With its newly created test and measurement division, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. has officially declared war on longtime supplier Fluke Corp. and hopes to grab a significant share of this roughly $1-billion market. It also would enable its parent, Hong Kong-based Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd., to move into an entirely new category.
The inaugural line, which launches in August, will test the loyalty of professional builders, electricians, heating-and-cooling technicians and remodelers. Brookfield, Wis.-based Milwaukee has been at it for more than a year with several former managers it recruited from Everett, Wash.-based Fluke Corp.