Festool Parent (TTS) Buying Sawstop

[Charles P. Wright]

Interesting news, I wonder what the future holds.

http://www.sawstop.com/company/news/press-releases/sawstop-TTS

SawStop to be Acquired by TTS Tooltechnic Systems

06.26.2017
​Tualatin, Oregon – June 26, 2017: SawStop today announced the acquisition of SawStop, LLC by TTS Tooltechnic Systems, a third-generation family-owned company based in Wendlingen, Germany. The TTS family of companies includes Festool, Tanos, Cleantec and others, and employs more than 2,500 people around the globe.
“We are proud to join a company with a shared passion for customer safety, product quality and meticulous engineering,” said SawStop’s President, Dr. Stephen Gass. “Speaking for our entire team in Tualatin, Oregon and across North America, we are excited to join with TTS to bring safer woodworking to more people through new tools and in new markets around the world. With a family like TTS at our side, I can’t wait to see what we will accomplish together.”
The acquisition is expected to be completed in July 2017. SawStop’s current management team will continue to operate the company out of its Oregon headquarters.

[Kevin Smira]

Can't put a price on safety for sure...but, does sawstop now become infinitely more expensive???

[Victor Robinson]

Wow. Many will see this as two evil empires coming together. As a fan of both companies, I'm intrigued but concerned as well. Is it a way for TTS to simply acquire the rights to SS technology, or is it further about them getting into the stationary tool business? Or will they kill off/ignore the larger saws and focus on bringing the safety to their wheelhouse (portable tools)?

[jack duren]

They should remain the same.Quality is good and there is really nothing to do but sell...

[Darcy Warner]

Festool, festo, use to make stationary machinery. Everything is always for sale at the right price.

[Victor Robinson]

Festool, festo, use to make stationary machinery. Everything is always for sale at the right price.

Yes they did. You think they're eyeing a return to the premium end of the stationary market?

[Darcy Warner]

Not from what I was told 6 months or so ago, but I know they are doing a lot of growing here in the US, wanting to assemble tools here and more, but I haven't had a chance to talk to anyone I know down there for a while.

[Ben Rivel]

Boy this news is moving fast!

[Victor Robinson]

Not from what I was told 6 months or so ago, but I know they are doing a lot of growing here in the US, wanting to assemble tools here and more, but I haven't had a chance to talk to anyone I know down there for a while.

Interesting. A couple of options stand out to me:
1) It's a great set of patents to have in your portfolio and a big fat middle finger to one of those other German companies. Let Sawstop continue functioning as they are and continue producing Asian-manufactured tablesaws. Think about bringing their technology to your other products, but that's not really the focus.

2) Switch up Sawstop's focus to the jobsite saws and tools. Aggressively bring their tech to your other products if you can (e.g. CMS). Change their branding and cosmetics/aesthetics to better match Festool's.

3) Enter the stationary business again but with the exclusive safety feature, possibly shifting production to Europe or USA and commanding a higher price. Perhaps trying to get at some of Hammer/Felder or Minimax slider and bandsaw customers.

[Mike Henderson]

Wow, that's some news. But it's a smart move for SawStop. Their patents are going to expire in a few years and this gives them some real corporate backing.

And it allows Gass and the other investors to cash out.

Mike

[Tim Janssen]

...............

And it allows Gass and the other investors to cash out.

Mike

You're most likely right. I don't think that it was Gass's idea to get into the manufacture of table saws when he started developing the safety feature.
He was more or less forced into that when nobody appeared interested enough to spend the money to incorporate the safety into their saws.

Tim

[Matt Melville]

From what I've read, festool only bought sawstop. The patents for the safety device on sawstop are held by another llc owned by Gass.

[Dave Sabo]

From what I've read, festool only bought sawstop. The patents for the safety device on sawstop are held by another llc owned by Gass.

And where did you read that ? Everything I've seen is very cryptic and none of it discloses any detail about the transaction other than Gass has confirmed a sale.

I cannot see TTS only purchasing a company that has only three products and outsources those to an Asian jobber ? Why would they need or want that ? They aren't in the Asian outsourcing game. The value is in the IP ! If TTS isn't securing that, then they aren't as smart as they appear.

[Andy Giddings]

From what I've read, festool only bought sawstop. The patents for the safety device on sawstop are held by another llc owned by Gass.
Patents are sometimes the most valuable (or overpriced?) part of a company so not surprised by this

[Andy Giddings]

And where did you read that ? Everything I've seen is very cryptic and none of it discloses any detail about the transaction other than Gass has confirmed a sale.

I cannot see TTS only purchasing a company that has only three products and outsources those to an Asian jobber ? Why would they need or want that ? They aren't in the Asian outsourcing game. The value is in the IP ! If TTS isn't securing that, then they aren't as smart as they appear.
Depends - if they purchased a right to use (exclusive possibly) then they get the benefit without owning the IP (which can often be ridiculously priced)

[Matt Melville]

The patents list sd3 llc as the assigned. I agree the whole deal has been very cryptic but nothing has been said about sd3. My understanding was sawstop was the liscensed manufacture for the tech.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

OK guys, stop ignoring the real questions on everyone's mind..... :D

Will the next saw stop you buy:



be GREEN?
come in a systainer?
connect to a Festool vaccum?
save German sausages rather than hot dogs? (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:German_sausages)


what did I miss?

[Rod Sheridan]

OK guys, stop ignoring the real questions on everyone's mind..... :D

Will the next saw stop you buy:




save German sausages rather than hot dogs? (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:German_sausages)


what did I miss?

Well I'll vote for that!

Good German sausages are far more deserving of being saved than crappy old hot dogs :D

regards, Rod.

[Simon MacGowen]

OK guys, stop ignoring the real questions on everyone's mind..... :D

Will the next saw stop you buy:



be GREEN?
come in a systainer?
connect to a Festool vaccum?
save German sausages rather than hot dogs? (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:German_sausages)


what did I miss?

If I had to buy a new SS under the new ownership (not that I'd need a new one unless mine is stolen or destroyed by someone who really really hates it because of it's red or because it's imported or because it has that finger-saving thing), I'd definitely want it to be GREEN, because I enjoy and want to do more green woodworking.

Simon

[Victor Robinson]

It has been stated on the FOG by the site administrator (a Festool employee) that Sawstop's portfolio of patents WILL be taken over by TTS.

[Peter Aeschliman]

I hope this means that we'll eventually see the SS tech in a true european style slider!

[Simon MacGowen]

It has been stated on the FOG by the site administrator (a Festool employee) that Sawstop's portfolio of patents WILL be taken over by TTS.

Googled and found your source, and this additional piece of official news there in response to someone's question about expanding the SS into Europe and Asia:

"Following the take-over, we will look into plans for expansion with SawStop and will put such plans into practice if and to the extent that they are promising to be successful. We will be taking these decisions at a subsequent point in time."

I hope when the grand plan is put in place, the SS will not benefit not only the people who want a SS, but also one day it will improve the safety of users of other machines, like the mitre saws, bandsaws, etc. I know some people still drive not wearing their seat belts, it is their choice.

Why TTS is buying SS? Could this be one of the reasons? http://toolguyd.com/yet-another-table-saw-safety-lawsuit/
Simon

[Andy Giddings]

I hope this means that we'll eventually see the SS tech in a true european style slider!
I hope not! Euro sliders are safer by nature of their operation - last thing that's needed is to load them up with a device that isn't necessary

[Darcy Warner]

Dumb people use sliders too. Seen it with my own eyes.

[Van Huskey]

I hope not! Euro sliders are safer by nature of their operation - last thing that's needed is to load them up with a device that isn't necessary

Have you looked under the hood of a high-end slider lately? They have more electronics and computing power than the Space Shuttle (some hyperbole).

I dropped back by just to see the internet breaking when two of the most talked about tool companies end up under one umbrella, honestly, I am disappointed, there is far more discussion when someone opines about the "best" way to sharpen a plane iron... :(

This purchase looks like a gear up for the table saw safety wars which I see heating up in the next few years, WINTER IS COMING.

I'll go on record now and say if they make a green and cream SS, I will buy it, well only if it is a ICS level saw.

[Keith Hankins]

If you recall in the beginning he wanted to sell his idea to the big boys and they did not want any part of it, so he made a saw company for his invention. Festool is a great company that knows safety and quality and ergonomics, so it will be a good mate. Now if B&D had got them a whole diff story.

My sawstop ICS is 1st class in features and quality, and CS is off the charts, so is Festool. Good fit for both.

[jim mills]

My guess (hope) is that they will immediately abandon those worthless Chinese plywood fence faces & replace them with something else.

[Peter Aeschliman]

I hope not! Euro sliders are safer by nature of their operation - last thing that's needed is to load them up with a device that isn't necessary


No argument that sliders are safer than cabinet saws or even a SS cabinet saw. But certainly adding a brake to a slider would make ripping operations (when using the rip fence) safer, no?

If you have a 10' stroke on your slider, I know you don't need to use the rip fence. But for smaller hobby sized sliders, I think it would be a nice benefit!

[Eric Keller]

if the proposed cpsc rule goes through this time, it will not matter, all new saws will have to have a brake.

[Larry Frank]

If you read the proposal, it requires that a table saw safety system will result in a maximum laceration of 3.5 mm or about an 1/8". That is significantly more than what a Sawstop allows. They are also looking at 3 year period before the rule would be enforced.

Based upon this proposed rule, I wonder how many companies were interested in buying Sawstop.

[jack duren]

No argument that sliders are safer than cabinet saws or even a SS cabinet saw. But certainly adding a brake to a slider would make ripping operations (when using the rip fence) safer, no?

If you have a 10' stroke on your slider, I know you don't need to use the rip fence. But for smaller hobby sized sliders, I think it would be a nice benefit!

Really.......Funny comment on being safer than a sawstop. If it has a motor and a blade it's a risk period.....

[Peter Aeschliman]

Really.......Funny comment on being safer than a sawstop. If it has a motor and a blade it's a risk period.....

less risk > more risk.

You certainly can't eliminate risk, but you sure as heck can reduce it.

[Dave Sabo]

RISK is exactly what makes life worth living. It should not be eliminated.

Otherwise, we would even get products like SS's brake. There would be no saws to worry about needing such a mechanism.

Personal responsibility, and choice folks. Don't lose sight that you are ultimately responsible for you and your actions.

[Martin Wasner]

Personal responsibility, and choice folks. Don't lose sight that you are ultimately responsible for you and your actions.

That doesn't fit the modern ethos of America though.

[Peter Aeschliman]

aaaaaannnddd here we go.

[Greg Peterson]

Will they make the licensing fee economically feasibe for the industry.
My impression was that previously, the license cost was to high.

[Brian Holcombe]

Good chance that Festool wants a leg up on other manufacturers for putting the safety mechanism in other manufactures machines before the patent expires.

They have a scale that SS does not have and likely can get a foot in the door with many others long before SS would be able to.