For years, the spirit and screeding level industry in North America has lacked meaningful innovation. Keson is aiming to change that through a new partnership with SOLA Measuring Tools. Together, they are bringing high quality and affordable levels, featuring SOLA’s Focus vial technology, to North America.
Keson and SOLA are both family-owned, third generation businesses currently led by the grandsons of the company founders. SOLA started in 1949 with a leveling tool invented on the roof of the Scheyer family home in Goetzis, Austria. Keson started in 1968 in the basement of the Nosek family home in Berwyn, Illinois. Both companies are leaders in measuring and marking tools, offer complementary product lines, and share very similar values. Earlier this year, the Nosek and Scheyer families joined together to form a new company – Keson LLC. With a combined 120 years of market experience, the Keson and SOLA alliance builds upon Keson’s U.S. manufacturing, existing distribution network and strong relationships by adding SOLA’s European manufacturing expertise, precision-engineering and industry-leading technology.
Now united, Keson LLC is launching a two-brand strategy that will deliver superior durability, unmatched accuracy and a better user experience:
- The SOLA branded levels will be positioned at the high-end of the market and will be the best-of-the-best, just as SOLA levels have been in Europe and around the world for the last 70 years.
- The Keson branded levels will be positioned as the best of the mid-tier levels, backed by SOLA technology and the reputation Keson has built over the last 50 years.
“We are very excited about bringing world-class levels into the North American market under the SOLA brand to give users a choice at the high end of the market,” says Keson LLC President, Aaron Nosek. “We are also very excited to capitalize on the SOLA’s long history of manufacturing excellence and cutting-edge innovation to provide a more affordable version of high-quality levels under the Keson brand.”
All of these new levels will be made for Keson at one of SOLA’s two European manufacturing facilities in either Austria or Hungary. Keson LLC’s introduction of more than 60 different level products under the SOLA and Keson brands will be available for purchase through local distributors and specialty stores starting in the fall of 2018.
Most notable among the features of the new levels is SOLA’s Focus vial technology. “These vials will literally change the way you look at levels,” says Nosek. “Compared with standard ring vials, Focus vials show a considerably higher contrast. This patented technology gives users a better, faster and more accurate reading even from a distance or in a low-light setting.”
About Keson LLC
Keson is a third generation, family-owned company founded in 1968 in the basement of the Nosek family home in Berwyn, Illinois. Now headquartered in Aurora, Illinois, Keson is well known for providing reliable, innovative and easy-to-use measuring and marking products to professional tradespeople who are passionate about their work. They believe outstanding service is just as important as outstanding products. Find out more at the Keson website.
About SOLA-Messwerkzeuge GmbH
For 70 years the brand SOLA has meant high precision measuring and marking tools. As market leader in premium spirit levels, the Austrian company manufactures a wide range of products, including screeding levels, folding rules, long and short tapes, squares, marking products, laser distance meters and a customized laser program. SOLA Measuring Tools is globally present in 70 countries around the world. 75% of all products are manufactured in Goetzis, Austria, where the headquarters and production facility are located. Find out more at: www.sola.us
SOLA Measuring Tools Announces Partnership with Keson
SOLA Measuring Tools is excited to announce that Keson will handle their entire North American operations and distribution starting in the fall of 2018. Earlier this year, the Scheyer family (SOLA’s owners) joined together with the Nosek family (Keson’s owners) to form a new company – Keson LLC. With a combined 120 years of market experience, the SOLA and Keson alliance builds on SOLA’s European manufacturing expertise, precision-engineering and industry-leading technology by adding Keson’s existing distribution network, strong industry relationships and excellent reputation for service. Together, they are bringing more than 60 different high quality levels featuring SOLA’s FOCUS vial technology to North America.
Keson LLC is launching a two-brand strategy that will deliver levels with superior durability, unmatched accuracy and a better user experience. The SOLA-branded levels will be positioned at the high-end of the market and will be the best-of the-best, just as SOLA levels have been in Europe and around the world for the last 70 years. The Keson-branded levels will be positioned as the best of the mid-tier levels, backed by SOLA technology and the reputation Keson has built over the last 50 years. By combing these two brands under a single supplier, distributors of professional measuring and marking products will enjoy better service and product selection. Keson LLC’s introduction of level products under the SOLA and Keson brands will be available for purchase through local distributors and specialty stores starting in the fall of 2018.
“We are thrilled to be teaming up with a company that has such a strong distribution presence in our desired markets,” says Wolfgang Scheyer, President of SOLA Measuring Tools. “Our levels perfectly complement Keson’s core offering of measuring wheels, tape measures and chalk and chalk line reels.” The existing Keson infrastructure and experienced service and sales forces welcome the new challenges. “Our team could not be more excited,” says Aaron Nosek, President of Keson LLC. “SOLA is bringing new technology to a level market ready for meaningful innovation. We are excited to supply world-class levels for construction to our distributors and end-users.”
SOLA is most well known in the North American market for their BIG RED and X PRO levels. These industry leading products feature the patented SOLA FOCUS vial technology that enables users to more quickly, accurately and easily read a level – even in low-light settings. Since 2011, the FOCUS vial has been improving the working habits of European builders. In an independent study, given a choice between the FOCUS vial and a traditional ring vial, over 80% of professional level users selected the FOCUS as their preferred choice.
