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Milwaukee Pipeline Series: Solving Shop Lighting Challenges
Milwaukee Pipeline Series: Solving Shop Lighting Challenges
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About this episode
Jason Isaacs, Director of Product Marketing at Milwaukee, shares insights on the evolution and innovation in shop lighting, emphasizing durability, efficiency, and user-focused design. Drawing from his background in automotive and military experience, he discusses how Milwaukee transformed lighting from basic corded halogen lamps to advanced LED solutions like magnetic underbody lights and versatile headlamps. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding real shop challenges through observation and feedback, the role of battery compatibility, and advice for new technicians on essential lighting tools. They also touch on specialized products for collision repair and the future of lighting technology.
Topics:
shop lighting challenges
milwaukee lighting products
led technology
product development process
durability in lighting
automotive technician lighting needs
battery compatibility
headlamps and personal lighting
underbody and boom lights
collision repair lighting
Jason Isaacs, Director of Product Marketing at Milwaukee Tool, dives into shop lighting—how Milwaukee Tool develops durable products, key lighting solutions for technicians, and advice on the best lights for those just starting their careers.
Check out the full video version of the podcast on YouTube!
About the Episode
- Host: Jay Goninen, WrenchWay, [email protected]
- Guest: Jason Isaacs, Milwaukee Tool
Links & Resources
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We're trying to always focus on delivering the most performance, the most efficient level
of performance for the best cost.
Beyond the Wrench with Jay Gannon from Wrenchway.
Welcome back to another very special episode of Beyond the Wrench.
We're here at the Milwaukee Pipeline event, and we've had a lot of fun here today.
So many different things to see, so many different products to talk about, and today, Jason Isaacs
is joining me to talk about lighting.
In our space, in the automotive and diesel spaces, lighting is a hot topic just because
there are a lot of shops with very poor lighting.
So we'll dive into everything lighting, but how you doing, Jason?
Doing well, yeah.
Thanks for having me.
This is going to be fun.
How you holding up there out on the floor?
Fortunately enough, I didn't have to spend all day talking.
I've got a product manager from my team that covered that for us this year, so I had
the opportunity to walk around and really get ideas for next year.
Oh, very, very cool.
So we're going to start this off very similar to how we start off every episode of Beyond
the Wrench, which is talking about you, talking about your background and really what led you
to what you do today.
And I should mention your job title is Director of Product Marketing.
Is that accurate?
Yeah, yeah.
That's 100% it.
So my role within Milwaukee is really managing the portfolio products we have, making sure
we're continuing to deliver on what users are needing out in the marketplace and making
sure we're growing that business on its own, and that as this organization has
gotten bigger and bigger, we've really focused on creating smaller teams within the group
to make sure we're still managing really the intimate details at a category level, that
that way we're not ignoring things over time.
So that's a credence really to the leadership group to get people in the right spot to
deliver on what our customers really need.
So what does your day-to-day life look like at Milwaukee?
Yeah, it's on the product management side.
It's one of the most cross-functional roles that's out there.
So you touch a little bit everything from sales to distribution to commercial planning.
So what promotions or placement programs are we running to get products actually into distribution
to production planning on the manufacturing side?
And then at the beginning, really the development and even before that, what are we going
to make?
Oh my goodness.
How do you get prepared for a role like that where there are just so many different elements
to it?
Another kind of cool part about the company, like when I start and we're skipping over how
I got here.
Well, we'll get back to that too.
But that's been the cool part of this.
My entire time in corporate Milwaukee has been in lighting.
So like 12 years doing this, I started when there was really nothing.
There's a handful of products and I've been able to kind of grow this into a pretty substantial
business that covers a lot of different users and applications.
So like as we talk through this, let's go back and talk about what got you interested
in this in the first place, right?
So when you go back, maybe you're in school, was this something that you had on the
radar as to what you were going to do with your life?
Sure.
And I'll even start a little bit before that, just set kind of the stage a little
bit.
But originally from a really small like agricultural based farm town.
So I grew up doing farm work, construction, things like that.
Summer jobs.
Yeah.
And so like grew up pretty blue collar grassroots type of stuff.
And at that point in time, didn't really know what I wanted to do coming out of high
school, but was familiar with a lot of things in that space.
And then most of my family is in the automotive industry.
So auto body from farm implement type work to car truck, kind of really across the board.
And then my dad drove a semi truck over the road as a sole proprietor.
So I would help him on the weekends, changing tires and doing just general maintenance
there.
So pretty well versed background on some of the hands on, on side of things.
But when I finished school, I'm like, I have no idea what I want to do.
So I actually joined the, joined the military and went into the army for five years.
So I did that for a little bit of time.
And then I'm like, okay, time to put that behind me and work on kind of the next
step.
And I went to the university in Nebraska and still didn't really have any idea what
I wanted, wanted to do long term.
I'm like, came out of time in the military and I'm like, okay, what's the thing
I can go do that's most versatile on the back end.
So just went, got, when got a standard like business administration degree, sure, that
had a lot of flexibility within it.
And then ironically at the career fair at university in Nebraska, Milwaukee had a booth
set up and I'm like, okay, like I know tools, I'm comfortable with tools.
And that really started the process in is that was the first kind of glimpse of
how fast this company moves.
Cause it was like one quick conversation at an interview table.
They're like, hey, you got an extra couple hours and interviewing with a couple
managers that they had there.
And then I was up in Brookfield like a month later.
Wow.
And that was at the kind of the tail end of the spring semester.
And I was graduating at the fall semester.
And within a month of interviewing, they call me back.
They're like, no, it probably wasn't even a month, a couple of weeks.
And they're like, Hey, what do you think about upstate New York?
I'm like, wait a minute for a sales position.
So I'm like, okay, I was on the East coast before in my time in the military,
back to the Midwest.
And this is 2010, 11.
So the, the job market was kind of on its back.
Coming back a little bit.
Yeah.
Back a little bit, but like everything was still a little iffy.
I'm like, let's go.
And it was definitely the best life decision I've ever made really
because it's got me here.
And I never really, it was a sales position, but they're like, we have
a big leadership development program that allows you to go a lot of different ways.
And then started to get a better understanding of different paths.
And for me, like sales wasn't really for me.
It was a great experience to learn a lot about like our largest
distribution partners and things like that.
But pretty quickly I had my eyes set on product and, and did a couple of years
in sales and then was afforded the opportunity to interview for a role
on corporate and I've been here ever since and it's been a, been a blast.
Oh, it's such a great company.
And we've talked a lot today about culture and really what a great
culture that Milwaukee has.
Did you feel that as soon as you kind of came in the doors and started
your career?
Yeah, in like the people I started with are like some of my best friends
that were in my wedding.
So that's, and I think Tim even brought it up on the Q and A portion of
what, what kind of keeps people here.
And, and it is very like foundational to like, hey, no job is easy, right?
And like having other people that you're really close to that, to
like even kind of having a confidant to like go to like, hey, I'm
having this problem.
How like, have you ran into this before?
And just having like those close relationships to be able to go at
like those conversations, it's, it's priceless.
It is, it is.
And that's I think what everybody's looking for when they're going
to work somewhere, right?
Is they want that support of culture and Milwaukee's done a
phenomenal job with that.
I do have to ask, as somebody that came from a small rural town,
we had a conversation about this before we hit record, uh, you
talked about summer jobs working on a farm, did that include
the hang?
Oh, of course.
That's, that's whenever I'm complaining about my daily, like
my daily job, my daily responsibilities, I look back and
like, at least I'm not in a haymow anymore.
Yeah.
It can, it can always be hotter, harder, hotter, sweatier.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
No airflow whatsoever.
Yeah.
It's a, that's actually bringing back some memories for me
right now where I'm like, Oh my goodness, the middle of
August, it was not, not fun to be in a barn at that point.
Yeah.
Uh, talk about a time like it was kind of warm outside today,
but like when you're doing physical labor all day outside
and then you have to go put it up in a barn, like it's,
yeah, we got it pretty good right now.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, this is, uh, thank you for all the information on
your background, such a cool background.
Now, when we talk about lighting, uh, this is your
specialty.
This is something that I think a lot of shops are
interested in just because there's been, uh, what I
would consider a lack of lighting for a long time and
it makes your job really, really hard when you can't
see what you're actually working on.
Uh, talk to me a little bit about what Milwaukee has
done in the lighting space.
Yeah.
Uh, it's pretty broad.
Um, we started really the mainstay of what we did
was really leveraging like M12 and M18 to get
lighting off the ground.
So, uh, and this has been well over a decade ago
where like it was, hey, in the automotive space,
like everybody had the incandescent droplight,
uh, 25 foot extension cord, dropping it down in the
engine compartment, gets hot, all that stuff.
Right.
Um, and we brought, uh, M12 and M18 stick lights
to the market pretty significant time ago.
Yeah.
Um, but that was like that really easy one to
figure out.
And so we did that.
And then the big thing at the time was really
how do you go out and deliver a light that's
as bright as halogen products in the market?
And, and obviously now halogen is kind of gone by
the wayside for LED technology.
Um, but the first one we launched is our, uh, kind
of baseline M18 floodlight.
Um, when we launched that, we launched it right
as I was starting on the lighting team and, and
right as I showed up, I saw all the back order
issues that we had with it because we launched
a product that's, uh, was $100 in the
marketplace against products that are 15, 20
bucks in, and we're like, okay, like this
could go well.
Um, and I think we had orders in our system
for what we thought we were going to sell in
the first six months.
So that really opened our eyes of like, okay,
this is much bigger than this one individual
product.
Uh, and then from there, we've just really
scaled it in a way that, uh, really leaning
in, in on like form and function, uh, like
making products easier to move around.
Um, and as that, as LED technology and
efficiency has continued to grow, uh, we've
partnered with some of the premier LED vendors,
uh, across the world to make sure we're
always leaning in heavy on the efficiency
side, um, which a lot of the commodity stuff
doesn't have to do because they're always
plugged in.
Um, so we're trying to always focus on
delivering the most performance, the most
efficient level of performance for the
best cost.
As somebody that, uh, once I had, I had
a treble light on a car and I had raised
it up on a hoist and it was connected to
a cord, which was connected to the wall.
Uh, and credit to the strength of this
old light to stay in the wall, stay plugged
in, but I raised the hoist all the way up
and it actually caught and acted like a
slingshot and, uh, came back down and
just it shred into a million pieces,
right?
Shattered like crazy.
So as you're developing this
technology, I'm sure you're seeing
some of those kind of cases where,
you know, hey, like maybe that's not the
safest or maybe that's not the best way
to do that.
Yeah, absolutely.
And in, like we swung hard at durability
in this category from when we started.
Almost have to, right?
Yeah, it was like one of the biggest
downsides of the stuff that was out
there at the market at the time and
kind of still is to a certain extent.
Um, and it, it was a hard thing to
do long term too.
Like in that, that floodlight that we
made, uh, that really springboarded
us into a lot of other segments of
lighting, uh, is bulletproof.
Yeah.
Um, like we, one kind of story about
that product, it was out on, um, on the
Tramway at Disney World.
They were working on it at night.
Uh, battery died.
Someone left it on the tracks.
Uh, Tram came through the next
day, ran it over.
Uh, the whole thing was flattened.
They bent it back, plugged a
battery in it and it still work.
Oh my goodness.
So in like, one, it was a really
important thing, like, hey, we weren't
going to solve for that, right?
Uh, which is fine.
Uh, but it set at such a high
durability standard in this space.
And I was like, okay, like that's
the low watermark.
Like we can never go below that.
And, and it really set the stage
to, to force us, uh, force our
engineering teams to really think
differently about how we design and
develop products in a way that they
can live in a lot of these
environment.
We're not trying to design stuff to
get ran over by train by any means,
but like we need to keep that
always really front of mind against
a really heavy commodity market,
which makes total sense.
And, you know, I, I am interested
in the development side of this,
right?
Because it's easy to say lighting.
Oh, we got lights on the ceiling
in, in our environment.
That doesn't, that doesn't play
well a lot of times because you
do have a hood going up or you
have something that's going to
block whatever lighting you have.
Talk to me a little bit about how,
how do you find opportunities to
build something different?
Sure.
Uh, it's not as complex as what
you would think.
It just takes time.
Okay.
And, and takes time to take a step
back and listen and watch and
understand the situations that,
uh, in a really intimate detail.
And, and a lot of times it's like
you talk to someone in an
automotive shop or in any
environment, it's like, this is
the problem.
And, and you're like, okay.
And you ask a couple other
questions and, and you get to a
much deeper underlying problem
that you really need to solve
for that also solves for the,
the thing that's front of mind
for them.
So, uh, it's, it takes a lot of
time there, um, in the first
place and like I push my team
to like, hey, we don't have to
design the solution, right?
Um, we have to go out and
clearly identify like where the
products are, where they need
to live, uh, what the problems
are with the existing things.
And then we have an entire
design group where like, hey,
here's the problem.
Like we're going to step away
and, and come back with some
options to help us solve this.
And did that, did that, was
that a progression in your
career, would you say?
And just being able to ask the
right questions and, and really
being able to get to the true
problem.
Yeah, it's, it's definitely the
hardest part of that role, of
the role of a product manager
because it's, it's easy to
jump to the, jump to the
solution, like, oh, I can go do
this and, and that takes care of
it. And, and really peeling back
the onion to understand
everything at a very granular
level, to make sure whatever we
bring to the market is, uh,
delivering on the user need and,
and unique, right?
Uniqueness sells really well,
especially in the automotive
space. Yeah.
And that was a really hard
because you think you're doing
it the right way.
And the good thing is, is
like when I came in, my
manager, uh,
manager and manager's manager,
we're really good at challenging
me on, like, like, this is
really baseline, like we need
depth around this and
continued coaching and
understanding of how to do it
well. Because this is a trait
that, like people go to school
to do this as, as a career
path. And, and we're
trying to figure out how to,
how to do it as product
managers, but also do the
development and commercial side
and all those types of things.
One thing that I think has
resonated with every Milwaukee
employee that I've talked to is
that piece right there and how
key that is to the success of
the company as a whole.
Being able to go in and
truly understand that, hey,
we've got to dig a little bit
deeper. Are there times when
you're trying to dig a little
bit deeper where you're
getting resistance from the
people you're trying to get
more information from?
Oh, for sure. Um, and
every, every person you talk
to in the field is unique
in their own way.
Some people are very closed
off and I don't really
want to, want to engage in a
conversation or they care more
about the work they, they need
to get done, which is fine.
But you find some people that
can really articulate the
problems and you can drive
the depth. And the, the
challenge for us is we want to
try to get in there and do
this as fast as we can,
because we're getting in the
way of that individual making
money too.
So we have to be really
efficient with it and try to
keep it as condensed as
possible. And for us, like
you kind of trial run a
survey or a path of question,
line of questioning, you try
it once and you're like, OK,
this, this didn't work right.
And then you're back out in
your car, like kind of
rescoping, restructuring
everything in a way that
allows you to get, get to
where you need to go as
efficient as you can.
How, so I want to walk
through like day of in a
shop and really try to
understand this process.
Is it as simple as you've
got a pad of paper and you
pull up a chair in the corner
of the shop and just watch
the text work or how does it
that look? Yeah, it can be
sometimes it's very
prescriptive around trying to
really focus on something
hyper specific.
And then there's times where
it's very exploratory and
and you're trying to just it
may be observational
and sometimes it may just be
kind of digging in on on
what someone's doing.
And the hard part in an
automotive shop is you
never know what's going to
be there. Yeah, like
they may be
replacing a rear differential
and then the next time you
go in, they're doing brakes
and tires on a vehicle.
And it's like, OK, this is
totally different than what I
saw last time, but I need to
maximize my time now.
So how do I steer the line
of questioning in a way that
fits to that person's
application?
Interesting, because I'm
a true believer in like if
you're not seeing the actual
work that's being done to
to feedback into the product
you're developing, it
becomes a little bit
challenging on understanding
like some data driven decisions
through that process.
I'll give you an example that
used to drive me absolutely
nuts. I started off my
career as a technician and
front brake jobs were always
a pain because you would
hang the light like on the
strut or, you know, and it
was twisted the wrong way
and you could never actually
get it to where you wanted
to look at it. Did you see
that scenario in any of
these shops?
Yeah, and I would like to
show you our M12
underbody life for that
specific evaluation.
But yeah, they're and
that's the craziness about
an automotive technicians'
needs around lighting.
They're always having to work
around something, always having
to reach around something to
get to nut, bolt, hoses,
whatever. It's a very,
very unique application
versus a lot of the other
core trades that we focus
on, but also opens up
a huge opportunity for us
to go out and solve things
in a unique way.
Interesting. So in that
scenario, you see that
there's a problem and you see
that, hey, maybe we've got
to come up with a different way
to get the light in that
really kind of compact space
with the technician having
their hands in there and
really just I think a lot
of a lot of opportunities
block light from being able
to really have that
technician be able to see
what they're working on.
From that stage, I mean,
are you then kind of
in your mind just trying to
figure out, OK, how could
I get the light in there?
Yeah, there's there's quite a bit
of that.
And sometimes like.
We don't even make it that far.
It's a lot of times it's like,
OK, this is the problem.
And then you hand it.
Yeah. And then like, hey, we
may come back into the office
and grab a couple of designers
and engineers and go flip
up a hood in the parking lot
and say like, OK, this is
what I saw. And like, what
are ways that we think we can
solve this or to get every
the most value you can get
out of a development team is
getting them immersed in the
problem.
And if you can get everybody
bought in on like, hey, are
we all in agreement that this
is actually a problem?
Yeah. And then then it's
just like clockwork.
Everything starts and you
can't always solve
everything right in every
application. But those are
the things that make really
our team the most powerful
is really outlining those
situations really well.
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Links are in the show notes.
How has the automotive side
of lighting grown over the
years? Because obviously the
product line has exploded
with all kinds of different
things.
Walk me through that piece a
little bit. You started off
when you started your career
with a lot less selection
of lighting products.
Now it's crazy.
Yeah. So when I started,
I think we had five products.
And for perspective, now we
have over 60 products
across five different battery
types and four different
battery types. And then we
have internal or chargeable
products and then a small
mix of other like alkaline
stuff that that's not really
a focus for us.
But the hard part is like
we have a lot of users to
feed from our brand.
And and we dip in like
every couple of years we go
heavy on like what's the next
user group that we really
want to focus on.
And you've seen that through
product development from us
over the last better part
of a decade.
And when we started like,
hey, we started with a very
baseline like, hey, here's
a stick light that's powered
off of one powered off of M
12, one that's powered off
of M 18.
The next easy, easy answer
was like, hey, a lot of guys
are using corded
underhood lights.
Like, hey, we've got some
batteries that can that can
help power that.
So so we went went down
that path.
And then 2017, 2018,
we were starting to get
another portfolio products
up off the ground
around personal lights.
So like flashlights,
headlamps, things like that.
And and you walk into an
automotive tech shop
and be like, hey, do you mind
if I take a look at your
toolbox and or like, where do
you keep your flashlights
in your toolbox?
They pull up on a drawer
and it is with all the other
stuff.
Yeah. Yeah.
And it but they may have
two or three different
pin lights, a few different
flashlights.
And we're like, oh, wow.
Like, there's a huge need
here.
Like, obviously, like
if they have this many
things, none of it's doing
really well or they just bought
it on a bargain deal
somewhere.
Yeah.
Which is an uncommon either.
But it opened up our eyes
to where where there's
a substantial amount of
opportunity and is with
how diverse applications
are in the automotive space
like size is really critical.
Yeah.
And and we started to build
in a lot of functionality
into our personal lighting
program to help with that.
So whether it's a pin light
that slips in,
someone's shirt pocket
and they wear it literally
every second that they're
in the shop.
We did some unique things
around putting like FDA
approved rubber on the back
because the first thing
first thing you have to do
when you need a light
and you need to work
with both hands that flashlight
goes in someone's mouth.
100 percent.
So then there are
a million times.
Yeah, absolutely.
We just did the FDA approved
rubber on the back of the
light with a thought of that.
That is rather than just
biting on a big metal tube.
And then then we did like
on red lithium USB,
which is a single cell
swappable battery platform
that we have.
We did stick light,
which is kind of a common place
in the automotive space.
And then probably four years
ago, I'm going to get the year wrong
was really one of the first
really unique products
that we launched
in the automotive industry
was the M12 underbody light.
And and that was a product
that really came to came
to life around really just
watching technician
hit the button on the lift
to send the car up in the air.
And then they're like fighting
around trying to figure out
how to light up everything
underneath.
And and it's like, OK,
they're a text picking up
a flashlight or trying to
grab a corded light
and set it on the ground
and cast it up.
And then they look down
and they're staring into it.
And it's like, OK, why can't
we just take the light
closer to the application
and just make it adjustable?
And and it kind of came
from an idea of being
at the dentist and like.
Oh, yeah.
They pull the light over your head
and it's just that thing
inversed.
So wow.
So then we thought about like,
hey, what are the other like?
Hey, this thing isn't small
by any means, but it's adjustable
in the right way.
How do we get as much out
of the space that we're
taking up in this environment
as we can?
And and then we saw guys
going to put their sockets
on the on the arm of the lift
or ratchets or whatever.
And we're like, why don't we
just put a magnetic tray
in this and then boom,
engineers in a in a week
had had magnets integrated into it.
And then guys were just setting
magnets and bolts and nuts
just right on that magnetic tray.
So now you think of it
from a from a shop owner
standpoint like, OK, you're
saving a few seconds here
and there, but a few seconds
here and there over a year is
huge, add up to a ton of time.
And that was really one
of the really cool products
to see going to the market
and really a lot of people
gravitate to it out of the gates.
That was one of those
like the first time you walk
into a store and see that
you're like, that's pretty cool.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
So when when you you're going
through this, it feels like
it's not just all about
the lighting itself.
It's about how the light
gets to where you need it to be.
So like if it is a magnetic base,
if it is something else
like the adjustment in it,
like that that's kind of a game
changer because I don't feel
like there was anything else
like that before that.
Yeah, for sure.
And the light is one of the.
Can be one of the easier parts.
There's a lot of times
where it does become challenging,
but really making sure
you're maximizing the utility
out of the product is one of the
things that we really try to lean
hard on in a space
with a lot of other options,
right? Like there's
hey, we have the largest
market share and all of our
battery system.
So like that is something one
we don't take for granted
first and foremost,
but also like it gives us
a lot of flexibility too.
But we don't want to just ignore
the fact of like, hey,
people are going to just buy it
because it's M12 or M18.
We want to do everything we can
on each one of those products
to make sure it delivers
as much as we possibly can.
So what else do we have
in the automotive world
lighting wise?
Sure.
So another kind of the big
brother to that M12
under body light last summer.
I guess we're just right out of
a year of it being in the market.
We did the what we named
the M18 extendable boom
boom light. So once we got
that school M12 product
into the market, it was like,
OK, like this is great,
but it's great for cars and
trucks. We need something
bigger for everything
from over the road vehicles
to heavy equipment.
Just the application area
grows and the size of the
equipment grows. So we needed
something proportionally larger
to tackle those applications as
well. So which was
its own challenge in its own
right of how to how to get
that that thing hammered out
because once you put forty
some inches of extendable
length off three different
arms, like you need a lot
of magnetic oh my goodness.
Yeah. So I think
that magnet can hold like
up to two hundred pounds
to get to to hold it
at full distance, especially
like and we're like, OK,
what what if the frames rusted?
Yeah, like that comes into
consideration.
So we threw everything we
could at the magnet magnetic
strength on it in development.
We're like the first prototype
we stick it to something and
we're like, oh no, like
how do we get this thing off
of here?
And I think we ended up
like using a pry bar to bring
it loose. And it's like, OK,
we need to come up with something
different.
So we kind of framed up the
problem, took it to the
engineering team and they just
went and created a mechanical
advantage arm in it
that just had a little plunger
on the bottom that popped it
loose. It takes like, I don't
know, ten pounds of pressure
to break it loose and good to
go. How did you get around
like the rusty frame thing
because that probably is
an issue in and of itself
where you want to make the
magnet really, really strong,
but you also have to be able to
get it off or you like, I feel
like if you're talking about a
rusty frame, those of us in the
Midwest, we really struggle
with this, right?
It is like
you're just making a really
strong magnet or you just make
the magnet stronger to get
through some of the rust to
maybe some of the true metal
that can can hold it.
Yeah. And and like, hey, rust
is one thing, but it's also
frame coatings.
Oh, yeah.
So like you go get into
that and some of that stuff
is I don't know how thick it is,
but it like more than a quarter
of an inch and you look at
magnets like any air gap
between the steel surface
and that magnet has an
exponential effect on on
the strength of that magnet.
So so we tried to take all
of those situations in mind
as we're like, OK, what does
the magnetic strength need to
be in use to stack all those
things up? And it's like, OK,
on bare steel, this thing's
going to hold 200 pounds.
Man. But we and magnets
aren't free either.
So like, we had to continue
to add cost in it to do what
what was right for the application.
That is so cool.
Now, other examples, I just
want to run through with you
and see if just one example
that in my own personal
experience was a challenge was
underneath the dash.
Sure. I don't know what you
what you suggest for something
like that. But that is a lot
of times if you're a technician,
you're on your back,
upside down sideways,
you're kind of it's very
uncomfortable.
And the worst thing is if you
don't have light placement in the
right spot.
Yeah. So that's been a common
challenge that that we've tried
to solve in a few different
products because it continues to
come up. And and for me, it's
like, OK, we don't have this
thing totally solved.
Sure.
But we're we're making
incremental improvements kind of
with a lot of the products
we're doing on the red
lithium USB line.
So we have a couple really
small compact floodlights
and then also on internal
rechargeable. We have a it's
roughly the size of an iPhone.
So really slim, low profile
light.
We see a lot of guys
though it's magnetic so you can
put it on.
And it's got some flexible arms
on the back so you can clip
it to like your arm
coming in for your break
and stick it to that.
And then you can pivot it and
angle it up up underneath
the dash, which isn't the best
for a lot of applications
because a lot of times you're
staring into it.
But you can also slip that
back up underneath the dash.
So if you're doing wiring or
working on gauges or whatever
underneath the dash, like you
can do all those things pretty
efficiently as well.
So we haven't necessarily
come out with Milwaukee
underdash light, but try to
keep that in mind for a lot
of the auto auto specific
products and general use
products that we have.
One request I would have.
I think is out of maybe out
of the blue a little bit.
But would be what would be
great is if you had some form
of like air tag in the light
because it happens more than
you think where that that's
especially with the smaller
lights, they get stuck to
something and then like, where
did I put that light?
It's on somebody's car
underneath that like a dash
somewhere and it's hard to
find them.
Yeah, yeah.
Another problem that that
we still need to continue to
work on on the right
solution.
I think there's there's
tech to your point.
There's technology available
that's out there.
And there's challenges that
come with kind of everything.
But but it's something we're
still committed to spending
time on.
You talked about the headlight
earlier.
What what what is the actual
name of the the headlamp
that goes that you wear on
your on your head?
So we have a few different
ones have a few different.
Yeah, so we have one of the
ones that's really been
beneficial in the automotive
space is our
internal rechargeable
headlamp floodlight.
So it's it's a really cool kind
of unique execution where
the headlamp is actually
removable from the band.
Okay.
And it's magnetic on the back
so you can for a technician
they're looking in an engine
compartment or whatever
and another great product
for some of the under dash
applications.
Yeah, really slim low profile
light that you can just
take off.
Obviously it's magnetic
because that's what it holds
it into the into the headlamp
strap.
But you can take that off and
move it to any magnetic surface
and stick it where you need it.
So it's kind of a quasi
mini floodlight slash headlamp
that that does really well
in the auto space.
That's another one where it
feels like in the last couple
of years that's come on really
really strong where you walk
into a shop now and it's not
uncommon to see the technicians
walking around with the headlamps
on all day long.
And I don't know that I saw
that, you know, several years
ago, you used to have way back
in the day, the really wonky
ones that didn't fit right
and the light was terrible.
But these ones, they put off
some light.
I mean, it's it's it's
impressive.
Yeah, it's the power source
and LED technology that that's
out there now allows you to
really deliver a significant
amount of light and in
actuality, a lot of times
it's more than what most
people need.
Yeah, like to actually do
that, do a job within
arm's reach.
You don't need as much light
but like on a package, it's
like, am I going to buy
1,500 lumens or 1,000 lumens?
And that's another area where
we've got to do a better job
of kind of crafting like how
much performance is actually
needed because it all comes
at at the sacrifice of how
long that light's going to last
to.
Do you have any advice on
that side of like if you're
out in the market and you're
looking for something and
it's described in lumens?
I know a lot of hunters
are very familiar with it.
But if maybe you're not
that hunter that's out
there, is there something to
keep in mind when you're looking
for a light?
And it's all hard to say
in like if you've been
through our battery rotation
here, one of the common themes
that we say is like not all
lithium is the same.
Yeah.
In the in the lighting
world, not all lumens are the
same.
And kind of the an easy
way to describe it as lumens
is kind of the volume of light
that's coming out of it.
And then as you
direct that light, you can
actually increase the intensity
of that light as well.
So there's a lot of times
where you can take 500 lumens
of light direct in the right
way.
And it actually seems brighter
than a thousand and the numbers
are somewhat arbitrary.
Right.
Just to kind of make a point.
But we spend a lot of time
on optical development as well.
So we have engineers
and test equipment next time
you're in town.
I'd love to show you a little
bit of it.
Love it.
But we take
we simulate our optical designs
and software.
And then we we test it
through that simulation to see
if it's actually doing what we
wanted to do and we can model
it into a actual
environment and space.
And then we'll 3D print it
or have it soft-tooled and
manufactured or machined
and then drop it into the
product to make sure, like, OK,
do these things all work out?
Usually like, OK, we got to
do it a couple of times to
get everything tweaked and
worked out.
But we're always battling this
balance between like how
much performance is needed for
the application and how long
do people need these to last
to not be a burden on
the daily workflow, right?
Because once you have to
either remove that battery
or remove that light from the
environment to charge it.
Yeah, pretty obvious, right?
Like, you can't get a whole lot
done.
So we were very specific
on how we managed that
relationship.
The battery side of it, I think,
is so important also
just like everything else,
Milwaukee.
If you've got your charger
running and you are pretty
consistently putting batteries
on it, I think it is a little
bit more of a habit from a
technician standpoint to just
go throw a battery on the
charger, whereas if it's not
a universal battery that's
going to be used in other
things, you forget to plug
that light in one night
and you come back
and you have a dead light
and you're starting the day
with a dead light and it's
kind of frustrating.
And that's the unique thing
that Milwaukee provides
in the industry is a single-cell
swappable battery that's
compatible with other stuff.
And a lot of our competitors
in that space are things that
are available in the market.
Like some of the common
competitors out there have
20, 30 different batteries.
And we're like, OK, like...
It's overwhelming.
We're just thinking about it.
Yeah, you just buy...
You buy a light and you're
like, OK, what are the other
things that I can put on
the same battery from a
competitive standpoint?
You have one or two things
where we have 15 different
products that work on that
same battery.
And we feel like there's a high
level, a high value of
swappability in that space,
especially for a high
frequency user like an
automotive technician.
I work with a lot of entry
level technicians just in
general, a lot of experienced
ones too.
But do you have any advice
for them as they're maybe
starting their tool collection
and what way to go with
the lighting?
Because it can be cool to have
the underbody light.
It can be cool to do all of
this.
But if you had that
young technician that was
starting, would you have any
advice on maybe what the best
path for them to go down
in terms of lighting with
Milwaukee?
Yeah, I think if a new
technician really bought two
products out of the gates,
they would be in a good spot
to really spend some time
doing the work to figure out
what they really need.
And those two things are a
headlamp and we have a bunch of
different ones.
And then also a pin light,
like doing that inspection
work to actually executing
the work are two critical,
like hyper common things for
an automotive technician.
And like, hey, they need
that high torque impact wrench.
They need those really highly
productive money making
tools in their toolbox
before they start adding on
all these other things.
And like, hey, would I love
for somebody to go just buy
every single product?
But absolutely.
But it may be not the right
thing.
Until they start to make some
money.
Yeah.
Like, don't get yourself so
far in debt out of the gates
on it.
Like, work your way into it
and buy it by what you need
because that's that's going to
set yourself up better
to one, be more comfortable
personally.
Yeah.
And then also kind of growing
to the space and be a little
more specific about what
your long term needs are.
That is incredible advice.
I hope we actually take that
clip for the advice piece alone
because that is I think
it can get overwhelming with how
many options are out there.
And just to know, hey, these
are things that are going to
get you by until you start
to make some money until you
start to find yourself in a
better financial position.
So I just think that's
fantastic advice.
We're getting close to the
end of the show.
And there are a couple things
I wanted to ask you about
first, product specific
things.
Yeah, absolutely.
That I was just interested in.
And so we'll do kind of a rapid
fire.
Tell us a little bit about them
because I am I am curious so
that you have the Red Lithium
USB stick light with magnet.
Yeah.
So that and I kind of a
little bit represent on the
front end.
But that was a really cool
product that's really solely
focused for the automotive
technician.
So that's a good one that
like, hey, we talked about
the inspection piece to
actually doing the work.
And and that's another really
good product for for a new
technician to think about.
That light just kind of a
visually looks like a standard
stick light that's out there in
the market.
But there's a lot of bells
and whistles into it as well.
So at the end of the stick
light portion, there's a
little inspection light.
So doing some of the
general inspection work,
whether it's the front of the
engine or underneath, a really
good solution for doing those
things.
And then you talked about
trouble lights, things like
that.
So something that provides a
broader area of light that
actually has a light bar on the
front and the back that you
can you can turn on the front
or the back or both.
So if you need to drop that
into an engine compartment
and say you need to pull spark
plugs or something like that,
you can it's got a hook on the
bottom, you can hang that
hook on a wire loom running
across an engine compartment.
And then you have light
across the entire side of the
engine.
So that's a really good one.
Trying to think what else
am I missing.
Oh, Anna, as most of our lights
do, it's got a pretty strong
magnet on it.
So if you're working underneath
an engine and you need to have
that kind of mounted task light,
it's kind of a somewhat of a
mini, mini, mini version of
that M12 or M18 boom light.
Oh, very cool and very handy.
The Red Lithium USB 400L
necklight.
Yeah.
So the necklight is a really
cool one.
And you think of like, hey,
we spent a lot of time
talking about headlamps and
in the need of getting in and
a wrap, getting light in and
around things.
And sometimes shining light
from the top of your head
or based on the direction of
your eyes, isn't always the
best way to do it.
So a lot of times actually
casting light up from
underneath is beneficial.
And something that you can
kind of wear all day and not
have the compression of a
headlamp on your head.
So that's a really great one
that's part of our Red Lithium
USB platform that you can
swap batteries between also
that stick light as well.
So you have that swap ability,
capability, ability.
So that's that's another good
one.
Try to think if there's
anything.
I've never actually worn one
of those, by the way.
Like I need to I got I have
to try one of those at some
point.
We'll figure something.
All right.
All right.
The last one I'll ask you
about paint and detailing
color match.
Yeah, we didn't even get
into the collision side.
Yes.
So this was we'll have to do
it again sometime because
we'll we'll have to dive
further into that.
And I will say as a caveat
that is our only like
collision paint and body
body type of product.
But I really came from
spending time in shops that
like, OK, you go through
one side of the shop and
it's all all technicians.
And then you go to the other
side and it's a bunch of
auto body guys.
Yeah.
And we spent some time in
there and like we're seeing
a lot of these color
match lights that are out
there of color correction
and and all that.
And we're like, OK, we
can do this better than
some of the stuff that
we're seeing.
Yeah.
And we got with some of our
LED vendors to get the right
LED for it and in an
appropriate optical design.
That's probably one of our
least known products, to be
honest with you.
But so far I have a feeling
it's coming.
Yeah. Yeah.
And it's crazy to see
how many people gravitate
to that product once they
get their hands on it.
We've we've shown it as
at SEMA a handful of years
and you get the big dogs
of the paint custom paint
space and I'm just like,
hey, check this out.
Tell me what you think.
Like I don't even want to
try to sell you on it.
And versus some of the stuff
that's out there that's seven,
eight, nine hundred dollars
for a really affordable price
that does everything that
those products do and more.
Man, I learned so much
about lighting today.
I really hope we get you
back as a guest sometime
because this is this is
really interesting.
And I think some of this
you you just think
about the future of lighting
and how much of an impact
you've already had
and looking forward what it's
going to continue to be.
It's it's exciting stuff.
So I appreciate you
joining us here today.
Yeah, thanks for having me.
This has been a blast.
That wraps up another episode
of Beyond the Wrench.
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