When most people think of Auburn, Alabama, they think of three things: War Eagle football, Charles Barkley, and Waffle House.
Now, thanks to Sonic Tools, car dealerships and technicians will know Auburn for a completely different reason.
"Our company's origins go back over 50 years in Europe," Justin Hokanson, Sonic Tools USA's marketing director, told Mega Dealer News at the NADA 2018 Show in Las Vegas. "Our headquarters is about 25 minutes north of Amsterdam, and we have facilities in the Netherlands, Germany and the United States. All of our products are manufactured in Europe, then, warehoused, marketed and sold from Auburn all over the United States and Canada."
This may sound like just about every other tool manufacturer, but, Sonic Tools prides itself on how the company differentiates itself from the competition. First, they don't use the "truck" method like major competitors do. Second, they utilize an Amazon-like logistics service to get tools in the hands of dealers and technicians as quick as possible.
"The current tool truck model is outdated and drives up the cost of tools," Hokanson said. "That's not out system."
Instead, Sonic Tools' online system allows users to upload a picture of the broken part, a description of the purchasing agreement and -- within 24 hours -- the company ships a new tool. Most of the time, the company won't need the tool back, either.
"That's a big differentiator," Hokanson explained. "If I'm a technician and a truck comes to my shop once a week and I break a tool, I have to wait a week for them to come back. They might not have the tool and need to order it. For us, you can break a tool, take a picture of it on your phone, and in five minutes it's done. We will process the claim within 30 minutes and you might have the new tool by the next day."
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