Though smaller and more focused than previous NPS (new product symposium) media events, Milwaukee Tool introduced plenty of new and improved products at their recent Pipeline 2022 event.
We’re still in the process of unpacking — both physically, from the trip to Milwaukee, and mentally, from all the different things we saw and learned about — but in the meantime, here are some updates on three products and product lines that were not in the spotlight at Milwaukee’s event.
Here are some clear hints about what we can expect to see next from Milwaukee Tool.
More Cordless Outdoor Power Equipment
This was mentioned a few times in the comments and on social media, but no – Milwaukee isn’t standing pat on its cordless outdoor power tool offerings.
The company did not show off any new cordless OPE products at PIPELINE 2022, but said we can expect them to make separate OPE announcements in August. And, we have a pretty good idea of what might be coming up.
A Cordless Snowblower!!!
During the end-of-day Q&A session, I asked Milwaukee Tool President Steven Richman if there were any products that Milwaukee has developed that he never would have imagined being in the company’s portfolio.
“Hell yes,” he exclaimed before jumping into an anecdote about a time when he learned that one of his R&D teams had been working on a battery-powered snowblower.
“I found out they were working on this pet project and I went ballistic,” Richman said. “And that was a snowblower. And we will be – you know, in the not too distant future, the OPE team will be introducing a snowblower.”
That’s right, Milwaukee Tool officially teased that they’re working on a cordless snowblower.
Shane Moll, Milwaukee’s President of Power Tools, encouragingly pressed Richman – “what year was that, Steve? What year is it launching?” to which Richman replied:
Next year, 2023.
Does this mean winter 2023? We’ll have to wait to find out more, but this is definitely exciting news.
In the meantime, be sure to check out ToolGuyd’s review of the new M18 Fuel Mower.
Milwaukee Packout Expansion
Additions to the Packout line were absent, too (though it’s worth noting that attendees got a nice Packout tool bag and one of the new Packout insulated mugs as part of their welcome gift… something I mention here specifically to troll my good friend, Will, who will no doubt want one of his own.
The line has quickly become one of Milwaukee’s most popular and, one of its most profitable.
“Packout is well on its way to be the next billion-dollar category within Milwaukee Tool,” Tim Albrecht, Vice President of Hand Tools and Storage said. “And it’s because we have hundreds of tools that are in the pipeline right now.”
“There is a lot of opportunity in places we probably never would have thought. The Packout tumbler, for example; we sold more Packout tumblers in the past month – I would have lost any bet. …You’re going to see creativity across the board, focused on shop, transportation, and jobsite realms.”
More to come, this year.
There have been quite a few new products introduced already in 2022 and the company says its working on expanding the line even further, including ways to better incorporate the products into vehicles and workshops.
“Packout started as a jobsite transportation [solution], a way of getting something from Point A to Point B, and the whole vision we had for Packout was – how do you move something from the jobsite to your vehicle, to your garage, home shop, or tool crib,” Albrecht said.
“What you’re going to see from Packout is a huge evolution that is going to tie all of those components together. If you think about the drawers we just launched, how would you be able to attach those better to a van or pickup truck?”
New MX Fuel Products
An attendee also brought up the absence of any new products from Milwaukee’s MX Fuel cordless equipment line, which debuted in 2019.
The MX Fuel line currently consists of 8 tools: a 14-inch concrete cutoff saw; a handheld core drill, breaker hammer, the 3600W/1800W Carry-On power supply; tower light and charger; sewer drum machine; backpack concrete breaker; and vibratory screed.
Richman said there will be a number of new products:
We will have more MX in the back half of this year.
“There will be an extensive amount of commitment to MX across all verticals of our business in the future,” he said. “Shane keeps on hiring more and more people dedicated to it, and so we better deliver those products.”
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