In industrial supply, competition doesn’t look like flashy ads or viral launches.
It shows up in procurement shortlists.
In tenders.
In conversations where buyers ask one simple question:
“Why should we choose your tools over the alternatives?”
That’s the reality facing Krew Supply Co.
Krew Supply Co provides premium Italian cutting tools, including high-performance Krino drill bits and cutters, alongside innovative BlackTop safety-focused products designed with mechanics and operators in mind. Their mission is to equip professionals across Australia and New Zealand with gear built for precision, durability, and real-world efficiency.
They operate in a category where product quality is essential, but competitive differentiation, trust, and consistency are what win long-term contracts.
And as demand grew across mining, construction, logistics, and industrial operators, so did the complexity of competing.
Quick Snapshot (TL;DR)
Industry: Industrial Supply (Cutting Tools & Safety Products)
Company Size: Specialist B2B supplier across Australia & New Zealand
Problem: Competitive pressure across multiple product categories with no scalable way to stay current
Solution: Playwise HQ as the system of record for competitor positioning, objections, and deal intelligence
Key Results:
- Faster competitive response across drill bits, cutters, and safety tool ranges
- Stronger consistency in how Krew positions Krino and BlackTop products
- Improved confidence in competitive tenders and procurement conversations
The Reality Krew Supply Co Was Dealing With
Krew Supply Co sells into some of the most demanding environments in the region:
- Mining operators
- Construction firms
- Logistics and industrial maintenance teams
- Procurement-led organisations with strict vendor evaluation processes
Buyers in these markets don’t just want “good tools.”
They want to know:
- Will this last longer than the alternative?
- Is it safer?
- Is it proven in the field?
- Why is it worth switching suppliers?
And competitors are always present, from global tool brands to lower-cost substitutes.
Krew needed a way to stay ahead across multiple product lines without relying on scattered notes, memory, or outdated competitor sheets.
As Barnaby Bartlett, Director & Head of Sales described it:
“In our world, the buyer is always comparing. Even if they don’t say it outright, you’re being measured against three other options.”
Krew has always differentiated through service and guidance:
“Krew Supply Co stands out not just for quality, but for our commitment to our clients. We’re here to provide guidance and support, making sure you find the right solutions for your needs.”
But delivering that guidance consistently required competitive clarity.
Why Competitive Enablement Became a Priority
Industrial supply is a competitive world. And it’s getting more crowded.
New suppliers enter the market. Product claims evolve. Safety standards shift. Procurement teams push harder on comparisons.
Krew Supply Co wasn’t just selling drill bits.
They were selling trust, reliability, and operational outcomes.
The challenge was scale.
Bartlett put it:
“We were having more competitive conversations across more product categories, and it just wasn’t realistic to manage all of that manually anymore.”
Competitive enablement became essential for three reasons:
- Keeping up with competitors across cutting tools and safety categories
- Ensuring consistent positioning across customer-facing conversations
- Capturing field feedback and using it to strengthen future deals
Competitive knowledge couldn’t live in disconnected emails or one-off conversations anymore.
It needed to be operational.
Why Krew Chose Playwise HQ
Krew Supply Co adopted Playwise HQ to bring structure and speed to competitive selling.
Three capabilities mattered most.
Competitive coverage that scales
Krew competes across multiple product ranges – industrial drill bits, cutters, safety tools, and workshop efficiency products.
Manually tracking competitors in each category isn’t realistic.
Playwise HQ made it possible to build and maintain competitor battlecards quickly, without heavy overhead.
As Bartlett explained: “We needed a way to stay on top of competitors without turning competitive research into a full-time job.”
A single source of truth
Competitive positioning needed to be easy to access and trusted – not scattered across documents or individual experience.
Playwise HQ became the reference point for how Krew competes, differentiates, and responds to objections.
Objection handling grounded in real buyer conversations
When procurement teams raise concerns about price, durability, safety, or switching costs, those objections need clear, consistent answers.
Playwise HQ helps Krew capture those patterns and refine responses over time.
What Implementation Looked Like in Practice
Adoption was fast.
Within days, Krew Supply Co had their key competitors mapped across core product categories – including drill bits and industrial cutting tools where comparison is constant.
Instead of starting from scratch, they started with structured competitive foundations. “Playwise HQ gave us a head start immediately. We weren’t building battlecards from zero – we were refining them with what we already knew from the field.”
From there, the team began enriching battlecards with real-world intelligence:
- What mining buyers cared about most
- Which safety objections surfaced repeatedly
- Where lower-cost alternatives failed in practice
- What proof points consistently won trust
Over time, Playwise HQ became the default system for competitive knowledge.
The Outcome: Competing With Confidence in High-Stakes B2B Markets
With Playwise HQ in place, Krew Supply Co strengthened their ability to compete in environments where decisions are high-impact and long-term.
The team gained:
- Faster competitive clarity across multiple tool categories
- More consistent differentiation for Krino and BlackTop products
- Stronger responses to procurement-driven objections
- A system that improves with every deal and customer interaction
As their Bartlett summed it up: “It’s not just about knowing our products are better. It’s about being able to clearly explain why – every time, to every buyer, across every category.”
See How This Would Work for Your Industry
Competitive pressure isn’t limited to SaaS.
If you sell into markets where buyers compare alternatives, procurement demands proof, and differentiation matters – Playwise HQ helps you compete with clarity and consistency.
→ See how this would work for your team. Book a Custom Demo Today!