Clas is a France based brand making tools and equipment for the automotive and HGV after-market industry. The company has always been an innovative player in technical equipment and tools.
Today, Clas is evolving towards an ecosystem offering global solutions beneficial to all their partners. Clas adapts to customer needs and budgets, keeping it simple and responsive with expert, passionate men, and women at the heart of digitalization at your service.
Strengthening their leadership in France, Clas is expanding to become a key international player in a couple of years.
Interview with Cedric Le Cordroch, Communications Director at CLAS.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Cedric Le Cordroch: The concept of our brand is to offer a complete package to equip a garage, from hand tools to post lifts, including a wide range of products such as brake bleeders, tire changers, general tools such as vacuum cleaners. Basically, we offer a unique range of products in terms of width and depth in the automotive aftermarket industry.
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
C.L.C: Every year, we develop around 300 new products. This year, as heavy equipment, we have been focusing on a machine that extend the life of automatic gearboxes, which are difficult to repair and have a very heavy financial cost in case of replacement. The role of oil in an automatic transmission is fundamental, the majority of problems can be avoided with proper preventive maintenance. Contrary to a traditional gravity oil change which will remove 60% of the residues, it has been specially designed by our team of specialists to clean the entire interior of the automatic gearbox without any dismantling. Easy to use, fully automatic, and thanks to its included technical data (12,000 models) and its 18 pairs of fittings compatible with the majority of vehicles on the market.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
C.L.C: This year, we have been focusing on a wide range of accessible package of hand tools which are all on the same brand identity called B-Line. Also, our R&D department launched a complete range of consumables products. And finally, we are providing to our consumers a few different packages to repair hybrid and electrical vehicles.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
C.L.C: The market we’re in is at a stage where everything is changing very fast. Cars have changed so much in 10 years, and they’re sure to evolve over the next 10. We’re adapting to this to offer our customers tools that match the market as fast as possible.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
C.L.C: You don’t have to look very far to see that everything is about hybrid and electric vehicles at the moment, but for how long? It’s true that repairing electric vehicles is totally new for garages, and making them safe is time-consuming and can be very dangerous when working on them.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
C.L.C: I think the innovation comes mainly from finding a solution for the repairer who doesn’t know how to carry out the work. That’s why we created the “Club Technique Auto” with 2 other partners, NTN/SNR and Elring, two brands that manufacture mechanical parts for the automotive industry, in order to share and demonstrate best practices on complex and technical inventions.
E.E: What estimations do you have for the rest of 2023?
C.L.C: I would say that the automotive repair market is doing rather well, and should continue to do so. For example, on electric vehicles, there’s hardly any mechanics involved any more, we’re talking much more about braking, air conditioning, batteries…