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I plan to upgrade my toolbox so that I can do brake jobs, oil changes and suspension work on my cars. This summer's project is my last engine-out job. Sonic Tools focuses on helping technicians' productivity by creating tools that are comfortable to use - such as screwdrivers with padded handles - and laser-cut foam storage systems for its drawers that make finding, retrieving and returning tools intuitive.Īs for me, I turned 60 this spring. "We've spent lots of time on lighting, to help technicians with aging eyes, where it is hard to see part numbers or colors of wires or getting to a fastener," says LaRue. Some of Snap-On's new generation of products don't unfasten bolts or diagnose trouble codes but are just as important for older technicians as those that do. The 20-inch or larger tire and wheel assemblies on some pickups and SUVs can weigh nearly 100 pounds each.


One piece of equipment Snap-On sells that also is available from other brands, such as Hunter Engineering Co., is a tire changer that automatically lifts the wheel into the machine. "That's spending time out in shops observing work being done and converting our observations, combined with interviews, into things we can provide that Snap-On is known for - productivity solutions that help technicians every day of the week at their jobs." "One of the things we pride ourselves on is going to the market with what we call the customer connection," says Jon LaRue, Snap-On's vice president of human resources and marketing for the company's Repair Systems and Information Group. Snap-On also is now selling dozens of tools designed to go easy on joints, backs, eyes, feet and hands. Snap-On, the 800- pound gorilla of the tool business, is another company that sends its tool designers and engineers into dealerships and independent shops to get firsthand feedback from technicians. "Weight, balance, size and form are all considered through the lens of the applications that the tool will be used on." Center of gravity is a factor in all power tool design for that same reason. "This increases control and reduces muscle fatigue.
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"On Mac air ratchets, the handles are positioned further forward than competitors' units to improve the weight balance of the tool in hand," Greene says. "The voice of the customer is extremely valuable to inform design and always results in a more compelling solution."ĭeveloping tools that go easier on a technician's body is a science that benefits all techs, not just veterans. "I spent several days observing technicians' workflows and discussing their needs in the day-to-day function of the tool," Greene told me via email. He visited dealerships' service departments and interviewed technicians. For instance, when Mac was creating the next generation of its scan tool, the MDT 10, Jordan Greene, the company's senior industrial designer, shut down his computer and hit the road to ride shotgun on a Mac tool truck. Tool designers and engineers from these companies, I learned, do much of their research on-site at dealerships. The tool companies that supply the nation's technicians - Snap-On, Mac, Sonic and others - are keenly aware that the aging technician work force is susceptible to on-the-job injuries and is working to design tools that can help older techs stay healthy at work. Turns out I am not the only one with those concerns. What I think about now are stress and strain injuries from turning wrenches, from twisting and contorting under dashes and subframes, and from heavy lifting - activities that don't usually bother younger bodies. Until recently, I never worried much about accidentally injuring myself working on a restoration project. You get that way when a Ford Mustang engine smashes your fingers. I did the job by myself in my driveway using common hand tools I've owned for decades and a borrowed hand-operated hydraulic engine hoist.Įver since my first engine job in 1978, I have been extremely safety conscious and cautious.
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This spring, I yanked the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission out of one of my old British sports cars and replaced them with a 4.0-liter V-8 and four-speed automatic.
