or longer. The long service life of our professional tools is no coincidence. One thing is essential to the successful design and manufacture of professional tools which are high-performing and robust yet reliable and lightweight, such as bench-mounted circular saws, compound mitre saws, jigsaws, circular saws, plunge-cut saws, routers, stirrers, electronic planers, polishers, drills, hammer drills and all types of sanding machines, such as eccentric sanders, orbital sanders, long-reach sanders, angle grinders, belt sanders, as well as construction site radios, LED working lights and many more: You have to know, think, feel and live trade. Uncompromising. With your head, your heart and your hands.
Here Andrea Duca talks to us…

Pro Builder: What makes FESTOOL different from other brands?
Andrea Duca: We have a family ethos, one of trust and mutual respect for each other and our customers, this is very much represented by the fact that our Chair of the Supervisory Board Barbara Austel, the granddaughter of Berta and Gottlieb Stoll plays an active role in the business. We are pleased that another Festool family member is involved in a very important subject for the business of sustainability.

Festool tools work together as a system with the dust extractors being one of the best in the industry. We pride ourselves on premium quality and that is what we provide, not only seen in the manufacturing of our tools and systems but also in our customer service. We identify customer needs and provide solutions with leading technology and three year warranty on all our tools and the 18V range including the batteries and battery chargers.

PB: Would you be able to give a bit of background about your best-selling products please?
AD: The mobile dust extractor CTL MIDI is our best selling product in Ireland. Dust extraction is the hub category for Festool, it connects to many power tools and provides the best solution for healthy dust free work with award winning M and H classification extractors.

Another key product for us is the cordless plunge-cut saw, the TSC 55 K. This power tool with kickback stop technology is the top-class sawing system. Thanks to the two 18V batteries, the customer has complete mobility. Festool is famous for precision tools, in 1930 we invented the first mobile circular saw and since then precision has been a focus point for all our tools.

The plunge-cut saw is a must-have tool in any tradesperson’s van. The KS 120 mitre saw is particularly relevant to our customers because it has the perfect cut thanks to the extra-large columns keeping the carriage precisely on course.

The RO 150 sander is one of the favourites in the Irish market, it’s been around for more than 30 years. Just with one sander you can use it for coarse sanding, fine sanding, and polishing material, instead of three separate tools you will only need one. It saves you money, time, and effort.

PB: How is the business going for you and how is the brand being received within the Irish market?
AD: Year on year Festool has been growing their business in Ireland. There is a lot of potential in the Irish market, especially with the growing construction industry. We have an extensive dealer network, with 57 stores across Ireland, meaning you are always within reach of being able to purchase a Festool tool or receive expert advice.
We launched Festool Ireland Instagram last year, it has been a great communications channel to our end users. We already have over 2000 followers. Check us out @festool_ireland and give us a follow.
The brand is well received, in fact we were approached to support the popular prime time reality TV show called Home Rescue lead by the celebrity builder Peter Finn (better known as Pete the Builder) and Architect Róisín Murphy. Festool was heavily featured and our gazebo was the central spot for the team to do their building work with a wide selection of Festool tools on hand.

 

PB: With a wide range of products on the market as it is, will you be releasing any new products in the short-term future?
AD: Yes, we are pleased to announce that we will be releasing new products and yes this is happening very soon! From cordless dust extractors to a cordless mitre saw, you will see a variety of innovative tools from Festool. Irish customers will be the first to set their eyes on our new 18v tools range.
If you want to be the first to see our new tools get your VIP tickets to the Festool Irish Tour 2022. This year over two separate weekends the Festool Irish Tour is from 19/05/2022 to 21/05/2022 and 26/05/2022 to 28/05/2022. Join us to see the new power tools in action. Take the opportunity to register now as there is a limited number of tickets available: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/festool-34115173189.

 

PB: Over the next few years, what can we expect to see from FESTOOL?
AD: Over the next few years, we plan to extend our product portfolio in the cordless power tool market, we feel this is an area of further opportunity. Many of our cordless tools have brilliant and innovative accessories that make our customers’ lives a lot easier around the workshop and construction site.
“Festool is a leader in innovation and over the years we have launched exciting products such as TKS 80 and SYS-PowerStation. Moving forward into the 18V market we are launching a cordless mitre saw KSC 60 and CTC MINI/MIDI dust extractors later this year. We are proud to be launching these new products first into the Irish market while on the Festool Irish Tour”.
We know that many people have found a new love for home renovation projects, and this has attracted a new segment of customers as seen by our dealers. The opportunities for Festool are endless, and we are always striking to improve and succeed.
PB: Have you anything else that you would like to add?
AD: The Festool team in Ireland is there to support dealers and all Festool customers, whether it may be through a demonstration visit, phone call or email, the team’s focus is to provide excellent customer experience. We also offer consultancy, one to one support for our customers. We have made it easy for our customers to get in touch, you can now request a virtual demo of a specific tool with our end user team. If you would like to book a demo visit: https://www.festool.ie/campaigns/landing-page/book-a-demo
We also offer online dealer training not just on the new tools, but refresher training because we want them to understand our tools through and through and to help customers when making this important purchase decision.