Trackunit and DEWALT have entered a strategic partnership to deliver tool location across construction jobsites, according to a Trackunit press release dated October 5, 2026, from Chicago. DEWALT Tool Connect technology will integrate with the Trackunit Network, which Trackunit describes as the world's largest Bluetooth network in construction.
How it works
Contractors will be able to locate DEWALT tools through equipment that is already connected on site. Tool location data will surface in Trackunit, giving site managers one consolidated view across their operations. The companies say the integration is live from day one and uses infrastructure contractors already have.
Eric Loeliger, Group Product Manager at DEWALT, said the network is the largest challenge in deploying tool tracking at scale. He said the partnership turns existing infrastructure into a detection network for DEWALT tools "with significantly less effort."
Fred Rio, Senior Vice President of Product at Trackunit, said contractors need to know they have the right tools in the right place before work begins. He added that the Trackunit Network is already on site.
The problem they cite
The release frames the issue around large contractors that manage tens of thousands of tools across multiple sites. A missing tool holds up a crew and can push a deadline, the companies say, and can trigger penalties.
The release also cites theft. Citing the National Equipment Register and the National Insurance Crime Bureau, it says equipment theft costs the U.S. construction industry between $300 million and $1 billion a year. The same study found recovery rates are often under 25% and in some cases below 7%. Those figures cover construction equipment theft broadly, and the release does not say how much of that involves hand and power tools.
Scope and what comes next
The partnership starts with an initial phase focused on tool location across contractor operations worldwide. The release says both companies are building toward deeper data capability as the DEWALT Tool Connect platform expands, but it gives no timeline or detail on what that data will include.
The release does not say how location accuracy works, how the tools are detected by connected equipment, what pricing applies, or whether Tool Connect hardware is required. Trackunit says its IrisX platform connects more than 6.5 million assets across the off-highway industry and processes over 2 trillion data points for rental companies, OEMs and contractors.
Sources
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