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Company Focus
Time-saving, Corrosion Resistant, Reusable Chong Cheng’s Special Nuts Improve Solar Panel Assembling Speed and Quality by Dean Tseng, Fastener World
With a focus on special nuts and stainless steel nuts, Chong Cheng Fastener Corp. started off with a 1,322 square meters plant and has been improving manufacturing technology and quality in its 33 years of history. Today it has grown to 23,140 square meters and 1,200 tons of monthly capacity. It supplies nuts in stainless steel, copper alloy, aluminum alloy and other materials mainly to the automotive, construction industries and the industrial sector. 98% of the products are exported to the U.S., Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia and the company has achieved resounding sales success as well as global recognition.
Success in Developing Corrosionresistant/Locking/Secure Solar Module Nuts Chong Cheng is a critical contributor to the business development of solar system companies. It succeeded in developing a dual locking special nut for assembling solar modules. Solar modules require a high level of security. A nut
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Fastener World no.192/2022
▲President Sandy Yu
Company Focus
used with a solar module must be able to hold for at least 20 years with no damage. It means the nut must withstand weathering and corrosion and won’t come loose. To that end, Chong Cheng used special locking wedge threads for the solar module nuts and used Nylok coating on the nuts to form a dual locking performance and attain corrosion resistance. The nuts passed the NAS3350 vibration test by sustaining 34,000 vibrations within 17 minutes. Furthermore, they are a two-piece composition combining a nut and a washer. Customers who use them won’t have to worry about dropping washers on the floor when installing the solar module nuts. The nuts will save 30% time for customers to improve work efficiency and they are reusable. These nuts are tailored to the request by solar system companies. Solar plants using these nuts for long can increase the factor of safety, expand service life and reduce maintenance cost, thereby improving profits and that’s how the nuts gain praise from the system companies. Besides their use on solar modules, they can be used on frames and other peripheral constructions. They can do a great job for the coexistence between fishery and power generation or when used on solar power plants close to the sea. They are a crucial element to facilitate the safety and steady development of solar power plants. “Green energy is trending globally. That’s why we are focused on solar module nuts that are resistant to strong winds and corrosion and are easy to install. This will prevent weather’s sabotage on the nuts and the subsequent electricity crisis,” said the company.
Plant Expansion and Purchase of South Korean Equipment Chong Cheng is expanding its plant for an investment of NTD 150 million and it has purchased high quality equipment from Hyodong Machine. The expansion is set to be completed in the first half of 2022 with an estimated floor area of 24,462 square meters. The company said they are doing this to manufacture higher precision products, go up a notch in quality and upgrade the work environment. Besides, Chong Cheng expects Hyodong’s machines which are automated, easy to operate and quick in changing punches and dies can attract more young talents into the company to contribute to Taiwan fastener industry. » Contact: Kenny Hsu, VP of sales
A Place for Happiest Employees Chong Cheng's president thinks of his employees as the biggest asset for the company. He treats them as a family and solves their problems. In return, they are glad to pursue advanced technique and tide over challenges with the company. “My business guideline is the pursuit of steady growth. Me and my employees are a family. We learn together and prepare ourselves for an opportunity to make a success for Chong Cheng.”
E-mail: kenny@cfc.net.tw
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Advertisers Index A
310EXPRESS COMPANY (Japan) Security, Tamper Proof, Anti-theft Screws...
126
A-PLUS SCREWS INC. Chipboard Screws, Customized Special Screws / Bolts...
250
ABC FASTENERS CO., LTD. Drop-in Anchors, Expansion Anchors, Wire Anchors...
聯欣
88
AEH FASTEN INDUSTRIES CO., LTD. Clevis Pins, Dowel Pins, Hollow Rivets...
鉞昌
15
ALEX SCREW INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. 禾億 Button Head Cap Screws, Button Head Socket Cap Screws...
110
ALISHAN INTERNATIONAL GROUP CO., LTD. 奧立康 Fastener Tools, Bolts, Screws, Nuts, Stamping Parts... AMBROVIT S.P.A. (Italy) Chipboard Screws, Combined Screws, Machine Screws...
82
C
D
138
CHUN YU WORKS & CO., LTD. Wheel Bolts, Chipboard Screws, Drywall Screws...
春雨
236
CHUN ZU MACHINERY INDUSTRY CO., LTD. 春日 Cold Headers, Header Toolings, Heading Machines...
157
COPA FLANGE FASTENERS CORP. Hex Nuts, Hex Flange Nuts, Combi Nuts, Weld Nuts...
國鵬
78
CPC FASTENERS INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD. Stainless Steel, Bi-metal Self-drilling Screws...
冠誠
14
DA YANG ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. Special Automotive Nuts, Special Weld Nuts...
大楊
116
DAR YU ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. Chipboard Screws, Drywall Screws, Screw Nails...
達宇
103
DE HUI SCREW INDUSTRY CO., LTD. Drywall Screws, Decking Screws, Self-drilling Screws...
德慧
DICHA FASTENERS MFG 集財 Expansion Anchors, Sleeve Anchors, Nylon Nail Anchors...
130
AMPLE LONG INDUSTRY CO., LTD. Hollow Rivets, Drive Rivets, Semi-tubular Rivets...
寬長
156
260
ANCHOR FASTENERS INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. 安拓 ETA Series, Anchor Bolts, Anchor Nuts, Automotive Parts...
23
DIN LING CORP. Chipboard Screws, Drywall Screws, Furniture Screws...
登琳
67
APEX FASTENER INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD. Nuts, Wing Nuts & Bolts, Turning Parts, Stamping Parts
嵿峰
45
DRAGON IRON FACTORY CO., LTD. Bi-metal Self-drilling Screws, Sheet Metal Screws...
龍昌
80
ARUN CO., LTD. Bi-metal Screws, Chipboard Screws, Drywall Screws...
鉅耕
101
DRA-GOON FASTENERS INC. Chipboard Screws, Phillips Head Screws, TEK Screws...
丞曜
AUTOLINK INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD. Automotive Screws, Machine Bolts, Flange Nuts...
浤爵
112
DUNFA INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD. 敦發 Bushes, Spacers, Automotive Parts, Tubes, Turning Parts...
BCR INC. Automotive Screws, Piston Pins, Weld Bolts (Studs)...
必鋮
246
E.U.R.O.TEC GMBH (Germany) All Kinds of Screws, Bi-metal Self-drilling Screws...
141
BESTWELL INTERNATIONAL CORP. Eye Bolts, Flanged Head Bolts, Hanger Bolts...
凱壹
207
EASYLINK INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. Automotive Nuts, Thread Forming Screws...
241
BIING FENG ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. 秉鋒 Blind Nut Formers, Multi-station Cold Forming Machines...
149
EGYPT BOLT FOR METAL INDUSTRIES (Egypt) Tapping Screws, Chipboard Screws, Drywall Screws...
32
BI-MIRTH CORP. 吉瞬 Carbon Steel Screws, Chipboard Screws, Concrete Screws...
185
EVEN LONG INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD. Collated Screw Guns, Collated Nails, Collated Screws...
連長
4
BOLTUN CORPORATION Automotive Screws, Bushes, Conical Washer Nuts...
恒耀工業
128
EXCEL COMPONENTS MFG CO., LTD. Turning Parts, CNC Parts, Forged and Stamped Parts...
鑫廣
167
CHANG BING ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. Hook Bolts, Holders / Hooks / Rings, Dowel Screws...
彰濱
86
FAITHFUL ENG. PRODS. CO., LTD. Anchors, Box Nails, Door/Window Accessories...
誠毅
165
CHENG HENG INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. Stainless Steel Cable Ties, Hose Clamps, Band Buckles...
成亨
59
FALCON FASTENER CO., LTD. Automotive & Motorcycle Special Screws / Bolts...
鉮達
CHIAN YUNG CORP. SEMS Screws
將運
6
FANG SHENG SCREW CO., LTD. Shoulder Bolts, Button Head Socket Cap Screws..
芳生
242
CHIEN TSAI MACHINERY ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. 鍵財 Thread Rolling Machines
95
FASTENER JAMHER TAIWAN INC. Automotive Nuts, Blind Nuts / Rivet Nuts, Bushings...
占賀
84
CHIN LIH HSING PRECISION ENTERPRISE 金利興 Automotive Nuts, Brass Inserts, Bushes, Bushings...
54
FASTNET CORP. Dowel Pins, Flange Nuts, Weld Nuts, 4 Pronged T Nuts...
俊鉞
228
CHING CHAN OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY Eddy Current Sorting Machines, Fastener Makers...
精湛
90
FILROX INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. Blind Nuts / Rivet Nuts, Tee or T Nuts, Blind Rivets...
惠錄
122
CHIREK FASTENER CORPORATION Stainless Steel Fasteners, Self-Drilling Screws, Washers...
錡瑞
155
CHONG CHENG FASTENER CORP. Cap Nuts, Coupling Nuts, Conical Washer Nuts...
宗鉦
65
FONG PREAN INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. 豐鵬 Automotive Screws, Bi-metal Screws, Brass & Bronze Screws...
CHUN KAI MACHINERY CO., LTD. 駿凱 Straightening Machines, Straightness Measuring Instruments...
64
FORTUNE BRIGHT INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. Cap Nuts, Dome Nuts, Nylon Cap Insert Lock Nuts...
118
B
C
199
79
39
46 240
E
F
易連
FIXI SRL. (Italy) new Threaded Inserts
鋒沐
F
G
H
76
福輝
J
203
J. T. FASTENERS SUPPLY CO., LTD. Drop-in Anchors, Floating Nuts, Connecting Nuts...
FU KAI FASTENER ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. 福凱 Precision Electronic Screws, Special Screws, Weld Screws...
10
114
FUSHANG CO., LTD. 甫商 Carbon Steel Screws, Chipboard Screws, Concrete Screws...
129
JAU YEOU INDUSTRY CO., LTD. 朝友 Chipboard Screws, Drywall Screws, High Low Thread Screws...
258 GELA & COMPANY Expansion Anchors, Eye Bolts, Hanger Bolts...
蕙寶
JERN YAO ENTERPRISES CO., LTD. Multi-station Cold Forming, Parts Forming Machines...
正曜
225
17
GIAN-YEH INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. Rivet Dies, Self-drilling Screw Dies, Screw Tip Dies...
健業
JET FAST COMPANY LIMITED Blind Nuts / Rivet Nuts, Aircraft & Aerospace Washers...
捷禾
238 173
GINFA WORLD CO., LTD. 濟音發 Chipboard Screws, Countersunk Screws, Drywall Screws...
211
GREENSLADE & COMPANY, INC. (U.S.A.) Concentricity, Ring Gage, Plug Gage Calibration, Gages...
121
GUANG ZHE ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. Collated Washer Paper Tape, Collated Screw Tape...
光柘
117
HAO CHENG PLASTIC CO., LTD. PP Boxes, PET Jars, ABS Boxes, PC Boxes..
皓正
100
HARVILLE FASTENERS LTD. 豪威爾 Special Screws and Bolts, Sems Screws, Stainless Steel Fasteners...
245
HAUR FUNG ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. 豪舫 External Tooth Washers, Long Carriage Bolts, Roofing Bolts...
124
HEADER PLAN CO., INC. Chipboard Screws, Collated Screws, Deck Screws...
135
HSIN CHANG HARDWARE INDUSTRIAL CORP. 欣彰 Anchor Bolts, Anchors, Plastic Fasteners...
145
HSIN HO MFG. CO., LTD. Drive Pins, Gas Nails, Anchors, Powder Actuated Tools...
153 44
K
JIEN KUEN ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. 健坤 Hexagon Nuts, Nylon Cap Insert Lock Nuts, Square Nuts... 金達
197
JIN-YINGS ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. Special Custom Fasteners, Auto/Motorcycle Fasteners…
晉營
216
JINGFONG INDUSTRY CO., LTD. 璟鋒 Hex Nylon Insert Lock Nuts, Wing Nuts with Nylon Insert...
131
JOKER INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. Hollow Wall Anchors, Concrete Screws, Jack Nuts...
243
KAN GOOD ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. 鋼固 Fastener, Hardware, Plastic, Instruction Booklet Package in Bags...
66
KING CENTURY GROUP CO., LTD. Drop-in Anchors, Self-drilling Anchors, Sleeve Anchors...
久可
慶宇
KLIMAS (Poland) Timber Construction Screws
74
KWANTEX RESEARCH INC. Chipboard Screws, Drywall Screws, Furniture Screws...
92
L & W FASTENERS COMPANY Construction Fasteners, Flat Washers, Heavy Nuts...
興和
L
俊良
JIN TA TRADING CO., LTD. Special Nuts
205
HSIN JUI HARDWARE ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. 欣瑞 Bushes, Construction Bolts, Special Cold / Hot Forming Parts...
J.C. GRAND CORPORATION All Kinds of Screws, Chipboard Screws...
金祐昇
247
56
I
FU HUI SCREW INDUSTRY CO., LTD. Automotive & Motorcycle Special Screws / Bolts...
寬仕
金大鼎
177
HSIN YU SCREW ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. Acme Screws, Hexagon Head Cap Screws...
新雨
187
LIAN CHUAN SHING INTERNATIONAL 連全興 Weld Nuts, Special Parts, Special Washers, Flat Washers...
105
HU PAO INDUSTRIES CO., LTD. Automotive Nuts, Flange Nuts, Hexagon Nuts...
如保
253
LIAN SHYANG INDUSTRIES CO., LTD. Nut Formers, Nut Tapping Machines
262 239
INFINIX PRECISION CORP. Customized Punches and Dies
LINKWELL INDUSTRY CO., LTD. 順承 All Kinds of Screws, Automotive & Motorcycle Special Screws...
英飛凌
連翔
Advertisers Index L
M
22
LOCKSURE INC. Custom Washers, Flat Washers, Automotive Screws...
35
LONG THREAD FASTENERS CORP. Bi-metal Self-drilling Screws, Chipboard Screws...
81
MAC PRECISION HARDWARE CO. Turning Parts, Precision Metal Parts, Cold Forged Nuts...
鑫瑞
143
MACRO FASTENERS CORP. Multi-Station Screws, Nuts, Washers, Furniture Screws...
宏觀
51
MASTER UNITED CORP. Chipboard Screws, Drywall Screws, Furniture Screws...
永傑
SCREWTECH INDUSTRY CO., LTD. Machined Parts, Thumb Screws, Micro Screws...
銳禾
255
SEN CHANG INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. 昇錩 Customized Special Screws / Bolts, Socket Head Cap Screws...
214
SHANGHAI FAST-FIX RIVET CORP. Blind Rivets, High Shear Rivets, Closed End Rivets...
232
SHEEN TZAR CO., LTD. Self-Drilling Screw Machines & Dies
新讚
160
SHEH FUNG SCREWS CO., LTD. Chipboard Screws, Countersunk Screws, Wood Screws...
世豐 世鎧
飛可斯
SHEH KAI PRECISION CO., LTD. Bi-metal Concrete Screw Anchors, Bi-metal Screws...
151
18
MIN HWEI ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. Button Head Socket Cap Screws, Chipboard Screws...
明徽
SHEN CHOU FASTENERS INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. 神洲 Button Head Cap Screws, Chipboard Screws...
233
234
MING TANG MACHINERY (WEN YANG ) Screw Head Making Machines, Bolt Parts Former...
玟暘
SHENG LONG INDUSTRY CO. Punches, Pins, Carbide Punches, Dies, Sleeves...
147
MODERN ALLOY PLATING CO., LTD. Zinc Plating, Lubricants
28
SHIH HSANG YWA INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. 新倡發 Flange Nuts, Flange Nylon Nuts With Washers...
168
SHIN CHUN ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. 昕群 Automotive Screws, Chipboard Screws, Customized Screws...
50
SHUENN CHANG FA ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. 舜倡發 Long Screws, Concrete Screws, Machine Screws...
頂吉興
MOUNTFASCO INC. 崎鈺 All Kinds of Screws, Alloy Steel Screws, Automotive Screws...
昇隆
98
NCG TOOLS INDUSTRY CO., LTD. Tools for Fastening Anchors, Blind Nuts / Rivet Nuts...
昶彰
111
SHUN DEN IRON WORKS CO., LTD. Fastener Tools, Bolts, Screws, Nuts, Stamped Parts…
58
ND INDUSTRIES ASIA INC. 穩得 ND Pre-Applied Processes, Advanced Sealing Technologies...
179
SIN HONG HARDWARE PTE. LTD. (Singapore) 新豐 Hexagon Nuts, Hexagon Head Bolts, Blind Rivets...
213 85
183
NISSEI CO., LTD. (Japan) new Powerful LockBolt, Anti-Loosing Double-Nut Bolts
25
NOVA. FASTENER CO., LTD. 鑫星 Hexagon Nuts, Square Nuts, Wood Screws, Chipboard Screws... PACKWELL GROUP Bi-metal Screws, Stainless Steel Screws
開懋
61
PENGTEH INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. SEMs Screws, Special Screws, Binder Screws, PT Screws...
彭特
87
PPG INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL INC. TAIWAN 必丕志 Chromium-free Coating, ED Coating...
193
Q
長隆順
62
158
36
P
S
MAUDLE INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. 茂異 Button Head Socket Cap Screws, Flange Washer Head Screws...
192
N
今湛
PRO POWER CO., LTD. Screws, Bolts...
PRO-VISA (LIN) INT'L CORP. 佾鼎 Self-drilling Screws, Stainless Steel Screws, Furniture Screws...
91
PS FASTENERS PTE LTD. (Singapore) Washers, Socket Set Screws, U Bolts, Alloy Steel Screws...
汎昇
Q-NUTS INDUSTRIAL CORP. Flange Nuts, Weld Nuts, Special Nuts, Spacers...
友俊
57
R
12
S
2 244
24 107 55
鉑川
63
123
8
QST INTERNATIONAL CORP. 恒耀國際 Hexagon Head Bolts, Square Head Bolts, Weld Bolts (Studs)... REXLEN CORP. Clinch Nuts, Clinch Studs, CNC Parts, Stamped Parts...
連宜
SAN SHING FASTECH CORP. Automotive Nuts, Automotive Parts, Carbide Dies...
三星
SAN TZENG ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. Forming & Tapping Oil for Bolts & Nuts
三城
T
順典
SPEC PRODUCTS CORP. Lincensee Fasteners, Turned/Machined Parts...
友鋮
SPECIAL RIVETS CORP. Blind Nuts / Rivet Nuts, Blind Rivets, Air Riveters...
恆昭
SUN CHEN FASTENERS INC. 展鴻鑫 Cup Washers, Flanged Head Bolts, T-head or T-slot Bolts... SUNCO INDUSTRIES CO., LTD. (Japan) Distributors Specializing in Fasteners SUPER DPD CO., LTD. 三御 All Kinds of Screws, Bi-metal Screws, Carbon Steel Screws...
109
SUPERIOR QUALITY FASTENER CO., LTD. Weld Nuts, Turning Parts, Long Screws, Spring Nuts...
181
TAIWAN NYLON WASHER CO., LTD. 東佑典 Rubber Washers, Silicone Washers, Plasterboard Nails...
34 201
TAIWAN SELF-LOCKING FASTENERS IND. Nylok®, Precote®, Nycote®, Nyplas®, Loctite®... TANG AN ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. Customized Automotive Parts and Special Fasteners
94
THALE SP. Z.O.O. SP. K. (Poland) new High Quality HVAC Products
16
THREAD INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. Chipboard Screws, Flange Nuts, Heavy Nuts...
鑫程椿
台灣耐落 鏜安
英德
191
TINA FASTENER CO., LTD. Sems Screws, Weld Screws, Automotive Screws, Nuts...
金榮達
42
TONG HEER FASTENERS (THAILAND) CO., LTD. Hex Bolts, Stud Bolts, Socket Cap Screws, Hex Nuts...
42
TONG HEER FASTENERS CO., SDN. BHD. (MALAYSIA) Stainless Steel Metric Screws, Stainless Steel Screws...
T
189
桐和興
20
TONG HWEI ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. A2 Cap Screws, Button Head Socket Cap Screws...
東徽
43
TONG MING ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. Stainless Steel Fasteners, Wire Rods...
東明
TSAE FARN SCREWS HARDWARE CO., LTD. 2 Cap Screws, Aircraft Nails, All Kinds of Screws...
采凡
108
V
38
W
209
Y
TONG HO SHING INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD. Hex Washer Head Screws, Indent Hex Head Screws...
Y
195 93
YUN CHAN INDUSTRY CO., LTD. Bit & Bit Sets, Hex Keys, Nut Setters, Wrench Sets...
雍昌
YUNG KING INDUSTRIES CO., LTD. 榮金 Dowel Pins, Roll Pins, Self-locking Pins, Cotter Pins, Split Pins...
Machines & Equipment 機械暨周邊設備區
VERTEX PRECISION INDUSTRIAL CORP. 緯紘 6 Cuts/ 8 Cuts Self Drilling Screws, Barrel Nuts, Cap Screws...
241
BIING FENG ENTERPRISE CO., LTD.
242
CHIEN TSAI MACHINERY ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. 鍵財
228
CHING CHAN OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. 精湛
WAN IUAN ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. 萬淵 Punches/Dies of Various Nuts, Screws, Sleeves and Socket Boxes
240
CHUN KAI MACHINERY CO., LTD.
駿凱
52
WE POWER INDUSTRY CO., LTD. Chipboard Screws, Concrete Screws, Drywall Screws...
236
CHUN ZU MACHINERY INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
春日
211
GREENSLADE & COMPANY, INC. (U.S.A.)
30
WYSER INTERNATIONAL CORP. Open-Die Parts, Automotive Parts...
緯聯
258
JERN YAO ENTERPRISES CO., LTD.
正曜
253
LIAN SHYANG INDUSTRIES CO., LTD.
連翔
234
MING TANG MACHINERY CO., LTD. (WEN YANG) 玟暘
YESWIN MACHINERY CO., LTD. Bolt Formers, Multi-station Cold Forming Machines...
友信
232
SHEEN TZAR CO., LTD.
新讚
252
YESWIN MACHINERY CO., LTD.
友信
252
威力寶
40
YI CHUN ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. 誼峻 Cap Screws, Socket Set Screws, Cage Nuts, Automotive Parts...
89
YI HUNG WASHER CO., LTD. Rubber Washers, Plastic Screws, Custom Washers...
益弘
96
YING MING INDUSTRY CO., LTD. Automotive & Motorcycle Special Screws / Bolts...
穎明
YING YI CO., LTD. Sems Parts, Special Nuts, Pressed Parts...
穎翊
134 256 60
YOW CHERN CO., LTD. 侑城 Flanged Head Bolts, Chipboard Screws, Floorboard Screws... YUH CHYANG HARDWARE INDUSTRIAL Automotive & Motorcycle Special Screws / Bolts...
秉鋒
Tooling / Dies 工 / 模具區 238
GIAN-YEH INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
239
INFINIX PRECISION CORP.
233
SHENG LONG INDUSTRY CO.
昇隆
209
WAN IUAN ENTERPRISE CO., LTD.
萬淵
Exhibitions
鈺強
展覽 254
CHICAGO BUILD 2022 EXPO
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Association It’s been an unprecedented situation for the global economy since Covid-19 has hit the world since early 2020 and its catastrophic impact has ensured no individual’s lives are the same anymore. Through some phenomenal efforts from the global medical fraternity and swift government policies and action, we have adapted our lives to the “new normal”. Businesses worldwide including India were set back drastically in the second and third quarters of 2020. As the work from home culture and limited manufacturing activity commenced, economic activity began limping back. Massive vaccination drives especially from the Indian perspective have been instrumental in keeping excellent controls after the brutal second wave in May 2021 with the peak at approximately 410,000 cases a day to early December where we are almost down to 10,000 cases a day. For a population of over 1.3 billion, it augurs well for India assuming any new mutations don’t play havoc again. With the onset of Omicron, numbers have been spiralling globally again and the good news is that though highly infectious, it’s milder than Delta.
by Abhijat Sanghvi
Despite the cruel second COVID-19 wave in India and the widespread disruptions that ensued, India's economy is set to be one of the fastestgrowing major economies for 2021 and beyond. Following a sharp contraction in GDP in 2020, India's latest outlook shows growth is expected to rebound to 9.5 percent in 2021 and 8.5 percent in FY2022-23. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted that India will have the fastest economic growth rate by 2022. The favourable factor is that in the list, except for India, this growth rate has not been estimated to go above 6 percent for any other country. The other big positive is that over 50% of India’s population is under 25 years and 65% is under 35. Fastener Exports & Imports Data for India received from the Engineering Export Promotion Council of India (EEPC) indicates that for FY2020-21, though Exports & Imports dropped 13% and 16% respectively over the previous year after being hit by COVID-19 , the rebound has been very positive with a jump of approximately 25% and 27% for FY2021-22.
Fasteners Association of India President Abhijat Sanghvi on Indian Economy and Fastener Industry Prospect From the Indian Fastener Industry perspective, many companies which would have deferred their capex plans will now go into action, considering a healthy jump back to industry growth. Though the impact of steel rises to an all time high currently have affected the industry margins with a steel price jump of almost 50% in a year and a half, the next couple of years are envisioned for consolidation and growth in the industry. After a hiatus of almost 2 years, Fastener Fair India resumed in the last week of November 2021 at Mumbai. Industry members were delighted to reconnect as I was personally witness to large footfalls at the show. Most major Shows such as Fastener Fair Delhi 2022, the International Fastener Expo at Las Vegas USA 2022 & Fastener Fair Stuttgart 2023 should stay on course which is a positive sign. We have to accept the fact that COVID-19 is here to stay and complete eradication seems a distant dream. As long as there are boosters developed in time to combat any new potentially dangerous mutations, we need to move on albeit with utmost precaution of safety measures.
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There is a massive air of unpredictability but we need to maintain a positive attitude to weather the coronavirus storms which will be frequent. The next decade holds phenomenal growth opportunity potential for the Indian Fastener Industry. Fasteners Association of India will conduct in 2022 regular technical seminars and training for skilled labour as done in the precovid phase. Industry must also embrace automation in their business plans as the top tier of large fastener companies in India are already making a transition to Industry 4.0. An organised plan of excellence through continuous improvement, effective training program, upgrading technology and focus on customer service can be effective in building Brand India.
We look forward to a healthier, happier, and prosperous new year and wish all the readers the same. Fastener World no.192/2022
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Company Focus
HU PAO Moves to New Plant
Reinforcing Digitalization and Making Early Preparations for Carbon Neutrality Specialized in manufacturing customized automotive, special, and locking nuts, Hu Pao Industries Co., Ltd. is not the largest manufacturer in Taiwanese fastener industry though, but is one of the exemplary companies most active in optimizing its competitiveness on the int’l stage. In 2021 it moved to the 26,445 sqm new plant in Guiren Dist. with the total investment of NT$ 0.6 bn and simultaneously optimized various software/hardware/manufacturing procedures/systems and upgraded forming/tapping/optical sorting equipment. The bright, ventilated, non-sooty, tidy, and well-organized production lines as well as the installation of solar panels not only have completely solved the issue of limited space in the old plant restricting capacity expansion and are expected to increase the capacity by 50%, but also make it easier for Hu Pao to meet global customers’ demands and offer them service from the new plant.
Upgraded Manufacturing Procedures
Innovative Renovation and Optimized Procedures Hu Pao has been implementing digitalization for years. In addition to ERP, MES, the installation of pressure sensors on formers, remote tapping machine monitoring, and new 3D graphics software, many other eye-catching optimization and upgrade have been also completed in 2021. For example, in order to enhance and stabilize the integral manufacturing quality, an intelligent energy control system has been also introduced into the new plant. On the one hand, stable voltage output can prevent equipment from being interfered; on the other hand, around 15% of energy can be saved, thus making early preparations for the upcoming EU’s Carbon Borders Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Vice President Bill Wang said, “CBAM will come into force soon, so the energy control in manufacturing is quite important. So far, we’ve installed pressure sensors on formers, which are also synchronized with MES to collect electricity consumption data, and have an alert mechanism for parts repair & maintenance. Moreover, we also plan to introduce ISO 14000 and ISO 14067 (the Carbon Footprint of a Product) and expect to submit the application this year or next year.” Furthermore, for accelerating standardization and digitization, Wang added, “This has been the 3rd version of ERP we adopt, which shows clear info of our quotations, orders, material purchases, machine/ die control, as well as product code tracking, delivery, batch inspection, and labeling, keeping customers promptly updated with their order statuses. In addition to regular annual upgrade of the data system, for creating a smart-factory environment, we also expect to introduce online task appointment, measuring systems, and monitoring center that can avoid the risk of manual data management, helping achieve a more efficient operating data standardization and procedures control.”
Complete Development Capabilities
The Ability to Provide “Low-Volume Batch of Diverse Items” The IATF16949 certified Hu Pao receives around 80% of its orders for high value-added customized automotive nuts, which are required to be of very high quality. With over 3 decades of die development capabilities, it can almost produce every size from M5 to M20. And, different from other large manufacturers requiring min. quantities, Hu Pao even accepts orders for “one bundle of wire rod”. With the advantage of short lead time (one month), it can help customers reduce their inventory. Adopting materials from Taiwan CSC, Hu Pao also utilizes computer inspection, pressure/torque sensors, and power monitoring devices in manufacturing to ensure full compliance of every manufacturing procedure with standards. Sometimes when a few defective items are detected before shipment, the whole batch will be even returned for re-inspection to ensure no defective item is delivered to customers.
Active Introduction of External Resources
The Invisible Champion of Taiwanese Nut Manufacturing Different from other 2nd generation in the fastener industry, Hu Pao, under the leadership of Vice President Wang, has been quite active in recent years in introducing external resources from inside and outside the industry, strengthening interaction with academies and governments, and learning from the experience of many successful companies in northern Taiwan to help Hu Pao improve and optimize in various perspectives. It is also one of the only 5 companies from Taiwanese fastener industry that have received the honor of Taiwan Mittelstand Award. Wang noted, “Carbon neutrality, digitalization, and so on have been carried out by companies outside the fastener industry for so long, and the fastener industry has been left far behind. I, with non-technical background, have been active in interaction with companies in northern Taiwan and participated in activities of New Generation College in anticipation of introducing external resources to make Hu Pao grow stronger. I should be a very unconventional new generation! Facing the emerging trend of EV, Hu Pao still achieved an around 30% sales growth in 2021 from 2020. With the support of the new plant, Hu Pao will accelerate steps to create higher capacity and sales. In the future, we may also extend business reach to semiconductor, bike, or solar power and other precision industries. The reserved 4,958 sqm unused space of the new plant also offers possibilities for our future business expansion.”
Hu Pao contact: Vice President Bill Wang Email: bill@hupao.com.tw
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by Gang Hao Chang, Vice Editor-in-Chief of Fastener World
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Cover Story
Japanese Trading Company Specializing In Industrial Fasteners Sunco Industries Co., Ltd. is one of Japan's leading master distributor specializing in fasteners, handling a wide range of screws and fastener-related products.
Industry-leading logistics system in Japan To help our customers, we can speedily and accurately deliver even one item with our logistics system that utilizes IT and new technologies. The Higashi Osaka Logistics Center daily ships about 51 million items. At the huge Higashi-Osaka Logistics Center in Higashi-Osaka City, we have established an immediate delivery system that enables us to actually stock more than 200,000 types of high-quality fasteners made in Japan. If you order by 16:00, we can ship them on the same day. We also offer one-stop shopping for screws, enabling you to have as many screws as you want, when you want them.
Approximately 1.4 million types of items handled While customers inquire about fasteners, we are increasing the number of items we handle every day so that we can meet all customers' fastener needs. For that reason, we work with more than 1,200 screw manufacturers in Japan and handle many private brand (PB) products.
In Japan, our customers can count on our reliable service. Our Quality Assurance Department has been set up within the Higashi Osaka Logistics Center to implement acceptance inspections of products and maintain quality. In addition, certificates of origin, mill sheets (material certifications), RoHS directive conformity certificates, drawings, standard tables, certificates and more can be issued according to customers' needs. We can also attach packing lists in English when shipping. Detailed product images, drawings and standards are posted on our 3Qnet website and you can check the inventory status in real time and place your orders on the spot. Using 3Qnet enables you to smoothly conduct transactions. If you are looking for fasteners made in Japan, irregular-sized screws, unusual plated screws, fasteners of unusual materials and more, contact us. We can help you. Headquarters: 1-9-28 Itachibori, Nishi Ward, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture Phone: +81-6-6539-3560 (International Trade Section) Website: https://www.sunco.co.jp Email: tradeinfo@sunco.co.jp
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Company Profile
Organized on : March 6, 1948 (Registered on April 30) Capital stock : 100 million yen (As of April 2016) Representative : Yoshihide Okuyama, President Number of employees : 455 (As of April 2021) Offices : Osaka Main Office, Tokyo Branch Office, North Branch Office, Higashi Osaka Sales Office, Higashi Osaka Logistics Center, Higashi Osaka Packaging Center
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Company Focus by Dean Tseng, Fastener World
World’s First Patented Collated Washer Paper Tape It is not an overstatement that president Fu-Cheng Su is a genius in developing paper tapes. Located in Kaohsiung with 20 years of experience, this company started its business as an original equipment manufacturer assembling or packaging fasteners for clients and providing delicate small packaging service. President Su seeks ultimate quality and never gives in to low-price competition. “I would never allow discoloring on any labels even if I’m labeling for clients. Every product that has gone through our hands to the clients are guaranteed with consistent high quality!” Many years ago, Acer Group founder and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. director Stan Shih said “OEMs should be proud and what's important for them is to build their own brand.” This echoed with President Su and he decided to develop his own products and create the Guang Zhe brand. Now that the development is completed, the world’s first collated washer paper tape expected to take the market by storm is coming out from Guang Zhe.
Eco-friendly, Heat/Humidity Resistant, Time/Labor Saving Unlike plastic paper tapes, Guang Zhe paper tapes resist 200°C for up to 30 minutes and therefore can be color-painted. They are water-proof and can be recycled after use. They can disintegrate in soils without contaminating the environment. The improved washers on the paper tapes are patented and perfectly match with the paper tapes. Guang Zhe collated washer paper tapes are patented in Taiwan, the U.S. and Japan and are patentpending in the EU. “ The awareness for environmental protection is growing worldwide. The EU has stipulated to ban single-use plastic products, so the market is seeking alternatives to plastic tapes. Our paper tapes are perfectly compliant to environmental requirements, utilizing special high-strength paper materials. They can be color-painted and meet buyers’ demand for convenient use and better visual appearance and therefore has a huge potential to replace plastic tapes. I can say the collated washer paper tape I’m rolling out this time can only be manufactured by Guang Zhe.”
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u ng S e h Fu-C l.com Mr. ai t n ot m id e s h e r @ g :P he n tact ue c Con f n il: su Exclusive Ema
Screw-feeding Mechanism and Assembling Machine are in Development After developing the collated washer paper tape, President Su moved on to develop a dedicated screw-feeding mechanism to work with paper tapes as well as a patented socket that can be easily mounted on power tools of well-known brands to use the paper tapes. He also designed an extended connecting bar with one side mounted to the screw-feeding mechanism and the other mounted to the power tools. Customers can fasten workpieces with washer-assembled screws on the paper tapes without having to bend down. As if it isn’t enough, he is developing a dedicated fully-automatic assembling machine to assemble washers, screws and his paper tapes together. “R&D is a long way and there is no turning back once you step on it. It all feels like starting from scratch.”
Target the U.S & Europe and Opportunities in Carbon Reduction Besides being open for global purchase, the collated washer paper tape will first target Europe. Su is ready to risk everything to build his brand and he is locked on great overseas opportunities. He believes he is doing the right thing and that his paper tapes are a ground-breaking product for a clean environment in the next generation.
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Company Focus
Replacing Conventional Expansion Anchors
JOKER’s ETA Bi-metal Concrete Screw is About to Hit the Market by Gang Hao Chang, Vice Editor-in-Chief of Fastener World We l l - k n ow n f o r R & D a nd m a nu fa ct u r i ng, Joker Industr ial Co., Ltd. is t h e 1st Ta iwa ne s e a nchor manufacturer that has received ETA Option 1 for its concrete screws. For several times the company has been able to stand out from the drastic market competition with its own innovation and product development capabilities, taking the leading position where others can be only left behind. Even amid the period when a severe imbalance in the global supply chain occurred and various costs including shipment, materials, electroplating, and heat treating fees increased, Joker still reported an eye-catching 30-40% growth in its operating result. Its self-developed Sissy Stud Concrete Screw Anchors and Wuga Hollow Anchors continue to represent a stable share in the int’l market through word of mouth and their design and performance are continuously reinforced in order to respond to the ever-changing industrial demands. In terms of “ETA Bi-metal Concrete Screw,” after becoming the 1st ETA Option 1 certified factory in Taiwan, Joker has also continually extended the certification to cover more head types in order to satisfy the requirements for installations and fastenings under various circumstances. Then, in 2021 when the world is suffering the pandemic, it again became the 1st Taiwanese anchor manufacturer that has been approved by the EU’s strictest seismic tests C1/C2, which are about to be officially certified by H1 2022. As Taiwan is geographically located in a seismic belt, such an honor will once again consolidate the leading anchor manufacturing position of Joker
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in Taiwan. In addition to satisfying the demands of overseas loyal clients, Joker also hopes that in the domestic market where the demand for anchors in public infrastructure has been mostly satisfied by foreign leading suppliers for years, Joker’s highquality ETA bi-metal concrete screws can earn an excellent reputation, gain a significant share, and allow domestic users to truly experience the real strength of “MIT” products.
Bi-metal and Patented 3-Circle HiLow Thread Design Taking around 3 years from R&D to finished products, the bi-metal design of ETA concrete screw is said to be Joker’s significant breakthrough in product development. In terms of structural design, the carbon steel portion combined with the fore-end cutting edges and exclusive patented 3-circle hi-low thread design allows the screw to cut more quickly, while the shank made from 316 stainless steel also provides excellent outdoor rustproof performance. In a practical ETA test with other similar products, Joker’s product has been also proved to be able to achieve almost doubled pull-out strength and safety coefficient with less amount used and better work efficiency. Its carbon steel products have been also approved by domestic professional structure engineers to be largely used on the construction of Taipei Arena. It is expected that Joker’s strength in product development will be again enhanced after it officially receives the certificate for its bi-metal concrete screw by 2022.
Company Focus
Product Manager Ryan Huang said, “We’ve invested more than 10 million NTD in certification for this product, including shear, tensile strength, breakage limit and many other safety coefficient related tests, with an aim at developing a reliable product that is international standards compliant and safe for users. This product is a newer application in the anchor sector and can be used to replace conventional expansion anchors. Joker uses thread rolling dies that are expensive and with high attrition rate, only for achieving a better final beneficial result and developing for consumers a product that is of high quality, safe to use, labor-and-time-saving. Joker’s technology and quality have been on par with many European leading plants and more cost effective. I expect that this product with a high niche can accelerate the market share growth of the company. Thus far this product has passed the overseas test and we expect to receive the certificate no later than 2022.”
Reverse Thinking Offering Customers Total Solution Joker’s Sissy Stud has passed the extremely strict ETA C1/ C2 test last year, showing that it takes the actual performance of products quite seriously. All products must be tested for times in the lab before they can be released on the market, which is to make sure products shared with customers are the best design with the best performance. Different from other suppliers which may only have one single strength, Joker has complete
Joker contact: Mr. Ryan Huang, Product Manager
stamping, heading, multi-stroke, tapping, heat treating, and welding technology, and is able to think reversely according to the expected results of products and give customers advice to improve their design, the so-called Total Solution. Huang said, “Despite complexity of customers’ product design, we are still able to implement and offer better solutions. We are also capable of developing exclusive manufacturing machines for our Wuga hollow anchors and customers’ ODM products, increasing customers’ competitive edge and irreplaceability. Moreover, many customers once collaborating with us (whether they’d like to commission Joker to develop products for them or not) prefer visiting Joker’s stands at int’l trades shows for brainstorming and asking for professional advice.”
Get Fully Prepared to Extend Reach to the Automotive Industry Since 1998 Joker has released “Jack Nut,” which is mainly delivered to T3/T4 customers in the automotive industry, so it has gained strong strengths in R&D and manufacturing. Considering electric vehicles being a focus of future automotive industry, Huang also disclosed that this year and next year Joker will hire consultants to guide it apply for IATF 16949 in order to make early preparations for entering the supply chain of int’l car manufacturers. Huang added, “In addition to existing anchors, Joker also hopes to discover more opportunities and have its advantages noticed to develop more similar products and create more business opportunities for the industry.”
Email: info@joker.com.tw
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Association
Jau Yeou Industry president Tea-ren Sun
2021.12 Taiwan CSC Production & Sales Conference with Fastener Business Owners
TIFI president Tu-chin Tsai
Owners Laser-Focused on Steel Price & Carbon Neutrality Initiative by Dean Tseng, Fastener World After a lapse of a year, on December 1 last year, Taiwan CSC was able to hold a production and sales conference for the Q1 2022 period. A record-breaking number of nearly 250 people took part in this conference. It was clear that they were very interested in steel price and CSC’s agenda for the new year. Opening the conference, Taiwan Industrial Fasteners Institute (TIFI) president Mr. Tu-Chin Tsai said: “Taiwan is blessed with a one-of-a-kind consolidated supply chain and an established national anti-COVID mechanism that again thwarted the virus outrage. I’m glad we can all come together again.” In regard to the economy. CSC reported the International Monetary Fund revised the projected global GDP growth rate for 2022 down from 5.9% in 2021 to 4.9%. Additionally, the projected GDP growth rate for 2022 was revised down from 6.0% in 2021 to 5.2% in the U.S., down from 5.0% in 2021 to 4.3% in Europe, up from 2.4% in 2021 to 3.2% in Japan, down from 6.0% in 2021 to 4.1% in Taiwan, down from 8.0% in 2021 to 5.6% in China, and up from 2.9% in 2021 to 5.8% in ASEAN. Despite continuing with economic expansion, the U.S. still faces insufficient supply of automotive chips. The European recovery is gaining speed but is still plagued with short supply and the emergence of the variant Omicron. Many factories in Southeast Asia have rebooted production and it helps ease the pressure on the supply chain. China's PMI was back above the dividing line signaling an upturn in domestic demand that benefits the economic development in Q1, 2022. Taiwan’s export value for the first 10 months of 2021 leaped 30.2% to USD 540.73 billion. Overall, the economy is recovering in most countries. The world's trade could increase 7% in 2020. In regard to steel price, we can expect little change in global steel CRU Index but there is room for growth.
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In regard to wire rods, the top three import sources in the first 10 months of 2021 were India, South Korea, Vietnam. The top imported products were low carbon steel (taking up 58%) and alloy steel (26%). The import volume of the same period was 727 thousand tons, up 73%. Regarding Taiwan’s fastener export, the export volume of the same period was 1.39 million tons, up 18.9%, and the average price grew 11.9%, both showing evident increase (as detailed in Table 1). The top 3 export destinations were the U.S. (629 thousand tons, up 17.5, taking up 45.1% of total export), Germany (112 thousand tons, up 14%, taking up 8.1%), and the Netherlands (76 thousand, up 35.3%, taking up 5.4%).
Table 1. Taiwan's Fastener Export & Price Growth Rates in the First 10 Months of 2021 Product
Export Volume
Unit Price
Wood Screws
+23.89%
+8.90%
Self-tapping Screws
+20.19%
+12.30%
Bolts
+12.05%
+13.04%
Nuts
+35.99%
+7.05%
At the conference, Mr. Tea-ren Sun, president of Jau Yeou Industry, called out for CSC to refrain from lifting the steel price for Q1 2022. On another note, a business owner from the audience was concerned about carbon tax and inquired for CSC's future agenda on coping with carbon tax. CSC responded to set 2018 as the baseline and it is targeted to reduce carbon emission by 7% in 2025 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Currently, CSC has com menced check i ng t he carbon footprint of its manufacturing facilities, and will negotiate with major downstream carbon emitting companies with hopes to produce exquisite steel and achieve green manufacture. President Tu- Ch i n Tsai echoed t hat fastener business owners are advised to utilize recycled materials and water to achieve the carbon reduction target in tandem with CSC.
Event Calendar of Associations in 2022
Association
Compiled by Fastener World
ish Metal it r B f o n tio Confedera BM) Forming (C 22 FORGE 20 2nd EURO
9 2022/09/28-2
When Where
Center in Conference Euskalduna
Bilbao, Spain
2022 NFDA Annual Mee ting and ES PS When 2022/06/ Where
When Where
22-24
Embassy Suite s by Hilton Min neapolis Dow ntown
NFDA CEO Roundtable s
2022/10/06, 2: 00 Online
- 3:00 PM (Eas tern)
2022 NFDA Executive S ummit When 2020/11/09 -1 Where
1
by Sharareh Shahidi Hamedani Naples Grand e Beach Resor t
Deutscher Schraubenverband E.V. EIFI Annual Meeting When
2022/05/13 (2022/05/12-15)
Where
Landkreis Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Ordinary General Meeting 2022 When
2022/06/22, 2:00-4:30 PM
Where
Not Announced
2022 Pac-West Lunch Bunch When
2022/01/21, 11:00 AM (Pacific)
Where
Online (Zoom)
2022 Pac-West Lunch Bunch When
2022/03/04, 11:00 AM (Pacific)
Where
Online (Zoom)
2022 Pac-West Spring Conference and Tabletop Show
Fastener Training Institute Live Webinars 2022/01/07: Structural Bolting
When
2022/03/16-19
Where
The brand new Westin Anaheim
2022 Spring Dinner Meeting and Vendor Showcase When
2022/04/12, 5:00-8:00 PM (PDT)
Where
Holiday Inn (14299 Firestone Blvd, La Mirada, CA 90638)
2022/01/21: Electronic Assembly Hardware
2022 Pac-West Lunch Bunch
2022/02/04: Lifting Hardware 2022/02/18: Aerospace Fasteners 2022/03/04: Fastener Inspection 2022/03/18: Fastener Testing
When
2022/07/15, 11:00 AM (Pacific)
Where
Online (Zoom)
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Association Finishing 2021, many countries have forecast a positive outlook for a vibrant market in 2022. This is especially true for Taiwan. Following the sales hike last year, order books are full up to 2022 in Taiwan’s manufacturing sector, and full up to the first half of 2022 so far for certain big fastener companies in Taiwan. However, behind the heaping orders and high numbers lies an unprecedented cost challenge for Taiwanese companies, coupled with concerns over labor shortage and transport. How should these companies react? At the crossing point where a year ends and a new year begins, Fastener World invited TFTA (Taiwan Fastener Trading Association) Chairman Josh Chen for a special interview. The chairman talked about the new trends in Taiwan in the COVID era. He offered suggestions for the industry to tide over the challenges in the new year, and shared upcoming activities of TFTA with all of us.
Stabilizing Revenues and Spreading out Risks is the Priority “In 2020, we had nowhere to take orders from. In 2021, we did see hordes of orders pour in, but there was no way to know when we could ship out the products,” said the chairman who opened up about a feeling echoed among Taiwanese fastener business owners. The plus side is the overwhelming international demand for Taiwan’s fasteners, countered by concerns in reality
Annual Special Interview:
TFTA Chairman Josh Chen on the Trends and Challenges of Taiwan Fastener Industry by Dean Tseng, Fastener World
over congested harbors and other transport barriers. Production is in full swing with Taiwanese fastener companies, but still they have to wait until they can find a cargo ship available for shipping out their products. Coupling with tra nspor t barriers is another challenge which is surging shipping rates. “We learned that forward prices are literally on par with spot prices, and I figure shipping rates will continue to hike.” Come to think
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>> 2021 Annual Member Representatives Assembly
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Association of it, orders have increased, and so have the shipping rates, and another thing that the companies have to deal with is increased minimum wage. Revenue and profit margins are compressed as such and become a huge burden to small and medium companies, so how should they take on this challenge? The chairman suggested based on his experience that they should know and focus more on the world’s development. “Our priority now is to stabilize the revenues and profits we currently have. On another note, this pandemic that we are up against is not a two-year or three-year thing. Now is not the easiest time to find new suppliers, so more than ever we have to keep close with downstream partners.” He added: “To my knowledge, lately many overseas suppliers are inclined to purchase from local manufacturers and avoid paying exorbitant rates unless necessary.” Clearly, spreading out risks is a dire task for companies in many countries and an important point to note for Taiwanese companies.
Positive Growth Prospect for TFTA; Number of TFTA Members Grows in Double Digits The chairman said TFTA has the support from all members and has increased 13 member companies that raise the total sum
to around 300 members, including fasteners, heat treatment, electroplating and packaging companies. The pandemic is still here to stay but that doesn’t mean putting a stop to the association's activities. The chairman said he had completed the third directors and supervisors meeting in a video conference. Furthermore, he has been in touch with overseas fastener associations, even to the point that he sent masks to the associations in the U.S. and Europe to facilitate Taiwan's diplomatic ties with those countries as a citizen. An embodiment of strong bonding between Taiwan and overseas fastener associations.
TFTA Spring Gala Coming up in February 2022 Throwing back to the important activities by TFTA in 2021, in April they held a talk session with fastener business successors as well as a gathering of Northern Chapter members, in October was a factory tour at Ching Chan Optical Technology, and in November was the annual member representatives assembly. Apart from gatherings, the association opened training courses at MIRDC in the third and fourth quarter of 2021. The association worked with MIRDC on a fastener forming/heading course and a fastener threading
>> Fastener Business Successors Convention course on January 6, 2022. The chairman revealed the spring gala will come up in February 2022 and he is looking forward to meeting the members again. Ending the interview, the chairman expressed his thank-you for the members’ support in his second term. He has a lot to expect and envision for his new term. “In the new era after the onset of COVID, TFTA will help bridge the collaboration between members and their clients via videoconferencing. These two years the Taiwanese market is prevailed by the electronics and semi-conductor industries. Many talents are entering the technology sector and it has raised the hurdle of recruiting talents into the conventional manufacturing sector. We are planning to upgrade our training courses by seeking out universities and colleges to facilitate collaboration among the government, fastener industry and the academia, so we can attract more talents to the fastener industry.”
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Industry Focus For Taiwanese fastener and steel nail industry, 2021 was a year that revealed a significant rise in export volume, price, and avg. price. Compared to the depression in 2020 caused by the pandemic, the global manufacturing is making effort to place more orders to overseas suppliers in order to make up for the previous supply shortages and production disruption. Some of them are even willing to pay higher costs for competing with competitors to enter the priority delivery list. The recovering demand in leading industries like automobile, construction, sea freight, and electronics has simultaneously heightened the demand and pricing for fasteners and relevant fixings. Many experts also forecast that such a strong growth is very likely to continue through mid-2021. Furthermore, some Taiwanese suppliers also released their latest financial reports with very optimistic expectations. The current situation is almost a seller’s market, which means who controls and gets material sources will get more opportunities to expand the global market share.
Taiwan’s Fastener & Steel Nail Export in Q1-3 2021 According to the latest trade statistics released by Taiwan Customs, in the first 3 quarters of 2021 Taiwan exported 1,247,891,539 kg (nearly 1.25 million tons) of fasteners in total to the world, an increase of 19.28% from the same period of 2020. If calculated by value, Taiwan exported US$ 3,996,124,300 (around US$ 4 billion) worth of fasteners, up 32.30% from the same period of 2020. In terms of average price, the avg. price landed at 3.2 USD/KG, up 10.91% from the same period of 2020. The integral performance of Taiwanese fastener industry appeared an uptick in both the volume and the price.
Tables 1-2 respectively show the detailed statistics of Taiwan’s fastener and steel nail export in Q1-3 2021, including the top 10 export destinations and product categories: Table 1 shows more than 60% of Taiwan’s fasteners were exported to Europe and the U.S. In addition to the U.S. continuously representing over 45% in Taiwan’s total fastener export and being the top 1 export destination every year, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, and Spain are also important portals for Taiwan’s fastener export to the EU. Other countries like the UK, Canada, and China are also in the top 10 export partners list of Taiwan. Compared to the same period of 2020, except for Japan showing merely 0.78% growth margin in Taiwan’s fastener export volume, other countries all revealed the growth margin from 11.83-50.64%. If calculated by export value, it also shows the growth from 11.65%-57.09%. Except for China showing a higher avg. price at 5.66 USD/KG, other countries roughly landed at 2.41-3.7 USD/KG based on their specific market demands. Table 2 shows 91.07% of Taiwan’s exported fasteners were 7318159000 Other Screws & Bolts (47.96%), 7318140000 Self-tapping Screws (17.40%), 7318160000 Nuts (16.99%) and 7318120000 Wood Screws (8.72%). Other major product categories also included 7317009010 Steel Nails, 7318290000 Other Non-threaded Articles, 7318220000 Other Washers, 7318190000 Other Threaded Articles, 731823000 Rivets, 7318240000 Pins & Cotter Pins. Compared to the same period of 2020, the export volumes of these product categories all revealed the growth from 11.57%-53.49%. If calculated by export value, they revealed the growth from 25.35%-69.56% as well.
Taiwan’s Fastener Export in Q1-3 2021 Shows Growth in Prices and Volumes by Gang Hao Chang, Vice Editor-in-Chief of Fastener World
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Industry Focus Except for the avg. price of steel nails being 1.64 USD/KG, other product categories all remained above the level from 2.8 to 5.57 USD/KG. Although the avg. price of 7318290000 Other Non-threaded Articles, compared to the same period of 2020, appeared a drop of 1.51%, other 9 product categories all revealed positive growth from 2.42% to 12.31%.
Table 1. Taiwan’ s Fastener and Steel Nail Export in Q1-3 2021 (Top 10 Countries) Country
Export (KG)
Share
Change from 2020
Export (USD)
Share
Change from 2020
Avg. Price (USD/KG)
Change from 2020
The U.S.
566,160,916
45.36%
18.25%
172,982,4266
43.28%
32.90%
3.06
12.50%
Germany
98,842,859
7.92%
11.83%
316,684,446
7.92%
24.40%
3.20
11.11%
The Netherlands
67,123,767
5.37%
38.69%
207,607,892
5.19%
46.74%
3.09
5.82%
Japan
50,966,137
4.08%
0.78%
189,207,992
4.73%
11.65%
3.71
10.74%
The UK
45,410,729
3.63%
46.71%
1,547,53,703
3.87%
50.89%
3.41
3.02%
Canada
44,387,057
3.55%
29.44%
136,005,067
3.40%
38.67%
3.06
6.99%
Italy
26,506,975
2.12%
27.88%
77,632,241
1.94%
42.16%
2.93
11.40%
China
24,947,338
1.99%
50.64%
141,111,883
3.53%
51.76%
5.66
0.89%
Poland
24,752,986
1.98%
17.17%
59,760,566
1.49%
34.61%
2.41
14.76%
Spain
24,141,918
1.93%
47.25%
62,010,591
1.55%
57.09%
2.57
6.63%
Table 2. Taiwan’ s Fastener and Steel Nail Export in Q1-3 2021 (Top 10 Product Categories) Product Category
Export (KG) Share
Change Export (USD) from 2020
Share
Change Avg. Price Change from 2020 (USD/KG) from 2020
7318159000 Other Screws & Bolts
598,501,435 47.96%
11.57%
1,853,220,295 46.37%
25.35%
3.1
12.31%
7318140000 Self-tapping Screws
217,205,639 17.40%
19.96%
609,054,014 15.24%
33.63%
2.8
11.11%
7318160000 Nuts
212,053,376 16.99%
38.32%
765,430,099
19.15%
46.61%
3.61
5.86%
7318120000 Wood Screws
108,837,423
8.72%
25.31%
290,179,936
7.26%
35.72%
2.67
8.53%
7317009010 Steel Nails
43,760,414
3.50%
21.64%
71,983,244
1.80%
26.61%
1.64
3.79%
7318290000 Other Non-threaded Articles
15,710, 806
1.25%
39.15%
71,617,957
1.79%
36.89%
4.56
-1.51%
7318220000 Other Washers
14,725,460
1.18%
19.19%
82,084,833
2.05%
33.79%
5.57
12.07%
7318190000 Other Threaded Articles
13,137,631
1.05%
24.38%
72,446,461
1.81%
32.32%
5.51
6.37%
731823000 Rivets
7,021,946
0.56%
40.23%
32,621,795
0.81%
43.60%
4.65
2.42%
7318240000 Pins & Cotter Pins
6,321,168
0.50%
53.49%
34,377,289
0.86%
69.56%
5.44
10.56%
Moreover, rumor has it that the EU is very likely to make the affirmative final AD determination against iron and steel fasteners originating in China by the beginning of next year and non-cooperating companies in the investigation may be subject to the highest AD duties of up to 86.5%. If this rumor becomes the truth, it may be quite beneficial for the further expansion of Taiwanese suppliers in the EU market in the next 5 years, though some companies have previously expressed their concern and worries about the possible appearance of a more unstable supply chain if the AD measure is approved, which is unfavorable to Taiwanese fastener industry. However, with a more flattened pandemic curve and industries still in short supply, global manufacturing has been gradually back to normal. Although standard parts manufactured by Chinese suppliers remain competitive in Europe and the U.S. in terms of costs, Taiwanese fasteners with a better quality-price ratio may take some of China’s share and further expand the deployment in the EU market if the AD measure is approved. To view from a different perspective, it will be also a good time for Taiwan to flexibly adjust its current deployment in U.S. market which represents more than 40% of its total fastener export and avoid the risk of being too focused on one single market.
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Special Feature
U.S. & Japan Patented Fasteners Roundup complied by Fastener World Source: USPTO; Japan Patent Office
Hardware Fastener with Movable Threaded Element and One or More Spring-Like Members Issued date: October 19, 2021 Applicant: Kennametal Inc. Description: A hardware fastener with a movable threaded element suspended within a cavity formed in a body. The movable threaded element has an internal surface with threads for cooperating with a threaded fastener. The movable threaded element is suspended in the cavity by the one or more spring-like members such that an area of reduced stiffness is created in the cavity proximate the movable threaded element, thereby allowing the movable threaded element to move a predetermined distance within the cavity when torque is applied to the threaded fastener. The one or more spring-like members store elastic potential energy to prevent the loss of pretension of the threaded fastener that can be caused by heat or vibration. The invention also eliminates the need for a torque wrench when tightening the threaded fastener to a specified torque value.
Two-piece Blind Fastener
Two-part Fastener
Issued date: October 12, 2021 Applicant: SPS Technologies, LLC Description:
Issued date: September 28, 2021 Applicant: Illinois Tool Works Inc. Description:
A blind fastener for connecting panels includes a bolt and nut. The bolt includes a shaft, bolt head, and lug. The bolt head is between the shaft and lug. The shaft defines external threads opposite the bolt head. The lug includes a first tool engagement portion and first frangible portion that connects the lug and bolt head. The nut includes a sleeve, nut head, and handling member. A central bore of the sleeve receives the shaft and defines internal threads mated with the external threads. The nut head is between the handling member and sleeve. The nut head extends radially from the sleeve and defines a recess that receives the bolt head. The handling member surrounds a portion of the lug. The handling member includes a second frangible portion and a second tool engagement portion. The second frangible portion couples the second tool engagement portion to the nut head.
A fast ener i nclud i ng a pi n a nd a grommet. The pin is pre-engaged to the grommet with at least one flash connection, the pin is configured to be secured to the grommet at least by the flash connection being broken, and one of the pin or the grommet moves relative to the other of the pin or the grommet to break the at least one flash connection. Further, the pin is configured to engage and be secured to a first component and the grommet is conf igured to engage and be secured to a second component.
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Special Feature Threaded Fastener Having a Thread Crest Greater Than Its Thread Root and V Angles on the Crest and Root Issued date: September 7, 2021 Applicant: LOCK-N-STITCH, INC. Description: A n interlock ing t h read wit h a toot hc ross-se ct ion t hat is wider at its crest than at its root and with "V" a ng le s lo c a t e d b o t h along the crest and the root which tightens into a tapped hole that has a similar thread crosssection.
Thread Forming and Thread Locking Fastener Issued date: September 21, 2021 Applicant: Research Engineering & Manufacturing, Inc. Description: A combined thread forming and thread locking fastener is disclosed. A fastener includes three thread zones. A first thread zone utilizes a first thread forming thread profile with an increasing outer diameter. A second thread zone extends from the end of the first zone utilizing the first thread forming thread profile and continues with a constant diameter. The third thread zone utilizes a thread locking thread profile continuing along substantially the remainder of the shaft of a fastener.
Anti-burr Threaded Fastener Issued date: August 31, 2021 Applicant: Triangle Fastener Corporation Description: A threaded fastener includes an elongated body having a first end and a second end, a first portion comprising a first helical thread, with the first helical thread including a crest, a root, and flank portions, and a second, tapered portion including a second helical thread. The second helical thread includes a crest, a root, a leading flank portion, and trailing flank portion, with the leading flank portion positioned closer to the second end of the elongated body than the trailing flank portion. A thread angle of the second helical thread is larger than a thread angle of the first helical thread, and the root of the second helical thread includes a root apex formed by the intersection of the trailing flank portion and the leading flank portion.
Blind Fastener
Tacking Fastener
Issued Date: October 17, 2021 Applicant: Nippon Pop Rivets and Fasteners Ltd. Description:
Issued date: August 24, 2021 Applicant: Allfast Fastening Systems Description:
Frictional connection may not have enough force to fasten multiple materials and therefore requires increasing the fastening force. To increase the fastening force using frictional connection, one can think of increasing the bolt axial diameter to increase bolt axial force. However, this requires increasing the diameter of the hole on the fastened material for inserting the bolt. The potential consequence is an enlarged damage on the cross section of the fastened material and a weaker fastened material. For example, when inserting bolts into multiple rows and columns of fastening holes to conduct frictional connection, the enlarged diameter of individual holes could result in a significant drop of strength for the fastened material.
A blind tacking rivet includes a stem and a sleeve. The stem includes a body and a stem head. The stem head is removable from the body. The stem head deforms a portion of the sleeve during removal of the stem head. The stem head may be discarded or may be embedded within the sleeve.
This invention was created to solve this problem and provide a blind fastener to improve fastening multiple materials.
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Special Feature Anti-rolling Screw Issued Date:2021/07/08 Applicant: Kitamura Seiko Corporation Description: The screw head is a circular shape viewed in the axial direction. When placed on a table, some degree of tilt, vibration or external force could roll over the screw and move it. It could be obstructive and stressful if the screw rolls when the operator has to pick them up one by one. If the screw falls from the table, they could go missing. This anti-rolling screw was created to prevent rolling, improve operation and reduce the risk of losing screws.
Screw Fastening Structure Issued Date: April 8, 2021 Applicant: Nitto Seiko Co., Ltd. Description: If the self-tapping screw is made of thermoplastic resin, the fastener or the fastened object could deform in a heated environment and cause the screw to wobble. This is the cause for screw loosening.
Bolt with Variable Strength Issued Date: March 1, 2021 Applicant: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD. Description: This invention is used to fasten the structural materials and brackets on a car body. When cars collide, the strength of the bolt will decrease to release the fastened materials in order to alleviate the impact on the passenger in a car and the pedestrian outside the car.
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Issued Date: May 27, 2021 Applicant: N.PAT Description: After installing an anchor bolt to the ceiling, the operator has to check if the anchor bolt is secured. Usually the anchor bolt would have an indicator attached to its head. When the anchor bolt reaches a designated depth within the ceiling, the indicator will be pressed by the ceiling, break into pieces, separate from the anchor bolt, and fall on the ground, which will cause the trouble of cleaning. Furthermore, the operator has to calculate the number of broken pieces to check if the installation is correct, but it is difficult to collect all the scattered pieces. This invention is to utilize the design of the thread-insertion type anchor bolt to check the status of installation with ease and improve the post-installation check.
The structure of this invention can eliminate using insert nut or insert collar with the thermoplastic resin fastener and fastened object in a heated environment, while preventing wobbling and achieving lightweighting.
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Thread-insertion Type Anchor Bolt
Industry Focus
U.S. Fastener Company M&A Completed During Q1-3 2021
Data note: The data for this article is derived from the US Census trade statistics. US Census trade statistics analysis import and export on all modes of transportation. That value is calculated in USD by general CIF for imports and FOB for exports. Fasteners in this article are defined as any product under HS Code 7318 (screws, bolts, nuts, coach screws, screw hooks, rivets, cotters, cotter pins, washers and similar articles of iron or steel). At a time when the global supply chain is most volatile and companies are discovering vulnerabilities within their supply chains, mergers and acquisitions can appear like a very wise business decision. Company mergers are beneficial when a specific company has maintained a strong hold on the market, or if the company simply has a known strength in their industry. For example, a strong supply chain would imply the company has developed strong relationships with overseas suppliers and contracts with ocean carriers and other logistics partners. Other companies may have a strong chokehold on operations or manufacturing plants, or extensive product knowledge. It’s important for a free market to continue to exist which allows for market competition amongst different industries. With a level of market competition, the creation of monopolies is avoided in the market and companies can continue to enter the market. As many great business entrepreneurs would say, it’s not necessarily who does it first, but who does it best. Between January and September 2021, the U.S. is responsible for over $4.8 Billion USD of fastener imports from around the globe. The U.S. imports over 1.3 Billion kilograms of fasteners into the U.S. for manufacturing and distribution purposes across a multitude of industries. Traditionally speaking, the U.S. is considered one of the major importers of
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by Sabrina Rodriguez fasteners, especially from foreign suppliers in Taiwan, China, and Japan. Fasteners that are imported by the U.S. are traditionally used for the auto manufacturing industry, construction industry and the aerospace industry. When it comes to fastener exports to the world, the U.S. accounts for a little over $3 Billion USD and 548 million kilograms. The U.S. exports a wide range of fully manufactured goods (of which contain fasteners), but also a variety of different types of fasteners. The U.S. primarily exports fasteners to its immediate neighbors (Mexico and Canada) as well as China. Let’s take a deep dive into the fastener companies that have either performed a merger or acquisition in the last nine months of 2021. It’s important to keep in mind that a significant amount of financial data and transactional business data remains private making it difficult to understand the full details on all mergers and acquisitions.
B&F Fastener Supply Acquires Mid States Specialty Sales and Champion Charter According to the publication Industrial Distribution, in October B&F Supplies acquired a Illinois based fastener supplier by the name of Mid States Specialty Sales. This is the third acquisition made by B&F Fastener Supply since 2017 which indicates a percentage of their growth can be attributed to growth by acquisition. According
Industry Focus to sources at B&F, customers of Mid States Specialty Sales will benefit from the valuable services of B&F especially since B&F has a strong presence in the Midwest region. Currently B&F is actively operating over a handful of states including Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska. In April, B&F also acquired Champion Charter, a smaller fastener supplier located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Champion Charter specialized in traditional style fastener and Huck-related fastener, both of which B&F considers to be new product lines for their expanding business. In statements made by B&F, one of the biggest advantages of acquiring Champion Charter is the opportunity to expand their product lines, which will allow them to grow their existing customer and prospect base. The purchase price of Mid States Specialty Sales was not publicly announced during the acquisition process.
LINC Systems Acquires Air-O Fasteners LINC Systems is known in the market for its extensive product platform focusing on industrial packaging and fasteners. In late September, LINC Systems acquired Air-O Fastener to obtain a presence in the western United States. Air-O Fasteners specializes in distributing fastening equipment to the construction-based market. Much like other fastener distributors, LINC Systems operated in Illinois and has a large presence in the Midwestern part of the U.S. According to Industrial Distribution, LINC System’s CEO heavily praised Air-O Fasteners for their established market share and extensive product line and knowledge. Based on the details revolving around this acquisition it appears the main goals of LINC Systems is to expand their presence in the U.S. as well as expand their existing product line with a valuable line of experts, while also growing their market share by acquisition. The valuation of Air-O Fasteners was not revealed during the acquisition process.
Bertram Capital Acquires AFC Industries Bertram Capital, an investment firm, acquired AFC industries in late April making it the fifth known investment for Bertram Capital. AFC positioned themselves as valuable in the marketplace for their distribution models as well as their extensive sourcing efforts for C-parts. One of the AFC’s strong suits is their attention to inventory management and 22-locations around North America including operations in Mexico. While this is not a traditional acquisition of a fastener company consuming another fastener company in their same space, it is still a relatively common investment tactic for an equity firm to invest profits into a smaller company. Bertram Capital focuses on investing in small to midsized companies and has raised over $1.9 billion USD of capital commitments since they began in 2006. Fastener World no.192/2022
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Industry Focus
Conclusions It’s been an active year for U.S. based fastener companies considering the number of mergers and acquisitions that have taken place in the market. Expanding operations, product lines and valueadded services are just some of the benefits customers of these companies have already begun to experience in 2021. Considering the number of challenges faced in the supply chain, we might continue to see more fastener companies merge in the coming years ahead.
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Editor’s Note: In addition to the aforementioned mergers and acquisitions activities in the U.S. during the first nine months of 2021, there were actually more M&A activities in the same period. Some companies acquired other companies to expand their existing product portfolio, while some others utilized M&A activities to gain access to more advanced technology, offer extra ser vice to customers, or establish a stronger presence in the field where they’ ve been successful for years. For your reference, please see below the timelines of the additional M&A activities in the U.S. in the same period, which have been also officially announced to the public. Jan/07 Speedtech Acquires Toleeto Fasteners Jan/25 Threaded Fasteners Inc. Acquires Construction Fasteners LLC Feb/02 Würth Industry North America Acquires Atlantic Fasteners Mar/09 Novaria Group Acquires The Young Engineers, Inc. Apr/26 Birmingham Fastener Acquires Steel City Bolt May/11 Maclean-Fogg Acquires Formetrix Jul/21 BlackHawk Industrial Acquires Reliance Supply Aug/01 Triangle Fastener Corp. Acquires GLR Fasteners Inc. Aug/20 Threaded Fasteners, Inc. Acquires Threading Machine Manufacturer RTC Threaders Sep/01 Trifast Acquires Falcon Fastening Solutions Sep/07 Martin Fastening Solutions Acquires Capital Bolt & Screw Sep/30 Lindfast Group Acquires Solution Industries Oct/06 Nucor Fastener Acquires Coil Processing Facility Oct/18 Brighton-Best Acquires Vertex Distribution Oct/18 FDH Aero Acquires Stealth Aerospace
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Association
TFTA Annual Members Meeting 2021 by Gang Hao Chang, Vice Editor in Chief of Fastener World
Taiwan Fastener Trading Association (TFTA) held the long-awaited Annual Member Assembly at Crowne Plaza Tainan on November 26, 2021. The new directors and supervisors were elected on the same day. A total of 292 TFTA members from across Taiwan were invited to the event, including influential figures from all regions of Taiwan who rarely had time to meet up, as well as the second and third generations who swiftly applied for attendance. They manifest the great tradition of passing on the torch from one to the next. This is marked the most important annual event for TFTA. A day before the event, a Chairmen Cup Golf Outing was held to warm up the annual assembly. During the assembly, the association invited lawyers from Formosa Transnational Attorneys at Law to give a keynote speech on cross-generation business inheritance which concerns many members. The topic was broken down into brief and simple examples coupled with practical advice. Regarding the U.S. and Europe which are the top two export destinations of Taiwan’s fasteners, the head of International Committee of TFTA presented the observation reports by EFDA and NFDA.
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“The U.S. fastener distributors’ business plunged in 2020, but was quick to bottom up. Most distributors have seen the demand back at the prepandemic level before Q4 2020. Most businesses perform well in 2021 and we expect a strong demand through the end of the year. However, issues with supply chain and shortage of workforce remain to be the biggest challenges,” according to NFDA. “The European distributors likewise took an impact by the plunge of demand in 2020. Some businesses saw a 30% decline in revenue, and this was particularly significant for automotive fastener suppliers. Furthermore, companies in the EU faced a tough challenge in purchase and market uncertainties driven by EU’s limited
Association
manufacturing capacity, shipment chaos, material price rise and EU’s anti-dumping measure against Chinese fasteners,” according to EFDA. However, both the associations are in consensus that the pandemic is driving up the pace of digitalization across industries worldwide. This will be worth the attention regarding businesses’ room for further development into the future. The guests to the event took the opportunity to exchange name cards, get acquainted with each other, and share opinions on the industrial conditions of Taiwan and the world. Cuisines and band performance spiced up the atmosphere of the venue. The anticipated lucky draw added to the fun of the event. Re-elected as TFTA Chairman, Josh Chen said, “I want to thank every member who participated in this event. Over the past few months when the COVID pandemic eased, TFTA organized many activities including hiking, golf outing, training session, technical workshop, member gatherings and plant tours. Interaction with European and American fastener associations does not cease during the pandemic. TFTA does not loosen up on the association’s affairs with the directors and supervisors. We will continue to push for matchmaking via videoconferencing and government/industry/ academia integration to better shape cross-generation inheritance, diversify association activities and service more members.”
TFTA Chairman and Vice Chairman for 2022: Chairman: Josh Chen Vice Chairman: Chi-Hung Chen
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Industry Focus
German EV Industry and How It Relates to the Fastener Industry by Behrooz Lotfian
The EV Industry in Germany EV Production in Germany shows what an EV revolution looks like. Electric cars now account for more than 20% of auto production in Germany. German automakers produced 53,221 units of EVs in July, 2021. That works out to 21.7% of the total number of cars produced in Germany in that month. In March of 2020, just 6.8% of new cars produced were EVs, and in January of 2019, only 3.2% of new cars were EVs, according to Energy Monitor. Overall, German car production was down 26% in August. In 2021, compared to the same month a year ago, yet EV production was up 9%, according to the data supplied by German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA). Globally, total car sales shrank by 14% in 2020 compared to the previous year, but EV sales increased from about two million units to more than three million units, according to the International Energy Agency. Volkswagen, Mercedes Benz, and BMW are the Big Three of the German auto industry and all three have set goals for their electric car initiatives. Volkswagen expects 50% of its sales in 2030 will be EVs which will rise to 100% by 2040. Mercedes Benz is planning to go all electric by 2030 “where conditions allow,” which is a rather vague commitment. BMW says it expects fully electric vehicles to account for at least 50% of global deliveries by 2030 and has announced that its MINI subsidiary will sell only electric cars from that year.1
New Challenges for EV Fasteners and German Solutions What fasteners are required in the future? Since cars were first invented, there have always been milestones of innovation. The next one, the e-mobility, is just around the corner. However, new propulsion technology, new materials and new energy sources also result in new challenges in the fastening and assembly technology.2
Storage Devices (Battery): In this regard, the battery tray is important in an EV. It houses the heart and the central part of an electric car, the storage device (battery). Therefore, it is responsible for the most expensive module, and must be supported by reliable and intelligent connection technology. 1
E-machine: Higher performance and smaller size. These are the attributes demanded for modern e-machines. Germans are involved. For example, the stator to be attached to the case or the inserts for thread reinforcement and customised development parts made of elastomers to cope with this challenge. Front and Rear End: Cars appeal to us through emotions and aesthetics. Particularly the front and rear end shape the modern design of an e-vehicle. They are also affected by increasing technical requirements. Those particularly relate to comfort, safety, reliability and driving performance. In E-vehicles, however, there is much more insulation between components and the chassis than in the past, and bodies are made of a combination of conductive, poorly conductive, and non-conductive materials. In addition, consumers want more and more accessories that require electric power. These changes make grounding both more challenging and, in many cases, far more important.
https://cleantechnica.com/2021/09/21/ev-production-in-germany-shows-what-an-ev-revolution-looks-like/ file:///C:/Users/Sharareh/Downloads/fastening-technology-for-e-mobility-en-8026.pdf 3 https://www.engineerlive.com/content/joined-thinking-electric-vehicle-construction 2
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One of the heaviest components in an EV is the battery, which runs the risk of negating the idea of carbon emission reductions if the vehicle’s weight dramatically increases energy consumption. Automakers face several challenges with current multi-piece steel and aluminium EV battery enclosures, including the overall weight of case (typically more than 1,000 pounds), and the need for multiple welds, fasteners and bolts which can ultimately result in leaks. Germany is achieving fastener weight reduction whilst maintaining with keeping high torque demand requirement in automotive applications. Industrial drive systems such as Mortorq screws require up to 25% less material in the head yet still provide super high strength internal drive. An example of an innovative system providing the lowest head possible without compromising on fastener assembly performance3. On the other hand, they have developed testing techniques for the leak-proofness of fasteners, rivets, and rivet nuts. Anything that has to do with leakproofness, they manufacture.
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Industry Focus The use of modern material and composite designs bea rs great potential for Ger man in novative fastening technologies.
Future of EVs in Germany and the Fastener Industry: Bloomberg has reported that Germany expects to have 14 million units of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles on its roads by 2030 as Europe’s biggest economy attempts to comply with increasingly stringent emission rules. The forecast is at least 40% higher than a previous estimate thanks to a recent surge in EV sales, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said. Germany expects to have about 1 million such cars on its roads each month4.
The Most Developed Fasteners That are Used in an EV are5: Weld Nuts & Studs Through welding, metal fasteners such as weld studs, weld pins, and threaded studs and weld nuts are joined to other metal objects through an arc at the speed of lightning. The process can be highly automated and depends on the type of welding it can only requires access to one side of the material. 4 5
Large Diameter Clinching Hardened clinch fasteners increase thread strength and produce clean assemblies. The fasteners can either be installed In-DIE during the forming process or offline using a C-Frame. There are no thermal stresses even with the high resistance to push and torque outs. The resulting clean work environment reduces any concerns about the environment.
Self-Piercing Technology, Flow Drill Screws These fasteners combine drilling and thread forming to increase the speed of one-sided assembly, which drops to less than one minute. Because the rivets are self-piercing, the material experiences no heat zones during installation. The flow drill screws are highly resistant to vibration and loosening torque.
Structural Blind Rivets Because they stand out as a strong solution for structural assembly, these fasteners are excellent for high-tensile applications. Only one side is needed for access and one fastener can accommodate up to four rivets with large diameters. The result is an attachment that is both durable and reliable.
And the main subjects for improvment that Germans are working on are: Lightweighting fastener technology Fastening and their coatings within the EV sector
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-13/germany-sees-14-million-electric-vehicles-on-its-roads-by-2030 https://provenproductivity.com/fasteners-for-electric-vehicle-body-in-white-design/
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Industry Focus
The European Electric Vehicle (EV) Market and Industrial Fasteners: The Netherlands Introduction
by Shervin Shahidi Hamedani
The European electric vehicle (EV) market experienced extraordinary growth in 2020 with a 143% increase from 2019. In 2020, more than 1.36 million new electric passenger cars, including battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), were sold across the region. The strong and healthy sales in 2020 made Europe the largest EV market globally, surpassing China.
Numerous individual European markets reached much larger shares of new EV sales in 2020 to compare with 11% average growth rate. Among them are Norway with a very impressive market share of 75%, Sweden 32%, the Netherlands 25%, Finland 18%, Denmark 16%, Switzerland and Portugal 14%, Germany 13%. France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom achieved 11% of the market shares, the same amount as the average market shares in Europe.
Interestingly, the surge on EV sales in Europe continued during the pandemic including the major lockdown in Europe where the vehicle market faced several difficulties in sales due to COVID-19. The pandemic drastically reduced the sales of all new cars in Europe by 20%, while the sales of EV boosted significantly and its market share increased to 11%.
Those figures clearly tell us, that regions in northern Europe, especially in Norway, had the highest EV shares in 2020. Based on the statistics, in Norway, its three metropolitan regions of Bergen, Oslo, and Trondheim had 80%, 79% and 75% EV shares, respectively, and about three quarters of those EVs were BEVs.
Passenger cars and vans ('light commercial vehicles') are respectively responsible for around 12% and 2.5% of total EU emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2), which is the main greenhouse gas. On 1 January 2020, Regulation (EU) 2019/631 entered into force, setting CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and vans. This could be named as the key driver for the EV sales growth in Europe, since car manufacturers have to comply with all those strict standards.
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Automotive Fasteners In the same year, in 2020, the Automotive fasteners market was valued at USD 22 billion and is projected to reach USD 26 billion in 2026 by registering a CAGR of above 4%. The market is expected to grow due to several reasons. With no doubt, one of the major reasons are shifting focus toward lightweight vehicles and the increasing use of electronics in vehicles. Moreover, manufacturers are also shifting from standard fasteners to customized fasteners. This shift is another drive of the automotive fastener market.
Industry Focus In regards with the fasteners for electric vehicle development, they are sorted by different application fields. The range of electric vehicle depends on the Power Distribution Units (PDU). Fasteners for powertrains and inverters in EV require to be highly durable and resistant to vibrations as well as extreme temperatures. Some of the commonly used fasteners and parts are thread-forming screws, cable glands, sealing plugs, check valves, flow restrictors, circlips, shim washers. Embedding and surface bonding fasteners, threaded inserts for thermoplastic housings, and SEMS screws are mainly used for the battery in EV. Fasteners that are made of high-strength materials, easy to assemble and disassemble and provide a high corrosion resistance include welding studs, flow drill screws, structural blind rivets, wheel nuts and lug nuts, mam bolts used for body, chassis, exterior and interior of EV.
Electric Vehicles in the Netherlands The Netherlands, despite its small size, is one of the leading players in the EV market in the world. This makes this country one of the most interesting business partners for various industries, more specifically for EV manufacturers, automotive fasteners and parts suppliers. For over a decade the Netherlands has been investing in electric vehicles, charging infrastructure and the development of new technologies and connectivity.
Additionally, to drive the electrification of the national vehicle fleet, the Dutch government provides very attractive incentives to lessen the cost for buyers and owners of electric vehicles. This is especially true for BEVs, which are the focus of the government’s zero-emission transport strategy. Moreover, BEV’s owners benefit from waivers on the one-time registration tax and annual ownership taxes, or receive a reduction in the case of PHEVs. On the contrary, buyers and owners of conventional combustion engine vehicles are charged vehicle taxes that are particularly high in comparison to other European markets. This is where fastener manufacturers can find their focus, expanding or redirecting their product lines to manufacture EV’s fasteners and parts, as ignoring the growth of the EV market could make a huge damage on their future sales and survivability.
Source: Automotive Fasteners Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecast, by Mordor Intelligence Update on Electric Vehicle Uptake in European Cities, by International Council on Clean Transportation Electric transport in the Netherlands, by Netherlands Enterprise Agency
In terms of the EV model availability at the national level with the European countries (by comparing the number of models available in at least one metropolitan region in a country) the Netherlands has the highest number of models available (112) after Germany (132). The United Kingdom and France both have 110 models, and Norway (the largest EV market in Europe) has 109 models. This reveals that manufacturers largely deliver more EV options to countries with the newest car registrations, to those with the highest EV shares, and those with strong EV policies in place. As public chargers are one of the challenges in developing the EV market in any country, the Netherlands has the most public chargers (65,600) in Europe, followed by France (46,000) and Germany (44,700). The Netherlands also had the highest number of public chargers per million populations with 3,800, compared to France and Germany with 690 and 540, respectively in 2020. Supported by the national climate policy, the Netherlands has spirits to improve sustainability. By 2030, all new passenger vehicles in the Netherlands must comply with zero emission. All vehicles will have to make the best possible use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. The market for electric vehicles continues to grow globally. This offers opportunities for Dutch companies to sell their products and services abroad. Foreign investors may open new businesses in the Netherlands, invest more money in the development and expansion of the local players, and consequently create more jobs in the field of electric vehicle and related industries such as fasteners, parts and tools. Fastener World no.192/2022
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Russian News
New Workshop of Hot-stamping Equipment for Fastener Production was Launched at JSC "KONAR" A modern press machine from HATEBUR (Switzerland) was put into operation in the new hot-forging equipment workshop of KONAR JSC. This is the third and most modern machine that KONAR has for the production of large quantities of high precision metal products. KONAR manufactures high-strength fasteners for the oil and gas industry, as well as for metal structures, railway and automotive industries. General Director of JSC "KONAR" Valery Bondarenko said that the total investment for the construction of the workshop amounted to 890 million rubles. The launch of production will also create 50 new jobs.
The Russian Government is Preparing Radical Changes in Industrial Construction: They will be Allowed to Design According to Eurocodes and Chinese SNIP In Russia, it will be allowed to build industrial facilities according to projects developed on the basis of foreign building codes. Including - based on Eurocodes and standards of the People's Republic of China. This presupposes a "road map" approved by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. The document was published on the official website of the government. It is expected that the Cabinet of Ministers will prepare appropriate amendments to the law "Technical Regulations on the Safety of Buildings and Structures". Also, in accordance with the "road map", it is planned to allow the construction of i ndust r ia l faci l it ies i n Russia usi ng foreig n desig n documentation. The preparation of the government act necessary for the procedure is scheduled for June 2023.
歐洲新聞
compiled by Fastener World
MMK-METIZ Expands Product Line of Machine-Building Fasteners Due to the investment program 2017-2020, MMKMETIZ replenished new promising types of products. This was facilitated by equipping the production line with a whole range of new equipment: stamping, chem ic a l-t he r m a l t r e a t ment , phosph a t i ng a nd packaging. As a result the production of machine-building bolts and nuts M6-M12 with a hex head and a flange according to DIN 6921/6923 with bolt strength class 5.8 was mastered; 8.8; 10.9 and nuts 6; 8; 10. Fasteners could be with or without galvanized zinc coating. Screws M6-M12 with a cylindrical head and a hexagon socket for a wrench according to DIN 912, strength class 5.8; 8.8; 10.9 is another new type of product offered by MMK-METIZ. The main area of their use is the assembly of cars and various mechanisms. This type of product could be with or without galvanized zinc coating. MMK-METIZ also got the opportunity to offer its customers M6-M12 bolts and screws up to 180 mm in length, as well as bolts and screws with full threads up to 150 mm in length. At all stages of production, fasteners undergo various types of tests in the factory laboratory, equipped with all the necessary testing equipment.
News provided by: Alexander Ostashov, editor of "Fasteners, Adhesives, Tools and..." Magazine Mariya Valiakhmetova, editor of "Metiz" Magazine
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Industry Focus
Norwegian EV Industry and How It Relates to the Fastener Industry by Sharareh Shahidi Hamedani
As of 2020, roughly 2.81 million passenger cars were registered in Norway. On the other hand, in the same period, the number of electric cars and plug-in hybrids totalled 490,000 units and there were more than 330,000 registered battery electric vehicles (BEV) in Norway. It means 29.2% of cars in Norway are EVs. These numbers have made Norway the world’s leader in terms of the use of electric vehicles, because more than 1.36 million units of new electric passenger cars, including battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), were sold across Europe. The share of Norway in 2020 was 63% and was 56% in 2019. How did Norway become the leading EV user in the EU? The history of using EV in Norway is detailed as below: • In 1990, Norwegian government abolished the tax on imported EV cars. • In 2000, Norwegian government decreased annual registration tax for EVs. • Between 2000-2018, Norwegian government decreased 50% of the tax for EV car manufacturers. • Between 2000-2017, Norwegian government exempted EV drivers from road tolls and EV drivers could use public parking free of charge. • In 2001, Norwegian government abolished VAT on EV purchases. • From 2005, EVs are allowed to drive on bus lanes in Norway. • Between 2009-2017, EVs had free access to road ferries. • In 2015, Norwegian government abolished the tax on leased EVs. • From 2017 Norwegian government has given a 50% discount for EV drivers on parking fees, road tolls and ferry charges. • From 2018 Norwegian government has decreased 40% of the tax for EV car manufacturers.
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Besides rolling out EV incentives, Norway has also invested in first-class charging infrastructure to support the transition to more sustainable vehicles.
Future of EV in Norway Norway is ahead of the game in EV sales, with gasoline’s share of the new car market vanishing more and more every month, faster than almost any other countries could have predicted. This has led Norway to have the earliest target for the phaseout of new gas vehicle sales in the world – 2025. But gas cars might not even last that long. According to an analysis printed by the Norwegian Automobile Federation’s magazine, Motor, the downward trend in sales for gas cars has been so consistent and steep that the last new gas car sales in Norway could happen just a few months from now, in April 2022. This can happen because Norway has implemented a rapid and ambitious transition from petrol to electronics in the car using targeted and ambitious policies. They have implemented this hybrid policy by subsidizing green technologies and raising taxes on polluting counterparts. Norway has successfully launched an EV charging infrastructure and even made it free for use in certain locations. This makes consumers feel not only making the right environmental and financial decisions, but also making the easiest choice. Norwegians can easily turn to electric cars.
Industry Focus Compared to the numbers in 2020, the numbers in October demonstrate the speed of a growing EV market in Norway.
Some critical parts assembled with the newly developed fasteners are: • Powertrains and inverters in EVs: the range of an electric vehicle depends on the Power Distribution Units (PDU). Accordingly, fasteners should be highly durable and resistant to vibrations and to extreme temperatures.
In October 2021, 89.3% of passenger car registrations belonged to EV (Plug-in EVs), 4.4% belonged to Hybrids (Plug less EVs), 2.6% belonged to Diesel, and 3.7% belonged to petrol cars. It should be noted that Plug-in EVs are separated into two categories, i.e., 70.1% are full battery electrics (BEVs) and 19.2% are plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), which is a continuing shift towards BEVs over recent months.
• Exterior of EVs: Fastening elements should be quickly replaceable, captive, reusable for assembly and disassembly and suitable for easy and safe mounting.
Tesla is the leading brand in Norway and Volkswagen Group, though still far from Tesla, has ranked in the 2nd place.
• Interior of EVs: Fasteners used in various materials, meet the requirements for light construction as well as high design and functionality requirements and are available in different colour variations.
Fasteners and EVs
Copper Fasteners in Norway
With the rapid acceleration of growth in EVs, the associated parts like fasteners have required a new approach. It is a technical challenge as new products are developed. The role of fasteners in this bigger picture around EVs is significant: not only are fasteners a ne c essa r y comp onent i n t he veh icles themselves, but charging units, EV battery casings and general infrastructure equipment all require high quality fasteners to provide robust and secure settings for this valuable technology.
• Bodies of EVs: fasteners that are made of high-strength materials, are easy to assemble and disassemble and provide high corrosion resistance. • Chassis in EVs: Fasteners in chassis must be vibration-proof, resistant to corrosion as well as to extreme temperature changes and able to maintain clamp force of assembly.
(New Opportunity, New Material, and New Businesses) Since copper features the highest electrical conductivity rating above all other common metals, it is used in practically every assembly and/or product involved with electric applications. Cold headed copper fasteners and components are commonly utilized, but not limited to, the following applications of electric vehicles: power transmission, charging, battery, navigation, controls, etc. In addition, components involved in these applications often require a special plating finish to prevent corrosion, improve conductivity, and protect the integrity of electrical contact surfaces. Nickel, Tin, and Silver are among the most used plating materials for electrical component applications. The following table shows the growth of imported cooper fasteners to Norway. Four times growth in 10 months (from February of 2020 to September 2021).
The Growth of Imported Copper Fasteners to Norway
(Unit: KG)
Feb. 2020
Mar. 2020
Apr. 2020
May 2020
Jun. 2020
Jul. 2020
Aug. 2020
Sep. 2020
Oct. 2020
Nov. 2020
22,339
22,877
11,084
10,831
11,228
7,927
14,650
15,028
24,044
15,169
Dec. 2020
Jan. 2021
Feb. 2021
Mar. 2021
Apr. 2021
May 2021
Jun. 2021
Jul. 2021
Aug. 2021
Sep. 2021
22,704
12,965
49,728
36,381
40,842
34,703
65,788
36,112
60,433
81,718
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Brazilian News
Brazilian News Brazilian Steel Company Wins World Metallurgy Award 2021 At the end of October 2021, the Global Metals Awards, from S&P Global Platts, announced the current award receivers, which included Aço Verde do Brasil (AVB). Manufacturing long carbon neutral steel, this Brazilian steel company, a subsidiary of Ferroeste Group, was recognized with the main awards for the sector. The main products manufactured at the company’s plant - located in northeastern Brazil, in Açailândia town, Maranhão State - include wire rods and rebars (CA-50 and CA-60). With more than 2,300 employees, the company being the first steel mill in the world to produce carbon neutral steel, won in the ESG Development category.
compiled by Fastener World
The AVB's carbon emissions for steel production for the years 2019 and 2020 were respectively 0.06 and -0.04 tons of CO2 per ton of crude steel. Another 11 companies competed in the same category, including Alcoa, JLW Steel, Rio Tinto and Posco. "The carbon neutral certification and this award were just our first steps. We will continue to invest in the implementation of innovations with a new plant to produce briquette of co-products for use in our blast furnaces, aiming to be the first carbon neutral and zero residue plant, with 100% of solid residues being reused in such operations", said Sandro Raposo, the AVB Industrial Director. Unfortunately, due to the Covid pandemic, the AVB staff avoided the trip to a ceremony held in London, UK. It was up to the General Secretary of the International Iron Metallics Association, John Atherton, to get the Award.
▲John Atherton
Fastener Suppliers Among Winners from GM Award General Motors announced online in the early second half of 2021 the list of those awarded to the Quality Excellence Award 2020, which includes just suppliers that serve this giant automaker in South American operations. In total there were 133 suppliers, and 107 of them were from Brazil, 16 from Argentina, 7 from Colombia and 3 from Ecuador. Some of these suppliers, as listed below, are companies in Brazil that manufacture fasteners. Progeral (metal clamps) received the 7 Star Special Recognition.
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In Propulsion/Powertrain category, the fastener players awarded were: - Irmãos Parasmo: 6 stars - Rudolph Usinados: 5 stars - Böllhoff Brazil: 4 stars - Lipos Fasteners: 4 stars - Metalac SPS: 3 stars - Continental Fasteners: 2 stars - Refal Rivets: 1 star
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The Sun Shines Again for Trade Fairs in Brazil The Covid pandemic placed uncer tainty as t he on ly a nswer i n recent t i mes, especially when it comes to events in which relationship is the key to success. So, we can descr ibe as bold and "pioneering" the action of the organizers and the exhibitors of the event dedicated to solar energy sector. The Intersolar South America was able to start the first trade fair since March 2020. Months before, the exhibitors had to sign an agreement to put their teams and investments into the event without knowing if it will take place or not, a common question around the world, especially in Brazil this was deeply hit by infection and deaths. However, vaccination in Brazil has been a big success, with high acceptance level, and the cases already was in deep fall when Intersolar was held, on October 18-20, in São Paulo City, SP.
Brazilian News
The 2021 edition had a little more than 250 exhibitors and around 28 thousand visitors from 29 countries. Among the exhibitors, some were main fastener companies with local factories and/or offices – including ARaymond, BelEnergy (from Belenus Group), Boltinox, Inox-Par, LuduFix, Max Del, Walsywa and others – showing their news on products and services to this emerging and highly promissor sector, still almost unexplored in Brazil with a big potential for business in the next 5 to 10 years.
News provided by:
Sergio Milatias, Editor Revista do Parafuso (The Fastener Brazil Magazine) milatias@revistadoparafuso.com.br www.revistadoparafuso.com
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European News
European News
compiled by Fastener World
Böllhoff Group Acquires Worldwide HELICOIL® Trademark
Semiconductor Shortage Impacts Bulten Bulten AB has announced third quarter net sales of SEK 764 million, a decrease of 10.5% on the same period of 2020. Order bookings amounted to SEK 830 million, a decrease of 37.2% on the same period of 2020. Anders Nyström, president and CEO at Bulten, comments: "The shortage of semiconductors that has been impacting the global automotive industry since Q2 2021 was an even greater obstacle during Q3. A number of our customers’ production units have been closed or running at reduced capacity during certain periods. The negative impact of the semiconductor shortage on Bulten’s sales is estimated at 25% - 30% during the third quarter. Underlying demand in the consumer stage remains strong, but at present vehicle production cannot keep up with demand.” Anders continues: “Reduced volumes and lower capacity utilisation in Q3 meant that we had to take necessary decelerating measures to reduce our stock, which has had a negative impact on earnings in the short term. The shortage of semiconductors, along with price rises for steel, are external macroeconomic and partly geopolitical factors that are expected to continue affecting Bulten’s sales and margins negatively for the rest of 2021. From a longer term perspective, Bulten’s growth and earning capacity is very good. The inflow of new contracts, from both new and existing customers in and outside of automotive, has never been as strong as it has to date in 2021.” These new contracts include the signing of a strategically important agreement in China regarding the supply of fasteners to a leading provider of consumer electronics. The agreement has an estimated annual value of approximately SEK 50 million. Deliveries started in the middle of the quarter. Bulten also strengthened an existing FSP (Full Service Provider) contract for the supply of fasteners, with a further order from a European automotive manufacturer. The order is worth approximately SEK 68 million per annum. Deliveries started in Q4 2021, will reach full pace in 2022, and will run for three years. Finally, Bulten was also awarded a new FSP contract by a European automotive manufacturer, which is also a new customer for Bulten. The contract relates to supply of fasteners for an electric vehicle program that is under development. The order value is approximately SEK 220 million a year. Deliveries are estimated to start in the third quarter of 2022, reaching full pace by 2025.
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As of 1st October 2021, Böl l hof f G r oup, a fa m i ly company based in Bielefeld, Germany, has acquired the worldwide H E LICOI L® trademark. The trademark was previously held by STANLEY Engineered Fastening, a subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker based in New Britain, Connecticut. This transaction allows each company to more closely align resources. As part of this transaction, Böllhoff Group will license back this trademark to STANLEY Engineered Fastening in the North American region. In North America, OEM automotive applications for HELICOIL® and wire thread inserts will be served by Böllhoff Group, while automotive repair and aftermarket applications and other industries will be served by STANLEY Engineered Fastening. The remainder of the globe will be served by Böllhoff Group. Böllhoff Group and STANLEY Engineered Fastening are both leading manufacturers of specialty fasteners serving the automotive, industrial and aerospace markets. The companies have a 70 year history of partnership in the HELICOIL product line and associated trademarks. During this long history together, they have established successful license agreements to develop the markets and products which serve customers around the world.
Hilti Group Recovering Strongly Hilti Group has reported a sales growth of 13% up to CHF 3.87 billion (€3.57 billion) as per the end of August 2021. Both the operating result and net income significantly increased compared to one year ago to CHF 613 million (+38%) and CHF 466 million (+48%) respectively. CEO Christoph Loos commented on the intermediate results: “We have managed to continuously recover from the pronounced dip in 2020, supported by a positive global construction market. Sales were approximately 5% higher compared to pre-crisis level of 2019.” All geographic regions showed a recovery trend, even though Covid-19 related restrictions are again being felt more strongly in some markets. Europe reported strong growth of 15.9% in local currencies, mainly driven by the Mediterranean countries. Both the Americas (+10.6%) and Asia/Pacific (+11.3%) regions also grew double-digit. The same applies to the eastern Europe/Middle East/Africa region (+10.7%), where ongoing challenges in the Gulf region are slowing down growth. Despite higher raw material prices and transport costs, Hilti Group generated an operating result of CHF 613 million, 37.7% higher than in the same period in 2020. Net income rose by 48.2% to CHF 466 million. Hilti Group is confident regarding the coming months and expects an ongoing recovery, despite remaining uncertainties due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Sales growth over the full year of 2021 is still expected to be in the high single digits in terms of local currencies.
European News
Fabory Acquires KEBEK Group Fabory has reached an agreement to acquire KEBEK Group from founder and current Director Dalibor Bek, creating a leading fastener specialist platform in the CEE region and further enhancing its ‘Mastersin-Fasteners’ strategy. The strong strategic fit between and common high performance mentality of both organisations will enable the Fabory-KEBEK combination to provide a stronger and more relevant proposition to its customers including a deep and relevant range of specialist fasteners. Francisco Terol, CEO Fabory comments: “Fabory is highly impressed by KEBEK, the width and depth of its product assortment, their strong commercial performance and supply chain capabilities. We are therefore extremely excited and proud to welcome the KEBEK Group to Fabory. This marks an important step in our ‘Masters-in-Fasteners’ strategy; reinforcing our leadership position in our core countries. We continue to make strong progress on our overall transformation and are looking forward to continue this journey together with the KEBEK team.” Dalibor Bek, director at KEBEK Group comments: “We are excited about our future as part of Fabory. Fabory and its management team have shown that they have the required expertise and winning mentality to establish a leading platform in the strong and quickly growing CEE market. We are convinced that joining forces will open up many new opportunities, in several countries and market segments.” KEBEK is a family-owned fastener specialist headquartered in Chomutov, in the north-west of the Czech Republic with operations in Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary. Its successful initial distribution activities of air conditioning and ventilation components quickly expanded to the distribution of fasteners, which is its core activity today. KEBEK offers a wide and broad assortment of specialised fasteners in combination with Value Added Services, including inhouse production capabilities and automated kitting facilities. This creates a strong value proposition to a customer base of over 8,000 customers, including several large key accounts in amongst others the healthcare, energy and the construction market.
Rotor Clip Becomes ISO 13485 Certified Rotor Clip recently received its ISO 13485:2016 certification. Described as the medical device industry’ s most widely used international standard for quality management, compliance with ISO 13485 means that the medical device manufacturing industry can now rely on Rotor Clip as the one-stop-shop for the highest-quality retaining rings, wave springs and hose clamps for their assemblies.
ARaymond Acquires Castello Italia ARaymond has acquired Castello Italia SpA, a company specialised in tube production for the pneumatic and industrial markets. The purchase of the tubing manufacturing company will broaden ARaymond’ s product offerings for the truck market and open up new diversification opportunities within some selected industrial sectors. “We are pleased to announce our acquisition of Castello Italia. It will reinforce and complement our overall current and future product offering. The future of the automotive industry will be electric and autonomous vehicles and we firmly believe that we should actively participate in the mobility of the future and contribute to the shift in the market by meeting customers‘ demands,” said Antoine Raymond, CEO at ARaymond. “ARaymond is an innovative leading supplier of QCs and nozzles for all fluid systems, and we will continue to design and produce QCs, invest in R&D and the global production capacity. We have a history of more than 155 years of innovations, and we strive to continuously reinvent ourselves to be ahead of the very rapid technological changes in our market.” With more than 7,000 employees in 25 countries around the world, the ARaymond Network designs, manufactures and markets assembly and fastening systems. Founded in 1865, this family business based in Grenoble, France, and inventor of the press stud, has always put human values at the heart of its success and is one of the global leaders in fastening and assembly solutions for many market segments.
Rotor Clip has been a trusted supplier of the medical industry for many years. Receiving this certification reinforces the quality standards and reliability of its retaining rings, wave springs and hose clamps, so medical device manufacturers can depend on its products to perform safety critical functions every time. Companies across a broad range of industries rely on Rotor Clip products, value-added services, and expertise to build reliable and safe equipment. In addition to manufacturing high-quality parts for medical, Rotor Clip also meet the stringent quality standard of industries such as military, aerospace, and automotive. According to Amir Abdalla, quality engineer at Rotor Clip, understanding customer requirements and working towards exceeding customer’s expectations is key to better serving the medical device industry. “This is another Quality Management System to be added to our IATF, AS and ISO9001 Systems that ensure Rotor Clip continue to deliver high-quality products that exceed customer expectations. I am very proud of what our team have achieved.” Fastener World no.192/2022
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European News EFDA: EU Duties Will Disrupt Fastener Supply Chain
Scell-it UK Invests in New Fixings Tester Technology Scell-it UK has prided itself on being at the forefront of product design when it comes to setting tools and chemical dispensing guns, Now the company has just invested in the latest technology in the world of fixing testers. Staht has developed a new and innovative ‘next generation’ tester. The Staht Digital Pull Tester is set to revolutionise the process of testing construction fixings through its compact design, ease of use and versatility. The features include a full colour digital display; a li-ion rechargeable batter y; Bluetooth connectivity; as well as a simple to use free App and reporting system. For Scell-it UK this offers a real advantage of being able to test their fixings quickly and easily and provide a detailed report to confirm the fixings are up to the job and fit for purpose. Gary Moseley, managing director at Scell-it UK, explains: “We were given a demonstration of the new unit and we were so impressed with the ease of use and capability it would give us that we bought one there and then on the day. Our quality assurance has to be second to none and the quality and standard of our fixings is something we take very seriously.” Gary continues; “Staht has produced a testing tool that allows us to accurately assess the quality of our products quickly and within our own quality control department here at our warehouse. We can then use the reports and documentation features to reassure our customers of the quality, and that our products meet the standards that are specified.” By using the Staht Pull Tester, Scell-it UK claims it can speed up the checking process of stock and be assured that the quality and integrity is still intact. Similar to the methodology of Scell-it tools, the Staht unit has many design features that also consider the health and safety of the worker. Safety straps to prevent tool drops, and enhanced mechanisms for easy load application, all help eliminate accidents and prevent repetitive strain injuries. Scell-it believes that wholesalers have to be held to account and should be questioned about the quality and standard of their stock. “Customers should insist on seeing credentials and evidence that items are fit for purpose. By investing in new technology, like the Staht Pull Tester, wholesalers will be proving they are taking their responsibilities seriously.”
News provided by: Fastener + Fixing Magazine www.fastenerandfixing.com
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“In proposing duties of up to 86.5 percent on Chinese fasteners, the EU is creating a permanent supply problem for the European industry thereby putting ‘Made in EU’ at risk. The excessively high duties will hit European companies at a time when they are already suffering from massive supply problems. It is completely incomprehensible that the European Commission wants to make the supply situation even worse under these exceptionally difficult circumstances." This was the response from Volker Lederer, President of the European Fastener Distributor Association (EFDA), to the Commission’s disclosure of its conclusions from the AD676 anti-dumping investigation issued on 14 December 2021. The European Commission intends to impose an anti-dumping duty on imports of screws and other iron and steel fasteners originating in the People's Republic of China. A duty of 39.6 % is planned for a limited group of Chinese fastener exporters. However, the general duty rate is to be a whopping 86.5 percent. The Commission initiated the investigation on 21 December 2020, following a complaint lodged by European fastener producers. According to the Commission, the duties are to be imposed by 17 February 2022 at the latest. Before that, the governments of the EU Member States will vote on the definitive measure. The planned duties will hit all sectors of European industry, craft, and commerce as well as European consumers, all of which depend on the reliable supply of fasteners manufactured to international standards. These ostensibly simple, low value pieces of precision engineering – whether bolts, screws or washers – are indispensable for the manufacture of cars, bicycles, washing machines, solar panels, combine harvesters, furniture, and trains, as well as for use in installation and repair work by craftsmen or for repairing the garden door or attaching a picture in one's own home. But the impact of duties will also be felt by schools, food manufacturers and the health sector, which need school desks, refrigeration equipment or medical devices literally held together by fasteners. Without the right fasteners, none of these final products or structures is viable. European fastener importers, wholesalers and distributors supply the European industry with an extensive range of fasteners and ensure that the products are available at the right time at the right place at the customer. For industry, the permanent availability of standard parts is indispensable so that their products can continue to be manufactured in the EU and sold successfully on the world markets. Any disruption, even slight, to the fastener supply chain has a disproportionate impact on the supply situation. Therefore, any intervention in the supply chains must be well-considered. The existing supply bottlenecks for fasteners are already making it more and more difficult to meet the demand of industry and consumers for fasteners. Delivery times for fasteners have in many cases tripled in the past year and are currently between 8 and 14 months. The costs for sea containers are ten times higher than in 2019, and the prices for raw materials like steel have exploded, too. The pandemic-related work stoppages in factories all over the world are further complicating the situation. This has not only made fasteners scarce, but dramatically driven up their costs. At 86.5 percent, the planned duties on Chinese fasteners are even higher than those imposed from 2009 to 2016, which were eventually withdrawn following a succession of negative rulings against the EU by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). During that period the import flow from China completely collapsed. European manufacturers, despite assurances to the Commission to the contrary, were either unable or unwilling to the shortfall – which was substituted almost entirely by importers moving to other Asian manufacturing countries.
European News "Now, despite extensive evidence from EFDA, the Commission is apparently intent on going one better! In a supply-chain environment massively and critically worse than in 2009, the proposed duties are set to almost double prices that have already exploded in the last twelve months. In addition to driving inflation for the wide range of European fastener users and consumers, the application of duties will put even more strain on the already tightly constrained capacities of manufacturers outside China and further increase supply bottlenecks. Given the supply crisis already in place and the force of the proposed duties, the consequences for the economy and consumers will be devastating. The Commission, however, completely ignores these consequences!" The planned duties on Chinese fasteners will create an unbridgeable permanent supply gap that will not be covered by switching to manufacturers in Europe or elsewhere in the world. In other East Asian markets such as Taiwan, Thailand or Vietnam, production capacities have already been exhausted since US companies began claiming resources here a few years ago in response to Trump administration protectionist duties on Chinese imports. European fastener manufacturers are not available as substitutes either. Their capacities are already stretched now, and there is no improvement in sight. Almost without exception, European manufacturers produce high-quality special parts, e.g. for the global automotive industry, whereas imports from China regard the simpler standard parts. For these standard parts EU producers will never provide sufficient production capacity. They did not do so either when duties were imposed on Chinese fasteners from 2009 to 2016. In 2016, the Commission was obliged to withdraw its antidumping duties overnight due to a series of WTO rulings that demonstrated their basis was irreparably flawed. “Now the Commission is repeating its mistakes by imposing disproportionately high duties without any need. A duty level of 86.5 per cent in no way reflects the realities of the market”, Lederer emphasizes. “As in 2009, the Commission calculates the duty level on a data basis that is not representative at all. It is based on the costs and price of one single fastener product type out of several hundred, produced by one out of many Chinese fastener manufacturers. T he Com m ission del iberat ely chose t h is particular approach because it yields the largest margin for a duty and makes it the benchmark for the China business." T h e E u r o p e a n Fa s t e n e r D i s t r i b u t o r Association (EFDA) represents the interests of importers, wholesalers, and distributors of fasteners in Germany and Europe. EFDA has been actively involved in the Commission's investigation process as an interested party from the very beginning and has presented comprehensive arguments and evidence why the imposition of duties on Chinese fasteners is not appropriate. To the dismay of EFDA, the Com m ission has ba rely addressed the association’s input in its decision. "T h is dut y has not h ing to do wit h establishing a level playing f ield. Rather, it arbitrarily distorts an already extremely strained market. National governments of the EU Member States need to take the interests of their European manufacturing, construction and consumer economies seriously and council the Commission to reconsider its proposals”, Dr. Lederer concludes.
Press release: EFDA
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Optimas Solutions Upgrades Inventory Management Optimas Solutions upgraded its inventory management solutions. Improvements implemented over the last 12 months have focused on technology enhancements, process automation changes and contactless delivery protocols. “The pace of business and delivery expectations for fasteners, C-Class components, and indirect consumables have increased significantly in 2020,” stated Daniel Harms, president of the Americas for Optimas Solutions. “This new dynamic for manufacturers and distributors is grounded on unprecedented demand coming out of the COVID-19 disruption and subsequent economic reawakening. We anticipated this change and made improvements in inventory management to adapt to this customer demand.” According to the latest 2021 Thomas State of Nor th Amer ican Manufacturing Report, 83% of manufacturers are planning to add North American suppliers to their supply chains within a year. This is a significant increase from 54% in March 2020. Daily challenges around inventory availability, lead times, and delivery schedules have become the norm. “In a market environment where ‘inventory is the new king,’ timing, efficiency, and organization have never been more critical,” Harms stressed. “It’s these three characteristics of supply chains that call for inventory management solutions like ours that simplify and automate the process of replenishing highvolume parts.” Optimas is focused on two sides of the equation to improve inventory management – the front-end collection of a variety of customer data that paints a clear picture of what’s needed to meet future demand mapped to supply chain partners’ inventory availability and production capabilities. “Having a true understanding of demand and supply is the chief factor of our data driven approach,” Harms emphasized. “This type of sophistication and analysis enable us to collaboratively optimize planning, fulfillment, and financial investments for replenishing parts at smart manufacturers of all sizes.” “This delicate balance of consumption and delivery, highly influenced
by transportation timing is critical to successful, efficient customer inventory management,” said Paul Przyby, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Optimas Americas. “We have applied some of the best technology and thinking in the industry to our inventory management system. This gives customers the most valuable insight possible into their inventory and closes the gap between suppliers, distributors, and manufacturing customers.” Optimas’ innovative OptiTech inventory management solut ions use t he latest tech nology to automate inventory replenishment. A secure, cloud-based just-intime platform receives and processes orders from any OptiTech Solution with scanning and barcode technology and RFID. RFID is becoming more pervasive because it offers a higher degree of accuracy. In fact, RFID increases inventory accuracy from an average of 65% to more than 95%. “More and more, customers are accepting the use of RFID as an investment for increasing sales,” Przyby said. According to Przyby, Optimas has a very skilled and experienced Demand Planning Team whose sole responsibility is to work with customers and ensure the company delivers accurate inventory forecasting and replenishment based on historical data, trends, and known upcoming events. “The team has been around for quite some time, but they have been empowered even more today with AI-based systems and technology that make customers and us smarter,” Przyby said.
Private Equity Firm Acquires EFC International EFC International was acquired by Chicago private equity firm Frontenac for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 1983 by the late Doug Adams, EFC is a global supplier of specialty engineered metal and plastic fasteners and other component parts to OEMs and distributors. St. Louis, MO-based EFC has locations in North America, Europe and Asia. CEO Matt Dudenhoeffer and the current executive team will continue in their roles for EFC. “We have enjoyed strong growth over the past several years as we executed on a number of key initiatives that have expanded our global reach as well as our customer and supplier base,” stated Dudenhoeffer. “With Frontenac as our new partner, we are excited to leverage their industrial distribution expertise to continue our expansion plans, both organic and inorganic, and continue to increase market share both domestically and abroad.”
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Ron Kuehl, Managing Director at Frontenac, added: “EFC has grown impressively and perfectly fits our target profile. We look forward to deploying our playbooks, working with the team to accelerate the pace of progress, and having another successful industrial distribution investment for Frontenac.” Frontenac invests in lower middle market buyout transactions in the consumer, industrial, and services industries.
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American News UFS Reports Fastener Engineering Breakthrough Un ive r sa l Fa st e n i ng Syst e m ( U F S), Clearwater, FL, USA, announces versatile designs for the fastener industry. The company’s universally applicable system incorporates the best qualities of a screw, a bolt, a nut and a nail—all combined into one system, which can come in three, two or one-piece fasteners depending on the application. For example, a screw can be guided from an angle into its final position and a nail that can be inserted with built-in resistance to bending. And fasteners can be secured and tightened using non-skid, no-slip, dual internal and external hybrid connections that mesh closely together in motion with their driver counterparts to resist stripping. UFS components can be made from any solid material such as metals, plastics, ceramics and rubbers in micro and macro sizes with various methods. The fasteners can be driven or accessed from angles of up to 180° and in the tightest of places with an effectively designed head that can act as a carrier for manual or automated use or as an anchor for a secondary process such as a permanent or non-permanent joint.
Ramco Specialties Expands Capacity in Michigan Ramco Specialties, Hudson, OH, USA, continues to make significant investments in its Michigan facility. Ramco has purchased a third building, adjacent to its two existing buildings, which provides 10,000 ft2 of production space, resulting in a total of 45,000 ft2 at Ramco’s Michigan location. The expansion is a part of Ramco’s ongoing goal of increasing production in the USA. With the national supply chain problems and lack of timely delivery created by international trade, Ramco has made a commitment to help alleviate these issues by boosting its manufacturing capacity and ability to get product to market quicker. Ramco Michigan will continue to focus on its expertise in precision machining, particularly for the automotive and aerospace industries.
Fastenal Opens New Corporate Office Building Fastenal has opened the doors to its new 97,600 ft2 corporate office, welcoming 450 Fastenal employees to downtown Winona, MN, USA. Fastenal selected the historic Mississippi riverfront site to provide an economic boost in downtown Winona. “We saw this as a community service project,” Dana Johnson, VP Corporate Real Estate at Fastenal, says. “We felt that if we brought 300 to 400 jobs downtown, it would help Winona grow and prosper by attracting small businesses to the riverfront, encouraging entrepreneurship, and become a vibrant place graduating college students would want to move to.” Intended to look like a hundred-year-old building from afar, the new office perfectly blends into Winona’s historic landscape. Up close, modern features tout Fastenal’s manufacturing and supply capabilities.
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American News Brad Gallagher Joins ND Industries as Business Development Manager ND Industries, Clawson, MI, USA, has hired Brad Gallagher as Applications Engineer and Business Development Manager. Brad will be focused on the growing electric vehicle industry, as well as the aerospace and industrial markets, while fostering ongoing relationships with clients across the Western United States. As a trusted partner, Brad will work with new and existing customers to determine how ND can help solve their problems. Brad’s career path allowed him to work with world-renowned chemical manufacturing companies that specialize in fasteners.
SPIROL White Paper: Proper Pin Selection Danielson, CT, USA-based SPIROL International Cor poration has recently published a White Paper, titled, How to Select the Proper Pin for Your Application, and authored by Jeff Greenwood, Product Sales Engineer. Pins are some of the most common types of fasteners used in modern manufacturing. Ideally, the design engineer selects a pin that is simple to assemble, provides desired per for ma nce for t he intended lifetime of the assembly and yields the lowest overall cost of the assembly taking into account the entire manufacturing process. With so many different types of pins to choose from, it is difficult for designers to be sure that they have selected the best pin for their specific application. It is for this reason that this White Paper was created by SPIROL. The White Paper specifically focuses on how to select “press-fit” pins for different types of applications, as these are the most common types of pins.
News provided by: Mike McNulty, FTI VP & Editor (www.fastenertech.com) John Wolz, Editor of FIN (globalfastenernews.com)
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1 Internally Threaded Studs & Full-inspection Device
Innovation Alley
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Internally Threaded Studs & Fullinspection Device Fuji Seira successfully developed and started using a full inspection device on "Internally Threaded Studs" used on notebook integrated circuits. It uses laser inspection to detect burrs and unprocessed parts, and works at a speed of 35 pieces per minute, which translates to about 5 times the speed of visual check. It makes for unmanned operation in nighttime and helps progress towards zero product defection. The development costs JPY 7.5 million. Using laser sensors made by Keyence, the device can detect burrs that are 0.7mm long. "Internally Threaded Stud" is a product developed by Fuji Seira in response to the request for light-weighting. 72% lighter than the company's previous products, "Internally Threaded Stud" drops its cylindrical shape and changes to a triangular prismatic appearance to reduce volume, and is made of aluminum alloy instead of brass to restrain the formation of burrs from processing.
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High Precision Screwdriving Robot Denso Wave has started selling a high speed and high precision screwdriving robot with a bit rotating at a maximum of 6,000 turns per minute, as well as a torque sensor working at a tolerance range reduced to within 1%. This horizontal multi-knot robot merges a screwdriving unit with software. It is connected to a controller upon delivery to easily incorporate with operation onsite. It can detect screw heads hovering up to 0.05mm above the surface. Screwdriving modes can be configured on the user interface.
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Multi-Volt Cordless Impact Wrench HIKOKI started selling WR36DD cordless impact wrenches which can prevent overfastening. It can stop working at preconfigured times and allows preventing overfastening and damaging bolts. The wrench allows setting 4 turning speeds and 4 points in time to stop. Using a phone app, the user can adjust the stopping time at 0.1 second intervals. It is smaller in size and lighter and reduces burden for operators.
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Resin Double Nut and Bolt Sanko Kasei (Japan) successfully developed resin double nut and bolt. This product incorporates glass fiber to improve durability by 30%. It is lighter and easier to handle compared with metal bolts and nuts. The product includes a bolt, nut and flange. With a tool, the double nut will separate into two when the bolt goes into the nut, and therefore, it only takes once to install or remove the double nut. This product is mainly used at construction sites, which are prone to vibration and which highly require double nuts. The company will initially provide the products in the size of 12mm and later expand the product line with customized variations. The products can be fluorinecoated as an addition.
New Concept of Transforming Fastening Tools Engineer is known as a Japanese innovative fastening tool developer. The company's new concept of transforming fastening tools is to attach and combine several self-developed products into a super tool. An example is the DR-22/23 tool rolled out this spring, which combines a GT Drive handle (DZ-70/71), a magnetic device to pick up screws (DR-19), and a bit to remove damaged screws (DBZ-51/21), merging 3 products with their respective features and benefits into one entity.
Model Y Wearable Support Robot The wearable support robot developed by ATOUN and dubbed "a robot to put on" works great in a load-intensive environment. Yahata Neji provides up to 400 thousand types of products, which require a workforce to manage them. In distribution, a carton of screws can weigh up to 30 kilograms, which is a lot of physical burden to the personnel working for long hours. Therefore, Yahata Neji is the first in the fastener industry to have adopted three ATOUN Model Y wearable robots in one of its distribution centers for personnel's wrist and waist support. The robots are able to alleviate wrist and waist pain and improve operation speed and efficiency.
7 EDX-7200 X-ray Spectrometer
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EDX-7200 X-ray Spectrometer Shimadzu Corporation released EDX-7200 Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer in Japan and abroad. The EDX-7200 offers up to 3 times faster analysis speed than its predecessor (EDX-7000) with up to 1.7 times higher sensitivity. The product was designed for analyzing hazardous elements or impurities. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDX) spectrometers are used to determine the type and concentration of elements in samples by irradiating them with X-rays and then analyzing the energy level (wavelength) or intensity of fluorescent X-rays emitted from the sample. A key feature of EDX systems is the ability to non-destructively analyze elements. Consequently, EDX systems are used for various applications by electronic devices and automobile manufacturers or their parts suppliers that are required to comply with RoHS/ELV directives. The high sensitivity is utilized for compliance with various regulations, analyzing material compositions and impurities, and R&D. With the background fundamental parameter method in EDX, measurement of the irregular-shape of a screw's shaft creates fewer errors, allowing for measuring galvanized electroplating thickness. As an analytical instrument manufacturer with the largest market share of EDX systems in Japan, Shimadzu has the advantage of being able to offer solutions for inspection and analysis.
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"Blanca" Heat Treatment for Stainless Steel Screws Japanese Kamiyama Tekkosho made its first attempt into the heat treatment field in 2020 and developed "Zero Chromate", a chrome-free electroplating technology, and this time went on to develop RoHS and REACH compliant "Blanca" heat treatment used on SUS410 stainless steel screws. "Blanca" means "white" in Spanish. The naming implies visually appealing and damage-free heat treatment. It sustained 4,000 hours in a salt spray test. It prevents red rust and corrosion, can self-heal and fasten stainless steel plates.
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Drivable Screw Nails Japanese Kankei Corporation has developed Double Lock Nail® harnessing the strength of a self-rotating screw and allowing the use of a nail gun to drive it in place. It can also be removed like a screw, not with a pry bar but by using a power tool. It exerts the fastening force of a screw and can be inserted with a nail gun, working both like a screw and nail. Unlike conventional screw nails, the entire Double Lock Nail® is embedded in the material when driven in, exerting full strength without creating open spaces between materials. This is achieved by fastening with the entire nail to create a strong grip without cracking thin wood. It can also be used to fasten C shaped steel and aluminum.
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Instant Lock Improving Installation to Ceilings The Japanese Advanex "Instant Lock" is a hardware to prevent nuts from loosening and falling. Mount it from below onto a hanger bolt and it is good to go without the need for maintenance. It can be mounted and dismounted single-handedly and effortlessly. It doesn't require any tools nor torque management. Currently it is used in installation to ceilings but will expand its application to other fields.
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Natural Oil Based Coating for Stainless Steel Screws The "KC18" coating announced by Japanese Kokubu Corporation is nothing like anyone would expect as it mainly consists of rice bran oil that enables acid resistance for the coating. Since ancient times, the Japanese has been using natural oils to prevent rust on swords and other iron objects.
Salt spray tests reveal that KC18 can resist red rust for 2016 hours. Cyclic tests show KC18 can prevent red rust for 16 cycles (16 hours of salt spray and 8 hours of drying). KC18 can not only be used as a lubricant in operation, but also improves thread fastening performance, while contributing to environmental protection.
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"TAFF®-A" Screw Series
Special Feature
To improve automated screw fastening, Japanese Techno Associe rolls out TAFF®-A Screw Series, including mini-screws, machine screws, high strength screws and self-tapping screws. Customers can choose one of them according to the type of fastened objects and applications to solve the problems with automation and greatly improve productivity. The series can be used with electric screwdrivers, multi-knot robotic arms and production lines, and has achieved cost reduction in screw fastening. The series doesn't create gaps with the bits and therefore is suitable with automated screw fastening devices.
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RT UNI-C Decking Screw
The REISSER RT UNI-C is manufactured from corrosion- and acid-resistant stainless steel A4 directly at the REISSER SCHRAUBENTECHNIK’s headquarters in Criesbach, Germany. It is a high-quality "Made in Germany" product ideally suited for permanent use in outdoor areas that are exposed to weather conditions, including in areas with special climatic conditions, such as those near the coast. Thanks to its diameter of 6.0 mm and length of up to 100 mm, the RT UNI-C is perfect for processing large board thicknesses. It is suitable for all types of wood — even woods containing a large amount of tannic acid and modified woods.The RT UNI-C was developed in order to make it possible to screw all common softwoods, hardwoods and tropical woods onto wooden substructures with additional large board thicknesses outdoors, too, such as in the construction of bridges or platforms, but also in terrace construction as well as in gardening and landscaping. The RT UNI-C decking screw is equipped with a countersunk head with milling ribs and SIT® drive. The milling ribs ensure effective milled recessing of the head in wood and allow for absolutely flush countersinking. They not only guarantee an attractive final result, but also reduce the risk of injury. The existing thread under head allows the component to be pressed firmly into place and prevents the wood connectors from creaking or wobbling. The thread under head provides secure support and securely fixes the terrace boards onto the substructure. With the reinforced core in the special thread, the decking screw more stable and robust and offers a high breakage resistance. After production, the RT UNI-C made of stainless steel A4 is pickled in the in-house electroplating facility, passivated and coated with antifriction coating, which considerably reduces the screw-in resistance. Fastener World no.192/2022
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EC Revises the Anti-dumping Margins of Certain Iron or Steel Fasteners Originating in China In a final disclosure document released on December 14, 2021, the European Commission revised the anti-dumping margins of certain iron or steel fasteners originating in PR China to a range of 22.1%-86.5%, slightly lower than the previously disclosed 23.9%-89.8% range in November. The involved products are: certain iron or steel fasteners (excluding stainless steel fasteners), including wood screws (excluding square head screws), self-tapping screws, other screws and bolts with heads (with or without nuts or washers, excluding railroad screws and bolts) and washers. The involved product codes are: CN codes 7318 12 90, 7318 14 91, 7318 14 99, 731815 58, 7318 15 68, 7318 15 82, 7318 15 88, ex 7318 15 95 (TARIC codes 7318 1595 19 and 7318 15 95 89), ex 7318 21 00 (TARIC codes 7318 21 00 31, 7318 21 0039, 7318 21 00 95 and 7318 21 00 98), ex7318 22 00 (TARIC codes 7318 22 00 31, 7318 22 00 39, 7318 22 00 95 and 7318 2200 98).
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Company
Definitive Antidumping Margins
Jiangsu Yongyi Fastener Co., Ltd.
22.1%
Ningbo Jinding Fastening Piece Co., Ltd.
46.1%
Wenzhou Junhao Industry Co., Ltd.
48.8%
Other Cooperating Companies
39.6%
All Other Companies
86.5%
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Taiwan CSC Announces Steel Prices for Q1 2022 The Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics ( Ta i w a n) r a i s e d t h e GDP forecast for 2021 to 6.09%, a record high since the last 11 years. Taiwan's manufacturing sector and export continue to gain strength a n d t he exp or t va lu e of the country reached a record-breaking USD 41.58 billion in November 2021. The downstream steel-consuming industries will benefit from the steel demand derived from domestic and overseas large infrastructure projects. Taiwanese steel market will remain upwards, steady and strong in the future. In addition, EU's anti-dumping tax on China's fasteners will bring orders to Taiwanese suppliers. Baowu Group and Anben Iron & Steel Group from China have announced to keep their January 2022 prices flat, signaling the market prices are stabilizing. Furthermore, China's crude steel production have dropped more than expected. The projected total production for 2021 is around 1.04 billion tons (down about 26 million tons), and it is projected to reduce to 1.04 billion tons. The latest EU carbon price is up over 80 euros, an annual growth of over 150%. Additionally, Tata Steel indicated the future steel prices will be much higher than the last decade due to increased material cost and reduced export from China. The COVID variant rages again putting the supply chain under pressure. Harbor congestion and shortages of containers will continue in the short term. The domestic clients to Taiwan CSC bear the pressure of limited cash flow and heaping goods that they can't ship out due to logistics barriers. In light of this, Taiwan CSC decided to lower the Q1 2022 prices by an average of 2.15% (NTD 0 to 900 per ton) to increase downstream steel-consuming industries' competitiveness in taking orders and export. Products Q1 Product Prices
Automotive Materials Low Carbon Wire Rods Mid & High Carbon Wire Rods Cold-Headed/Low alloy Wire Rods
Margin of Adjustment (in NTD per ton) -900 -500 -500 -500
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Fastener World News South Africa Makes Final Determination to Impose Taxes on Imported Iron or Steel Hexagon Bolt International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC, representing SACU members including Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini and Botswana) has made the final determination to impose taxes on imported bolts with hexagon heads of iron or steel for a period of 3 years. The product code involved is 73181543. The respective tax rates for certain periods are: 31.8% from December 10, 2021 to December 9, 2022; 30.8% from December 10, 2022 to December 9, 2023; 29.8% from December 10, 2023 to December 9, 2024.
Opportunities with U.S. Infrastructure Plan Boost 5 Taiwanese Fastener Company's Sales Through Q3 2022 Benefiting from EU's anti-dumping investigation against Chinese iron and steel fasteners, and U.S. 1.2 trillion dollar infrastructure plan, as well as a rise in steel demand, 5 Taiwanese fastener companies including Chun Yu, Tycoons, QST International, Jau Yeou, and Fong Prean have their order books fully scheduled through Q3 2022. Chun Yu president Huei Jeng Lin said the domestic market is stable and there is an increase in demand from the EU. He expects at least 3 to 5 years of a vibrant market, especially with the U.S. and Europe as critical export destinations for Chun Yu's fastener products. QST International president Mark Wu said the plant in China focuses on the local market and mainly supplies automotive screws, while the headquarters in Taiwan and the plant in Germany also manufacture automotive screws. He is optimistic about the first half of 2022 but thinks it requires observation on the second half. Tycoons president Kenny Huang said the plant in Thailand has the order book fully scheduled through August 2022. He expects at least 5 years of a vibrant market. Jau Yeou president Tea-Ren Sun said the small screws of Jau Yeou are mainly sold to Germany, Spain, Italy and northern Europe. The order book has been fully scheduled through June 2022, but he is concerned about appreciated Taiwanese dollars, rising material costs, and jam-packed harbors that massively increase costs and offset profits.
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EV Trend Now Sweeps into Japanese Fastener R&D Market Poised to take over Tesla, the newcomer Lucid emerged as a surprise and topped the market with its title for creating a battery of 520 mileage. The EV trend is sweeping the Japanese components manufacturers like a tsunami and it doesn't exclude fastener-related companies. The white-hot EV market has forced a change in Japanese fasteners. While a fuel vehicle uses 30,000 components, an EV only requires half of the total amount. To reduce power consumption, EVs must be lightweight to reduce vehicle weight, which means manufacturers must use lightweight resin instead of iron as the material for automotive components. The same lightweight requirement goes for fasteners. Each 0.5 grams saved on a single screw will reduce over 1 kilogram for an EV's total weight. Currently there are some Japanese fastener manufacturers who have developed aluminum screws weighing one-third of iron screws. With nearly the same contractibility as resin when exposed to heat, aluminum screws work well with resin automotive components. Some Japanese manufacturers have even developed CFRP fasteners. Additionally, some have developed titanium screws for use on EVs that can rebound like a spring and hence are resistant to vibration and loosening, but the problem lies in the cost which is 30 times higher than iron screws as well as the difficulty in processing titanium screws. Besides screws, screwdrivers will have to be redesigned to drive screws into small electronic components on EVs. EVs require driving fasteners in a very confined space and therefore a combination of fastening screws with adhesives and thermal welding emerges on the market to prevent screws from loosening.
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Fastener World News Fastener Exports to Europe and USA Significantly Recovered in Jan-Oct 2021
Taiwan is the world's third largest exporter of fasteners. During 2021, the recovery of global economic activities and the sharp rise of steel prices have boosted exports of Taiwan's fasteners. In the period from January to October 2021, the export value increased by 33.2%. The U.S. and the EU are the top two export markets of Taiwan's fasteners, accounting for nearly 70% of its total fastener exports. As the U.S. and the EU continue to remove restrictive measures, the recovery of infrastructure, automobiles, construction, and DIY repair industries has accelerated, thereby driving a rise in demand. The technology of Taiwan's fastener production is advanced and durable in quality, while enjoying the advantage of industrial clusters. Taiwan's factories utilize smart and automated production, as well as develop fasteners of high value for the automotive, aerospace, rail, and dental care sectors. Hence, the exportation of Taiwan’s fastener products to Europe and the U.S. is expected to continue growing.
Companies Development OFCO's Fastener Production up 20% with 5G-enalbed AIoT After 2 years of deployment of 5G-enalbed AIoT provided by Chunghwa Telecom, OFCO now uses sensors to collect Big Data and manage production, and has succeeded in improving the production efficiency of 13 thousand kinds of products by 20%. OFCO is the first Taiwanese fastener company that has integrated 5G Internet into its production lines. General Manager Yen Wu said that with the introduction of 5G OFCO can weigh materials, record production parameters, know the service life of dies and the quality data of fasteners checked in every process, and the timestamp of each operator's operation. Wu said that OFCO has had 127 machines optimized with this technology. Now the company can get the materials ready beforehand and improve production efficiency by 20%. Calculating the service life of dies using accurate data can save about 25% of the total die cost. The alert system reduces anomaly by 60%. Overall, the technology improves product delivery by 99% and improves competitiveness.
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Short of Labor Ails Taiwanese Fastener Companies The inflow of orders has increased to the point of overwhelming Taiwanese fastener companies since the start of 2021, but it also unveils the problem of labor shortage in those companies working really hard to catch up with customers' lead times. For a long time, insufficient domestic labors has forced Taiwanese fastener companies to rely on foreign labors. However, the obstructions in introducing foreign labors during the pandemic is adding pain to the companies, and this is coupled with exchange rates, shipment fee, available ships and other variables. The companies describe this year as a crazy ride but still have to pre-deploy workforce. Ta iwa n's policies on foreign la b o r s h ave u ntig ht ene d a lit tle for concerns over human rights. Furthermore, the gap of minimum wage between domestic and foreign labors is no longer an issue under the dire lack of labors. However, the policy that allows foreign labors to stay or change employers after 3 years of working, could give foreign labor agencies room for manipulation and encourage foreign labors to switch to employers offering higher payments. This will add to the hardship for Taiwan's conventional industries, because foreign labors are not mentally attached to the land they work on and the companies they work for, and it is quite difficult to retain them. In the past, foreign labors helped with unwelcomed jobs. If they get to choose work environment and wage. What will be left for Taiwan fastener industry? Automation requires time, funds, facilities and technical upgrade which are a high hurdle for small and medium enterprises. Therefore, Taiwanese government should readjust policies, set up time schedules to reduce impact, and provide multiple solutions for transformation and upgrade, rather than watch small and medium enterprises getting edged out of the market. Recently, Taiwan is loosing its edge in introducing foreign labors. As a result, both the government and the industries should make re-examination and readjustment. The labor shortage has called for the fastener as well as other industries to examine foreign labors' wage rise and deployment of automated production, in order to reach balance between labors and companies and keep the competitive edge in the international market.
Fastener World News Japanese Monotaro Establishes Large Distribution Center Ja p a n e s e t o p o n l i n e t o ol a n d c o m p o n e n t distributor Monotaro provides various industrial products including tools, automotive components, fasteners and dies, totaling over 18 million items. The company held a ceremony on Novemebr 26, 2021 for the completion of the Inagawa Distribution Center in Hyogo Prefecture. The center set to launch in April 2022 is the largest distribution operation of the company. It spans 163 thousand square meters and stocks up to 500 thousand items. The investment value was JPN 40 billion. The center will adopt 800 automatic guided vehicles manufactured by Hitachi.
Shanghai University Successfully Develops the World's First Grade 19.8 Bolt After more than a year of trial and error, the team working on high performance steel at Shanghai University of Material Science and Engineering worked with 7 other collaborators, and successfully developed the world's first Grade 19.8 ultra-high strength bolt dubbed as the world's strongest fastener. By optimizing the material and heat treatment, the Grade 19.8 bolt achieves a tensile strength of 1900~2070MPa under room temperature. A shear test compliant to GJB 3376-1998 standard reveals the bolt's shear is 115KN. A room temperature tensile fatigue strength test compliant to GJB 3376-1998 and GJB715.30A-2002 standards reveals that the bolt didn't break during the test and didn't crack on the bolt's surface and threads after its removal. This newly-developed ultra-high strength bolt can meet requirements with its combined performance.
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Fastener World News EcoVadis Has Awarded TR Fastenings Silver Medal Status for Sustainability As part of Trifast plc, TR Fastenings has been reporting their environmental initiatives and statistics for some years. It is proud to have been recognised by EcoVadis in gaining global business sustainability ratings. EcoVadis is involved in more than 200 industries across over 160 countries, so the awarding of a Silver Medal to TR Fastenings represents a major statement in regard to its commitment to sustainability. EcoVadis combines innovative technology and expert knowledge of sustainability processes to monitor performance in this increasingly vital sector, and it has evaluated more than 75,000 businesses. “Here at TR, we understand the importance of recognition from industry specialists. We also know that long-term success in sustainability can lead to benefits in winning new business through enhanced customer confidence proving that we are committed to shared environmental goals. Internally our employees are embracing and understanding that they can influence change and believe that our fastenings enable innovation today to build a better tomorrow,“ said TR. Mark Belton CEO of Trifast who is driving the ESG strategy stated that “We are delighted to have received a Silver Medal Sustainability Rating from EcoVadis, the world’s leading ratings provider. This is in recognition of the efforts of a great many individuals, teams and departments within the TR family. It’s important to also note that we see this as part of our ongoing and permanent commitment to improving the environment for all”.
Gwo Lian Machinery is Approved to Establish Operation in Kaohsiung Science Park The Review Committee of S c i e n c e P a r k u n d e r the Ministry of Science and Technology (Taiwan) has approved Gwo Lia n M a ch i n e r y t o s e t u p a bra nch i n Kaohsiu ng Science Park. The total investment value is NTD 220 million. The company develops and manufactures smart wire drawing machines, which can plastic deform metal wires and combine with smart technology. With its presence in the Park in the future, the adoption of smart production can speed up the optimization of production for high quality and help upgrade the domestic industry. Through roller pressing, Gwo Lian extends the service life of dies to 10,000 tons and increases the speed from 600 meters/min. to 1,200 meters/ min. The unique thermal displacement cooling system can lubricate and prevent clogging. Gwo Lian's machines combine with a life expectancy alert system for critical components, temperature control system and maintenance alert system, and can get access to maintenance information online via network connection to a specified workstation.
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Nord-Lock Group Celebrates Significant Milestone with Official Pittsburgh Grand Opening After several years of planning, a new home for Nord-Lock Group’s manufacturing and Americas regional sales organization is open for business in Pittsburgh. Previously located in the Carnegie area, the new NordLock Group facility – in Clinton Commerce Park, just five minutes from Pittsburgh International Airport – calls on a number of new features to strengthen its position in the Americas market. Key developments include: • 29% increase in total production area to 110,000ft2 (10,219m2) • 200% increase in office space to 15,000ft2 (1,392m2) • Expansive, streamlined production facility with new machinery and equipment • Training center and hands-on laboratory • On-site gym and cafeteria • Next to Pittsburgh International Airport The new facility is an impressive state-of-the-art site and a modern addition to the Pittsburgh area. A clean façade sits proudly among green surroundings, with tall flags and Nord-Lock Group’s custom blue branding meeting your eye from the moment you approach the facility. Inside, the warehouse has a gleaming polished concrete flooring, and no detail has been overlooked in furnishing the offices or finishing the technical le a r n i ng spa c es and laboratory.
Fastener World News
NORMA Group Starts Production Cooperation with Italian Water Management Company NOR M A G r oup h a s e nt e r e d i nt o a st r a t eg ic partnership with SAB S.p.A (“SAB”), an Italian specialist in joining technology for drinking water, irrigation and drainage. From November 2021, SAB will produce highquality NORMA PN 16 compression fittings certified for drinking water applications for NORMA Group. Further products are to follow. In addition, the agreement reached stipulates that NORMA Group and SAB will jointly develop new products. With this cooperation, NORMA Group is strengthening its water management business in Europe and, in particular, further expanding its position in the field of drinking water applications. “SAB has a proven record of outstanding product expertise,” says Dr. Michael Schneider, CEO of NORMA Group. “With this cooperation, we gain additional production resources and can serve our customers in Europe better and faster with water management solutions. Efficient use of the scarce resource of water is becoming increasingly important, which is why we are consistently expanding our water management business in all regions.”
Japanese OSG Forms a Joint Venture with Swiss Coat-X SA OSG invested in Swiss Coat-X SA (CEO: Andreas Hogg) through its subsidiary OSG Coating Service CO., Ltd. Additionally, both parties have reached an agreement to form the joint venture Coat-X Japan. Based in LaChaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, Coat-X SA provides highperformance coating. OSG invests 51% and Coat-X SA invests 49% to form the joint venture Coat-X Japan in Shinshiro City of Aichi Prefecture, in order to develop high-performance, water and heat resistant coating for electronic components in Japan and Asia. Fastener World no.192/2022
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Fastener World News South Korean Hyodong Machine President Receives Gold Tower Industry Medal Tong Ming's New Plant in Zhejiang (China) to be Inaugurated in Q4 2022 W i t h a p o s i t i ve p r o s p e c t o n C h i n a's continuous development in in frastr uctu re, Tong Ming has initiated a plan of new plant in Zhejiang. In 3 to 5 years, its total capacity is expected to grow and the business performance which benefits from the new plant will continue upwards. China plans to invest RMB10 trillion to 17.5 trillion on 5G, industrial IoT, information center, AI, new energy vehicle charging stations, etc. To be ready for the business opportunities, Tong Ming will set up a new plant in Zhejiang with an outlook of 80,000 tons of capacity for the next 3 to 5 years. The current plant spans around 152 thousand square meters with an annual capacity of about 120 thousand tons. The total capacity is expected to increase by 100 thousand tons in the next 3 to 5 years. The new plant will span about 47.9 thousand square meters and mainly manufacture small screws and nuts. The new plant is expected to be inaugurated by Q4 2022.
M i n i st r y of Tr a d e, I ndust r y a nd Energ y a nd Kore a Mach i ner y I ndu st r y P romot ion Association held the 2021 Digital Transformation Fair Online & Onsite from October 19 to 22, 2021. Vice Minister Park Jin-gyu of S. Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said machinery has been the second largest export industry of South Korea since 2015. This industry gains importance by introducing advanced technology in response to trade protectionism, digital transformation and carbon neutrality initiatives. President of Hyodong Machine was honored with the "Gold Tower Industry Medal" during the event. His effort in developing large forging and forming machines and dedication to smart manufacturing leads the technological development of the South Korean machine industry. He is recognized as one of the characters to have revolutionized and secured the international competitiveness of the South Korean machine industry.
SUMEEKO Revenue in October 2021 Grows 4.85%; Subsidiary MMG Gains More Orders SU M EEKO grossed N T D 190 million in revenues last October, up 4.85% from the same period in 2020. The first 10 months grossed NTD 1.913 billion, up 15.41% from the same period in 2020. The Covid pandemic has reduced its pace in Europe, and auto chips delivery continues to increase. Carmakers' demand for fasteners has picked up since car production resumed. SUMEEKO's revenue was back on the growth track in October 2021. With the outlook for recovering car demand and the increased product delivery of the subsidiary MMG, the performance in Q4 was going positive. Furthermore, low inventory level drives clients to replenish the stock which could raise the steel price globally and push the clients to place orders. The October 2021 revenue heralds the advent of high season.
Acquisitions
MW Industries Expands Threaded Fastener Products Through Acquisition of Ideal Fasteners MW Industries, a leading provider of precision components, announced the acquisition of Ideal Fasteners, a global manufacturer of threaded fasteners. The acquisition of Ideal Fasteners closed on December 10, 2021 and expands MW Industries’ existing US-based manufacturing locations to provide precision components for worldwide distribution. The combined company will offer an increased selection of stock, standard, and custom socket caps, button sockets, flat socket caps, and other threaded fasteners along with a wide variety of highly engineered metal and plastic components. “Ideal Fasteners is the perfect addition to the MW Industries family. At a time when customers want components faster than ever before, businesses need to be able to quickly source a variety of parts from a single provider. Ideal Fasteners allows us to offer a greater breadth of products so we can provide the diversity of products customers need. We are excited to integrate the Ideal Fasteners product lines into our portfolio,” said Simon Newman, CEO of MW Industries.
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Fastener World News
Avantus Divests Composites Business to Focus on Expansion into C-Class Components Avantus Aerospace continues its transformation into a 'pure-play' C-Class parts manufacturer, having recently completed the divestiture of its non-core composites business line. Two U.S.-based structural composites companies – Performance Plastics (San Diego, CA) and Angeles Composite Technologies (Port Angeles, WA), were sold to JW Hill Capital, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based private equity firm. SDM Composites (Hermosillo, Mexico) was sold to Groupe Latécoère, headquartered in Toulouse, France. The Avantus Group has facilities in the U.S. and Europe and provides shims, detailed parts, specialty fasteners, precision machining, and elastomer gaskets to the aerospace and semiconductor industries. Brian Williams, CEO of Avantus, said: "As we position ourselves for the ramp-up in aerospace production, Avantus is focused on growing our core businesses and capabilities. We're certain that the new homes for our composites companies will likewise give them exceptional focus for growth and expansion." Avantus acquired three specialty fastener companies over the last 22 months (including two during the pandemic) – Fastener Technology Corporation, California Screw Products, and Fastener Innovation Technology – and will continue to expand its range of C-Class components, both organically and via further acquisitions. With tremendous emphasis on operational excellence and customer service, the acquired accompanies have already achieved industry-leading performance in terms of quality, lead-times, on-time delivery, and customer responsiveness.
Associations
Hong Kong Screw & Fastener Council’s New Chairman in Office T h e C o u n c i l h el d a m e m b e r assembly on De cember 13, 2021 to elect the new board of directors. The new chairman is Mr. Ping-Fai Tsui who will lead all other directors on the council affairs and continue interaction and collaboration with other commerce associations and organizations.
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Pac-West Welcomes New Board of Directors for 2021-2022 U.S.A.-based Pacific-West Fastener Association has announced the new Board of Directors for 2021-2022. Mr. Clay Weaver from Industrial Threaded Products has been elected President and Jo Morris from Desert Distribution has been elected Vice President. The other BoD new members include Mark-Thomas Cordova from Centennial Bolt (Secretary/Treasurer), David Palmquist from ND Industries (Immediate Past President), Craig Beaty from Beawest Fasteners (Director), John Butler from The Olander Corporation (Director), Hans Fuller from Fuller Metric (Director), John Gaudette from Metric & Multistandard Components (Director), Eunice Hajek from M & M Fasteners Supply (Director), George Martinez from Brighton-Best International (Director), Marisa Mudge from Mudge Fasteners (Director), and Ken Rosenblatt from Hi-Q Fasteners (Director).
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Industry Focus
Opportunities and Threats for Taiwanese Fastener Industry in 2022 by Dr. Wayne Sung 2022 is a new start with anticipation to regain peace after the COVID impact on the human race that has raged on for two years since 2019. The new variant Omicron found at the end of 2021 in South Africa caught the world’s attention. Experts indicate the reason for the emergence of the new variant in Africa could be the disparity in global vaccination rates. Western developed nations have relatively abundant supply of vaccines and higher vaccination rates, and most of them have begun a third shot. Developing nations have low vaccination rates, and the rapid transmission of COVID virus in Africa is very likely to result in a new variant. The same goes for the Delta variant, and so does Omicron. The Central Epidemic Command Center of Taiwan announced on December 11, 2021 the first imported Omicron case. The case came from Eswatini. According to Dr. Coetzee who discovered Omicron, the cases are mild with just fatigue, headache and sore throat. ACIP convener Dr. Ping-Ing Lee pointed out the first COVID virus from Wuhan caused fever, cough, etc., mostly centered on the lower respiratory system, while the Delta variant moves up to the upper respiratory system causing a runny nose and a headache. The change from the lower to the upper system signifies a sign of COVID symptoms going mild. Despite the UK reported deaths caused by COVID in December 2021, it is generally recognized by experts of various fields that new COVID variants will continue to become like the flu. The world’s anticipation to coexist with the virus may become a reality in 2022.
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Retrospectively, the vaccination rate began to increase in 2021 in Western developed nations. Many consumers who had had opted for Internet purchase because of the virus could finally walk out to shopping malls. As the economy reopened, everyone could head out and the long-suppressed consumers’ demand largely drove the U.S. economy to grow at a whopping speed. In a World Economy Outlook report titled “Recovery During a Pandemic” released by IMF in October 2021, the global economy continues to recover. The world’s economy growth was 5.9% in 2021. IMP has even better outlook for the U.S. economic recovery and expects the U.S. economy to grow 7%, up quite a lot from what was expected. In 2021, the U.S. also faced a disrupted supply chain involved with price surge, overburdened harbors, and shortages of ships, trains and trucks. Furthermore, shipping rates increased substantially in 2021 as a result of many enterprises booking containers. Baltic Dry Index as the indicator for evaluating shipping costs has surged over 700% since mid-May 2020. Loading cargoes to ships will take some time to wait because the manufacturing countries are short of empty containers. By the time the cargoes reach the U.S., the ports are overwhelmed and a large number of container ships congest at the ports in Long Beach and Los Angeles. Supply chain disruption has paralyzed many companies and they cannot cope with the massive amount of orders. Taiwanese fastener industry has been also heavily impacted. Products could not be loaded on ships, and therefore companies have to increase warehouses to store the products. Orders continued to pour in and the lead time extended to over 6 months. Concerns about the rising material costs forced the companies to pre-order materials and put pressure on working capital. Out of the world's containers going to the U.S., up to 40% go through Los Angeles and Long Beach ports in California. The two ports don’ t have enough unloading capacity, leading to a disrupted supply chain. The U.S. president Biden announced on October 2021 that Los Angeles and Long Beach ports will change their working hours from 5 days to 7 days a week, working non-stop 24 hours a day. The ports are expected to be back to normal in the first quarter of 2022.
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Industry Focus Table 1. Taiwan's Fastener (HS Code 7318) Exports to the Top 12 Countries and the World from 2017 to the First 11 Months in 2021 Year
2021
Items Ranking
Region
1,000 USD
Ton
World
4,871,103
1,487,752
2020 Unit Price (USD/KG) 3.27
1,000 USD
Ton
3,583,774
1,235,201
2019 Unit Price (USD/KG) 2.90
1,000 USD
Ton
3,940,227
1,350,723
Unit Price (USD/KG) 2.92
1
U.S.
2,081,246
652,400
3.19
1,530,321
553,310
2.77
1,607,446
569,826
2
Germany
409,140
127,242
3.22
304,441
105,760
2.88
352,941
119,385
2.82 2.96
3
The Netherlands
263,661
84,406
3.12
172,309
59,254
2.91
205,329
72,526
2.83
4
Japan
223,500
60,727
3.68
195,356
59,219
3.30
224,014
67,596
3.31
5
UK
191,404
56,029
3.42
122,983
37,673
3.26
155,392
50,604
3.07
6
China
172,962
30,148
5.74
115,474
21,553
5.36
100,882
17,667
5.71
7
Canada
161,319
52,475
3.07
116,520
41,166
2.83
135,126
47,981
2.82
8
Sweden
110,166
29,661
3.71
76,964
22,510
3.42
83,120
25,663
3.24
9
Mexico
106,547
30,811
3.46
69,866
21,276
3.28
88,960
28,450
3.13
10
Australia
79,957
20,544
3.89
64,546
18,050
3.58
63,584
17,778
3.58
11
Thailand
76,272
22,040
3.46
59,037
19,054
3.10
65,006
20,278
3.21
12
France
75,916
24,291
3.13
61,065
20,831
2.93
72,313
24,777
2.92
In 2021, Taiwanese fastener industry was recovering from the pandemic, and both the export volume and value were back to the prepandemic level. Due to the U.S./China trade war, the volume and value surpassed the level in 2017 and 2018. Table 1 is the export data of Taiwan’s fastener products (HS Code 7318) to the top 12 countries and the world from 2017 to the first 11 months in 2021. The products include stainless steel screws, bolts, nuts, automotive screws, helix screws, rivets, cotters, cotter pins, and washers. Compared with 2020, the export volume of Taiwan's fasteners grew 20.45% in 2021, and the export value grew a fascinating 35.92% (the value of New Taiwanese Dollar, or TWD, grew about 7% in 2021). However, as we go further and factor in cost hikes and the appreciation of TWD, the pretty figures don’t quite reflect the reality. Comparing 2021 to 2018, the total export volume grew 2.42% and the value grew 15%. However, the exchange rate in November 2018 was USD 1 for TWD 32.12, and in November 2021 it was USD 1 for TWD 28.07. The Taiwanese Dollar grew 12.6%. According to the Domestic Wire Rod Price Record in 2018 by Money-Link, wire rods were sold for NTD 26.38 thousand per ton in November 2018, and 36.17 thousand per ton in September 2021, up 37.11%. Judging from this data, despite a boost in the capacity of Taiwanese fastener companies in 2021, profits declined because of increased wire rod costs and currency appreciation, and there was also a cost increase in freight and inventory. The face value acquired doesn’ t quite translate to much profit gains and the Taiwanese fastener business owners should think about it. One of the main reasons is that the unit price of Taiwan’s fasteners didn’t go up. The average export price in 2021 was USD 3.27/kg, in 2020 it was USD 2.90/kg, in 2019 it was USD 2.92/kg, in 2018 it was USD 2.91/kg, and in 2017 it was USD 2.72/kg. The average export price in 2021 was 12.38% higher than the one in 2018, but considering the appreciation of TWD by 12.6% and the 37.11% increase in wire rod cost, the profit actually dropped 11.13%. This explains that even with the U.S./China trade war that brought orders to Taiwan instead of China, the unit price was not adjusted, and the orders for low-price fasteners that were brought to Taiwan result in profit gains that doesn’ t amount to what appears in those pretty numbers. The internal and external factors that could affect Taiwan fastener industry in 2022 are listed below:
◣ Risks and Opportunities with Orders from the U.S. and Europe ◢ The U.S. remains to be Taiwan's largest fastener export destination. The infrastructure demand in the U.S. drove the country to place a large number of orders to Taiwan in 2021. As in Table 2, the U.S. took up 42.73% of Taiwan’s total fastener export value in the first 11 months of 2021. However, the U.S. is short of workforce and its constructions are behind schedule. Some companies have requested to postpone shipment because they have overstocked. Taiwanese fastener business owners must keep an eye on it in case they have overstocked and created financial pressure. For 2022, more Americans are expected to return to their jobs because the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance has expired in September 2021. The Assistance was expected to increase 1 million employees in Q4 2021. An estimate of 3 million people who hesitated to return to their jobs could be able to return by mid-2022. Therefore, fastener inventory issues could be improved in Q2 2022. Europe is another important region for Taiwan’s fastener exports. Prior to 2021, the top export destinations for Taiwan's fasteners included Germany (taking up 8.40%), the Netherlands (5.41%), UK (3.93%), Sweden (2.26%), France (1.56%), altogether taking up 21.56% of Taiwan's total fastener export value, making Europe the second largest destination for Taiwan’s fastener export. Compliance to the European high quality requirements reflects the fact that Taiwan's fasteners are above international standards in terms of quality, technique, service and materials. Although Taiwan’s fastener industry benefits from EU's five-year anti-dumping taxes on Chinese fasteners effective from 2012, which in turn brought orders to Taiwan, the export price for Taiwan's fastener going to Europe didn’t go up in the past few years. The average unit price for the Netherlands (USD 3.12/kg) and France (USD 3.13/kg) were lower than the one for the U.S. (USD 3.19/kg). It is worth noting that last year there were again European companies requesting an anti-dumping investigation on Chinese fasteners. The EU launched an antidumping investigation on China in September 2021. If an anti-dumping tax is imposed on China again, the orders could be switched from China to Taiwan and Taiwanese fastener companies should grasp the chance and adjust product prices as appropriate.
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Industry Focus Table 2. Proportions of Countries in the Export Value of Taiwan's Fasteners in the First 11 Months of 2021 Ranking 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Region World U.S.A Germany The Netherlands Japan UK China Canada Sweden Mexico Australia Thailand France
1,000 USD 4,871,103 2,081,246 409,140 263,661 223,500 191,404 172,962 161,319 110,166 106,547 79,957 76,272 75,916
Jan.-Nov. 2021 Proportion 100% 42.73% 8.40% 5.41% 4.59% 3.93% 3.55% 3.31% 2.26% 2.19% 1.64% 1.57% 1.56%
Unit Price (USD/KG) 3.27 3.19 3.22 3.12 3.68 3.42 5.74 3.07 3.71 3.46 3.89 3.46 3.13
◣ Shipping Barriers to Decrease & Shipping Rates to Near a Reasonable Range ◢ Port congestion which was never seen before 2021 and the hike of logistics rates have forced American companies to increase their product prices to which they divert the increased shipment cost, and this in turn increases inflation. U.S. President Biden has taken measures to alleviate harbor congestion, including persuading harbor business owners into working 24-7 to help shipping out the heaping cargoes. According to Economy Daily News’ (Taiwan press) report on December 3, 2021, Morgan Stanley, the business expansion in the freight transport industry could slow down in the second half of 2022, by which time the volume of cargoes in transport will drop from its peak and create pressure on the overall profit growth of the freight transport industry. The U.S. harbors are inordinately busy in the yearend shopping season and right before the lunar New Year, but after the high freight transport season, port congestion could ease. The congestion in U.S. freight by sea, railroads and trucks is expected to ease before mid-2022 and the freight volume should normalize in mid-2022. By then, supply chain congestion should ease as well and global freight congestion can be expected to get back to normal after Q2 2022.
◣ Chinese Economic Contraction and Declining Demand ◢ Chinese economist Mr. Li Daokui pointed out at the 14th Golden Phoenix Forum that the coming years will be the hardest time for China since the Chinese economic reform. China enforced a series of regulatory policies in 2021 while the U.S./China trade war continued. At the end of 2021, it was rumored that government employees in multiple Chinese provinces said they received a notice of wage cut by around 20% to 30%. The cut initially applies to government employees in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Fujian, Shanghai and some other Chinese provinces. Taiwanese scholar Mr. Jinhe Hsieh pointed that the Chinese economy has grown rapidly in the last 30 years and that China has become the biggest powerhouse for the world’s economic growth. “China has become the world's factory. The industrial products manufactured by low-wage labors alleviates the pressure on global inflation, but now this powerhouse that drives the world’s economic growth is waning and brings an unprecedented change to the world of future.” China could be the biggest variable of the world in 2022. The political wrestle between the U.S. and China continues to permeate worldwide and countries have to choose sides. Among them, Europe has the most evident swerve. Additionally, China makes more and more investments in national defense and maintaining national stability. The ◣ ◢ economic decoupling caused by the competition between the Since the U.S./China trade war, many Taiwanese business owners U.S. and China adds to the pressure on global inflation and puts have returned to Taiwan to build plants. Taiwan Semiconductor an end to globalization. It is harder to find cheaper production Manufacturing Co. is expanding facilities across Taiwan, and because of bases. There had been a qualitative and quantitative change much increased export, many technology companies dish out high-wage in the global economy over the past 30 years and this makes jobs to recruit talents. Japan and South Korea did the same to attract for an opportunity for Taiwanese fastener industry to develop foreign workers. After allowing foreign workers into the borders in 2019, international markets. Japan allowed foreign workers to have the same amount of work and pay, In terms of fastener export, China takes an important share share corporate profits and live permanently as do the native Japanese. in Taiwan’s fastener export. Taiwan exported 30,148 tons or Japan used to rely on the Chinese with skills who were allowed into USD 172.96 million worth of fasteners to China, taking up Japan as apprentices, but now Southeast Asian workers have replaced 3.55% of the total export value and becoming the 6th largest them as the mainstay. fastener export destination for Taiwan. The average price Taiwan is expected to face severe labor shortage in 2022. Foreign for fasteners exported to China was USD 5.74 which was the workers are an important workforce for Taiwanese fastener companies. highest of the world. It explains that Taiwan's high quality and As domestic and international industries scramble for foreign workers, high value added fasteners can compensate for the deficiency the once developing and now developed Taiwan faces workforce shortage in China, but if the demand in China contracts, Taiwan’s highand has to reconsider its workforce policy to treat foreign workers as price fastener export to China will create a huge negative partners who are an integral part of industrial development and home impact. care. Workforce Development Agency director Meng-liang Tsai from the
Workforce Shortage Worsens in Taiwan
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Industry Focus Ministry of Labor pointed out in November 2021 that “The shortage of labor is a fact in Taiwan and must be replenished with foreign labors.” He said to continue to allow them into Taiwan in the future for Taiwan's economic stability and that it is a predetermined policy to retain good foreign workers. This policy will be in force in the first half of 2022. To be qualified and become an immigrant, foreign labors will have the motivation to pursue work performance and improve work skills, which will benefit industries and the society. Particularly, after acquiring the right to permanent residence, they can move their families to Taiwan and never have to miss them from long distances, and employers will have stable workforce, which benefits employers, foreign workers and the society. Cheap foreign workers will be nowhere to see in 2022. Due to the COVID in 2021 and the Indonesian government's “zero expense” policy, Taiwanese employers will have to cover foreign workers’ expenses for plane tickets, health checkup, and the commission paid to their agents. The cost for employing them and their wages will only increase. Facing increased cost, Taiwanese fastener companies must reconsider foreign worker management and it is urgent to adopt automated machines.
◣ Taiwan Economic Prospect for 2022 ◢ Chuang-Chang Chang, head of Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, said on December 10, 2021 that Taiwan’ s economy during the pandemic was strong and resilient. Driven by domestic investment and export, the country’ s economic growth rate exceeded 6%, a record high since 2011. He reminded that Taiwan was facing challenges amid a positive prospect for economic growth. The world’s economic recovery boosts demand for various items, and supply chain congestion, port congestion as well as the shortage of water, electricity, medical staff, COVID inspection and vaccines boost global merchandise prices. Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research pointed out that the projected CPI went up every month in 2021. Taiwan was mostly under imported inf lation. The projected annual growth rate of CPI for 2021 was 1.9%. The Taiwanese people’s heart are sinking with enterprises lifting product prices to cover their costs. The Institution also forecast the NTD exchange rate for USD. In 2021 it was TWD 28.03 for USD 1, and TWD 28.04 in 2022. The appreciating TWD will help decrease imported inflation. In 2022, Taiwanese fastener companies will face internal and external threats and opportunities. The long-anticipated coexistence with the COVID could come true. Economic growth momentum should be able to sustain with the demand from the U.S. and Europe. Freight congestion is expected to ease in the second quarter and freight will near the normal range. China’s economic contraction will negatively impact Taiwan’s high price fastener export to China. Taiwanese fastener industry must look into labor shortage which is intensifying, and must redeploy foreign worker management and adopt automated machines. 2022 is a great timing for Taiwanese fastener companies to connect to the global market. The COVID has hardly halted Taiwan’s fastener production. The government's COVID prevention helps strengthen Taiwan's image as a national brand. Taiwan is having a closer tie with the U.S. in trading. The U.S. support helps Taiwan establish friendly relationship with more countries. The Eastern and Central Europe as well as the countries of the New Southbound Policy present new opportunities for Taiwan. In 2021, Taiwan filed its application for CPTPP membership hoping to make advancement in 2022 and open up new opportunities for Taiwan’s fastener trade with the world. Fastener World no.192/2022
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Special Feature
Q&A with Fastener Professor, Dr. Toshimichi Fukuoka
by Toshimichi Fukuoka
Basics and Selection of Tightening Method of Screw Threads Q1: What is the Most Important Point in Tightening Screw Threads? threaded fasteners are sometimes used to transfer motion, they are mostly used to fasten parts. Bolt-nut fastening, for instance, A: isAlthough achieved by surely applying the target axial bolt force. The amount of fastening torque in the torque control method and the heating time in the fastening process using a bolt heater are no more than operation guidelines to achieve the target axial force. These guidelines are also related to other questions. Those values are respectively set to attain the target axial force, but bear in mind that they don’t completely guarantee the expected axial bolt force.
Q2: What are the Methods for Tightening Screw Threads? A:
The details about each fastening method will be explained in the answers to other questions. Here, I will briefly introduce the outline of widelyused methods. First, the most widely used one is “torque control method”. Besides using spanners and torque wrenches to fasten, this method includes the case of turning the heads of small screws by a screwdriver to fasten them. In either method, it is common that a torque is applied around the screw axis, by taking advantage of thread helical geometry, in order to convert the torque into axial force. The torque control method includes the use of motor/air/ hydraulic driven torque wrenches and it also includes impact wrenches, which aim to improve workability and fasten large screws. On the other hand, there are tightening methods without applying torque. They are “direct tension method” that uses a hydraulic tensioner by which the axial force is directly applied to the bolt, and “thermal expansion method” that uses a bar-shaped heater to heat and expand a hollow bolt for fastening. Figures 1 and 2 respectively show a hydraulic tensioner and a bolt heater. Each method has a distinctive characteristic, i.e., direct tension method basically has high fastening precision and thermal expansion method doesn’t restrict the maximum size of fasteners that can be fastened. Meanwhile, “elastic angle control method” utilizes the principle that the nut rotation angle is proportional to the bolt force to be generated. Its operation is more complicated compared to the torque control method, but it can improve the fastening precision. Note that in the angle control method, the torque is also applied to the nut during fastening.
Reference
1. Toshimichi Fukuoka, “Threaded Fasteners for Engineers and Design – Solid Mechanics and Numerical Analysis –”, pp.73-75, Corona Publishing Co., Ltd. (2015)
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Fig. 1. Hydraulic tensioner
Fig. 2. Bolt heater
Q3: What are the Important Points in Selecting the Method for Tightening Screw Threads? The main points include the maximum applicable screw size, required fastening precision, workability, the cost of the fastening device, etc. Here, the workability includes the working hours and personnel expenses. First, torque control method is the most extensively used method for ease of fastening, and the situation won’t change in the future. Powered torque wrenches, as shown in Figure 3, are commonly used to fasten large fasteners. For even larger fasteners, direct tension method and thermal expansion method are to be used, but recently the market has been selling powered torque wrenches that can fasten substantially large fasteners. The one with the highest fastening precision is the direct tension method. However, it can’t be used on a portion with a short grip length or a fastened portion inserted with a gasket whose stiffness is hard to evaluate, because it cannot exhibit the original performance in those cases. In terms of workability, powered torque wrenches stand out for the ability to complete the fastening in a short time, but it needs a substantial cost for the fastening device. The aforementioned direct tension method also requires a hydraulic tensioner and a hydraulic motor that drives the tensioner, so it shares the same problem in costs. The thermal expansion method has advantages in that it can fasten large bolts, spends lower costs, and can simultaneously fasten many bolts. However, the onsite work mostly depends on the know-how of proficient operators because t here is not yet a n established Fig. 3. Powered torque wrench fastening guideline that is generally recognized.
A:
Technology
SMART MONT
by Jozef Dominik
Stepped Assembly of Bolted Joints Preface As it is k nown, a n u ncont rolled tighteni ng of bolted fasteners wit h hand or with unprecise torque wrench is mostly used in common mechanical engineering practice. The reason is not only unwillingness to invest in quality tools, but mainly fixed idea, that it is sufficient to control tightening by senses. Both reasons are irrelevant. It is easy to prove, that to invest in exact tightening is effective and the sense by hand can not be considered a technical category. That is why it is important to tighten exactly to the set level of assembly preload determined by the strength of screw and the nut and to the prediction about the change of preload during operation. It is an object of the present assembly method to provide a threaded fastening system that is torque resistant. According to classical opinions, represent e d i n pa r ticu la r by t he recommendation of VDI 2230, screw connections should be tightened to a maximum level of 0.9 Rp0.2, which means with a 10% security reserve. The latest knowledge, especially from the automotive industr y (ŠKODA Auto, V W ), however, but also f rom some screw manufacturers (RIBE), do not give much recognition with this rule. They recommend using the effect of mechanical cold hardening by tightening above the yield point.
Theory and Principle of SMART MONT Tightening O ne of t he met hods of usi ng mechanical cold hardening effect and controllable, not chaotic montage of bolted fasteners and of the preservation of preload at the same level is the promoted system named SmartMont (SM - in short from smart montage). In principle it is a pair of counter-mounted case-hardened washers (Fig. 1a and b), which are wavy on the inside and grooved on the outside
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Fig. 1a
Fig. 1b
Fig. 2
(Fig. 2, 3). The height of the wavy lines k (Fig. 3) to which the cold hardening level depends is important. The principle results from the Fig. 3. As can be seen from this figure, the classic tension diagram is supplemented by another assembly cycle. This is achieved by counterrotating the washers. It is a matter of further research to find the optimal ratio between the height of the wavy lines k and the distance between their peaks L. The base condition of correct SM operation is that the friction on the outer bearing surface Fo is higher than the friction between both washers F b . Fo > F b This is achieved by appropriate gearing or by ribbing the outer contact surface of both washers (Fig. 3). One washer can advantageously be integrated directly with the nut (Fig. 4). This variant makes sense especially when joining parts are hardened max. on the class 8.8 or in the annealed state of 5.6 only . In this case the opposite washer is not required because the necessary opposite depressions are created automatically during assembly. The actual assembly takes place in three stages: Preload to FM, overload to Fmax and come back to FM. This cycle can be free repeated.
Fig. 3
Technology A preferred variant of the SM system solution is shown in Fig. 5. This variant allows, similarly to nuts with integrated flange, to rotate one structurally slightly modified washer together with the nut during assembly. The washer is in this case provided on the outer diameter with at least two driving surfaces. However, special tightening tools are required.
Main benefits: (1) Cold hardening directly during assembly of bolts and comeback to the area of “Security rubikon” (Fig. 3). (2 )Possibility of Using of lower alloy steel 5.6 instead 8.8 for screws (Fig. 4). In the case of the application of screws 5.6, a significant economic effect would be obtained, as the expensive hardening operation would be eliminated. (3) Reliable locking against spontaneous loosening. This ability of a pair of SM washers is a basic condition for the safe operation of the screw joint and thus of the entire structure. (4) Using the flange nut according to Figure 4, represents simplified logistics as well as the assembly itself. This advantage is manifested mainly in reassembly.
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
(5) And last but not least the Smart Mont system can also be used for nutless screw connections. In this case, the corrugation must be applied directly under the screw head with integrated flange. That is the best option. However, the joined parts must not be made of high-alloy structural steels.
Conclusion As can be seen the presented new method of assembling bolted joints represents an alternative to commonly known used securing methods. The main benefit of this assembly compared to them is the use of cold hardening effect during tightening which makes it possible to replace hardened steels of strength 8.8 with steels of strength 5.6. The ideal combination is the application of a flange nut according to Figure 4 and the SM washer. All this gives the designer a good chance to rationalize production and increase product safety wherever structural nodes are dynamically stressed during operation as presses and forging machines, rolling mills, high pressure cleaning systems locomotives, machine tools etc.
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Special Feature
8 0 20 y
r t s f u o d e n l I c i r n e o n r e t Ch s a F n a Taiw Companies Development
May
Jern Yao Enterprise Co., Ltd. celebrated the global record-high sales result of more than 2,000 sets of cold-forging forming machines and held a golf outing in Kaohsiung to share the happiness with friends from the industry.
June
In response to sales growth and the demand for developing more multi-stroke machines, Chan Change Machinery Co., Ltd. invested NT$ 0.1 bn in establishing a new plant in Bali Dist. of New Taipei City.
The Seminar of Fastener Dies Assist Automatic Structuring System was held by MIRDC. Not only the general design methods were briefly introduced, but also the topics focusing on fastener dies automatic structuring system, structuring of rapid screw forming dies, configuration to assist design, and analysis of screw forming, etc were also presented.
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Special Feature
Atotech Taiwan Limited and MIRDC held a sem i n a r on a new su r face treatment for metal and non-metal automotive components to present the latest heat treatment development to domestic business owners.
Chun Zu Machinery’s agent in the U. S. Mr. Lee Loudermilk established a new product showroom and invited fastener industry professionals from N. America to attend the inauguration event, in anticipation of promoting sales of Chun Zu machines and satisfying customers’ urgent demand.
July Ta i w a n C S C a n d M I R D C i n collaboration with National University of Kaohsiung, TIFI, and Automobile Fa st ener R&D A l lia nce held t he “Ach ievement s A n nou nc ement of Automobile Fastener R&D Alliance and Technical Seminar”, which was for utilizing resources from the industry/ government/academia to help mid-stream and downstream companies develop more feasible solutions for value-add products.
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Special Feature
In response to AIAG’s requirements for continuous quality improvement on secondary processing plants, Spec Products Corp.’s consultant Billy Liu was particularly invited to give the AIAG CQI-9, 11&12 training courses. Companies from QST International’s supply ch a i n a nd t hose for he at / surface treatments all enthusiastically registered for participation.
9月
In order to respond to its business expansion in mainland China, Shanghai Nutech completed its new factory expansion and gave a grand gratitude ceremony with the enthusiastic attendance of around 50 guests from the fastener industry.
10月
Celebrating its 25th anniversary and in order to integrate all of its resources for corporate operation and management (incl. R&D, finance, and sales divisions), the Asia’s largest rivet manufacturer and trader, Special Rivets Corp. established its new HQ in Taichung City, which is close to the high speed rail station and the airport.
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Nov.
In order to satisfy the demand for more business expansion, Sucoot Industrial Co., Ltd. established a new office building in Taichung spanning the floor area of 1,355 sq. m, which was also a grand event of its 25th anniversary milestone.
Special Feature
President of Fastener World Magazine Mr. William Liao and President of Vegas Fastener Manufacturing Mr. Richard Lassiter were inducted into the “Hall of Fame” of National Industrial Fastener Show. Mr. William Liao was also the first Taiwanese inductee at that time to be awarded with the great honor.
Association
The Seminar on Value of the Fastener Industry in the U.S. Market was held by TIFI and MIRDC at Grand Hi-Lai Hotel, Kaohsiung. The seminar was hosted by Bruce Sun, Chairman of TIFI. Other than the Vice President of MIRDC, Mr. He-Jhong Fu explained the brief situation of Taiwan fastener industry to apply for governmental R&D resource and also invited Vice President of PFC, Bruce Darling, to introduce the current situation and perspective of U.S. fastener market.
TFTA “Tuesday Golf Playing Team” held the handing-over ceremony for t he 23rd ter m of team leader. President of Ren Chang Corporation Mr. Sin-Fa SIE took the position of team leader.
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Special Feature TFTA held a factory visit to Yulon Motor. About 100 people from 63 member companies visited the manufacturing and material supply procedures of domestically manufactured cars with the detailed presentation of Yulon Motor’s staff. Through this event, friendship among all participants was greatly enhanced.
T I F I S o u t h -1 R e g i o n P r e l i m i n a r y Conference for 2008 Annual Assembly was held in Tainan. 50 TIFI members were elected as the reps of South-1 region. During the event, T I F I Cha i r ma n Br uce Su n, Chong Cheng Fastener President Sandy Yu, etc. also shared their perspectives on the global market trends.
TFTA held the 3rd national members assembly at Evergreen Plaza Hotel in Tainan. TFTA Int’l Committee Chair Mr. Steven Fang was invited to report the EU’s antidumping measure against Chinese fasteners. Two famous doctor and company owner were also invited to talk about myocardial infarction prevention and share experience in investing overseas.
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Special Feature
Five Region Fastener Association Conference took place in Hangzhou. Representatives from China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and S. Korea shared the market situations. During the conference, the organizer also arranged participating guests to visit PTC Asia in Shanghai, Fastener Hardware Mall in Haiyan, and 3 leading Chinese fastener companies.
Exhibitions
HANNOVER MESSE has always been a world’s leading industrial technology event. The theme of 2008 focused on the most popular topics at that time: energy efficiency and climate protection. The booth of Fastener World was located in Hall 5, where small parts, metalworks and auto-parts were especially displayed.
The venue of the 28th National Industrial Fastener Show was the conference center of Columbus. The exhibitors were mainly local distributors, and the exhibitors also indicated that the show was the only professional fastener show on the east coast of USA. Fastener World Inc. also led 10 exhibitors from Taiwan to attend the grand event.
National Hardware Show and Lawn & Garden World was one of the biggest and well-known hardware tool shows. It reached its 61th anniversary. There were over 3,500 exhibitors in total, of which 102 were from Taiwan. This industry-leading event attracted many professional buyers to purchase various hardware, tools, houseware, and gardening products. Fastener World no.192/2022
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Fastener Fair Coventry held every two years took place again at Ricoh Arena, attracting 140 exhibitors f r om a r o u n d t h e wo rld (i n cl. 9 Taiwanese exhibitors represented by Fastener World Inc.). It was a trade show exclusively dedicated to the fastener industry in the UK. On the opening day, the organizer also gave a welcoming gala dinner and invited British comedy artist John Moloney to give a great performance.
Special Feature
De signbuild Austra lia 2 0 0 8 was held at Exhibition Center of Melbourne. This was the largest exhibition of construction material and design for industrial & commercial construction in Australia. T here were 430 ex hibitors from 14 countries including Canada, China, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Fastener World Inc. also led 6 Taiwanese exhibitors to participate in the event. Fa s t e n e r Wo r l d I n c . l e d 2 6 Taiwanese exhibitors to participate in the 1st edition of Fastener Fair Budapest in Hungary. This great event took place at SYMA Sports and Event Centre. The 2-day exhibition attracted more than 1,000 professional buyers f rom t he industry and was one of the springboards t o t a p i nt o t h e E . European market.
Fa s t e n e r Wo r l d a t t e n d e d PA AC E Automechanika Mexico, the most important auto parts & components international trade event in Central America. Held a t C e n t r o b a n a m ex i n Mexico City, the event attracted the attendance of 491 exhibitors (177 from Chi na). Ex hibits i ncluded auto pa r ts, repai r & mai ntena nce products, auto parts for replacement, etc.
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Company Focus
CHING CHAN The World’s No. 1 Sorting Machine Supplier That Dares Not Invite Difficulties by Gang Hao Chang, Vice Editor-in-Chief of Fastener World
ary s r e v i n n A 30th
B
eing an active player in the global optical sorting machine market and continuously providing customers with proactive and innovative technology, Ching Chan Optical Technology Co., Ltd. reached the 30th anniversary mark in 2021. Ching Chan is not only a sorting machine supplier in Taiwan with the longest company history, but also has set up an essential milestone in the development of fastener sorting & inspection technology in Taiwan. Starting its business in vibrating feeders and packing machines and later perfectly switching its focus to the sorting machine market, Ching Chan continues to write its success story with dedication, opportunities and customers. Although there were headwinds sometimes, it could still survive challenges in the end. Such a success can be attributed to Ching Chan’s DNA of “preferring inviting difficulties for itself in every challenge.” Due to such dogged persistence, Ching Chan created for itself an unbeatable leading position in the global optical sorting machine industry.
Grasping the Niche and Finding Out Problems for Customers At that time when there was no very strong market competitor yet, Ching Chan saw the potential and dedicated itself to the R&D and sales of sorting machines. Due to its 10 years of cumulative experience in the fastener industry, technique learned from OEM, and extraordinary R&D procedure, Ching Chan could have been so successful since the debut of its first sorting machine. Since its first model was released on the market in 2004, Ching Chan has sold more than 4,500 sets of machines to the global market and the number is still on the rise.
▲Ching Chan President Alex Wu
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Ching Chan President Alex Wu said, “During the R&D, our team kept using various screws in tests and even used ‘almost crazy’ ways that might cause machine failure to find out problems. For example, for simulating a situation of screws covered with too much oil, our team sprayed oil straight onto the machine; or for simulating a situation of consecutive appearance of 30 pcs of defective items, our team tried to cover the cameras with hands, which are all for finding out problems in customers’ actual applications and making improvement and optimization in advance. We seek for sustainable operation with honesty and full trust from customers. Before the pandemic, we visit customers at least once a year and provide every customer with complete aftersales service.”
Company Focus
Eyeing on the Int’l Market Strengths Outpacing European/U.S. Competitors Strong product competitiveness and service flexibility played an essential role in Ching Chan’s successful penetration into European and U.S. advanced markets within a few years. As fastener manufacturers were mostly SME with limited resources, and high-price but less-function European and U.S. sorting machines could not satisfy the demand for max. competitiveness, Ching Chan’s solutions at cheaper prices with better integrated functions brought the timely rain to the industry. In order to quickly enter the int’l market, it even announced the industry’s first ‘Use It Before You Buy It’ promotional campaign. President Wu said, “At that time I offered free sorting machines for customers to use (5 sets per country) and after 3 months they could decide whether to buy them or not. This strategy allowed Ching Chan to quickly sell products to the world and made it noticed by customers from Europe/USA/ Japan/Italy and other advanced markets, who continue to place orders to Ching Chan. A German sorting machine manufacturer is even willing to transfer its technology and become our sales agent in Germany. All these supports enable Ching Chan to become a world-level company worthy of the name.”
Splendid Story Originated from Employees’ and Customers’ Support Speaking of the splendid history of Ching Chan, President Wu, who has been elected the head of South Chapter of Model of Entrepreneurs in 2020, said, “Every individual who once worked with Ching Chan is very important, as without their support we couldn’t have been so successful. As a result, through the 30th Anniversary Thanksgiving event, we’d like to express our sincere gratitude for those who have made us experience success or failure. Any customer whose cumulative order amount reached over NT$ 10 million will receive a free MASSE Vibrating Chair from us, and anyone whose cumulative order amount is over NT$ 3 million in 2021 will also receive the same chair as a gift. We hope that our customers busy in their work can stay healthy as usual and remind people of the importance of cherishing blessings and good fortune as well as participating in charitable events.”
Traded on OTC Market to Expand Business As one of the few OTC traded fastener companies in Taiwan, Ching Chan can acquire advanced technology to expand its business th rough the introduction of complete financial reports system and financing activities. Particularly since its acquisition of The First Contact Tech (T.F.C.T.) specialized in semiconductor inspection technology in 2020, Ching Chan has made a significant progress on its machines, such as speed, precision and appearance. The latest model is installed with 6 cameras (able to analyze 48,000 pictures per min.) and can achieve the inspection efficiency of 8,000 pcs per min. Its’s now working hard to achieve the goal of 10,000-13,000 pcs. President Wu said, “Over the past 5 years I purchased 3 companies already out of business. Although the transactions did not cost a lot, I had to make effort to deal with more customers’ complaints. After that, I spent NT$ 0.3 bn purchasing a small business with countless talented employees, which later contributed a lot to Ching Chan’s profit. Ching Chan’s gross margin in every sector remains almost above the level of 60%. In the future, we plan to acquire more superior companies of this kind, introduce AI technology and expand our business to the potential semiconductor, medical pills, bullets or currency inspection to create momentum for higher growth.”
Keep Learning and Doing What is Good to the World Despite winning several national-level awards and relevant recognition, President Wu never stops learning. Every day he wakes up, he’ll ask himself if there’s still something he has not completed yet. He is not only active in visiting large-scale companies, but also spares no effort to create unlimited possibilities for Ching Chan via many industrial societies. President Wu said seriously, “I really want to set up a film company to produce movies about all the models of entrepreneurs in Taiwan. By doing so, I ‘d like to tell people that as long as you keep faith in honesty and hold a serious attitude to do everything, the world is full of opportunities. Both failure and success are the indispensable elements to make one’s life shine bright.
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Editorial
Editorial
EU to Make Final Determination of AD Investigation Against China; Will Orders be Switched to Other Countries Again?
by Gang Hao Chang, Vice Editor-in-Chief of Fastener World
The European Commission (EC) is scheduled to announce the final determination of the AD investigation against certain iron and steel fasteners originating in China on Feb. 17, 2022. After the previous final disclosure of the EC’s intent to impose the AD rate of up to 86.5%, which later resulted in the deep concern of EFDA, the already unstable global iron and steel fastener supply and demand are expected to face headwinds again. For Chinese companies used to face high trade barriers in overseas sales, Taiwanese companies reporting significantly growing order acceptance but lack of materials and containers, and European/U.S. buyers relying heavily on supply sources from the Far East, “Have you all been geared up to take on the upcoming challenges?” Some market analysts pointed out that if Taiwanese companies can grasp opportunities this time, they may receive lots of orders originally placed to China. For years the global standard parts market has been dominated by two major supply sources- China and Taiwan. Although some emerging suppliers from Southeast Asia have gained quicker access to major markets in recent years through zero tariff FTAs their parent countries signed with Europe and the U.S., their technical level and capacities are still far behind those of China and Taiwan and it’s too early to call them as a threat at this moment. If the EU’ s final determination is affirmative, it is estimated that Taiwanese companies will become the biggest beneficiary. According to the statistics of Taiwan Customs (see the table on next page), Taiwan’s fastener exports to major European countries in 2020 showed a drop of some 10% from 2019, which was considered a risk at that time. However, since last year Taiwan’s fastener exports to Europe and the U.S. started to show a retaliative growth and quick recovery, gradually turning the risk into an opportunity. Taiwan’s fastener exports to Germany, the Netherlands, UK, Italy, Poland, Sweden and Spain in 2021 all revealed a growth of at least 20% from the same period of 2020 and the supply was even unable to meet the demand. Moreover, Taiwan CSC announced the latest price adjustment for Q1 2022 (all types of wire rod were reduced by NT$500/ton), slightly alleviating the pressure from material costs, Taiwanese companies perhaps can make the most of this opportunity to retrieve the previously lost orders for standard parts in the European market due to the price cutting competition and cost advantage of their Chinese counterparts. However, in addition to being active in retrieving the lost share in the standard parts market, Taiwanese companies should be also aware of the fluctuations of raw material prices and exchange rates and accelerate their expansion to high value-added products to respond to future trends such as electric vehicles, smart manufacturing lines, and carbon neutrality. According to IMF’s forecast released in H2 last year, the global GDP growth in 2022 is expected to land at around 4.9%. Several experts and companies also forecast that the demand in advanced markets such as aerospace and automotive, which has been held back since 2020, is very likely to show an explosive growth within a few years. As a result, making early preparations is definitely a right way. According to the current situations, the fastener industry may continue to develop very well in the future.
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Stay Away from Price Cutting Competition
Adopt High Value-added Materials Price cutting may be a fast and temporary solution for suppliers from emerging regions/countries to win orders, but for Taiwan where there has been a mature fastener supply chain, this is definitely not a long term plan. Many non-fastener industries actually have dedicated themselves to the development of high value-added products for years and the fastener industry has been left far behind. In order to change this scenario, the simplest and quickest way is to acquire more advanced materials that are specifically developed for future demands to upgrade the added value of products and create an advantage niche. In the past, Taiwanese companies could only rely on imported materials to manufacture more advanced products, making them unable to create their own cost advantage. However, recently there have been stable supply sources in Taiwan. For example, the automotive aluminum alloy wire rod Taiwan-based Ye Fong Aluminum Industrial Ltd. produces with aerospace-level manufacturing procedures allows manufacturers eager to stay away from price cutting competition to achieve this goal quicker. Although Taiwan does not have a complete car manufacturing supply chain similar to its Japanese or Korean counterparts to sustain the entire industrial development, it can still indirectly close the gap between its avg. unit price and those of other countries like Japan or Korea and enlarge the gap between its avg. unit price and those of China or Southeast Asian countries through obtaining the same level or even higher level of lightweight automotive fastener manufacturing capabilities to gain the recognition of customers in more European/U.S. automotive supply chains.
Editorial Top 15 Destined Countries of Taiwan's Fastener Exports (KG) (HS Code 7318) 2020/01 - 2020/11
2021/01 - 2021/11
Total Share (%)
Source: Taiwan Customs
Ranking
Countries
YoY Ratio (%)
Volume Change
0
Total
1,235,201,723
1,487,751,800
100
20.446
252,550,077
1
USA
553,310,478
652,399,562
43.851
17.908
99,089,084
2
Germany
105,760,677
127,209,693
8.550
20.281
21,449,016
3
The Netherlands
59,254,434
84,457,420
5.677
42.534
25,202,986
4
Japan
59,219,353
60,727,289
4.082
2.546
1,507,936
5
UK
37,672,781
56,029,428
3.766
48.727
18,356,647
6
Canada
41,165,568
52,475,023
3.527
27.473
11,309,455
7
Italy
24,355,880
33,607,454
2.259
37.985
9,251,574
8
Poland
24,875,629
30,879,870
2.076
24.137
6,004,241
9
Mexico
21,275,820
30,810,840
2.071
44.816
9,535,020
10
China
21,553,360
30,148,054
2.026
39.876
8,594,694
11
Sweden
22,509,696
29,638,903
1.992
31.672
7,129,207
12
Spain
20,086,247
29,634,628
1.992
47.537
9,548,381
13
France
20,831,105
24,272,312
1.631
16.520
3,441,207
14
Thailand
19,053,832
22,040,015
1.481
15.672
2,986,183
15
Australia
18,049,878
20,543,772
1.381
13.817
2,493,894
Perfect Labor Division in the Industry
TSMC Can Do It, So Can the Fastener Industry The perfect semiconductor industrial passage TSMC created along the West of Taiwan can be one of the best examples for the fastener industry seeking for a more integrated industrial supply chain. Each process such as production of different sizes of wafers or peripheral packaging and testing is in charge by different companies, which can not only avoid the direct competition among companies with high homogeneity, but can also allow each of them to demonstrate their strengths, thus enabling them to achieve better profit margin and maximize the synergy resulted from labor of division. The resultant considerable revenue, work opportunities, global market share, national image, and scale economy have also made it easier to get the government’s resources and attention. In addition, modern production lines (incl. the introduction of automated warehousing systems, smart factories that better satisfy European/U.S. customers’ demands, and the introduction of ERP, green energy, 5G IoT, Big Data, etc.) can also make production lines operate faster and more efficiently and reduce the unnecessary labor and time cost. The smart factory Gwo Lian Machinery Industry set up in Kaohsiung, Wyser’s new plant, Chong Cheng’s introduction of high-end manufacturing equipment, Hu Pao’s latest ERP system and intelligent energy management system of its new plant are the best proof that many Taiwanese fastener-related companies have been going toward this direction. With the fastener manufacturing cost getting higher, all these examples may give fastener companies some better ideas. Taiwanese fastener industry basically has demonstrated a certain level of labor division (such as material supply, equipment, finished products, processing, distribution, etc.), if such a division can be further improved from the perspectives of products, manufacturing procedures, technology, and service and each one can support and unite strengths of each other to create more momentum to draw the government’ s investment in industrial development, I believe Taiwanese fastener industry in the global fastener supply chain will be more competitive and their influence will be also upgraded.
Fastener World Has the Best Knowledge of Int’l Marketing
We’ll be Present at Every Int’l Exhibitions One domestic magazine of Taiwan once published a feature coverage of a few so-called “representative companies” in different industries. These companies are indeed excellent, and for its readers from different industries, such a coverage may be already enough for them to understand the industries. However, Taiwanese fastener industry is a very export-oriented industry with years of experience in fastener exports and every company has its own strengths and features in terms of sales, technology or service. As a result, it is a bit difficult to just select some fastener companies and call them as “representative”. What overseas buyers really want to know is every company’s past, present and future as well as their differences and strengths, so finding out which companies can better serve their needs has been always the most important direction over the past 3 decades for Fastener World in helping companies expand to the global market. As long as it is beneficial to Taiwanese companies, the team of Fastener World will do whatever it takes to help companies promote their products and brands and have them noticed by potential buyers through our global magazine circulation and close ties with domestic and overseas buyers. Despite lots of challenges ahead in 2022 and dates change of some int’l exhibitions, we promise that we will attend every exhibition as long as it is sure to take place and will have our representatives onsite to maximize promotional results for customers. During the exhibition, we ‘ll also have staff on duty in Taiwan to interact with visitors at exhibitions via video chat, missing no opportunity to promote for our customers. With our steady work and solid progress, we sincerely hope that all friends from the industry can continue to trust, support, and encourage the team of Fastener World and work with us together in 2022 with unlimited opportunities.
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