Fastener + Fixing Magazine #114

In this issue‌ Made in Poland Tapes + adhesives Fastener Fair France preview fastenerandfixing.com | Issue 114 November 2018

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CONTENTS INDUSTRY NEWS

10-40

Financial reports, acquisitions and trade duty news

CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS

110-118

The cutting edge of anchoring – concrete screws

COVER STORY

Chavesbao – on the front line

42-43

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY 120-134

Weighpack customised packaging solution introduced at HEICO Voestalpine modernises blast furnace

FACE2FACE 44-46

Graham Joyce, managing director, Fastbolt Distributors (UK) Ltd

INSIGHT 48-50 Rosmil to double its storage capacity Investing in quality

MADE IN POLAND

An insight into the vast manufacturing capabilities within Poland

52-74

MANAGEMENT + SYSTEMS

136-144

APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY

146-156

PRODUCTS + TOOLS

158-176

Expansion with a high-level of automation CRM and ERP: Collaborative success across the fastener industry

The best of two worlds combined for modern multi-material designs

EXHIBITIONS 76-108 Fastener Fair France preview The best of Italy

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FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

Whatever fasteners can do, tapes can do better Why tapes?

EDITORIAL Part of the Mack Brooks Group Romeland House, Romeland Hill, St Albans, Herts, AL3 4ET, UK

Will Lowry, editor, Fastener + Fixing Magazine

Highway to growth As I travelled around Poland for our special ‘Made in…’ feature what beame abundantly clear is this is a country that has received a lot of investment in its infrastructure and economically has grown significantly over recent years – especially when it comes to fastener production.

W

ith this in mind, we commissioned a special report from Marek Łangalis to look at the growth of the fastener industry in Poland and the prospects for Polish fastener manufacturing in the future. It highlights some very interesting trends and underlines the country’s potential to become a key fastener supplier.

To add to this, we also have a range of articles from some of the main players within the Polish fastener market, including an interview with Anders Karlsson, managing director of Bulten Polska (pictured right) – who talks about the company’s 20 th anniversary and the benefits to the Bulten Group of having a Polish factory. Marcopol also underlines its capabilities as a trusted and reliable business partner; and pgb-Polska explains how the significant investment in its facility in 2017 has positioned it to target new markets.

During my trip I also had the opportunity to visit Śrubena-Unia’s vast production facility and see first-hand its impressive cold and warm forging processes, as well as learn about its strategy of continuously improving its technology in order to provide better, more durable, and more precise, solutions.

There are also articles from DROMET Fastener Systems and how its new high bay warehouse has enabled it to expand its production and distribution departments; and we find out about HAMAR and its new range of direct fixings.

For our Cover Story we spoke to Jorge Cámara, export manager at Chavesbao, about how the Spanish wholesaler established itself as a reference within the market and the chllenges of meeting customers’ increasing requirements.

There is also a preview of the first edition of Fastener Fair France, which takes place on 28 th – 29 th November at the Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles.

In the Construction Fixings section, we have an article from John Muir, technical manager at Construction Fixings Association, who focuses on ‘the cutting edge of anchoring’ – concrete screws.

Plus, we have articles from Böllhoff Group – looking at how lightweighting and the automotive industry combine to create modern multi-material designs; Weighpack concentrates on the introduction of a complete customised packaging solution at HEICO; and Keller & Kalmbach explains how, through its close partnership with Jungheinrich, it has been able to consistently expand its central warehouse, whilst still providing a first class service.

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Tel: +44 (0) 1727 814 400 Fax: +44 (0) 1727 831 033 www.fastenerandfixing.com Publishing Director Jamie Mitchell jamie.mitchell@fastenerandfixing.com Executive Editor Phil Matten phil.matten@fastenerandfixing.com Editor Will Lowry will.lowry@fastenerandfixing.com Deputy Editor Claire Aldridge claire.aldridge@fastenerandfixing.com Sales Manager Mac Rahman mac.rahman@fastenerandfixing.com Business Development Manager – Italy Emiliano Pagliaroli emiliano.pagliaroli@fastenerandfixing.com Business Development Manager – Europe Peter Makin peter.makin@fastenerandfixing.com Business Development Manager – DACH Thomas Schwarz thomas.schwarz@fastenerandfixing.com Production Manager Andy Clow andy.clow@fastenerandfixing.com Digital Content Assistant Grant Rebecca grant.rebecca@fastenerandfixing.com Find us online: @fastenerfixing FastenerandFixingMagazine fastener---fixing-magazine Fastener and Fixing Fastener + Fixing Magazine is a dedicated, trade–only publication which is circulated freely throughout the European trade.

Disclaimer The Publisher cannot be held responsible or, in any way, liable for errors or omissions, during input or printing of any material supplied or contained herein although the utmost care is taken to ensure that information contained is accurate and up to date. The Publisher also cannot be held liable for any claims made by advertisers or in contributions from individuals or companies submitted for inclusion within this publication. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Editor or Fastener Fairs Ltd. Copyright Entire contents copyright © Fastener Fairs Limited 2018. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the publisher.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Bossard continues growth track Bossard Group has reported third quarter 2018 sales at CHF 212.7 million, a 9.3% improvement on the same period last year. For the first nine months Bossard has increased sales by 11.8% to CHF 659 million.

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ossard says growth slowed somewhat in Europe and Asia compared with Quarter 2 but growth in the America business was described as vigorous, partly due to increased demand from the largest US electric vehicle manufacturer.

In Europe, Bossard posted a 5.7% third quarter increase to CHF 117.6 million (+4% in local currency). Sales for the first nine months rose 13% to CHF 378.1 million (+8.7% in local currency). Bossard says the reasons for slower growth in Europe are manifold. Some customers are operating at full capacity, which reduces the potential for above-average growth. It also notes that the base for comparison, third quarter 2017, was already at a high-level.

Bossard America’s business was substantially stronger in the third quarter with sales growing 16.2% to CHF 60.4 million (+14.8% in local currency).

This contributed to a 8.2% increase to CHF 179.9 million in the first nine months of 2018 (+9.5% in local currency). The accelerated growth is driven by business with the largest US electric vehicle manufacturer, whose third model series resulted in a considerable boost in production.

In Asia, third quarter sales rose 10.9% to CHF 34.7 million (+7.8% in local currency). For the first nine months 2018 sales increased by 13.7% to CHF 101 million (+11.3% in local currency).

Bossard concludes that indications from its customers, as well as the purchasing managers’ indices in its key markets, point to continued economic expansion. Bossard therefore expects fourth quarter sales to be at a high-level but reminds that Quarter 4 2017 will provide a strong comparative base.

It also noted that many customers are operating at full capacity, which is another factor in normalising growth rates, especially in Europe.

The appreciation of the Swiss franc in recent weeks will also affect the Group results reported in that currency.

With business conditions changing compared to the first half of the year, Bossard is targeting sales in the order of CHF 865 million (2017: CHF 786.2 million) for full year 2018.

(CHF 100 approximately €87.5 at Interbank)

Bufab reports 10% YTD organic sales growth Bufab has announced net sales for the first three quarters of 2018 increased by 19% to SEK 2.82 billion (€273 million), of which 10% was organic growth.

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et sales in the third quarter grew 22% year-on-year and order intake increased 19%, in-line with net sales.

Operating profit (EBITA) for the quarter rose to SEK 81 million (2017 Q3: SEK 70 million) but the operating margin declined to 9.1% (2017 Q3: SEK 9.5 million). For the first nine months of the year EBITA rose to SEK 285 million (2017: SEK 240 million) with an operating margin in-line with the previous year at 10.1%.

CEO Jörgen Rosengren reported that Bufab experienced the same favourable level of demand in the third quarter as earlier in the year. Bufab’s International segment recorded an improved earnings performance, even compared with a very strong second quarter. Increased market shares and successful acquisitions contributed to growth of 28%, of which 10% was organic. Gross margin strengthened further due to price increases and favourable currency effects – despite cost

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increases driven by raw material prices. Jörgen Rosengren noted: “We also succeeded in achieving growth without a corresponding increase in operating expenses. Overall, operating profit increased by more than 60%, primarily as a result of a very healthy organic growth.”

Segment Sweden had a poorer earnings trend during the quarter, as it did in the second quarter. Growth was good, but the gross margin was far too low. “Despite significant price increases,” Mr Rosengren said, “we did not succeed in fully offsetting the weak Swedish krona combined with high raw materials prices”. He added: “The segment’s earnings were not good enough. We continue the work on price increases and have intensified our focus on cost savings for sourcing.

Earnings were also burdened by high operating expenses.

Operating profit fell overall compared with 2017, an unsatisfactory trend that we intend to reverse.”

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Bulten grows despite market volatility Bulten AB reported third quarter net sales at SEK 722 million, an increase of 14.5% over the same period in 2017. Net sales for 2018 year to date were SEK 2.39 billion (€229.2 million), up 12.7% year-on-year.

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perating earnings (EBIT) for the nine months totalled SEK 162 million (2017: SEK 155 million), equating to an operating margin of 6.8% (2017: 7.3%). The operating margin in the third quarter was 5.2% (2017: 5.5%). Bulten reported order bookings at SEK 2.36 billion, an increase of 8.3% over the same period last year.

President and CEO, Tommy Andersson, reported: “We continued strong growth during the third quarter, with an increase in net sales of 14.5%, adjusted for currency 5.8%.

The organic growth is primarily driven by new contracts that are now in production. We are therefore continuing to take shares on a market characterised by temporarily higher volatility in demand for cars during the quarter, which is largely an effect of new environmental tax regulations in several European countries.”

“Order bookings increased 4.7% on the same quarter last year when orders were also strong, primarily due to the start-up of a new contract, and model shifts. Operating earnings were on par with last year, with a slight fall in operating margin. The lower operating margin is primarily attributable to negative exchange rate fluctuations, as well as an imbalance in production due to market volatility. Furthermore, global market prices for raw materials for fasteners have risen continually since the first quarter of 2017. No increases have been announced for the fourth quarter.”

“Demand for hybrids and electric cars is increasing, a favourable development for Bulten since the value of fasteners is currently far higher in these vehicles compared to ones with conventional combustion engines. Also, in October we signed a new FSP contract for an electric vehicle drive technology driveline, clear confirmation that we are on the leading edge when it comes to technology for electrification.”

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Bulten to relocate and grow Chinese operation

Bulten AB has also announced it will relocate its operation in China from Beijing to Tianjin. The aim is to expand in the local Chinese market, where Bulten’s volumes and growth opportunities increase considerably from a previously relatively low level. “With this move we strengthen our position in China and are able to scale-up future volumes to another level,” says Tommy Andersson.

The new plant will be located in XEDA International Industrial Park in Tianjin, approximately 150km from the current plant, where Bulten will rent the premises in a new facility with the latest purification technology.

The relocation starts this year and is expected to be completed by the end of 2019. The relocation includes an investment of approximately SEK 25 million and the cost is estimated to amount to SEK 16 million – SEK 20 million distributed over the moving period, the main part in 2019.

“With this investment we get an efficient and a more environment friendly production with more capacity to handle future growth. I am looking forward to this opportunity that will bring Bulten to another level on the Chinese market,” says Edith Wang, Bulten’s managing director in China.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Bufab acquires Rudhäll Group Bufab has acquired the Swedish company Rudhäll Industri AB, including its three wholly owned subsidiaries, with annual sales of approximately SEK 210 million (€20 million).

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udhäll Group is a producer and distributor of components and other C-parts to the Swedish and European markets, specialised in advanced machined components.

It consists of three units in Sweden and one in China.

Approximately half of the total sales are distribution and about half from in-house production.

Rudhäll was founded in 1952 and since 2004 has been owned and run by its current managing director, Jesper Emanuelsson.

Under his leadership, the company has expanded organically and via acquisitions to an international supply chain partner to customers across many industries. In 2017, Rudhäll Group had 74 employees and sales of approximately SEK 210 million with a 9% normalised operating margin.

Johan Lindqvist, managing director at Bufab Sweden AB and responsible for the Group’s Swedish segment, commented: “It gives me great pleasure to announce that Rudhäll Group is joining the Bufab Group. Rudhäll Group is known as a strong niche player in the Swedish and European markets. Over the past one and a half years, we have gotten to know Jesper and his team well and see great similarities with Bufab in its solution-oriented, entrepreneurial approach to creating customer value. We are confident that the Rudhäll Group will continue to grow and thrive as a member of the Bufab Group. At the same time, we think the acquisition will further strengthen Bufab’s offering to our customers with an enlarged product portfolio, additional in-house production know-how, as well as increased sourcing capabilities in China.”

“By joining Bufab, we will be able to continue to improve our customer service and grow our business in the same way we have for many years, but now with increased resources,” responded Jesper Emanuelsson. “It will be business as usual, with the same high ambition level. I am pleased to continue as managing director of Rudhäll, and together with the whole team I look forward to the cooperation with the Bufab team globally.”

The acquisition will be financed within Bufab’s existing credit facilities. The purchase price amounts to approximately SEK 100 million on an enterprise value basis, with the majority taken on closing of the transaction, which took effect immediately.

The Rudhäll Group is expected to contribute marginally to Bufab’s earnings per share starting from the fourth quarter of 2018.

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Hilti continues double-digit growth rate The Hilti Group has reported sales growth of 14.7% over the first eight months of 2018. Adjusted for acquisition effects, the growth figure is 12.7%. The Group’s operating result rose 7.6% over the same period.

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hrough to the end of August, Hilti Group sales for 2018 were CHF 3.75 billion (€3.29 billion), a growth of 14.7% over the same period the previous year.

Two percentage points of this total are attributable to Hilti’s purchase of the Oglaend System Group in September 2017.

The growth rate also registered double-digits in terms of local currencies (+11.9%). The North America and Europe regions once again advanced strongly, posting 12.2% and 12.4% growth in local currencies, respectively. The upward trend in Latin America (+7.4%) slowed due to currency devaluations and political tensions in several countries. While uncertainties also increased in both Turkey and Russia, the Eastern Europe/Middle East/ Africa region nonetheless continued to see sales rise (+14%). The Hilti Group also sustained a positive trend in the Asia/Pacific region (9.1%).

“Even though the world political situation has become more unpredictable, we continue to show double-digit growth, which is faster than the global construction market.

This success is based on the consistently high-level of investment into sales resources and innovation. Our main investment focus in recent months has been in the area of digital solutions,” commented Christoph Loos, CEO at Hilti.

As a result, expenditure for research and development rose to CHF 225 million (+17.6%) while the number of employees grew to 28,566 (+9.6%). The more robust spending level and the stronger euro translated into return on sales at 12.1% (-0.8%), and return on capital employed, at 22.2% (-0.6%) – figures slightly lower than those for 2017. The Hilti Group, however, posted increases in the operating result, at CHF 456 million (+7.6%) and net income, at CHF 329 million (+4.5%).

If world political uncertainties and currency volatility do not significantly worsen, the Hilti Group expects double-digit sales growth over the entire year, albeit slightly below the figures for the first eight months due to acquisition effects. Despite ongoing investment Hilti expects the operating result for 2018 as a whole to be similar to the current growth level.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

BIAFD explores BREXIT disruption risks A key session at the Autumn meeting of the British & Irish Association of Fastener Distributors (BIAFD) concentrated on the short-term, practical implications of the UK leaving the EU, reports Editor Will Lowry – a regular attendee at BIAFD events.

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he October meeting, held at the Welcombe Hotel in Stratford upon Avon, was once again well attended. For previous meetings, BIAFD has invited KPMG’s Matthew Fleming to explore with members how they could prepare for BREXIT. With the deadline for Britain to leave the EU getting closer, this time BIAFD drew on the expertise of members that have their own BREXIT risk management teams, to lead discussions. Rather than looking at longer-term advantages or disadvantages the meeting concentrated on potential for short-term supply chain disruption and its fall-out. That included recognising that the UK, as well as neighbouring countries, did not appear to be fully prepared for more intensive customs processes and the risk of border delays, both across the English Channel and with Ireland.

One member quoted estimates of more than four million truck crossings of the English Channel annually, with current customs procedures averaging less than two minutes each. If that even doubled, he said, Kent could end up as a truck park.

Other members reported that the recent introduction of a new computer system at the Felixstowe container port had already caused significant delays in receiving containers, spilling over to affect Southampton and other UK ports. This disruption had quickly revealed the fragility of the UK road haulage industry, suffering from critical driver shortages and escalating costs.

This all demonstrated, BIAFD members were told, the vulnerability of the fastener supply chain into the United Kingdom.

Other potentially negative effects identified at the meeting included import VAT administration on imports, needing to be far more careful about rules of origin documentation, and further instability in exchange rates.

It was clear from the meeting that UK wholesalers are increasing inventory levels in preparation for next March. However, they stressed that physical space and financial constraints limited what they could do

and distributors, especially those normally importing direct, could not rely on them to fill every potential gap. The message to fastener suppliers at every point along the supply chain – as well as their customers – was complacency would be very dangerous. They needed to seriously consider how to mitigate the potential effects of short-term disruption and recognise that the present buoyant conditions in the global fastener market, and the effects of US tariffs on fastener imports, mean lead times are already long.

BIAFD members also reported receiving questionnaires from end customers expecting signed guarantees that their supply chain would not be disrupted

by BREXIT. In some cases members had refused despite the commercial pressure involved because they could not commit to such assurances in a situation over which they had no realistic control. BIAFD’s position is that “Brexit is not a challenge that can be resolved through a tick box exercise, or by trying to shift liability up the supply chain. There are very real risks of disruption that can only be mitigated by an open and cooperative approach throughout the fastener supply chain”.

Key to BIAFD’s success is its commitment to ensuring its members are better informed. For more on membership visit www.biafd.org or email info@biafd.org.uk

BBI celebrates in Vegas For Brighton Best International the International Fastener Expo in Las Vegas brought plenty of reasons for celebration.

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t didn’t take long on Wednesday 31st October before the Las Vegas Fastener Show was in full swing, and there was nowhere busier than the Brighton Best International stand, welcoming distributors from across North America and beyond.

For BBI chief operating officer, Peggy Hsieh, and husband and BBI president, Jun Xu, the afternoon brought further cause for celebration as they jointly accepted the IFE Young Fastener Professional Award during a well-attended ceremony at the show’s ‘Sessions Corner’. As COO, Peggy Hsieh oversees the operational and IT functions of thirty-two BBI branches across six countries, and is passionate about the role of technology as a philosophy throughout the BBI businesses and the fastener distribution industry it serves. Responsible for strategy and

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purchasing, BBI credits Jun Xu’s leadership and direction as transforming BBI’s purpose and role in the fastener industry to focus on helping the distributor grow and succeed. Living in Los Angeles the couple have been married and worked together for more than ten years.

BBI traces its roots to a Cincinnati storefront factory, which opened in 1925. However, the acquisition of Brighton Best Socket Screw Mfg in January 2008, by a consortium of Taiwanese investors headed by Robert Shieh, transformed the business. Reason enough then for BBI to conclude the first day of the Las Vegas show with a Halloween themed party to celebrate a decade-long and quite extraordinary growth trajectory.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

NORMA Group successfully closes acquisition of Statek NORMA Group has successfully closed the acquisition of supplier Statek Stanzereitechnik GmbH following approval by the antitrust authorities. NORMA Group expects the acquisition to make an additional contribution to sales growth of around €2.5 million for fiscal year 2018. The acquisition was financed exclusively through existing long-term bank loans without the issuance of equity.

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ernd Kleinhens, chairman of the management board of NORMA Group, commented: “Statek’s expertise in stamping and forming technology will enable us to increase the supply reliability of our metal product components and further expand our market share in the field.”

Statek has been supplying NORMA Group with housings and tension springs for worm drive hose clamps for many years. In 2017, Statek achieved sales of around €17.2 million of which 70% were generated with its largest customer NORMA Group. Statek supplies

Nominee for Bossard Holding board The directors of Bossard Holding AG have nominated Patricia Heidtman for election to the board at the annual general meeting on 8th April 2019 – when Daniel Lippuner is slated to step down.

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atricia Heidtman, a dual Swiss-US citizen, has been with Sika for 20 years. Among other roles, she served as vice-president of R&D for the global automotive technology business and head of innovation management for global cross-divisional innovation projects in Madison Heights, USA, and in Widen, Switzerland.

Since summer 2017, Patricia Heidtman, member of the Sika senior management, leads as head of technology for thermoplastics systems the global development of all thermoplastic construction products. She is a trained chemist with a degree from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich.

Daniel Lippuner is stepping down from the board of directors. The board expressed its deep gratitude for his dedicated and far-reaching contributions to the Bossard Group’s prosperous growth.

At the 2019 annual general meeting of shareholders, the board of directors will request the re-election of current board members René Cotting, Martin Kühn, Anton Lauber, Stefan Michel, Thomas Schmuckli and Maria-Teresa Vacalli, as well as the election of proposed new board members David Dean and Patricia Heidtman.

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other customers in Germany and internationally in the electrical engineering, automotive and reactor technology sectors. Founded in 1980, the company is based in Maintal and employs around 60 people.

Targeted acquisitions contribute to diversifying business activities and strengthening the growth of NORMA Group.

Acquisitions are therefore an integral part of the long-term growth strategy. The Group has acquired a total of 14 companies since its IPO in 2011.

LISI Automotive continues development LISI Group has announced the signing of an agreement with ARCH Global Precision LLC for the acquisition of 100% of the assets of Hi-Vol Products LLC.

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i-Vol Products is a US manufacturer of mechanical safety components for the automotive industry – with a recognised speciality in brake system fitting screws and components for direct injection petrol engines.

Established in 1951, Hi-Vol Products has experienced significant growth in recent years by developing stainless steel distribution components for the new generation of direct injection gasoline engines. It now has two production sites in Livonia (Michigan, USA) with strong skills in cold forging, machining and high-speed automatic control.

With approximately 130 employees, it achieved a turnover of nearly US$40 million in 2017.

“With Hi-Vol Products, LISI Automotive strengthens its global position in mechanical safety components. The two Livonia sites will reinforce the LISI Automotive Safety Mechanical Components Business Group, already present in Europe, China and Mexico. This acquisition will allow us to accelerate our development in the United States and benefit from a strong technical base in North America,” said François Liotard, CEO of LISI Automotive.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

ROYD Tool Group acquires Optimaxx ROYD Tool Group recently announced the acquisition of Optimaxx, a leading brand of high performance woodscrews. Optimaxx will be ROYD Tool Group’s third brand addition to its portfolio, alongside SMART’s multi-tools, blades and accessories and ACER’s professional construction marker range.

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ased in the UK, Optimaxx has grown rapidly since its founding in 2014. ROYD hopes to take the brand to new heights by utilising industry expertise and experience gained through the multi-tool accessory brand SMART and rapidly growing ACER brand.

With the same product ‘formula’ of high performance, high-quality yet competitive prices, ROYD is optimistic the new brand will fit perfectly into the portfolio. Norman Shimwell, managing director and driving force behind Optimaxx’s founding and success – now UK business development manager for ROYD Tool Group, comments: “The acquisition is a really exciting progression for Optimaxx and its outlook for the future is very positive. Now with ROYD Tool Group taking the brand to the next level, I’m confident Optimaxx products will get the recognition and growth they deserve.”

Sundram Q2 profits up strongly Sundram Fasteners reported its July to September net profits had increased 21.8% to INR 1.1 billion, its highest in nine quarters.

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evenue in the quarter exceeded INR 10 billion for the first time (INR 10.0161 billion), an increase of 22.4% on the same quarter previous year. Export sales were INR 3.35 billion, an increase of 18.2% on the same period in the last fiscal year.

Export represented 34% of total sales, an increase of four percentage points year-on-year. Sundram Fasteners previously announced ambitions to gradually take exports to 50% of sales.

The company’s EBITDA margin remained steady at 19.6%.

Sundram said growth was driven by the commercial vehicle market, with demand from the light commercial sector a particular contributor.

Sundram Fasteners’ chief financial officer told Indian media that year-on-year raw material costs had increased by 2%, but increased volume without significant change to other costs had resulted in overall cost savings.

Sundram Fasteners recently announced it had won the Deming Quality Prize for all of its seventeen Indian plants. The award is presented by the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers to companies that achieved breakthrough results through the application of Total Quality Management.

Arathi Krishna, who led the TQM initiative, is the first woman MD ever to receive the award. She commented: “It is especially gratifying that SFL has managed to simultaneously win the Deming Prize for all its seventeen different plants, which cover a range of technologies from casting to forging and products and customer segments from aerospace to commercial vehicles to cars and windmills in a short span of six years.”

(INR 1,000 is approximately €12 at interbank rate)

20 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

ROYD now hope to introduce Optimaxx to its 2,000+ UK trade merchant customer base and provide the best high-performance woodscrew offering possible. Roger Murphy, ROYD Tool Group’s founder and managing director, discusses the acquisition: “We’re very pleased to bring such an innovative product into our portfolio, one that we genuinely believe is the best in the world and has all the hallmarks of a market-leader. This, alongside ROYD’s resources and focus on customer service, we believe will deliver an unparalleled offering for both trade merchants and end users.”

“The whole team at ROYD look forward to delivering yet another leading product to the market and are excited to help distributors maximise their sales. Look out for Optimaxx high performance woodscrews.”

USA extension for Norm Holding Norm Holding is extending its operations into the United States of America with the creation of Norm Fasteners Co, which will be based in Lansing, Michigan.

A

t the opening ceremony of the company, Nedim Uysal, vice-chairman of the board of directors of Norm Holding, explained that the new company will give Norm the opportunity to access the US market more easily and carry out more effective operations.

Uysal also stated that the company’s priority is to highlight perfection in processes of sales and marketing, storage and logistics. He also expressed that Norm will continue to offer competitive values to all its customers, whilst at the same time aiming to grow in the American market.

Norm Holding is also establishing a logistics base in the USA, Uysal commented: “We will serve our customers with a warehouse of 2,000m2 and a team of 20 people. The US market is especially large in this sense. As Norm Holding, we believe that we will raise our market share especially in the American continent with the facilities and logistics infrastructure of our company, which we are establishing.”

Pointing out the importance of investments made with the aim of exportation, especially in the economic conditions of Turkey, Uysal said: “We prioritise every investment and opportunity that will bring foreign currency to our country.” www.normholding.com

We produce screws for:

Aerospace

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Mechanical

INDUSTRY NEWS

BIAFD fastener manufacturing day “100% spot on” The British & Irish Association of Fastener Distributors (BIAFD) held a one day ‘Introduction to fastener manufacturing’ at the UK manufacturing facility of Barton Cold Form, an Optimas company.

T

he day comprised of a one hour seminar on cold forming and thread rolling technology, presented by Phil Matten, followed by an introduction to Barton Cold Form, its plant layout and processes, from Zak Tolley, the company’s sales manager.

After a light lunch, the twenty-eight attendees were provided with a guided tour of the manufacturing operation.

While the day was aimed at an introductory level the spectrum of attendees ranged from an entrant who had spent only six months in the fastener industry to experienced quality and general managers.

The day was part of a series of opportunities BIAFD arranges so distribution personnel have a first-hand opportunity to see and learn about fastener manufacturing processes. Previously BIAFD has also arranged tours of the British Steel wire rod mill in Scunthorpe, a rare chance to see the fastener manufacturing process from the beginning.

To continuously improve the provision of services to its members, BIAFD surveyed participants, with more than half responding. Attendees were from a range of quality, sales, purchasing and management roles from across the UK – with only half having previously visited a fastener manufacturing operation. On average respondents found around 40% of the information presented was new to them. New learning included: Grain flow, advantages of cold forming, SEMS manufacture, differences between thread rolling and cutting, the development of tooling and setting up of manufacturing equipment. One respondent commented: “From my basic knowledge level this

course provided me with an understanding of the overall process and was presented in a way for me to understand.”

Another: “The session was 100% spot on for what we were there for.”

Other respondents provided valuable suggestions on how BIAFD could improve future events and the association is now working on additional reference material and the provision of tour headsets.

Overall, respondents gave the session an 88% ‘worthwhile day’ rating, with a 95% rating for the clarity of information presented. More than 90% would definitely recommend a similar day to colleagues.

BIAFD is extremely grateful to Barton Cold Form for providing its excellent seminar facilities and arranging the plant tour. These educational days are organised as a benefit of BIAFD membership, with only a small charge to cover lunch and refreshments. BIAFD membership starts at just GB£400 a year. For more information visit www.biafd.org or email info@biafd.org.uk

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PERSPECTIVE

by Phil Matten, executive editor, Fastener + Fixing Magazine

Phil Matten reflects on some of the key topics currently involving the fastener industry It’s often hard enough to get one’s head around regulatory changes this side of the Atlantic so grappling with US legislation at long range is a real challenge.

W

hich made a few days at the International Fastener Expo (IFE) Las Vegas, a welcome chance to hear directly from fastener industry participants about US tariff regimes, and also California’s Proposition 65 environmental legislation.

‘Prop 65’ has been around for a while – originally enacted in 1986 as California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act – but recent amendments have really sharpened its claws. It aims to assist state consumers in making informed decisions about protecting themselves from chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. Some nine hundred chemicals are cited overall with four very familiar ones relating to mechanical fasteners – cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead and nickel. Technically fairly straightforward but this is consumer protection in a highly litigious society.

No surprise, then, that conversations rapidly transit from the technical to “how do I avoid being sued”. One man has worked hard to pierce the Prop 65 fog.

Carmen Vertullo is a fastener expert, consultant and educator who, importantly, works closely with the NFDA. So, as is often the case, these are the times when association membership pays off in heaps.

When it comes to the ‘Trump Tariffs’, the US fastener industry is conflicted.

Section 232 tariffs on imports of steel products have driven up raw material costs for American fastener producers. While some, nevertheless, approve of the President’s approach, others have applied for an exclusion for their materials.

Exclusions, however, are not exactly forthcoming. The process is labyrinthine, and any application opposed by domestic steel suppliers appears certain to be rejected.

A big bugbear has been tariffs on cold heading wire from Canada. According to Vanessa Sciara, speaking at an IFE seminar, there may be light at the end of that particular tunnel. As deadline after deadline for agreement on Donald Trump’s revised NAFTA drift by, she believes Canada has a stronger hand to require removal of the steel tariffs. Potentially a deal? Maybe.

Section 301 tariffs are specific to imports from China, including most fastener products.

Currently at 10% they are scheduled to ratchet to 25% in January, assuming there is no Trump-Xi deal. Here the division is on familiar lines – importers and distributors abhor the tariffs, manufacturers generally approve the protection.

Unsurprisingly, importers are scrabbling to bring containers in before the New Year – not easy given current lead times from China. Some US importers have evidently switched orders to other factories in Asia. Others seem confident the resolution of the China-US trade war is imminent as US tariffs bite deeply into the Chinese economy. Beijing, they believe, is bound to come to the table and make concessions. Another deal then? Maybe.

Two things are certain. Trade defence measures, whatever their form or legality, are designed to distort markets – and they do.

One way or the other the ripples – or bigger waves – from the rocks plunged into the other side of the pond look set to affect European fastener supply chains.

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NORTH AMERICAN NEWS

by John Wolz, editor, GlobalFastenerNews.com

Trump tariffs prompt immediate fastener price hikes

B

The US fastener industry has responded quickly to Section 301 tariffs of 10% imposed on US$200 billion worth of Chinese goods, including fasteners. righton-Best International stated in a letter to customers: “Section 301 tariffs act as a tax, and effective immediately the replacement costs of all of BBI’s imports of affected items will have increased by 10%. As a result, we have increased our pricing respectively to absorb the cost

increase.”

The duty, imposed by President Donald Trump, is the third round of Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods. Trump has said the tariffs are in response to China’s unfair trade practices. The additional tariffs took effect on 24th September 2018, initially for the amount of 10%. Starting 1 st January 2019, the level of the additional tariffs will increase to 25%.

“These are turbulent times for our industry, however BBI is working to develop a more diversified supply chain to help mitigate this turbulence,” BBI added.

BBI pledged to “diversify” its supply base to mitigate the tariffs, but noted an industry reluctance to build new fastener factories in countries currently unaffected by the duties. “Factory owners have concerns about new investments into unaffected countries as this will be making a business decision based on a political one. As we know, politics can change much faster than business… Owners have a legitimate worry that once a new factory is operational, the tariffs may have been eliminated.”

Jun Xu, BBI president and NFDA board member, told GlobalFastenerNews that the tariffs immediately affect importers.

“Because the effective date of the tariffs is 24th September, and this is based on when the product arrives and passes through customs in the USA, effectively all purchase orders placed 3 months ago to today will have the tariffs applied because production lead time is at least 90 – 120 days. So, the impact is immediate.”

Xu said different companies have employed various tactics “based on their business strategy and financial situation” to stay ahead of the tariffs. “This is effectively an extra tax,” Xu stated. “We are not going to speculate how long these tariffs will last, so we are not going to change our replenishment models.”

What are the long-term effects of Section 301 tariffs on the fastener industry? “This is the million dollar question,” Xu said. “Frankly, no one knows how long these tariffs will last. Because of this uncertainty, it is also unlikely new factories with new production capacity will come online quickly. Factory owners have a legitimate concern that if they spend the money and time to build a new factory (1 plus years), will the tariffs still be in place once the factory is done? Politics change faster than business.”

Others in the fastener industry celebrated the tariffs. “We actually love the tariffs – especially the Asian tariffs,” said one US manufacturer who asked that his company not be identified. “We wish that they had been done sooner, more aggressively, and broader.”

“We do wish that Canada and the US were not in dispute – not a good thing,” said the small screw manufacturer who had complained about steel tariffs. “The tariffs overall have helped us – no question about it.”

26 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

One importer said he has not seen either importers or their customers increasing inventory in advance of tariffs. There is also the question of how much Trump understands about the tariff process. “China’s now paying us billions of dollars in tariffs and hopefully we’ll be able to work something out,” Trump stated the day the latest round of Section 301 tariffs was implemented. That’s not how tariffs work, according to Politico reporter Ben White.

“China doesn’t pay us anything. Importers of the products pay the tariffs and either eat the extra cost or pass it on to consumers.”

On a conference call ahead of the tariff announcement, two senior administration officials could not offer any real explanation for Trump repeatedly saying China would pay the tariffs, White reported: “Asked if these were some kind of special tariffs that nobody knows about, one of the officials said: ‘The tariffs work the way tariffs normally work.’”

Fasteners are listed among the 6,031 tariff codes that would be taxed if the 25% duties are implemented by the US. The tariff appears to apply to nearly all fasteners imported from China.

The Office of the US Trade Representative list includes: 7318.11.00 Iron or steel, coach screws.

7318.12.00 Iron or steel, wood screws (o/than coach screws).

7318.13.00 Iron or steel, screw hooks and screw rings.

7318.14.10

Iron or steel, self-tapping screws, w/shanks or threads less than 6mm in diameter.

7318.14.50

Iron or steel, self-tapping screws, w/shanks or threads 6mm or more in diameter.

7318.15.20

Iron or steel, bolts and bolts & their nuts or washers, imported in the same shipment.

7318.15.40

Iron or steel, machine screws (o/than cap screws), 9.5mm or more in length and 3.2mm in diameter.

7318.15.50 Iron or steel, threaded studs.

7318.15.60

Iron or steel, screws and bolts, nesoi, having shanks or threads less than 6mm in diameter.

7318.15.80

Iron or steel, screws and bolts, nesoi, having shanks or threads 6mm or more in diameter.

7318.19.00

Iron or steel, threaded articles similar to screws, bolts, nuts, coach screws & screw hooks, nesoi.

7318.21.00 Iron or steel, spring washers and other lock washers.

7318.22.00

Iron or steel, washers (o/than spring washers and other lock washers).

7318.23.00 Iron or steel, rivets.

7318.24.00 Iron or steel, cotters and cotter pins.

7318.29.00

Iron or steel, nonthreaded articles similar to rivets, cotters, cotter pins, washers and spring washers.

NORTH AMERICAN NEWS

Riggs: 232 tariff process is like ‘fox guarding the henhouse’ Danielle Riggs, director of international trade compliance at Würth Industry of North America, is no fan of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs or the retaliatory tariffs they’ve spawned from other countries.

R

iggs told the Pac-West Fastener Association: “We are not deliberative (with tariffs) anymore. There is a process. We should have followed it.”

“Normally you find your injury, you file a case with the World Trade Organization, and they investigate,” Riggs explained to attendees of Pac-West’s autumn meeting in Whitefish, MT. “Currently, we have skipped the WTO and done our own investigation under 232, which is like the ‘fox guarding the henhouse’.” The manner in which we’ve gone about this is hurting the process, Riggs stated.

“The manner and the method of how we are doing things (tariffs) today is so out of whack. It’s causing problems not just in this country but around the world.”

Initial Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum applied to 100 part numbers at WINA, Riggs noted. Subsequent rounds of Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods would push the part numbers facing tariffs to 40,000 at her company. Fastener companies needing to identify potential tariff impacts on their products should identify their tariff codes under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS). “Don’t rely on your broker,” Riggs advised. “Either ID your products in-house or with a verified third party.”

It’s important to read all the info relating to your products, including addendums and foot notes. “Classification is an art, not a science.” Secondly, determine your products’ Country of Origin. “Proving country of origin becomes critical in the world of tariffs,” Riggs emphasized.

Customs brokers generally are not responsible for the accuracy of information on import documents, meaning that the certificate of origin included in the documentation is not sufficient for US Customs, which requires mill certificates documenting. “Proving country of origin is the bane of my existence,” Riggs said. “Nobody has mill certificates that connect a product to its raw material sources.”

In addition, Riggs advised companies to access the federal Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system to determine how products will be impacted by tariffs. The ACE system lets importers see what Customs sees by displaying everything claimed in import documents. All import documents must be in English, she pointed out.

If products are being impacted by tariffs, Riggs advised reviewing all product classifications to ensure they are correct. “You need to have an educated and experienced tariff specialist in your business. This is where you will save money on tariffs. There are (third party) services that can also help you do it.” Also, she encouraged companies to explore their supply base for products unaffected by tariffs.

And finally, a fastener company can file for exclusions from the Commerce Department (some customers require this before they allow you to pass along duty).

But even that process is fraught with uncertainty, Riggs noted. “There is no rhyme or reason as to why exclusions are sticking or not sticking.”

FINdex bounces back in Q3

The FIN Fastener Stock Index bounced back in the third quarter of 2018, rising 9.2% after declining 0.4% in the previous quarter. An index of related industrial stocks increased 9.8% in Q3.

Q

uarterly gains were achieved by a broad cross section of fastener companies. Lawson Products had the best FINdex performance in Q3, with share value jumping 39.2% during the period. Other fastener

companies posting strong gains during Q3 included Arconic (up 24.3%); Carpenter Tech (up 12.2%); Dorman Products (up 12.6%); Fastenal (up 20%); Grainger (up 15.8%); Simpson Mfg (up 16.5%); and Stanley Black & Decker (up 10.2%).

FINdex stocks losing share value during the quarter included Bisco Industries (down 4%); KLX (down 12.7%); and Tree Island Steel (down 17%).

28 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

During the first six months of 2018, both the FINdex and an index of related industrial stocks were essentially unchanged. The FINdex achieved marginal growth of 0.3% in the opening quarter of 2018, compared to an 11.7% loss by an index of related industrial stocks.

In 2017, the FINdex rose 20.2%, compared to a 22.7% increase by an index of related industrial stocks.

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NORTH AMERICAN NEWS

Lindstrom acquires Stelfast Lindstrom LLC has acquired Stelfast Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Both companies are prominent importers and master distributors.

L

indstrom has been owned by Harbour Group Industries, a St Louis, MO-based equity investment company, since 2011. Harbour Group CEO Jeff Fox said Stelfast’s executive team will remain with the business.

Industry sources speculate that Harbour Group is building up Lindstrom to sell the company. Lindstrom CEO Neil Yeargin said it “looks forward to partnering with Stelfast to build lasting value for our customers. It is evident both companies share core values in serving customers with expansive distribution, secondary processing and packaging services”.

The acquisition expands both Lindstrom’s “physical footprint and product offering” and “enhances our service levels and ability to meet all of our customers’ needs”, Yeargin said.

Simmi Sakhuja, president and second generation owner of Stelfast, termed the Lindstrom “team and culture a great fit with Stelfast”.

“These two companies are uniquely suited to serve our customers with an enhanced service capability and we are eager to demonstrate this to the market,” Simmi said.

Fox noted Stelfast “focuses on service and flexibility to meet the needs of its distributor customers, by offering a broad product line with great customer service”.

“As we have gotten to know the team, it has become clear that Stelfast’s customer-first mentality is deeply ingrained in the organization,” Fox said.

Lindstrom’s founder, Virg Lindstrom, had returned from retirement to run the company. Lindstrom was founded in 1983 as Lindstrom Metric Inc. It is a master distributor of specialty fasteners and sells exclusively to distributors.

Lindstrom is the exclusive master distributor of Bossard Group products in the US. It has branches in Illinois, South Carolina, Texas, New York and Toronto and is headquartered in Minnesota.

Stelfast was founded in 1972 as Eses Limited by Surinder Sakhuja as a manufacturer of industrial gears and screw machine products. The company became Stelfast in 1976.

Today Stelfast is an importer and master distributor of fasteners from Asia, Europe and South America.

Headquartered in Ohio Stelfast has 10 distribution branches, servicing 12,000 customers across North America.

30 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

Walker officially takes reins th as IFI’s 8 managing director Dan Walker has taken the reins at the Industrial Fasteners Institute (IFI) as the manufacturers’ trade association’s managing director.

I

n June the IFI named Walker as its 8th managing director beginning in August. Walker held multiple technical roles with the Metal Building Manufacturers Association, eventually becoming general manager.

He has 20 years of trade association management experience, having also been executive director of the Concrete & Masonry Anchor Manufacturers Association.

Walker holds a bachelors degree in civil engineering from Cleveland State University and is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Ohio. Walker commented that as an organization, the “IFI has a proud history of technical leadership and education that is second to none. Our members and highly qualified staff have achieved a great deal towards ensuring a healthy and vibrant fastener industry through their research, standards, advocacy and education programs. The member leadership has set clear goals for the sustained growth of the institute, and I’m very excited to start helping them achieve those goals”.

Walker essentially succeeds Rob Harris, IFI managing director since 1995. Harris retired at the end of 2017 and returned as interim director after a brief tenure of Ken McCreight as managing director.

“I’ve had the chance to work with Dan during this transition, and I know we have the right person for the job,” Harris said. “I feel very confident that I am leaving this great organization in good hands.”

Founded in 1931, the IFI is a trade association of leading North American fastener manufacturers and suppliers of materials, machinery, equipment and/or engineered services. The IFI is based in Ohio. www.indfast.org

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RUSSIAN + CIS NEWS Alexander Ostashov, editor, Fastener, Adhesives, Tools and…Magazine www.fastinfo.ru

Successful ‘Wire-Fasteners’ conference The regular conference ‘Wire-Fasteners’ was successfully held in Gelendzhik (Krasnodar region) on 19th – 20th September. Participants took part in a study tour to the Abinsky electrometallurgical plant, where fastener production is planned to commence in 2019.

A

t the opening of the conference, Boris Yarantsev, general director of the Prommetiz Association, spoke on the future development of the Russian market of fasteners. He noted three critical inhibiting factors: The shortage of high-quality rolled steel, the lack of existing production capacities, and the competitiveness of the product.

Other speakers included: Ilya Belyakov, head of analytics, long products division, NLMK-Sort: ‘An overview of the nail market’ and a “Welding wire market review’.

Artyom Kuznetsov, head of the department for product portfolio development, Prommetholding: ‘Development prospects for the Russian wire rod market’.

Alexey Sorokin, general director of BelZAN MET LLC (subsidiary of BelZAN JSC): ‘Domestic long products for the production of hardware – problems and prospects’.

Yury Lavrinenko, Ph.D., head of the standardisation department for automotive products, FSUE NAMI: ‘Rational choice and use of materials for high strength fasteners and springs in the automotive industry’.

BelZAN shareholders oppose proposed reorganisation Shareholders of Belebeevsky Avtonormal Plant (BelZAN) opposed reorganisation plans proposed at an extraordinary general meeting on 17th September.

T

he key business of the meeting was a proposal by the board of directors to reorganise the company by merging four subsidiaries – BelZAN MET LLC, BelZAN MK, BelZAN Service and CJSC Belspring. The reasons and goals of the reorganisation had not previously been explained by BelZAN. The voting results of a meeting conducted using absentee voting showed that 99.99% of shareholders voted against the proposal. The board of directors offered shareholders who voted against the reorganisation the opportunity to sell their shares at 1.24 roubles each.

The authorised share capital of BelZAN consists of 358 million ordinary shares and 2.34 million preferred shares with a nominal value of 1 rouble. As of the beginning of the year, 99.2% of BelZAN authorised capital is owned by the bankrupt OJSC AvtoVAZagregat (Toliatti). In fact, the plant is controlled by a creditor – RT-Capital, a subsidiary of Rostekh.

Currently, BelZAN, as the leading manufacturer of fasteners and springs for the automotive industry in Russia, is certified as a co-contractor of the inter-branch programme, approved by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, to develop new types and improve the quality of metal products for the automotive industry for the period 2018 – 2023.

32 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

Rosizolit offers composite fastener solution The Rosizolit Company, based in St Petersburg, has mastered the manufacture of threaded fasteners from glass composite based on an epoxy binder reinforcing with glass filaments.

T

he products, studs and nuts for special purposes, are manufactured in accordance with the requirements for threaded connections of international standard ISO 724: 1993 and GOST 24705-2004. They have also been approved for use in many Russian enterprises.

Specialists have tested the products in The Rosizolit Company’s own laboratory, to confirm compliance of declared characteristics to the requirements of the Russian GOST.

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RUSSIAN + CIS NEWS

Chinese metallurgical plant to be built in far east Russia

Leroy Merlin developing new main logistics hub

The administration of Primorsky region has announced that the managements of Primorye and Hebei Commercial and Industrial Corporation Bi Shi (China) signed an agreement of intent for Chinese investors to build a metallurgical plant worth about 3.4 billion roubles (€45 million) in the region.

The developer PNK Group will build a 140,000m2 distribution centre for the DIY, hardware and garden retailer Leroy Merlin in the Bely Rast logistic complex in the Dmitrovsky district of the Moscow region.

A

ndrei Tarasenko, the interim governor of the region and the chairman of the board of directors of the Chinese corporation Bi Jing’an, met to discuss the development of the plant. Mr Tarasenko noted that a shipbuilding cluster will soon be created in Primorye, as well as many other construction projects being realised. Therefore, ship steel and iron fittings will be in demand in the region. “Our intentions are serious, to the extent that companies are ready to conclude contracts for the supply of ship steel,” said Tarasenko. He also suggested foreign partners should consider the potential to build a sea terminal in the location of the planned plant.

T

otal investment will be 10 billion roubles (€132.7 million) and the facility is planned to be commissioned in Autumn 2019. The new project will become Leroy Merlin’s main logistics hub in Russia.

The deal between PNK Group and Leroy Merlin will be the largest built-to-suit project in the entire Russian history of the warehouse real estate market.

Mariya Valiakhmetova, editor in chief, Metiz Magazine, Ukraine

MMK-Metiz investing in modernisation and new capabilities MMK-Metiz is investing more than 2.5 billion roubles (approximately €33 million) in production for new hardware and modernisation of existing capacities.

M

arina Holopova, head of sales at MMK-Metiz, said the modernisation has been planned from 2017 through to 2019 and will strengthen the company’s position as the leading supplier of the Russian industry. Some large projects are at different stages of realisation right now.

In 2017 – 2018 the company bought several lines to expand a range of fasteners and to improve quality. These were Taiwanese automatic machines for cold forming DIN standard fasteners from M6 – M12 diameters. Additionally, there has been investment to produce larger fasteners, which includes a German quench and tempering line for high strength M6 – M30 fasteners.

A local manufactured zinc plating line will handle fasteners from

34 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

M12 to M36 diameter. The new equipment enhances the quality of heat treatment and expands the size range that can be zinc plated. This particular project has involved investment of around 400 million roubles.

In 2018 the company bought a new complex for tapping screws production with a capacity of 1,200 tonnes per year.

Another large investment project is a complex for production of high carbon wire and steel ropes, costing more than 1.5 billion roubles. In 2019 MMK-Metiz plans to start a new complex producing coiled bar, consisting of two high efficiency automatic lines with the capacity of 36,000 tonnes per year, and representing an investment of more than 600 million roubles.

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ASIAN NEWS

First half of 2018 sets records for Taiwan fastener exports The fastener exports of Taiwan did well in the first half of this year, reports Fastener World Magazine, setting new records in export volume, price and value.

F

astener export volume in the first six months of 2018 totalled 830,299 tonnes, an increase of 5.65% over the same period 2017. The average export price rose by 10.63% to US$2.866 per kilogram. Export value increased significantly by 16.89% to US$2.379 billion (€2 billion).

Since last year, the growth of the American and European economy, coupled with increased demand in overseas markets and global steel price inflation, led China Steel Corporation to raise the price of wire rod to domestic fastener producers. This contributed significantly to the value of Taiwan fastener exports hitting new records. Fastener World Magazine says the full year performance of Taiwan’s industry has a good chance of raising the bar further.

Export statistics of top 10 fastener products (including steel nails) in the first six months of 2018 (country ranking) Volume (kg)

Country

Value (US$)

Average Price (US$/kg)

Proportion

YOY Change

Proportion

YOY Change

Average Price

YOY Change

322,817,367

40.08%

3.85%

904,594,071

38.01%

14.8%

2.718

10.54%

Germany

77,863,341

9.38%

6.62%

228,399,418

9.6%

26.86%

2.933

18.99%

3

The Netherlands

47,997,890

5.78%

5.97%

136,581,917

5.74%

21.39%

2.846

14.55%

4

Japan

37,605,891

4.53%

9.8%

126,382,069

5.31%

19.17%

3.361

8.53%

5

Canada

30,210,669

3.64%

23.89%

80,931,226

3.4%

28.65%

2.679

3.84%

6

UK

28,542,024

3.44%

-8.68%

88,831,374

3.73%

2.99%

3.112

12.78%

7

Italy

21,556,381

2.6%

15.93%

56,794,881

2.39%

28.83%

2.635

11.13%

8

Poland

18,101,363

2.18%

-2.76%

36,753,927

1.54%

12.95%

2.03

16.15%

9

Switzerland

15,539,201

1.87%

-7.27%

50,361,441

2.12%

6.09%

3.241

14.41%

10

Spain

14,524,568

1.75%

8.81%

35,759,608

1.5%

23.07%

2.462

13.11%

1

USA

2

Volume

Value

Export statistics of top 10 fastener products (including steel nails) in the first six months of 2018 (product ranking) Volume (kg)

Products

Volume

Value (US$)

Proportion YOY Change

Value

6.12% 1,210,057,141

Average Price (US$/kg)

Proportion YOY Change Average Price

YOY Change

1

7318159000 – Other screws and bolts

443,246,919

53.38%

50.84%

17.13%

2.73

2

7318160000 – Nuts

156,599,539

18.86%

6.9%

492,414,655

20.69%

15.62%

3.144

10.38% 8.16%

3

1318140000 – Self-drilling screws

105,430,875

12.7%

11.12%

278,300,201

11.69%

24.38%

2.64

11.93%

4

7318120000 – Wood screws

44,033,726

5.3%

10.89%

112,102,719

4.71%

22.98%

2.546

10.9%

5

7317009010 – Steel nails

36,661,445

4.42%

-16.88%

52,785,010

2.22%

-4.58%

1.44

14.81%

6

7318220000 – Other washers

9,700,921

1.17%

4.64%

47,120,150

1.98%

14.35%

4.857

9.28%

7

7318190000 – Other threaded products

9,625,838

1.16%

-11.57%

47,097,479

1.98%

7.81%

4.893

21.92%

8

7318290000 – Other non-threaded products

9,384,952

1.13%

18.93%

41,589,202

1.75%

25.25%

4.431

5.31%

9

7318230000 – Rivets

3,974,089

0.48%

3.87%

14,734,442

0.7%

1.14%

4.211

-2.63%

3,573,487

0.43%

-1.47%

17,358,944

0.73%

6.11%

4.858

7.69%

10 7318240000 – Pins

Export statistics of top 10 fastener products (including steel nails) in the first six months of 2018 (in monthly order) Year

2018

Month

Volume (kg)

Value (US$)

Average Price (US$/kg)

Proportion

YOY Change

Proportion

YOY Change

Average Price

January

143,189,893

17.25%

2.91%

406,610,542

17.08%

15.47%

2.84

12.2%

February

116,380,265

14.02%

4.31%

333,098,396

14%

18.29%

2.862

13.41%

Volume

Value

YOY Change

March

143,602,791

17.3%

8.45%

414,791,346

17.43%

23.04%

2.888

13.45%

April

130,210,982

15.68%

6.25%

375,123,240

15.76%

16.88%

2.881

10%

May

156,985,106

18.91%

2.75%

446,960,547

18.78%

11.56%

2.847

8.57%

June

139,930,453

16.85%

9.8%

403,384,132

16.95%

17.36%

2.883

6.89%

830,299,490

100%

5.65%

2,379,968,742

100%

16.89%

2.866

10.63%

Total

36 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

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ASIAN NEWS

New generation QuickDrill raises standards

Sherex Taiwan receives IATF certification

The QuickDrill series, manufactured by Bi-Mirth Corporation, is one of the most recognised products in the European market, according to Fastener World Magazine.

T

he fifth generation of the series has been further developed, following extensive design work, feedback from customers, and internal testing.

The new model focuses on providing swift and clean drilling performance, accomplished by ‘thinning’ the thread, which reduces drilling torque without drastically affecting torsional strength. In addition to the launch of QuickDrill V this year, Bi-Mirth president, Thomas Shih, has proudly presented the latest certification from SGS for patented technology that combines heat treatment and surface treatment alterations in order to combat cold embrittlement up to -60ºC. Testing for the screws was carried out in a controlled temperature and humidity chamber.

Bi-Mirth devotes part of its efforts on developing fasteners that stay resilient during drastic temperature change due to global warming and its extreme side effects.

According to Thomas: “Bi-Mirth is one of the few manufacturers that cover most of the production process, which includes forming, electroplating, coating, and packaging. The company strives to compete in the industry with updated equipment and a heavy focus on quality and development. The aim for Bi-Mirth is to increase product yield rate from 70% to 80% – 90% in the future and to accomplish what others cannot.”

Sherex Fastening Solutions has announced that its Taiwanese production facility has received IATF 16949:2016 certification.

I

ATF 16949:2016, which establishes specific quality management system requirements for the automotive market, replaces ISO/TS 16949:2009. To gain accreditation, businesses must possess quality systems that focus on continuous improvement to prevent defects and eliminate variation and waste throughout the supply chain.

“Since its inception in 2005, Sherex Taiwan, led by Dr Alex Hsiao, has provided industry leading new product development and manufacturing – utilising robust quality systems,” says Adam Pratt, president at Sherex.

“We are excited to see our efforts acknowledged through the IATF accreditation.”

Chinese wire rod prices escalate According to indices published by CuSteel and SunSirs, average costs for wire rod in China have increased by around 9% since the end of July.

A

recent report in China Daily indicates that the Chinese steel industry has seen a revival in fortunes during 2018 and is expected to see continued positive profitability into the first quarter of 2019 at least. All sixteen listed steel companies reporting results up to October, saw increased profitability and earnings, with many experiencing better than 50% improvement. The report says that the stronger performance has been primarily the result of higher product prices and tighter supplies over the last two years due to stringent environmental controls. The report quotes Mysteel.com as expecting steel prices to surge further during the fourth quarter as the supply side tightens on winter environmental production restrictions.

This year Beijing has devolved responsibility for applying air pollution controls on heavy industries to provincial governments, leading to speculation that output may not be so tightly curtailed as in previous years. Northern China’s Hebei province has announced a longer term cap on steel production, aimed at bringing output down to 200 million metric tonnes by 2020. This compares with peak production in 2011 at around 320 million metric tonnes and 2017 output at 239 million metric tonnes. Hebei is targeting a 15% reduction in 2.5 micron particulate emissions to 55 mcg/m3 by 2020. However, the reduction target for this winter has been eased to 3% compared with 5% previously – although this still appears to be an ambitious target given domestic heating is a major contributor to city air pollution.

38 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

Global steel production increased 4.7% in the first nine months of 2018 compared to the same period in 2017, according to the World Steel Association. Chinese steel output rose 6.1% in the first three quarters. The global growth combined with expectations Chinese steel mills will still need to improve emissions performance during the coming winter has pushed up iron ore prices, particularly for the less polluting higher grade fines. Benchmark prices for 62%Fe fines have increased 20% since early July to around US$76/tonne CFR Qingdao (as of 26th October).

This compares with 2017-18 winter peak levels of around US$79/t. Coking coal prices also hit a 13 month high in October, on the back of an announcement by the Chinese coal mine safety watchdog that it will inspect all mines in the next six months. The action follows a coal mine accident in Shandong mid-October that killed eight people, and the shutting of more than 40 mines in the province for immediate safety checks. Coking coal prices on the Dalian Commodity Exchange rose above US$205 per tonne, a level not seen since September 2017.

Increased raw material costs, if sustained, will put pressure on Chinese steel makers’ profitability, increasing the probability that wire rod prices will hold up.

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Exhibitors expand 46% at Intersolar South America The Intersolar South America (ISA) exhibition and conference for the solar industry, was held in São Paulo, Brazil, on 27th – 29th August 2018.

F

ocused on the areas of photovoltaics, PV production technologies, energy storage and solar thermal technologies, the meeting has become an interesting road for important fastener companies, as the joint venture Ejot-Fey, Ciser, Inox-Par and other exhibitors demonstrated.

The event has shown that the energy model has the potential to be a great success – after all Brazil is a place with high solar intensity during most of the year. For comparison, in the coldest Brazilian regions, such as Rio Grande do Sul in the south, the annual

temperature average is around 19.5ºC. While, in Rio Grande do Norte – in the north-east and around 3,100km away – the temperature average is around 25.5ºC. Differently from many other trades fairs – and all economy sectors – during the last three editions ISA jumped from 180 exhibitors in 2016, to 263 in 2018, and received almost 20,000 visitors, double the level two years previously, although one factor would almost certainly have been because that edition took place during the last recession.

Three in one: EBRATS, FESQUA and FEITINTAS For optimisation of costs, structure and general organistion, three trade fairs were held simultaneously from 12th – 15th September 2018, at the São Paulo Expo Exhibition and Convention Center.

T

he exhibitions were: EBRATS – the Brazilian meeting and exposition of surface finishing; FESQUA – the international trade show for the window & door industry; and FEITINTAS – the paint industry, varnishes and related products fair.

Unlike Intersolar South America, which experienced growth between 2016 and 2018, these three events still face the recession effects that kept away many exhibitors. However, this intelligent solution generated good results, including keeping the same pavilion for the fastener companies, the FESQUA exhibitors, and surface treatments suppliers, from EBRATS.

Volvo recall due to incorrect rivet At the end of August Volvo started a recall involving 207 units of the XC40 SUV, recently imported into Brazil.

V

olvo said it was necessary to make repairs to the braking system, caused by the incorrect application of a rivet to the pivot. This risked unexpected brake pedal movement, which could compromise driver control unexpectedly while the vehicle was in motion and compromise driver actions in motion. The cars involved were produced between 6th July and 9 th August 2018.

40 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

Other good news came from the ABTS – the Brazilian association for surface finishing. ABTS celebrated 50 years of activities and announced that the next, 17 th edition, of EBRATS will be held in 2020, together with its new partners. The events will now take place every two years, not every three years as previously, according to Mr Airi Zanini, the president of the Brazilian unit of MacDermid Enthone and of the ABTS.

Tiguan Allspace recall due to potential low torque of nut The Tiguan Allspace SUV manufactured by Volkswagen between 2016 and 2018 was recalled for maintenance on the front suspension.

T

he German automaker found there was a possibility of low torque (tightening) on the nut that secures the pivot on the suspension front, which implies the risk of loosening and possibility of accidents.

COVER STORY

Chavesbao – on the front line Chavesbao has established itself as a reference wholesaler throughout Europe – supplying an ever growing range of high-quality fasteners and fixings.

Here we speak to Jorge Cámara, export manager at Chavesbao, about how the company meets the demands of the market and its plans for the future.

Chavesbao has been established for over 50 years.

What would you say have been the key developments in the company’s history?

“For me it is the evolution from a regional general industrial supplier to a global fastener wholesaler. When Chavesbao was first established it dealt with a wide variety of products – fasteners were only a small percentage of the business. Today, the company has become 100% a fastener wholesaler and a reliable reference in the European and worldwide markets. Our unique mix of people, technology, knowledge, and expertise, in the various sectors of the industry – along with our passion for excellent service – gives us the ability to provide solutions adapted to the needs of our customers.

There have been many milestones during our growth and with each one we have learnt a lot and continued to develop and grow as a business.

You need to always be thinking of new opportunities and products for the future to ensure you can stay at the forefront of the industry and supply the products your customers need. We are grateful and committed to all those customers supporting us with their daily confidence.”

42 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

How important are distributors in the fastener market?

“Distributors are the connecting link between the reality of industries and end users, and the manufacturers. Knowing the needs from both levels and understanding them is key to being able to not only meet but exceed requests and requirements. Good communication, driven by the reseller channel, and the accurate transfer of information in both directions is also vital to being successful.

Distribution plays a crucial role within the supply chain and the voice of distributors needs to be heard, listened to and taken into account at European institutions when rules and standards are being decided. The European Fastener Distributor Association (EFDA) is our voice and representation with the European Commission, as well as other European and worldwide institutions and associations – helping to point out the value of distributors.”

What regulatory developments do you see on the horizon?

Our industry is always changing and driving us to move, adapt and evolve.”

How have customers’ demands changed over recent years?

“The economic crash in 2009, and its consequences, affected all of us, including the demand trends (expectations, quantity lots, communication) and how companies worked.

Our industry is always changing and driving us to move, adapt and evolve. The markets are evolving to demand tougher quality requirements and specifications – more CE certifications, the traceability of goods, higher standards in mechanical properties and chemical compositions, the development of coatings, and more security, which means investing in several resources to improve inner processes and services. This requires a lot more work and investment by businesses, but it also leads to improving our sector.

Another big change is the demand from customers online. The internet is showing its power of potential with leads and orders arriving from everywhere around the world. This is changing how distributors go to the market, but the internet is also creating new competition (Amazon) and cannibalising the distribution channel.”

“The EU norm standards framework is showing a step forward with the industry pushing towards new technologies. Euro norms are becoming a key part of the industry and helping increase the level of standards when manufacturing, with more controls in every process. This is very positive for the fastener sector, as it means improving quality.

What is really placing a big question mark on the sustainability of all of our business is the current worldwide geopolitical positioning – tariff protectionism, new economic tensions, as well as serious frictions inside the EU. What are the meeting points we should demand from our ‘leaders’? It is a steady challenge sailing in unstable and uncertain waters when trying to develop long-term relationships.”

What plans does Chavesbao have for the next 2 – 3 years?

“In May 2017 I talked about the fastener industry being like a living puzzle, as it is always evolving.

As a business, we are always looking to improve our product portfolio with new products every year, as well as targeting new markets.

One topic that will be an opportunity, but also a challenge for the future, is how Chavesbao adapts properly to issues such as Industry 4.0 and digitalisation, especially when involving accurate service, logistics, products and stock availability.

Another critical factor is how we keep close human relationships with our customers to really understand their needs and requirements.

At Chavesbao we are driven by excellence, which is enhanced and supported by continuous improvement – to be competitive within the market and distinguished as an influential and reliable fastener supplier partner. Values, ethics, and integrity is the DNA of our company, and is part of our teams, processes and services – guiding us to build up long running collaborations and giving positivity and added value.

It is an honour carrying this responsibility and facing challenges with this team I feel so proud of.”

What are your plans for Fastener Fair Stuttgart? How important is the show?

“For Chavesbao, exhibiting and being present at Fastener Fair shows always creates, first of all, a great chance to meet existing customers, as well as strengthen our partnerships with existing suppliers.

They are also a platform to keep up to date on developing markets and they are an opportunity to open new business doors. We need these forums, as meeting points where we can get close to people, to update ourselves on developments and to feel the pulse of the market. Fastener Fair Stuttgart is the most important and the main European fair for fasteners and fixings, with an international impact worldwide. It is also a magnificent opportunity to consolidate the Chavesbao image and transfer a picture and essence of what we are. Being at the show, on the front line, is a real privilege. We look forward to meeting you there.” www.chavesbao.com

FASTENERANDFIXING.COM 43

FACE2FACE

Graham Joyce

Managing director, Fastbolt Distributors (UK) Ltd At the end of 2018 Graham Joyce steps down as managing director of Fastbolt’s UK business. Executive Editor Phil Matten prompted him to reflect on nearly 30 years of directorship.

What came before Fastbolt?

“My training was a five year HND apprenticeship in mechanical engineering with General Motors. At the end of it there were very few positions within the engineering side of the business, so I was asked to use my background in other areas. From necessity I took a job in purchasing, working my way through the ranks to eventually become a buyer for what was then Vauxhall Motors. The company was divided, between car and commercial vehicles, and I was promoted to the truck plant, part of the business that particularly interested me.

After 16 years with GM I reluctantly recognised there was no future for me there. It and every other UK commercial vehicle manufacturer was pretty well on its knees. I was offered two or three jobs, with a choice eventually between Lotus, in Norfolk, and Panther, in Surrey. I accepted the Panther position on the basis it was going to broaden my purchasing – I was purchasing manager for the company, responsible for everything from toilet rolls to engines.

Panther’s ambitions were to introduce a new car – a 2.9 litre, four-wheel drive, Kevlar construction ‘bullet’ – but it never came into full production. It was a fun time – but fraught with anxiety. By that time my youngest son was born, and I was spending too many hours commuting.

So I looked for another, short-term job, closer to home. I responded to Fastbolt’s advert in the Daily Telegraph – and was interviewed by Heinz Storch, in his cravat, on a Saturday morning.”

What were your thoughts about joining Fastbolt?

“My wife didn’t think it would last and when we saw Fastbolt’s then building in Blakelands she definitely shook her head. Heinz sort of convinced me there was a big future for the company. Even so, I still saw it as a stopgap until I could get back into automotive.

I had been doing a lot of commuting and international travelling and I had promised my wife I’d cut that down. That worked really well – within six weeks I was in the Far East on a three week trip with Heinz, and went on to spend a very large part of my early career with Fastbolt travelling.

That first trip to Asia was first class on Cathay Pacific – a nice way to start. We flew to Hong Kong, did a little bit of China, although in those days it wasn’t really open, and then Taiwan and Korea.

China then was blue caps and uniforms – and bicycles. In fact, we were in Hong Kong heading to China when the Tiananmen Square demonstration started. Quite exciting for me – frightening for my wife.

Heinz basically told me the world was my lobster – ‘off you go and explore whatever sources you can’. It was an open brief. We talked on the return flight about whether he needed to come with me again. ‘No’, I said, ‘you need to let me be my own man’. Put mildly, we had totally different styles.”

One of the things about which I think Fastbolt should be proud is its long-term partnerships. Even today, we may not deal with the same companies, but we often deal with companies that evolved from them, and in many ways were part of that evolution.”

44 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

How different was China to Taiwan then?

“Socially, Taiwan was hugely different, much more developed, much more open. Even in the early days of China, you could still find comfortable clean hotels, at least in the western influenced cities. Once outside of those areas I found myself staying in some pretty rough places – just to get to the sources.

I turned up once in Tianjin and it was minus 19ºC – I slept in my coat that night.

After that China began to open up gradually.

Last time I was in Shanghai you wouldn’t know it was any different to New York or Paris.”

How about the technology?

“The technology then was very low. One of the reasons I was recruited was to bring technical expertise to the company. I researched fastener manufacturing because it wasn’t something I’d previously been involved in. Even so, it was still quite an eye opener. In one factory they were taking bolts out of the furnace and carrying them across the floor before quenching them. I said to Heinz they are decarburising all the way across, I am not sure at the time he fully understood.

We weren’t buying bolts from China then – we simply couldn’t take the risk.

We did buy small screws. I don’t think anyone in China had a direct export licence so we bought through trading companies in Hong Kong, from factories just over the border in Shenzen.

My influence in those days was to drag the quality level up to where it needed to be. In the very early days Fastbolt had no real inspection facilities, no ring gauges or penetration gauges.

That rapidly changed. Soon we invested a lot of money in Greenslade equipment to set-up a dedicated inspection room at Milton Keynes.

We still have it, but these days it is pretty well redundant. Most Fastbolt inspection is carried out close to source by our accredited FQC laboratory in Shanghai and in the far more extensively equipped goods receival area in Germany.

Originally it was more of a defence mechanism against customer claims. Those days I would suggest a lot of customers returned products because they didn’t want it rather than that there was anything wrong with it. Investing in the equipment meant we could quickly demonstrate our product was to specification.

There were few better equipped in the UK marketplace. Heinz was again ahead of the game – a pioneer in developing imports from the Far East.”

One of the reasons I was recruited was to bring technical expertise to the company. I researched fastener manufacturing because it wasn’t something I’d previously been involved in. Even so, it was still quite an eye opener.”

What about the relationships?

“I took over as Taiwan was becoming the emerging force in fastener manufacturing. One of the things about which I think Fastbolt should be proud is its long-term partnerships. Even today, we may not deal with the same companies, but we often deal with companies that evolved from them, and in many ways were part of that evolution. Of course, we have to buy economically but the quality is paramount.

Sound relationships mean you get things done. You are told the truth.

You get help when you really need it. It’s a matter of building trust. Nothing specifically to do with fasteners – all about effective relationships between buyer and seller. When you are 6,000 miles away you need to trust that someone is doing what they said they would do.

In the early days, particularly, that’s where we scored. We spent such a lot of time in Asia – we still do, but so now do many others. Spending days with suppliers, learning about their processes and them learning about our processes. Suppliers used to visit us too – the mirror image of what we were doing. These were big factories that needed volumes to feed their production lines and they had to be sure they were dealing with a genuine player.

Again, Heinz’ forethought in investing in a modern building was so important. I joined before it was completed and one of my first tasks really was to move us. Pre computers – still on card inventory records!

Travelling around the Far East then was also different. My suitcase held very little in the way of clothes, but an awful lot of paperwork. Now you just take your laptop and it’s all there. Then I had massive files and huge spreadsheets – in the early days hand written ones.

You look at where the company is today and where it started – it has been a massive journey. I remember Heinz popping the champagne cork the first time we achieved GB£200,000 sales in a month. Look at it now. It’s just a shame he’s not here to see it. His vision is what got us where we are today – and that vision sustains as does the growth. I think people underestimated how innovative a man he was. He never stopped thinking about the business, about how he could change and improve things.

On that first trip, he was doodling on a flight magazine. He’d taken a picture of one of the high-rise hotels and stylised it into the head of a bolt.

That was the start of the Fastbolt logo – although like the company it has evolved dramatically since.”

FASTENERANDFIXING.COM 45

FACE2FACE Purchasing professional to UK managing director.

What did you think?

“I had some fairly lengthy discussions with Heinz about whether I was the right person – my doubts, not his. I was concerned there were aspects of the business, like finance, on which I lacked experience. He was very reassuring, that he would be there to support me.

What did I think? I was really quite surprised to be here. Thirty years on I still don’t think I’ve been in fasteners very long. You sometimes listen to yourself talk and you don’t know where the knowledge came from – you’ve just absorbed it.

I was sort of excited about the job, but nervous. I felt I had a lot to learn.

But Heinz was right, he told me the trick is to employ the right people and to trust them to do their job.

Looking back, I realise I was right to just be myself. That’s how you get to the position, so don’t let it change you.

I’ve never felt uncomfortable in the job. I’ve felt uncomfortable in the market, when it’s not been going so well. But I’ve always felt Fastbolt was an outstanding performer in whatever environment we were in. As a company we need to be proud of that.

I spent more time with customers but one of the benefits of a buyer becoming a salesperson, or vice-versa, is you hopefully know how the other thinks. It’s a mirror image. Certainly, my approach towards sales has always been about relationships. To build trust, prove you can do what you say you can do, and have confidence in the mechanism behind you to take over and deliver. If we tell our customers we can support them, we unquestionably can, but we’ll never promise what we cannot deliver.

Personalities come into it, inevitably, but on the whole there are a great bunch of people out there. One thing I will miss is the banter with people in the industry.”

The roughest times?

“Obviously recessions … and areas of unknowns. Things like anti-dumping.

Even now, BREXIT. Where you really don’t know how you can contend with them until they confront you. Sometimes they really surprise you. We were mentally geared up for a level of anti-dumping duties but the reality turned out to be three times higher than we expected.

That said, in many ways I enjoyed the tough times. With your back to the wall, you learn a lot about how your business has to be refined in order to come out the other side stronger.”

How has the importer/wholesaler role changed in 30 years?

“In the early days we were somewhat unique. Importing then had a lot of mystique about it. The internet, ease of travel, speed of communication, a lot of things have made it more transparent. It’s easier to import today, but far more challenging to get it right.

Finding the factories is more straightforward. Managing the supply chain from factory to your customer is more complex than ever. The innovation of FQC in China, and the implementation of a more formalised inspection process by qualified people, was really transformational for Fastbolt.

The ethos of Fastbolt has always been to supply distributors only.

Heinz recognised from the start you could not ‘run with the hare and the hounds’ and have integrity. These days we simply do not have the infrastructure to support a user customer. We have refined and specialised our business to be effective in supporting the distributor.

In the beginning, Heinz’ philosophy was simple. If we had it in stock we could sell it. My job was to ensure we had it in stock. It’s still true today.

Distributors do not, in most cases cannot, carry the depth or breadth of stock.

For the smaller companies the wholesaler is fundamental to their business future. For the larger guys we are a catch net. I don’t see a time when that is going to change – in the UK particularly there are hundreds of smaller, owner managed businesses that depend on the wholesalers. Now, though, importing and wholesaling is increasingly about sophisticated logistics and communication, about being the lean and efficient chain from the point of production to the point of delivery.”

46 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

In six months time, will I regret leaving?

I don’t think so. I am ready. The company is going in a great direction, and I believe in the people we have here in the UK and in the entire Fastbolt Group.

That confidence means I walk away without a concern.”

Core values for Fastbolt?

“Quality and integrity – to me these are the two pillars of this company – and the people we employ. Some people we employed didn’t stay long because they rapidly found they didn’t fit our culture. Those that stayed, as most have in the long-term, form a great team.”

Regrets?

“In six months time, will I regret leaving?

I don’t think so. I am ready. The company is going in a great direction, and I believe in the people we have here in the UK and in the entire Fastbolt Group. That confidence means I walk away without a concern.

I was there at the birth of this company – which was lucky. I’m immensely proud of where we are today. It’s time.” www.fastbolt.com

THE COLOR OF FASTENING

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INSIGHT

Rosmil to double its storage capacity Rosmil Industrial Company has begun construction work on the expansion of its automated warehouse, which will see its storage capacity double to meet the growing demand for its products across Europe.

F

ounded in 1976, Rosmil specialises in the supply of fasteners and has continued to grow and build a well stocked store that includes hard to procure items. Based near Bilbao, the company currently has a 5,000m2 automatic warehouse where it supplies a range of high strength products – such as bolts, nuts, washers, studs, inserts, pins, and snap rings, to customers worldwide including those in Spain, Portugal, France, and the UK. By acquiring the adjoining 3,000m2 unit, Rosmil will be able to increase its stock offering to 5,000 pallet spaces and fully automate its picking process. “At the moment we’re simply running out of space. The new warehouse – once fully operational – will allow us to streamline the order process, with orders going straight to the shop floor ready to be picked and shipped within 24 hours,” comments Javier Sanz, commercial director, Rosmil Industrial. “It will also allow us to expand our general catalogue and answer market demand from our customers, in particular adding a new line of references and stocking products with zinc-flake coatings.”

Javier continues: “This market demand for coatings is a fundamental driving force behind the new warehouse, as fastener coatings are becoming more and more important as new surface protecting materials are being discovered. Classic zinc-plating, bichromate dipping, and blueing processes, are being replaced by the newest Deltatone and Dacromet systems, which are capable of successfully passing a 1,000 hour salt spray test without any alteration to thread tolerances.”

48 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

A key part to Rosmil’s success, and what has enabled it to set itself apart from competitors, is the quality of its products, as well as having the stock available quickly.

“Rosmil products are available in Spain and Portugal for next day delivery, and within 48 hours for the rest of Europe,” points out Javier. “We go the extra mile for our customers.

If the part is not in our catalogue – we’ll source it.”

Another added service offered by Rosmil is the guarantee of quality, with the company demanding manufacturers and suppliers send the appropriate quality certifications before it stocks products. Rosmil works closely with a Taiwanese manufacturer that produces standard items in large quantities in quality grades including 10.9 and 12.9.

The company also has partnerships with manufacturers in the Basque country to manufacture bolts under the Rosmil brand, in order to sustain its promise of always having 95% of its catalogue available in stock – which it hopes it will improve on with the new warehouse.

In addition to the standard supply of fasteners and immediate delivery services, Rosmil also supplies special parts. If a customer cannot find the correct solution in Rosmil’s catalogue, the company will work together with the customer to approach a specialised manufacturer and quote for the item. “Business has changed in the last 10 – 15 years – people now want added services, and this is what sets you apart. We go above and beyond for our customers to make sure they receive the products they need,” states Javier.

Javier adds: “The Spanish market is picking up again. In 2007 it was ‘wild’, people were ordering a lot of everything – not thinking about where the money was coming from. All of a sudden the money disappeared, and we lost almost 40% of our business. We had to adapt, and one of the ways was to offer same day delivery and smaller quantities – something that would be impossible without the automated warehouse.”

“Now is the time for us to develop again. With the new warehouse we are taking another step towards Industry 4.0 – which is where all the big businesses in Spain are heading. If we want to be in the game, we have to head in the same direction.”

Once the warehouse is up and running, Rosmil is planning to have a fully automated picking process through orders on its new webshop. In the last 12 months the company has seen an increase in new business generated from its webshop, and it is hoping to encourage more customers to create their own orders. “Some customers have been working with us for over 40 years, and still like to phone us and get technical advice and know-how straight away. Whether it’s to settle doubts regarding material, shape or applications – our colleagues have extensive technical know-how in order to assist them. However, the generation gap is getting larger and we’re finding more people want to order their products in a more efficient and easier way, so the webshop will aid us in bridging the gap,” comments Javier.

It’s clear Rosmil has been able to distinguish itself within the market through its focus on quality products and added services, such as its same day delivery service – when needed. Customers also trust in in the company’s technical expertise, efficiency and extensive product offering. This reputation will only be enhanced with the investment of the new automated warehouse – enabling the company to offer additional product lines in order to answer market demand.

Javier concludes: “The degree of satisfaction is important to us, as is how our customers perceive our products and services. Our business is based on service and speed – and this is something we excel at.”

OVER

25 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE

Focused on Customer Care

Competitive Pricing

THE UK MARKET LEADER

WE MANUFACTURE THE AEROTIGHT® NUT IN-HOUSE

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Next Day Delivery to the UK Mainland

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A stock range in excess of 20,000 items

In-House Manufacturing Division

Special Custom Parts to Drawing

in A2 and A4, Metric, Unified and Imperial Thread Form

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INSIGHT

Investing in quality Viteria Fusani states that ‘Made in Italy’ still has a strong reputation within foreign markets, when supported with experience and excellent customer service – along with investments in cutting edge technology.

F

rom the very beginning, Viteria Fusani has focused on the quality of its production and products – whilst developing its business through analysing the manufacturing chain and offering solutions for customers’ challenges. “Our production focuses predominately on special screws according to customers’ designs,” explains Isabella Fusani, sales manager at Viteria Fusani Srl. “We can also offer technical consultancy to find customised solutions – identifying the best products for every application and providing a quick service.”

Viteria Fusani’s core business is for small to medium sized screws, in diameters 1.6mm to 8mm, with the company supplying a wide range of markets, including the electromechanical sector, locks and building, doors and shutters, cookware and housewares, household appliances, pneumatics, robotics, sporting goods, as well as the automotive sector.

The company is committed to introducing the latest machinery and recently added a new multi-station progressive header machine to its capabilities – increasing its production capacity of special screws, and parts that are increasingly similar to turned products, but with the cost-effectiveness of cold formed products.

“To date we can manufacture about 2 million screws a day,” points out Isabella. “This means that we are able to provide a quick turnaround for products, whilst still guaranteeing high-quality.”

Another recent development by the company was the introduction of a new demagnetisation service. Meeting the needs of customers that assemble pieces using sophisticated machinery that is sensitive to the possible presence of magnetism. “Both these innovations are examples of how we go the extra step for customers to ensure we are providing a first class service,” states Isabella.

These innovations also fit with Viteria Fusani’s strategy to focus on developing its production and processes to be in-line with the requirements of Industry 4.0. “Industry 4.0 is known as the ‘fourth industrial revolution’ and our strategy is to add value to the company, so that our clients benefit from a complete service,” concludes Isabella.

Viteria Fusani is certified to ISO 9001:2015 and has also started the preparation process to obtain the IATF 16949:2016 certification in 2019 – helping to expand its presence in the automotive sector. www.viteriafusani.it

MADE IN POLAND

Polish fastener market on the highway for growth

By Marek Łangalis, owner of Olfor

The fastener industry in Poland has experienced the most impressive decade in its history. Since 2009 production has doubled and export has almost tripled. For the fastener market it is currently the fastest growing market in Europe, with good prospects over the next few years.

Polish economy

The economy in Poland has very stable foundations. After the bankruptcy of communism in 1989, with a centrally controlled economy and over 90% of the state’s share in generating GDP, hard working Poles have taken life into their own hands. Poland’s GDP has grown every year since 1992 with a yearly average of 4.1% (4.7% in 2017).

Politicians in Poland argue over many irrelevant matters, but when it comes to the economy the social democrats, liberals, and conservatives, all agree that Poland needs a strong, open, and free market.

Previously many of the industrial factories within Poland were state owned, but year by year they have been sold to foreign concerns, domestic entrepreneurs or through the stock exchange.

Today the state is only represented in the energy and financial sector.

The rest is in private hands. GDP per capita now is at the level of US$29,500 (€25,900), whereas in 1992 it was only US$6,000. Such a stunning success was achieved thanks to the huge entrepreneurship of millions of Poles. In a country where 16.5 million people work (out of 38 million of all inhabitants), 1.5 million active enterprises operate.

The unemployment rate in 2004 (just after joining the European Union) was at 19.2% – the highest of all the OECD countries. Now it is one of the lowest – 3.4%. There are still a lot of economic problems in Poland, for example – salaries are at a low level compared to Germany, the UK or France (a monthly net average of €750 and a minimum net of €400) with of course a lower cost of living. However, year by year salaries are growing. Poland is now the 3rd best country

52 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

to invest in the world (ranking was based on the scores by 6,000 business decisions makers). It is very important to understand where Poland is at this moment. Before World War II the Polish economy was at the level of Spain and Italy and within the next 15 years it should be somewhere beside these countries again.

Fasteners and industry

Production of fasteners can develop in three ways: With export (like in Taiwan), with domestic industry (like in Turkey) or with export and domestic industry (like in China). At this moment Polish fastener businesses are focused on the demand of the domestic industry rather than export. Industry in Poland is responsible for creating 40% of the GDP (in Germany – 30%) and 30.5% of jobs.

Southern Poland is more industrialised than the northern part with the largest concentration of factories in the Upper Silesian region (the second most industrialised region in Europe, behind the Ruhr District in Germany). According to a Deloitte report, Polish industry is the second most competitive in Europe, after Germany. The most important advantage of Poland over other countries is access to talented and qualified employees (with much lower salaries than in western European countries). It should be added that for many young and talented people, work in industry is a big ennoblement. It is more honourable to work in industry than in finance (even though the current Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki was CEO of the 3rd biggest bank in Poland for more than 8 years).

The Polish fastener market is still developing and there is a lot of space for new business. In the market there are approximately 1,500 entities operating – from small regional metalshops through to fastener wholesalers and distributors up to the big producers.”

From the point of view of using fasteners, the most important industries are furniture, automotive, aerospace, domestic appliance and construction. Poland is the 4th largest furniture exporter in the world (yearly more than €12 billion). There are 22,000 companies producing for the furniture market in Poland, most of them small and medium ones. 85% of the total production is going for export. Big brands (such as IKEA) have also opened their factories in Poland. It is not only the furniture sector that has experienced good growth, the Polish window and door industry (including plastic and aluminium windows) is at the top position in the European Union with an export value of €1.8 billion. What is even more important is that the furniture, doors and windows are being produced all over Poland, in every region.

Poland does not have its own brand (such as Skoda in the Czech Republic) for the automotive passenger car, but there are two OEM automotive factories: Fiat (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) and Opel (former General Motors, now PSA Group). Production in Poland of cars was 515,000 units in 2017. There are also a lot of tier one and tier two factories for the automotive sector, including Toyota Motor, Valeo, Faurecia, Delphi, and Kirchoff. All the automotive industry is based in the south of Poland, from Kraków on the east to Upper Silesia and Lower Silesia on the west. There are also OEM factories for the light commercial vehicle and trucks division (such as Volkswagen and MAN). However, most impressive is the bus production – 5,300 units produced makes Poland the 3rd biggest producer in the European Union (after Germany and Sweden).

Many brands, like MAN, Volvo, Neoplan, and Scania, have their factories in Poland. There is also the Polish brand – Solaris, which has produced more than 1,500 units and has just been acquired by Spanish train producer – CAF. Aerospace is one of the fastest growing industries in Poland.

With more than 100 production companies (with 23,000 employees) 90% of the aerospace potential is based in Aviation Valley, south-east Poland. Aerospace industry exports generate more than €2 billion.

The most recognisable brands that operates in Poland are Sikorsky, AgustaWestland and Airbus Military. The aerospace industry in Poland is connected mainly to military expenditures.

The construction industry is another very large consumer of fasteners. The investment boom has been taking place in Poland for over ten years. New airports and football stadiums have been built all over the country. For new roads the Polish government wants to invest more than €40 billion up to 2023 and €10 billion for the railways until 2021. Due to air passenger numbers growing by more than 20% year to year the government also wants to build a new central airport near Warsaw at the cost of €10 billion (with a new railway station and whole road infrastructure) for almost 100 million passengers.

Last but not least – electronics and domestic appliances.

With the production value of more than €16 billion these sectors are a big consumer of fasteners. In Poland there is a huge range of factories for cookers, washing machines and refrigerators, such as Bosch, Siemens, Samsung, Whirlpool, Electrolux, LG, Zelmer (domestic brand) and the biggest factory – Polish Amica. Within electronics there is Dell, LG, Flextronics and Sharp.

The array of big factories within Poland shows that until now fastener businesses have been more dedicated to domestic growth of industry.

Fastener market

The Polish fastener market is still developing and there is a lot of space for new business. In the market there are approximately 1,500 entities operating – from small regional metalshops through to fastener wholesalers and distributors up to the big producers.

As in every European country fastener businesses are predominately small and medium sized companies. The biggest on the Polish market is Rawlplug (former Koelner) with turnover (in 2017) of more than PLN 700 million1. But it is hard to compare Rawlplug turnover to other competitors, because a big part of the sales comes from tools, not from fasteners. However, Rawlplug is still a big producer and exporter of bolts, nuts and anchors. The majority of other companies have turnovers of less than PLN 300 million. A lot of Polish producers also have distribution branches based on the knowledge of the employees regarding bolts, nuts and washers. Because of the big potential of the Polish market, a lot of European brands have opened their own or bought local distributors.

[1] All data in this article will be based on the following exchange rates in Polish Zloty – US$1 = PLN 3.7; €1 = PLN 4.2; GB£1 = PLN 4.9; 1 CNY = PLN 0.54

FASTENERANDFIXING.COM 53

MADE IN POLAND Fastener production

Production of fasteners in Poland in 2003 was at the level of PLN 595 million. The very important date for Polish market was 2004 – Poland became a member of European Union – so all the current members had to open their market for the Polish products.

Fasteners that year saw a growth of more than 33%. Till 2008 production growth was very dynamic. In 2009 Poland suffered from the global financial crisis. It was also a very important date because the EU opened anti-dumping duties for a lot of fasteners made in China. This decision was a big opportunity for Polish producers and within the next two years they had almost doubled the production to fulfill demand from the European market. The next five years (2012 – 2016) was very hard for the production of fasteners in Poland.

Too large production capacities forced a lot of companies to look for more profitable products, especially when the EU withdrew the anti-dumping duties in 2016. Despite this decision production of fasteners in Poland in 2017 was higher (6.6%) than in 2016 and achieved a record PLN 1.6 billion (around €380 million). In Poland there is now a good production of standard bolts and screws, stainless products, anchors, special products (good quality and fast delivery), rivets and fixings.

Table 1: Production of fasteners in Poland in 2003 – 2017 2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

PLN 595 million

PLN 792 million

PLN 890 million

PLN 859 million

PLN 910 million

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

PLN 946 million

PLN 795 million

PLN 1,076 million

PLN 1,521 million

PLN 1,456 million

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

PLN 1,355 million

PLN 1,421 million

PLN 1,370 million

PLN 1,520 million

PLN 1,621 million

Source: Calculation based on the data of the Central Statistical Office (Statistics Poland)

54 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

Import of fasteners

The main source for the domestic demand of fasteners is imports.

Poland still imports more than it produces and the difference is significant. Production of fasteners in Poland from 2003 to 2017 has grown by around 178% and import in that period has grown by around 200%, which shows imports are growing much faster than production. It depends on domestic demand and the role of the Polish market in the European fastener market. The biggest growth was between 2003 – 2008. It was a time when the Polish economy grew by an average 6%. Now it is more stable, but still Polish import is developing.

Table 2: Import of fasteners to Poland in 2003 – 2017 2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

PLN 893 million

PLN 1,167 million

PLN 1,163 million

PLN 1,482 million

PLN 1,647 million

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

PLN 1,693 million

PLN 1,581 million

PLN 1,889 million

PLN 2,298 million

PLN 2,163 million

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

PLN 2,189 million

PLN 2,434 million

PLN 2,588 million

PLN 2,836 million

PLN 2,868 million

Source: Calculation based on the data of the Central Statistical Office (Statistics Poland) The main source for Polish fastener companies is Germany.

From 2010 this country is responsible for almost one third of all imports (see Table 3). A very important role is then taken by Taiwan and China but even together they send less fasteners to Poland than Germany. For the German companies it is very easy to operate on the Polish market. Sometimes they open an office in Poland, but even without it they can control the supply chain. The cost of transport from Germany to Poland is low, and a lot of German companies employ Polish language people. Until 2010 Italy was the 2 nd most important sourcing partner for Poland, but the role of Italian companies year by year has decreased. Since 2010 imports from Taiwan grew 80%, from Italy 10% and from China 140% (from USA even 200%). Table 3 shows from which countries Poland is now buying fasteners.

Table 3: Import of fasteners by country to Poland in 2010 – 2017 (PLN million) Country

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Total

Import percentage

Germany

656.6

798.7

721.5

746.3

785.2

752.2

861.7

820.7

6,142.9

31.9%

Taiwan

171.8

247.1

263

254.4

294.8

300.8

298.6

301.6

2,132.1

11.1%

Italy

210.6

233.8

236.7

233.7

251.8

246.1

278

234.2

1,924.9

10%

China

137.8

185.4

179.7

170.1

221.9

247

263.3

326.8

1,732

9%

Japan

120.3

119

107

89.8

85.9

82

91.6

88.2

783.9

4.1%

55

68

69.2

76.2

79.3

117.7

154.8

161.2

781.4

4.1%

France

76.3

84.2

71.6

72.3

81.8

86.1

91.8

106.4

670.5

3.5%

South Korea

46.7

51.8

62

81

58.9

57.7

67.3

72

497.3

2.6%

Vietnam

16.1

28.6

31.9

37.3

59.9

89.8

74.5

78.2

416.3

2.2%

31

40.6

34.5

39.4

45.4

51.7

78.3

90.6

411.5

2.1%

Spain

44.1

43.4

41.9

44.4

48.4

49.1

61.1

65.8

398.2

2.1%

UK

38.9

44.1

41

46.1

49.3

56.6

56.6

65.5

398.1

2.1%

40

43.6

40.2

46

46.3

75.1

52.9

46

390.1

2%

USA

Czech Republic

Sweden

Source: Calculation based on the data of the Central Statistical Office (Statistics Poland) and Trade Competitiveness Map, Analyse country and product competitiveness with trade flows, International Trade Centre

Export of fasteners

The most impressive progress for fasteners in Poland was made by export. Since 2003 it has grown by 330%. Poland has taken the role of local leader – especially for the smaller countries in the region, but not only. Every year exports are growing, even in 2017 the dynamic of the growth was almost 10%. It is not only for the production ‘Made in Poland’, but also the big importers in Poland that have started to export globally.

Table 4: Export of fasteners from Poland in 2003 – 2017 2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

PLN 359 million

PLN 513 million

PLN 546 million

PLN 594 million

PLN 700 million

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

PLN 725 million

PLN 617 million

PLN 829 million

PLN 1,073 million

PLN 1,057 million

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

PLN 986 million

PLN 1,159 million

PLN 1,336 million

PLN 1,409 million

PLN 1,530 million

Source: Calculation based on the data of the Central Statistical Office (Statistics Poland) The same as for imports the biggest partner in exports for Poland is Germany with almost 40% of export. A lot of producers make special products for the German market. The 2 nd biggest market (but with much better dynamic) is the United Kingdom. For the last seven years exports to the UK have grown by 280%. The company most responsible for that is the biggest Polish fastener producer and distributor Koelner, which bought Rawlplug. Good relations to

the UK market is also made by more than a million Poles working there as constructors and builders. In addition to what you can see in Table 5, Poland is taking an important role for many smaller countries in the region. For the Ukraine, Poland is the 4th main source for fasteners, for Sweden it is also 4th, for Slovakia 8th, for Romania 6th, for Lithuania 4th, for Latvia 3rd. It is hard to sell to these countries for the big companies for example from Spain or France. That is why Poland has become a local leader and year by year export is growing.

Polish companies have also set-up offices in Lithuania, Ukraine and Russia. Lots of Ukrainians working in Poland helps to sell to Russian language countries such as Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

The most impressive progress for fasteners in Poland was made by export. Since 2003 it has grown by 330%.”

FASTENERANDFIXING.COM 55

MADE IN POLAND Table 5: Export of fasteners by country from Poland in 2010 – 2017 (PLN million) Country

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Together

In the whole export

Germany

395.6

514.1

451.7

355.6

439

480.1

555.7

523.1

3,715

39.6%

UK

34.1

40.1

50.9

51.7

71.6

103

116.5

122.1

590

6.3%

Sweden

40.0

58.3

62.2

72.5

74

71.2

67.4

77.3

522.9

5.6%

France

32.4

47.5

40

43.1

63.3

68.6

80.9

91

466.8

5%

Czech

28.6

43.6

47.4

41.8

45.6

80.1

77.1

69.2

433.4

4.6%

Russia

32.5

39.4

55.2

56.3

57.6

42.3

46.6

55

384.9

4.1%

Ukraine

24.8

30

29.8

26.1

19.9

16.3

22.2

31.2

200.3

2.1%

Source: own calculation based on the data of the Central Statistical Office (Statistics Poland) and Trade Competitiveness Map, Analyse country and product competitiveness with trade flows, International Trade Centre

Conclusion

Fastener business in Poland will start to take a bigger role in European trade. Poland is already gaining on Spain and it will only be a matter of 3 – 4 years when production of fasteners in Poland will be higher. Domestic demand is growing, but Polish companies also are opening up to exports due to the low prices and low margins with the domestic market, as well as a lot of competition. Export will be the opportunity for the market to find the next possibilities for impressive growth.

About the author

Marek Łangalis is a doctor of economics, editor in chief of Fastener Magazine in Poland, consultant of the Fastener Poland show, and has been a fastener entrepreneur for 11 years.

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MADE IN POLAND

Marcopol – a trusted and reliable business partner On the international market for joining components, the demand for products of a high-quality at an attractive price is growing – together with the need for quick deliveries and a quality customised service.

Polish market leader Marcopol is well prepared to meet these requirements on an international level – with it already successfully delivering products to over 40 countries worldwide.

M

arcopol has more than 33 years of experience and successfully manages to combine it with a modern approach. The company is developing dynamically and cooperates with the largest companies within the B2B sector in Poland and worldwide. Currently, Marcopol Sp z.o.o has 12 branches in Poland as well as 6 foreign affiliates in Lithuania, Russia and Estonia – building the strength of the brand on the international markets.

Thanks to advanced production technologies and digital control, the company’s products are characterised by high-quality and are able to fulfil the needs of foreign consumers. In addition, Marcopol also manufactures customised products.

Marcopol points out that its long-term experience, attention to high-quality products, and readiness to follow customers’ needs, has made it the first choice supplier of fasteners for leaders in numerous industries, including furniture, construction, producers of wood joinery, heavy industrial equipment, household appliances, audio/video devices and others.

The pillars of Marcopol’s strong position are knowledge and experience, which allow the company to create products that meet the highest international standards and obtain technical certificates and approvals, including ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004, CE Marking and European Technical Assessments.

Anastazja Janus, export and foreign markets business development director at Marcopol

58 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

21st century technology

Marcopol has a modern machine park with a production capacity that enables the company to produce goods with a total weight of up to 500 tonnes per month. The company’s own manufacturing facilities enables it to guarantee high-quality, short production times, as well as the ability to manufacture products for special requests.

Marcopol also has its own heat treatment plant, which involves modernised belt ovens for hardening and carburising, being operated in an endothermic protective atmosphere, and the whole process is constantly monitored and computer-controlled.

“The modernisation of production and increase in working efficiency of the heat treatment plant enable us to reduce the production lead time of orders significantly. That is why we can be very useful for our customers, especially when they need us for urgent execution,” says Anastazja Janus, export and foreign markets business development director at Marcopol.

A key strength of Marcopol is its advanced logistics solutions, with the company stating it has one of the most modern systems in Europe. The main fully automated and modern warehouse – with a total surface area of 12,000m 2 – has more than 31,000 pallet spaces and is situated in Chwaszczyno near Gdańsk.

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MADE IN POLAND

The automation significantly improves the goods completion process resulting in fast deliveries to even the most demanding clients. “Since we understand that our clients expect excellent support, services such as short delivery times, quick preparation of goods for shipment, and an ability to transport them as quickly as possible to a customer, are absolute priorities for us.

A new warehousing system already meets our expectations, but we constantly work on further improvements to be able to handle even larger volumes in the future,” says Anastazja.

Knowledge committed to the service of technology

Quality tests are executed in the company’s own laboratory as well as independent testing centres. Marcopol’s quality department has professional measurement devices, such as a Vickers hardness tester, salt chamber and X-ray fluorescence spectrometer.

The high-quality of the products is the result of a multi-stage process of production preparation. From the purchase of raw material to the delivery of products to the end customer. With usage of modern digital control equipment Marcopol is also able to accurately check each piece of a batch.

The achieved result is unreachable when using the standard statistical control.

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Tailor-made solutions

Marcopol’s wide range includes over 25,000 standard products and multidimensional items based on individual orders of customers. The company can also assure optimal solutions adjusted to individual needs. The competitive advantage of the company is formed by its own production, high availability of products in stock, management system, traceability of the processes, double checking of shipments, own packaging unit, short terms of orders execution and technical advice.

Additional assets of the company include tailor-made logistics and IT solutions. In practice, customers receive technical support, flexibility in the ordering process and delivery of goods, packaging, customising and completion based on individual requirements.

“Marcopol wants to provide safe products either from stock or produced for special requests – in the shortest possible time, with above standard service. Our offer is supplemented with additional package services, which provides added value for our customers,” says Anastazja. “The demand for products from European suppliers is growing on foreign markets and, as a result, the Polish brand is more widely recognised and more frequently chosen by customers from other countries. The awareness of the Marcopol brand, whose small components help to build a bigger world, is also rising on worldwide markets.” www.marcopol.eu

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MADE IN POLAND

At the forefront of Polish production Śrubena-Unia’s strategy of continuously improving its technological processes in order to provide better, more durable, and more precise, solutions, has led to it experiencing significant growth in its product range, as well as its target markets.

W

ith a rich tradition that dates back to 1832, Śrubena-Unia is one of the largest manufacturers of industrial fasteners in Poland and Europe – with the ability to offer both cold and hot forging technologies. The company can produce a wide variety of standard bolts, nuts and screws, as well as custom-made products to drawings. In a full range of materials, sizes, grades and protective coatings.

Within the last five years, Śrubena-Unia has made a concerted effort to increase its overall capacity, introducing a wide range of machinery – including new friction presses, new thread rolling machines and new nut tapping machines. At the same time, the company has also renovated and adapted existing machinery where possible, to focus on particular products or specific customer needs.

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Śrubena-Unia has also significantly increased its cold forging capabilities with the introduction of new Nedschroef (NB518L) and SACMA (SP 28 EL) multi-station machines. “These two machines were a very big investment for the business, but they were necessary to help increase our capacity,” explains Andrzej Herma, general manager at Śrubena-Unia. “Both machines are at the cutting edge of technology and are a lot more efficient then our existing machinery. The production speeds are a lot higher and the set-up times are a lot quicker. They will also help us to continue to guarantee the quality of our products.”

When it comes to hot forging, Śrubena-Unia is able to offer both automatic hot forging for mass production, as well as hand fed forging for smaller runs – where it is more time and cost-effective.

The company can also hot forge both heads and threads, with the latter particularly popular for railway screws with deep thread.

“Being able to offer cold and hot forging to customers is a real benefit for us, as we can deliver the full product range a customer needs,” points out Andrzej. “This means that customers can buy all of their products from one single source, so they can be confident of the quality and delivery of the products. For example, HV bolts should be delivered from one manufacturer and the possible range is from M12 to M64. We are able to produce everything ourselves, in-house, guaranteeing the quality of every product in the system.”

All of Śrubena-Unia’s products are supported by a quality department that is fully equipped with the latest testing machinery, including hardness testers, spectrometers, an impact tester, three tensile testers (including a new 100 tonne machine) and a Keyence optical measurement machine.

The company also has a full list of certifications, including the latest IATF automotive standard. “In addition to a comprehensive quality facility, we also have our own calibration machines in-house,” mentions Andrzej. “With over 3,000 thread gauges and callipers, you need to be able to regularly check the tools are accurate and reliable.”

Another big investment by the company was the recent addition of a fourth heat treatment line. “The additional line, which has been customised to our needs and requirements, was necessary because we had reached our heat treating capacity and the process had started to become a bottleneck,” mentions Andrzej. “Adding the new line means we have increased capacity so that we can heat treat everything in-house.”

Due its extensive manufacturing capabilities, and product range, Śrubena-Unia is able to supply solutions to a whole range of industries, including construction, automotive, energy, mining and rail. “A big part of our success is

that we are practically present in every market, in some way or another,” states Andrzej. “This is a big benefit, as it means we are not impacted as much by any downturns. We like to say that we have several legs and if any of them are broken we can still stand on the others.”

Currently export accounts for 57% of Śrubena-Unia’s sales and the company believes there is an opportunity for this to grow even further – due to its production capabilities and the benefits it has of being a Polish manufacturer.

“The Polish market at the moment is very strong and we are very competitive within the European market,” reports Andrzej. “Not only do we benefit from low wages in Poland, but we are also in a prime location, which is close to key markets – helping us to offer short delivery times. This makes us a very appealing option to customers, who can be confident they are receiving quality products.”

Andrzej concludes: “Our strategy of continuously improving our technological processes has enabled us to become unique within the industry. That is why we will continue with this strategy, as well as look to improve our system of distribution in Poland and abroad, so that we can continue to meet our customers’ exacting needs and provide a first class service.” www.srubena.com

MADE IN POLAND

Bulten Polska celebrates 20 years This year Bulten Polska celebrates 20 years operating in Poland after Bulten Group acquired the production site in 1998. Editor Will Lowry visited the Polish operation to speak to Managing Director Anders Karlsson about how the business has developed and the benefits to the Group of having a factory in Poland.

W

hen recalling his first visit to Bielsko-Biała, Anders Karlsson is as always honest and to the point: “When I came here for the first time, I must admit it felt like a long way from central Europe. At that time there was a strong push from our customers for us to set-up an operation in central Europe, so we could be as close to them as possible. However, I could see it was a good business and it was already a supplier to a key OEM based in the area – so there was a lot of knowledge and experience within the company. I then looked at the location on a map and saw we were only 4 – 5 hours from Vienna, from Prague, from Budapest, and also noted that there were around 3 – 4 million cars being made within a four hour circle of the region.

That’s when I knew it was the perfect location.”

From the very beginning Bulten invested into the business, with the first step bringing in the Group’s quality and management systems. “For the first couple of years we worked on getting the culture right – focusing on the quality of products,” explains Anders. “In Bulten each factory concentrates on a certain product range, so we are not making the same products in the different locations.

However, every Bulten factory, regardless of its location, works to the same quality and standards, which is why we only have one quality certificate and one management system for the entire group. The same production processes are carried out, and the same tooling system is used, which guarantees every product produced by Bulten, no matter the factory, is the highest quality.”

Once the quality and management systems were completely adopted, the next step was an investment programme into new machinery. “We started the investment strategy in 2005 and it has been accelerating year-on-year as the business has grown,” points out Anders. “Over the years we have introduced numerous cold headers, from 2 – 6 stages, as well as recently investing in a new heat treatment line, which means we now have four lines at our Polish site.”

Other investments include new machinery for thread rolling, an in-house dry coating patching machine – with a second patching machine being added in the coming months – as well as the ongoing renovation of existing machinery to ensure continued quality. “After 25 years of service we look to renovate machines, where we literally take them down to the frame,” mentions Anders. “Even today, the principle of cold heading machines are the same as the very first bolt making machine, so if you look after the machine and service it, you can continue to produce high-quality parts. That is why we change the electronics, the bearings, everything, so the machines can go on producing high-quality products for another 25 years.”

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Alongside the continuous investment in machinery, Bulten has also focused on increasing its value added activity. “In today’s market you need to be able to offer secondary operations and have value added machinery,” states Anders. “Over the years we have developed our secondary operations capability and we are now able to offer a wide variety of solutions. We do not machine from bar, we always do it as a combination of cold forming because if you cut from bar you cut away an awful lot of material. Having this capability and being able to offer these types of products is a big advantage, as it means we can provide unique solutions for customers and potentially create a long-term partnership. We believe it is crucial that you are always looking to introduce new fasteners, as the markets are always moving forward and old fasteners can become obsolete.

That is why we work with customers on finding new solutions.”

Throughout the growth of the business, Anders is clear that a big part of Bulten Polska’s success has been down to the experience and knowledge of its employees. “We are very keen to create a family atmosphere within the company, as we understand the importance of keeping our employees,” explains Anders. “We are probably the 10 th to 15th biggest employer within the area, so there is a lot of competition, which means you need to make yourselves appealing. We want people and families to be proud of working for the business, and it is important to keep the social status

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MADE IN POLAND

We are producing in one month, the same amount that at the beginning we used to produce in one year.” very high. That is why every year we regularly hold parties in the summer, where the employees and their families can come and enjoy themselves.

We want them to see there is a big future at the company.”

Bulten Polska’s commitment to its employees saw it receive the Employee Friendly Employer Award for 2017, which was presented by Poland’s President Andrzej Duda. “We are very proud of this award and we see it is a recognition of us being a responsible and attractive employer,” says Anders.

“The award is the only one an employer can get in Poland – where the employees have nominated the winners. The prize is awarded to employers who are distinguished by complying with legal requirements and collective agreements, health and safety, and how to work with the trade unions at the workplace. The idea is to praise employers who are characterised by good cooperation with the trade unions.”

Today, the Polish arm of Bulten is the group’s biggest, with nearly 600 employees situated at its production site in Bielsko-Biała and its logistics centre 30km away in Wilkowice. The main production site is 60,000m2 and includes a whole array of machinery and capabilities – with 54 cold heading machines.

“We are producing in one month, the same amount that at the beginning we used to produce in one year,” states Anders emphatically. “This year, for the first time, we made 5 million screws in one day and in March we passed PLN 25 million sales in one month.”

Since acquiring the business in 1998, around €60 million has been invested in the Polish operations and the Group is planning further investments in the shape of a new facility to continue the

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growth of the Polish division. “In recent years Bulten has won several major contracts and the expansion of our production capacity is necessary to cater for the increased volumes,” mentions Anders.

“That is why we are investing around PLN 80.5 million (€18.6 million) in a new strategically important production and logistics plant to meet future volumes.”

The additional plant will be built in Radziechowy-Wieprz, in the Katowice Special Economic Zone, about 30km from the existing production plant in Bielsko-Biała. With this investment, Bulten can move from the current logistics centre in Wilkowice to the new building and thus get an efficient production flow to handle future growth.

In addition, a new surface treatment facility will be added, giving Bulten Polska increased value and competitiveness.

Anders continues: “Since setting up Bulten Polska we have seen the country experience fantastic development, especially when it joined the EU in 2004.

Through the development in infrastructure we are even more connected with the surrounding countries and central Europe. As a business we benefit from the low cost of labour in Poland, which means we can handle a lot more of the smaller series of production and still be cost-effective. For example, Bulten Polska has more than 1,000 live items it produces, where most other factories in the group have around 250 live items. When added to the experience and knowledge within the company, it gives us a competitive advantage within the market. We have a clear vision of what we want to do for the future and the continuous investment we have made over the years, plus the investment in the new logistics centre, shows we are committed for the long-term.”

MADE IN POLAND

A range of possibilities

After significant investment in a new facility in 2017, pgb-Polska is now planning and developing its production capabilities, and product range, to target growth in key domestic and international markets – with a whole host of possibilities available.

p

gb-Polska’s history dates back to 1997, when the original business was opened in Gliwice, Poland – operating under the name ESMARK Private Limited. The company quickly grew – gaining new sales markets in particular in the leading European markets.

At first, the main business profile of the company was trading imported metal articles mainly wood screws, self-drilling screws, as well as chipboard and plasterboard screws. In 1999, the business started the production of fasteners from synthetic materials for plastic-metal fixings and by 2002 the company was bought by the Belgian company, Pennoit-Grootaert N.V, which became the company’s main shareholder.

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Through this acquisition the company became part of pgb-International under the name pgb-Polska. Since then a definitive growth of potential, and a strengthening of the company’s position on the market, has taken place. At the start of 2017 pgb-Polska finished its investment in a new facility – over 10,000m2 of which 3,000m2 is for production – in an economic zone in Zabrze, Poland. The company also expanded its manufacturing facilities, automated its production, as well as added over 10,000 new pallet spaces in the form of a high bay warehouse.

“The investment in Zabrze has opened up a lot of new opportunities for us as a business,” states Krzysztof Biskup, general manager at pgb-Polska. “We can now grow our product range even further, increase our domestic sales, as well as find new export markets.”

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MADE IN POLAND The main sales market for pgb-Polska is Poland, making up 60% of the company’s turnover. As for exports, the leading position is held by the Benelux countries and the markets of neighbouring countries to Poland. “Increasing our exports is a challenge we have set ourselves and we are looking to introduce new ranges that will enable us to target specific markets,” mentions Krzysztof.

“However, the Polish market is still important to us. There is a mix of companies trading on the Polish market, including leading European companies and smaller companies with a regional or domestic reach. There is a much larger pressure from competitors in the Polish market in comparison to the majority of other sales markets. The Polish market is characterised by a focus on a low price. However, quality, certification, packaging, and the organisation of delivery, are all starting to gradually gain significance.”

Krzysztof continues: “The benefits to customers working with us, both in Poland and abroad, is that we have a full range of products available and can provide a quick service to meet customers’ needs.”

In order to look after and grow its position within the domestic and European markets, pgb-Polska is actively working on further tailoring its service to the needs of the customers. “We are constantly observing the construction market, which is always developing according to new solutions and trends,” explains Krzysztof. “Currently there is an intensive development of sustainable construction and a constant tightening of quality and expectations. In order to meet these demands, and increase our competitiveness, we are always developing new technology and solutions.” pgb-Polska offers a very wide range of metal and plastic elements for fixing technologies – supplying high-quality, certified products, straight from stock.

A key part of pgb’s product range is its own SMART® brand, which was created by the company and has established itself within the market. Characterised by high-quality, portability and reasonable prices, the SMART range enjoys acclaim from contractors as proven by the sale rates across Europe. “The high performance fixing systems in the SMART range, alongside a full range of packing possibilities, combine to provide fastening solutions for every branch of the construction industry,” states Krzysztof.

The company continuously develops and improves its products even further by gaining both Polish and European certifications – including new European Technical Assessments. The products have also fulfilled rigorous quality and durability requirements, which have been approved by the Institute of Structural Engineering.

70 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

“Our products have ETA and CE Marking, which confirm their high-quality and allow them to be sold and used in construction in the European Union member states,” points out Krzysztof. “Furthermore, we are also proud members of ECAP (European Consortium of Anchors Producers).

With our new facility, we will continue to focus on quality both in the products we supply, and our production processes, so that we provide the widest range of fixing solutions – meeting the increasing demands of our customers.” www.pgb-polska.com

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MADE IN POLAND

HAMAR celebrates 25th anniversary with investment Polish manufacturer HAMAR is celebrating its 25th anniversary with the introduction of a new range of direct fixings, in addition to its already extensive range of products, as well as investing in a new research laboratory and new office areas – in a modern facility designed using low emission technologies.

H

AMAR is a family company set-up in the early 1990s that initially focused on the distribution of tools and fixings for the construction industry.

In the following years the company underwent dynamic growth – based on the production in its own factory, and distribution of products under its own brands.

Throughout every stage of its production process HAMAR focuses on high-quality, which is a key selling point for its customers. “We follow market trends carefully so that we can provide our customers with products of the highest quality, performance and safety parameters,” explains Bogusław Grzesiak, president at HAMAR SP.J. B.I H. Grzesiak. “Our products are subject to constant control by our factory production system and furthermore by the constant supervision of independent auditors. The positive technical assessment of our products is attested by both Polish and European Technical Assessments.”

The company offers a wide range of fixing techniques, tailored to the needs of the most demanding clients. “Through our daily contact with customers we are able to keep up to date with the construction market and identify expectations,” mentions Bogusław. “This also shows us the route to developing new products through understanding market trends.”

HAMAR carries out joint research with customers as part of its technical support – to ensure correct interaction between products and the connecting surface. “This type of comprehensive service is a vital part of our business and is how we build long-lasting partnerships with our customers,” states Bogusław. “In addition to our wide assortment of high-quality products – which provide solutions that optimise efficiency and cost of assembly – you need to be able to provide expert professional knowledge and advice.”

Currently the domestic market accounts for 70% of HAMAR’s total sales, with export representing 30%. The company is planning for further growth in key markets in the future. “We have the opportunity to grow production through the flexible tailoring of our product range to new client needs,” points out Bogusław. “Our range is constantly updated, which is much appreciated by our customers, construction companies, investors, and developers, all of whom are looking for optimal fixing solutions according to world-class standards. Our biggest challenge is successfully building our recognisable brand in European markets.” www.hamar.com.pl

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MADE IN POLAND

DROMET expanding for growth DROMET has recently opened a new high bay warehouse, which will enable it to further expand its production and distribution capabilities, as well as focus on targeting the European market.

E

stablished in 1994, DROMET Fastener Systems produces a wide range of products such as threaded rods, studs, U-bolts, anchor bolts and many other special products according to customers’ requirements.

DROMET is a family owned business, with vast experience within the market. In-house production accounts for 60% of the company’s turnover. Another branch of its activity is the distribution of DIN standard parts and supplying key brands of fixing products to the local Polish market.

“At the beginning of our activity we were focused on the Polish market, mostly producing threaded rods for the big local distributors,” explains Daniel Drązikowski, export manager at DROMET. “However, as the market developed, we managed to set-up our special parts production and deliver trusted quality to key players on the Polish as well as the European market.”

In 2008 DROMET decided to focus on export and initially targeted Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. “We already had some customers in these markets and we saw that there was an opportunity to develop them even further,” mentions Daniel. “We have now extended our distribution system across numerous European countries, with exports accounting for 30% of our business. We have also developed cooperation with partners in Russia, and the Ukraine, where we see huge potential to grow.”

A key factor in DROMET’s future growth plans was the expansion of its warehouse capacity in 2016. “Adding the new warehouse was a big step for us, as it enabled us to expand our production capabilities into the space left by the old warehouse,” points out Daniel. “Previously we were very crowded, and

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FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

the flow of material was not effective. However, now we have been able to add additional production machines, as well as improve the production flow.”

DROMET was also able to expand its tooling department. “We have a lot of experience within the company. Employees have been here 15 – 20 years and know a lot about the processes, which gives us the ability to produce tooling, flanges, and rolling dies, for special parts in-house,” adds Daniel. “Over 70% of the dies that we use are produced internally, and we can create unique tooling for individual machinery and for special parts, which makes us very competitive and flexible within the market and means we do no rely on external suppliers.”

Throughout the company’s growth, a commitment to quality has always been at the core of the business. “Initially it was very difficult to convince new customers from western markets that we could consistently supply the products and quality they required,” states Daniel. “Step-by-step and year by year we built our reputation to become recognised as a quality approved supplier to key brands in the European market. Quality is a key factor of our activity. Being able to consistently supply this value to customers is an essential part of being a professional manufacturer and helped us to grow.”

As DROMET has grown so has the Polish fastener market and its potential. “The Polish fastener market, and especially production capabilities, have grown significantly within the last ten years,” states Daniel. “Previously each supplier tried to be effective and competitive with every fastener product.

However, now manufacturers have specialised in certain products, which is definitely making the market more professional.”

“I believe that Polish manufacturers through the last 10 – 15 years have learnt a lot from western brands who initially set-up within Poland. We learnt about the value of quality, improved our efficiency and invested a lot into production processes.”

“Joining the EU in 2004 also undoubtedly had a major impact to our market development. A big advantage of manufacturing in Poland is that we have a good source of raw material here and every part of the production process, including coating and heat treatment, is based within Poland. By improving the infrastructure over the last decade, it is now a lot easier to transport products around the country, which makes the whole production chain more efficient and means we can be more flexible.”

Daniel concludes: “In Poland we have huge capabilities, we are competitive and we learn very fast. As we are close to the rest of Europe, we can guarantee short lead times of quality products and customers can take advantage of this partnership.”

“At DROMET our plan for the future is to constantly improve efficiency. We are also looking to invest more in tools and materials to be more competitive with special parts made from stainless steel, and parts for the automotive industry, as we see big potential in these markets.”

“We will also be exhibiting at Fastener Fair Stuttgart 2019 and we are very excited to invite all visitors to our stand so that they can see the products and services that we can provide.”

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Surfaces: • Plain • Plain undersized • Zinc plated CR 3+ • HDG oversized • HDG ISO fitting

• • • • • • •

Bolts acc. EN15048-1 Various types of washers Guide rail K and L – anchors Turnbuckles U – bolts & L – hookbolts DIN 571 and DIN 603-555 Plates according to drawings

Gebo Fasteners B.V.

Esp 225 5633 AD Eindhoven The Netherlands +31 40 290 2580 www.gebobv.com info@gebobv.com

EXHIBITIONS

Growth for FASTENER POLAND®

Show organisers hailed the second edition of FASTENER POLAND® a success, after reporting that over 4,000 visitors attended the two day show – which took place on 16th – 18th October 2018 at the EXPO Kraków.

D

uring this year’s edition of FASTENER POLAND®, visitors were introduced to the latest industrial fasteners and fixings, construction fixings, assembly and installation systems, fastener manufacturing technologies, storage and distribution factory equipment and a wide range of dedicated services – with 190 exhibitors, from around the world, taking part.

All trade fair participants were also treated to a programme of events, including the second Fastener Congress organised by Elamed Media Group and the 8 th exhibition of industrial subcontracting.

Two thirds of exhibitors at FASTENER POLAND were from abroad including Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, the UK, India, Italy, South Korea, Spain, Swtizerland, Turkey and the USA. Taiwanese and Chinese exhibitors also had a significant presence at the show.

The show organisers also highlighted the growth of international visitors, with 1/3 of visitors coming from abroad, including the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Russia, Ukraine and even Singapore.

“We must admit that both the organisation of FASTENER POLAND and the turnout were very good,” commented Artur Janczy, sales manager Poland at exhibitor BRALO CZ. s.r.o.

“We managed to meet with our current clients and attract new contacts. We hope we can make it to the trade show next year as well.”

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Robert Baran, from the sales department at H&S Technik, also assessed the trade fair very positively. “We decided to open a booth at the FASTENER POLAND trade show this year and we are glad we did. Our special fastener fixing machine with a feeder attracted great interest. We also secured a couple of valuable contacts.

In general, it is clear that the trade show has grown, visitor turnout is good, and we will come again next year for sure.”

Grzegorz Jóźwik, from ASMET Sp z.o.o Sp.k, also confirmed a positive experience. “It was our second time at FASTENER POLAND and we are very happy with the event. The turnout was good, we met with our regular clients and managed to attract new ones.

I think we will come to the trade show again next year.”

Finally, Adam Dobrzewiński, CEO at ABAKOSTEEL s.c, commented: “The second edition of FASTENER POLAND showed that the fastener industry continues to grow. For our company, it was an opportunity to forge new business contacts in Poland and beyond and meet our current partners. We appreciate the lengths the organisers went to in order to ensure visitor comfort at the event. We hope that the amazing atmosphere of this year’s edition will help make the trade show grow in the future.”

Development of the industry and fairs

“The world is very impressed by how the fastener industry is developing in Poland. Polish companies have recorded an average increase of 10%, which is unrealistic in Italy. We estimate that in the perspective of five years the market will grow by up to 40% and we will be behind the big four, that is Germany, Italy, France and Great Britain,” stated said Dr Marek Łangalis, advisor support at FASTENER POLAND. Show organisers have already announced that the 3rd edition of FASTENER POLAND will take place on 8th – 9 th October 2019 in Kraków.

EXHIBITIONS

The best of Italy Visitors and exhibitors alike hailed the second edition of Fastener Fair Italy as a huge success when it took place at the Mico Milano Congressi on 26th – 27th September.

O

ver 210 exhibitors welcomed a total of 2,700 managers, engineers and buyers, with the first morning of the show particularly busy – with stands and aisles overflowing.

Once again, the Italian fastener sector supported the show with 78% of exhibitors coming from Italy – an increase compared to the 2016 show. Confirming that Fastener Fair Italy is now established as the reference point for the market in this country. Leading Italian exhibitors included Ambrovit SpA, Carlo Salvi SpA, Fratelli Pirovano SpA, VITAL Srl, Bontempi Vibo SpA, SACMA Group and Vipa SpA. Leading industry associations supported the event and welcomed delegations on their stands, such as the Italian Union of Fastener Manufacturers (UPIVEB), the Italian Union of Fastener Distributors (UDIB) and the Italian Association of Metal Finishing (AIFM).

Joining them were exhibitors from 13 other countries, including Germany – represented

by Lederer GmbH and Fastbolt GmbH, Turkey – Teknoform Fasteners and Emek Rivets Co Ltd, Spanish companies – INDEX Fixing Systems and Chavesbao, as well as companies from Slovenia, Denmark, France, India, the UK and the USA.

High visitor quality

The mix of visitors to the show reflected the diversity of markets served by the fastener and fixing industry. The majority of visitors were either wholesalers (24%) or distributors (42%), all playing a vital role in the supply chain to resellers and end users. Around 20% were end users themselves. Fastener and fixing manufacturers accounted for 34% of those attending. In addition, a significant number of visitors – 28% – were foreign, representing 62 countries.

Visitor quality was also noteworthy, with managing directors, partners and board members accounting for 38% of those attending the show. Department heads and senior managers totalled 17% of attendees, while a further 11% were engineers and technicians. Almost 18% of visitors

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EXHIBITIONS

represented the procurement/purchasing department.

The most strongly represented industry sectors were the automotive industry, construction, mechanical engineering, hardware, electrical products/domestic appliances, aerospace, agricultural/off highway machinery and furniture manufacturing.

Exhibitors were delighted to welcome high calibre Italian and international visitors, including the science-based technology company 3M Italia, multinational corporation ABB SpA, world’s leading chemical company BASF, top global engineering companies Ansaldo Energia, HILTI Corporation, and Altran Technologies.

Among automotive companies represented by visitors were Ducati Motor Holding, LISI Automotive, and IVECO SpA. Buyers from the well known appliance manufacturers Electrolux and De’Longhi also attended the fair, as did technical specialists from IKEA Components.

In addition, there were visitors from the multinational steel manufacturers ArcelorMittal and Aferpi Steel Company.

Local and international representatives of leading fastener distributors and manufacturers, included those from Würth, Fontana Gruppo, Stamperia Carcano Giuseppe, F.lli Mauri, A.Agrati SpA, REYHER, and many others.

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EXHIBITIONS

Commenting on the success of the event, Olivia Griscelli, exhibition director at organisers Mack Brooks Exhibitions, said: “We were especially pleased to receive very favourable feedback from exhibitors on the quality of visitors to this show. It was also good to see such strong international participation.

This strengthens our belief in the many opportunities in the Italian market for the fastener and fixings industry. And with Milan such a dynamic business centre, it is the ideal host city for Fastener Fair Italy.”

Popular seminars

Adding a further important dimension to Fastener Fair Italy was an accompanying programme of technical seminars. These proved highly popular, attracting a total of 175 delegates over the two days. Three sessions provided insights into issues currently affecting the fastener market.

These included seminars curated by A.I.F.M. (Associazione Italiana Finiture dei Metalli), ECAP (European Consortium of Anchors Producers) and Kistler Group. Also, selected exhibitors took to the big stage with their most innovative ideas and solutions – the experts from Coventya Group, Atotech Group, Frontline Consulting, and Filtereco Filtration Technologies, presented the latest solutions to the issues concerning the fastener and fixing sector and related industries.

More stand space in 2020

Dates have now been set for the next Fastener Fair Italy, with the third show in the series taking place on 11th – 12 th November 2020. The venue will be Fiera Milano City and there has already been very strong demand for stand space.

Following the success of the show, some 50 companies have confirmed their participation in Fastener Fair Italy 2020, with around 1,900m² already booked. In response, this next exhibition will occupy a large Pavilion 3 to provide additional stand space.

Additional information on Fastener Fair Italy 2020, including details of exhibition stand options, will be soon available on the show website.

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EXHIBITIONS

Plenty of treats at IFE Las Vegas There had been a few concerns that the International Fastener Expo (IFE) might be somewhat ‘hexed’ by Halloween. Far from it, says Executive Editor Phil Matten – in Las Vegas this time as part of an EFDA delegation developing US-European links.

I

n fact, within half an hour of opening on 31 st October the domestic exhibitor zone of the biggest North American event was already emitting the audible vibrancy of a show that meant business. Halloween was to be glimpsed here and there amongst the booths, as were occasional signs of concern over international trade relationships, but in the round the American fastener industry was emitting tonnes of positivity on the back of a strong trading year.

One innovation, on the set-up day, was a three hour preview access to the Machinery and ‘SourceGlobal’ areas – the latter primarily but not exclusively suppliers from Asia. On entering it was hard to suppress a shiver of unease that this was a show not quite ready for visitors. Some booths, both machinery and international, were still setting up or unoccupied, and aisles were not yet carpeted. ‘Vegas’ is an intensive show, which limits domestic exhibitors’ time to get away from their own booths to visit suppliers. The concept, then, was certainly well-motivated, but execution, leastways first time round, was not entirely convincing. It’ll be interesting to see how it is played next year.

Come Halloween, however, with carpets laid throughout and the domestic and global sourcing areas completely integrated, it was a different atmosphere. The whole show was definitely ready for business – and quick to get down to it. To this irregular visitor there were noticeably more, bigger and better feature stands from domestic exhibitors, which added to the overall professionalism of the event. The ‘global sourcing area’, too, was largely transformed by well-designed shell scheme ‘pavilions’ promoting Korean, Taiwanese, Chinese, Indian and – very visibly – Hong Kong fastener suppliers. Between domestic and global zones was the ‘Sessions Corner’ – a seated area hosting a programme of technical and managerial seminars, including one from EFDA president, Dr Volker Lederer (pictured below).

The area also hosted IFE’s award ceremonies mid-afternoon on the first full day.

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One of the enduring qualities of the Vegas event is its off-show-floor seminar programme. Those tackling issues of the day were definitely well attended, despite being hosted two long escalator rides above the exhibition floor. Veteran consultant and trainer Carmen Vertullo joined co-founder of the AIM Testing Laboratory, Rob LaPointe in navigating California’s recently strengthened ‘Proposition 65’ environmental legislation. Their take? “It’s not about labels, and it’s not about chemicals – It’s about NOT GETTING SUED”. Unsurprisingly, there was also a full house to hear Vanessa Sciarra (pictured left), from the National Foreign Trade Council, explore and answer plenty of questions on the tariff regime introduced by the Trump Administration under Sections 232 and 301.

In its third year of ownership of the Vegas Show, Emerald Expositions is clearly careful to retain the historic strengths of the biggest North American fastener industry event – but is carefully introducing innovations. Organisation generally felt tight and effective, promotion definitely energetic, with some subtle but apparently positive developments on the show floor.

The second full show day has now been extended from a historic midday finish to 16:00. As always, day two was quieter – they’re long nights in Vegas! That said, healthy visitor traffic maintained for the morning, albeit with more exhibitor to exhibitor contact.

Activity tapered markedly by 15:00, by which time some booths were definitely stripping down and others were fidgeting.

Although perhaps not enforced with the same rigidity as under previous management, IFE very definitely continues to be a fastener trade show, although there were hints that might change in the future, with user visitors perhaps not just accepted but encouraged. It was certainly good to see the show back at the Mandalay Bay, even if the big Vegas hotels’ propensity to charge their captive audience can be excruciating – an US$18 room charge for a litre of mineral water takes some swallowing.

INDUSTRY SPECIALIST AT YOUR SERVICE

FASTENERS Is there relevance for Europeans? Well, Stuttgart it is not – nor should either of the big shows either side of the Atlantic ever seek to emulate the other. Each has a distinctive character that matches its own market. The ‘global sourcing’ element of each is fundamentally similar so a European visitor is unlikely to encounter many new Far Eastern suppliers. The real opportunity for the overseas visitor is the concentrated opportunity to see the full spectrum of North American products and suppliers and understand how their market operates. In the past European suppliers have certainly developed North American business through exhibiting at the show – although most would tell you that persistence is a necessity. A ‘one-off’ appearance in Vegas has rarely proven successful.

For this Vegas ‘veteran’ of some sixteen years, this event definitely still has its own magic, and this edition rated well up the ranks of the ten or so visited over that time. Yes, there are other, very competent fastener events in the United States, established or establishing their own niche in a large and complex market.

There is, however, only one Vegas Fastener Show – Viva that!

www.ldfasteners.com

ISO 9001:2008

LD FASTENERS SRL Via Custoza, 1 - 20037 Paderno Dugnano (MI) Tel. +39 02 99.485.328 - Fax +39 02 99.500.516 info@ldfasteners.com

FASTENER FAIR FRANCE PREVIEW

Fastener Fair France: A first edition full of promise On 28th – 29th November 2018, Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles, will be the venue for the first edition of Fastener Fair France, an international event dedicated to fastener and fixing technologies.

C

urrently, more than 150 exhibitors from 15 countries worldwide have already reserved their stands, including a number of major French groups and SMEs, as well as a large contingent of participants from Italy, Germany, Spain and Turkey.

Hosted in Germany, Italy, Turkey, the United States, Mexico and India, each Fastener Fair contributes to developing the international reputation of the others. For Fastener Fair France, stakeholders in the screws, bolts and fastening systems market will be gathering for the first time in Paris, a city that is conducive to international trade.

Over the course of two days, they will be afforded a unique opportunity to meet and discover globally significant innovations, and above all, forge new business relationships.

A unique event in France

Fastener Fair France will bring together manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and end users of fastening and fixing systems. The exhibition is aimed primarily at industrial stakeholders that require assembly and installation systems, fastener manufacturing technologies, and logistics and storage equipment.

The show will cater for needs across an extraordinarily wide range of sectors, be it construction, car manufacturing, aerospace, marine, electric and electronic equipment, civil engineering, energy, communications technologies, metal products, furniture manufacturing, plumbing and sanitary equipment, and installation services.

Seminars and presentations at Fastener Fair France Wednesday 28th November

Thursday 29th November

Time:

11.30

Time:

11:00

Title:

Galvanic processes and hydrogen embrittlement: A new approach.

Title:

Speaker:

Stefano Galleani, chemical engineer, product manager at Glomax.

Simulation for cold forming processes and mechanical assembly techniques.

Speaker:

Antoine Navarro and Mickael Barbelet – product manager FORGE® and COLDFORM®, Transvalor.

Description: Presentation and explanation of two new machines, HELIOS GALV II and HELIOS GALV III, developed in collaboration with LETOMEC, a spin-off company of the University of Pisa, able to measure the presence of hydrogen in galvanic baths and metal parts.

Time:

16:00

Title:

The French market of fasteners and the role of associations.

Speaker:

Jacques Barrier, secretary general PRISMEFIX.

Description: Approaches of the global market and the European market, and a look at the French market: Direct sales and distribution sales, repartition by economic sector. Actors of distribution: Number, repartition by volume, by nationality of control. Role of associations in the French, European and global level.

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Description: Discover FORGE® and COLDFORM® software dedicated to process simulation for cold forming and mechanical joining techniques. These solutions bring a true added value in order to improve forming process reliability, and accelerate time to market for new innovative products.

All seminars are free to attend for all visitors and exhibitors on presentation of their badge.

COMPANY 4F – FABRIQUE FRANÇAISE DE FRAPPE À FROID ACTON AFF GROUPE – AURIOL FRAPPE À FROID AFF VISSERIE – AFF GROUPE AFI ALPHANUM / ARV AMBROVIT SPA AMECA ANNIBALE VITERIE SPA ARAYMOND FRANCE SAS ATOTECH FRANCE ATTAX AVANTAGE INDUSTRIE AWAFAST SRL BAFA BAYONET SA BIRLIK BAGLANTI ELEMANLARI SAN. VE TIC. LTD. STI. BM FIXATIONS BOLZENSCHWEISSTECHNIK BSK+BTV GMBH BOMET THREADED RODS BRALO FRANCE BULLONERIA DEL TOCE SRL BÜLTE PLASTIQUES FRANCE SAS C2G SOUDAGE INNOVATION CARLO SALVI SPA CEIA INTERNATIONAL – CHAUFFAGE PAR INDUCTION ÇETIN CIVATA SAN. VE TIC. A.S. CHAVESBAO CLAMP SRL COLOMBO GIOVANNI & FIGLI SRL COLOMBO SPECIAL FASTENERS SRL COVENTYA SAS CRC INDUSTRIES UK LTD – ACTION CAN DEGA DEMIR VE GALVANIZ SAN. A.Ş.

DEGOMETAL DEJOND SA DESOUTTER DIMAC SRL DON QUICHOTTE B.V. EFP INDUSTRIE EMEK RIVETS & FASTENERS ESSENTRA COMPONENTS EUROFIX POLSKA SP Z.O.O EUROFIX SRL F.O.S FABRIQUE D’OUTILLAGE DE SAINT-ETIENNE FAIRE FRANCE SARL FAR SRL FASTBOLT SCHRAUBENGROSSHANDELS GMBH FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE FASTENEX S.L. FILA FIXATIONS SAS FIRA CONCEPT FIXI SRL FOUBERT-VISSERIE FRIGERIO ETTORE SPA FTV GARDETTE INDUSTRIE GE PARIOT GEBR. TITGEMEYER GMBH & CO. KG GIRAUD & RAY GLOMAX SRL GOEBEL GMBH GÜDE GMBH H.S. AUTOMAZIONI SRL HAEMERS NV HEICO FASTENING SYSTEMS HEROSLAM S.A.L HPC IMANPACK FRANCE SARL IMANPACK ITALY INDUSTRIAL RECENSE S.L INDUSTRIAS ALZUARAN S.L INGRAMATIC SPA INOXDADI SRL INSERCO FASTENERS INTELLIFAST GMBH INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIAL SPRINGS JCL GROUP

COUNTRY

STAND

FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE

740 720 820 820 553

FRANCE ITALY FRANCE ITALY FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE ITALY FRANCE FRANCE TURKEY FRANCE ITALY BELGIUM FRANCE ITALY FRANCE FRANCE ITALY FRANCE TURKEY SPAIN ITALY ITALY ITALY FRANCE UK TURKEY FRANCE BELGIUM FRANCE ITALY THE NETHERLANDS FRANCE TURKEY FRANCE POLAND ITALY FRANCE FRANCE ITALY GERMANY UK SPAIN FRANCE FRANCE ITALY FRANCE ITALY FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE GERMANY FRANCE ITALY FRANCE GERMANY ITALY BELGIUM FRANCE SPAIN FRANCE FRANCE ITALY SPAIN SPAIN ITALY ITALY FRANCE GERMANY INDIA FRANCE

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COMPANY JESUS OÑATE Y HNOS S.A. KEE SAFETY KLEINSORGE GMBH & CO KG LACHANT SPRING 28 LANCASTER FASTENER CO LTD LD FASTENERS SRL LE RIVET FORE – AFF GROUPE LEDERER GMBH LENNIE SA LGC – LA GOUPILLE CANNELÉE LINKSY LUSAVOUGA, HARDWARE AND TOOLS MAGNI EUROPE GMBH & CO. KG MALCAST ENGINEERS MARER SRL MARPOSS SAS MASSARD & CIE MAVITA SRL MFL INDUSTRIE SAS MILANI ENRICO SRL MR INDUSTRIAL FASTENERS SRL NEDSCHROEF NUOVA RIVETTERIA BOLOGNESE SRL OPEN JOINT STOCK COMPANY RECHITSA METIZNY PLANT PECOL AUTOMOTIVE SA PEE-WEE MACHINES DE LAMINAGE À FROID PGB-POLSKA PGB-EUROPE PGB-FRANCE PILONI SRL PRELOK PRISMEFIX PROFIX FRANCE PROLIANS RAPITECH SRL RIVIT RMZ VERTRIEBSGESELLSCHAFT MBH ROLLING TOOLS SRL RONA KRANJ, D.O.O. ROTOR CLIP S.R.O S+P FRANCE SARL SACTO SRL SALA PUNZONI SRL SARIV SRL SAS DOUDOUX SCELL-IT SCHNORR GROUP FRANCE SCHWER + KOPKA GMBH SIMAF SIMPSON STRONG-TIE SINARD SA SMALLEY EUROPE SOPRIMA INDUSTRIE SPECIALINSERT SRL SPIROL SAS STAFA GROUP STRUBL GMBH & CO KG TECNO FASTENERS SRL TECNO IMPIANTI SRL TEKNOFORM FASTENERS TEST GMBH TORNIPLASA TPI – TOUS PRODUITS INDUSTRIELS TRANSVALOR SA TRAXX TREVIS FASTENERS VIAL FRÈRES VILUX VITERIE SPA VIPA FASTENERS FRANCE SARL VIS-EXPRESS.FR VISSAL VISSART EUROPE VISSERIE PRODUIT SERVICE (VPS) VISSERIE SERVICE VITERIA SMEL SRL VOLVIS SAS WERA ZARRI SRL

COUNTRY

STAND

SPAIN FRANCE GERMANY FRANCE UK ITALY FRANCE GERMANY FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE PORTUGAL GERMANY INDIA ITALY FRANCE FRANCE ITALY FRANCE ITALY ITALY THE NETHERLANDS ITALY BELARUS PORTUGAL GERMANY BELGIUM BELGIUM FRANCE ITALY FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE ITALY ITALY AUSTRIA ITALY SLOVENIA CZECH REPUBLIC FRANCE ITALY ITALY ITALY FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE GERMANY FRANCE FRANCE SPAIN FRANCE FRANCE ITALY FRANCE THE NETHERLANDS GERMANY ITALY ITALY TURKEY GERMANY SPAIN FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE ITALY FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE ITALY FRANCE FRANCE ITALY

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FASTENERANDFIXING.COM 87

FASTENER FAIR FRANCE PREVIEW

Fixi’s vast assortment of fasteners

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Fixi has been a leader in Italy for the production and distribution of mechanical fastening systems for over thirty years and states that it is now a reference point for all companies that work in the fields of sheet metal working, solid parts and plastic materials processing.

F

ixi has several branches strategically located in various regions, as well as an extensive network of distributors, that enables the company to have a fast and efficient distribution chain – supported by warehouse management that guarantees the entire range of products is always available to customers at any time of the year.

During the recent Fastener Fair Italy in Milan, the Fixi team – made up of experts with many years of experience in the sector – presented a wide range of fastening systems, achieving considerable success among the visitors thanks to the support of demonstration videos showing the products and their applications.

Fixi offers a vast assortment of fasteners such as blind rivets, threaded inserts, self-clinching fasteners, wire inserts, fasteners for plastic and the new inserts for tubes. To complete the offer, installation tooling is also available such as manual and pneumatic rivet and rivet nut tools, self-clinching presses, as well as accessories and tools for wire inserts.

The inserts for tubes are among the latest products included in the 2018 catalogue, which are designed to solve all the issues related to the forming of threaded holes inside tubes – by replacing the traditional process of welding nuts inside tubes yet providing a secure and tight fitting.

The company also offers its customers a number of exclusive advantages such as a custom package labeling service. This possibility arises from the common need of customers to relabel the goods with their own logo, product code and other details. In this way Fixi’s service eliminates this time-consuming and cost-effective procedure for customers.

Fixi’s website also enables users to consult demonstration videos, download complete catalogues of the various products, and request information and quotations directly through the appropriate information request form.

“We would like to thank the visitors present at the Fastener Fair event in Milan and we look forward to welcoming even more visitors to our stand at this month’s Fastener Fair France,” comments Fixi. www.fixi.it

An expert in fastening solutions for 40 years Thanks to its production facility, AMECA has been designing and manufacturing thread inserts for 40 years in France. Its own design department creates the fastening solutions customers need – whether standard or customised, simple or complex.

T

his proven know-how in thread inserts enables AMECA to continuously develop and extend its range of products in order to adapt to the innovative needs of the market, and to provide the best possible assembling solutions. Its components are suited to a diverse range of industries – 20 million pieces are supplied yearly to the aerospace, defence, energy, electronics, special machinery, transport, medical and food industries.

AMECA has also set-up a worldwide distribution network and is represented in over 30 countries.

Its distributors, and its efficient logistics, help distribute its high-quality products wherever they’re needed. More precisely, AMECA offers a wide range of thread inserts, including tangless inserts, repair kits, as well as manual and automatic installation tooling systems.

To add to this, AMECA also offers inserts for metal sheets and plastics, key type and self-tapping bushes, embedded nuts and welding and crimping studs, plus miscellaneous fastenings.

“By achieving quality standards of the most demanding certifications, such as ISO 9001 and EN 9100, we ensure that reliability is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that our mission is to smooth our customers’ processes through our unlimited flexibility – making it possible to deliver orders in a 24 hour service, with no minimum order. Experience, innovation, rigour, and quality, are our drivers for global development and mutual success,” comments AMECA.

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FASTENER FAIR FRANCE PREVIEW

Rivit’s whole range on display Rivit Srl specialises in the production and distribution of fastening systems and tools for sheet metal working, and assembly, and is well rooted both in the domestic and international markets.

O

perating in over 60 countries, an important strategy for Rivit has always been to present the company at Fastener Fairs.

That is why Rivit will be exhibiting at Fastener Fair France – promoting its full range of riveting tools and fasteners.

Founded in 1973, Rivit has developed a wide range of fasteners such as blind rivets, rivet nuts, self-clinching, welding studs, lockbolts, latches, cage nuts, clamps, steel screws, stainless steel screws and plastic screws.

Rivit’s blind rivets allow blind fastening, working from one side only. They are produced in several lengths and diameters, standard or structural type; and are available with dome, large or countersunk head. They can be made in aluminium, steel, stainless steel, and copper, for any kind of application.

860

The company’s rivet nuts can self-produce threading on pre-drilled sheet metals, which cannot be reached from the back.

Their application does not cause damages or deformations on materials with surface treatments. They are available in stainless steel, steel, aluminium and can come with dome head, countersunk head or reduced head, from M3 to M12, with cylindrical or hexagonal, open or blind shank. Each range of fasteners includes relevant tools for their application, such as tools for blind rivets and rivet nuts.

Tools for blind rivets are tools for installing standard, structural or special rivets of various sizes and materials.

Tools for rivet nuts are designed for the application of rivet nuts of various sizes and materials, both standard and special. www.rivit.it

Industry 4.0 solutions in France

Soprima develops 545 innovative and efficient assembly systems

Dimac is committed to investing in R&D – especially focusing on Internet of Things, automation and augmented reality – and will preview the exciting projects it is planning for 2019 at Fastener Fair France.

Since 1973, Soprima has specialised in precoating in the automotive industry.

Now as a part of the LINKSY Group, the company works in synergy – along with Prelok – to provide the best fixing solutions with expertise in assembly trades.

910

P

lanned releases by Dimac in 2019 include the Dimac integrated eco-system – a cloud-based, off-site, mobile solution helping fastener OEMs to improve productivity, identify new opportunities, enhance end user experience, decrease costs and streamline operational processes. Dimac also has augmented reality apps, such as Dimac ACTY – the revolutionary application for smartphones and tablets to video chat live with Dimac Service and guarantee getting immediate, smart support.

New software includes Volume Plus to pre-control the forming process of special, complex shape fasteners and consequently making the manufacturing costs predictable; MCV Plant to monitor several inspection machines over the network; MCVx Remote to edit the inspection process remotely via mobile device, anytime and everywhere; and MCV_ERP to collect and retrieve statistic data of the 100% sorting cycles for the customer’s company ERP system in real time.

“Dimac will be pleased to meet fastener OEMs, distributors and end users, as well as managers, engineers, and buyers, from all over the world – developing together the company’s growing role on international markets.” www.dimacsrl.com

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S

oprima’s technique consists of applying, on any type of threaded or smooth fastener, a micro encapsulated adhesive that activates while mounted. Polymerising, the adhesive therefore ensures the locking of the part and the sealing of the assembly.

Soprima points out that this technology, developed thirty years ago in the automotive industry, is an advantageous alternative of the classical but costly method of thread lockers. Precoating gradually found itself in many industries, including aeronautics, due to its ease of use and its economical and favourable technique – vibration resistant, easy conception, high productivity, easy technical visual control, reduction of the assembly costs, and being the most effective anti-loosening solution.

Prelok and Soprima provide precoating of nearly 200 million pieces a year, in small and in large series. “We work upstream from the engineering office of our clients and are advocates of technical solutions, in co-development. We also perform the tests and industrialisation and can provide the parts that will be pre-coated,” comments Isabelle Boulineau, sales manager at Soprima.

FOR MORE THAN

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BÜLTE GmbH - Kunststofferzeugnisse D 59348 Lüdinghausen - Germany Te l : ( + 4 9 ) 0 2 5 9 1 / 9 1 9 4 - 0 Fax : (+ 49) 02591 / 5977 bulte@bulte.com - www.bulte.com

FASTENER FAIR FRANCE PREVIEW

Process simulation for fastener manufacturing

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Transvalor S.A is a company that provides best-in-class, affordable and flexible solutions to simulate fastener manufacturing. Thanks to its FORGE® and COLDFORM® software, users get strong performing solutions together with the support of a team of experts for consulting services.

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t every step of the manufacturing process, engineers can take advantage of virtual manufacturing. Transvalor states that simulation is a crucial strategic mean for the development of high performance fasteners.

The software is relevant to simulate the entire manufacturing process from wire blank cut-off through to the cold heading sequence, thread rolling and final heat treatments. Moreover, by bridging process simulation and product analysis, one can simulate the response of fasteners under stress loading and consider the impact of residual stresses due to prior forming sequences.

Simulation contributes to mastering the process and improving the quality of products. It also: Prevents defects prior to production.

Performs die stress analysis and increases die lifetime.

Anticipates underfilled areas.

Predicts metallurgical properties after heat treatment.

Guarantees mechanical properties from grain structure orientation.

Obtains final in-use properties under stress loading.

Transvalor points out that virtual manufacturing is a unique opportunity to drive costs down and differentiate from the competition. One can eliminate the cost of trials and errors, select the right forming equipment and avoid premature die failure. Consequently, the engineering team can demonstrate that high-quality forgings will be delivered in a timely manner.

“For our customers, Transvalor’s simulation-based approach enhances the knowledge of manufacturing techniques and effectively accelerates time to market for new products,” says Stéphane Andrietti, marketing director at Transvalor.

Competitive advantages also include optimising existing processes and increasing productivity, daring new designs for innovative projects, and an easy decision when replying to requests for quotations.

“With Transvalor software there is no trade off on quality.

All features are available without extra or hidden options. Customers can lease or purchase a licence or enquire about engineering consulting. Our experts in simulation will provide the most appropriate services to match expectations,” comments Stéphane. www.transvalor.com

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FASTENER FAIR FRANCE PREVIEW

Welcome to the world of Don Quichotte Don Quichotte was established in 1921 and has grown over the years to become a leader in hardened steel nails. Headquartered in Helmond, the Netherlands, and with sales in over 70 countries worldwide, Don Quichotte states it has put itself right where it belongs – in the spotlight of construction sites all over the world.

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on Quichotte will be showcasing its wide range of nails on its stand at Fastener Fair France. This includes grooved nails, and stainless steel, ring shank grooved nails, with or without a polymer head. However, it doesn’t stop with nails.

Next to nails, Don Quichotte can also provide a wide range of electrical fastening and installation materials, such as dowels, junction boxes, clamps, cable routing and fastening products and earthing systems.

“The quality and reliability that are well known from our nails, and Fixpins, also extends to our electrical fasteners – such as our plastic cable clamps,” explains Don Quichotte B.V. “When you want to install cables and save time and money by doing this, our new generation plastic cable clamps are the way to go: Quick, easy and high-quality.”

“To experience that construction site feeling, please come and visit our stand at Fastener Fair France. Our sales representatives will welcome you with a warm cup of coffee and our wide variety of fasteners and fixings.” www.don-quichotte.com

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FASTENER FAIR FRANCE PREVIEW

pgb-Europe showcases extensive range

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At Fastener Fair France pgb-Europe will be showcasing its extensive range of more than 15,000 different high-quality fasteners – according to DIN, ISO and EN standards – including TUV certified SB bolts (EN 15048) and HV/HR bolts (EN 14399), from stock.

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lso on display will be its pfs-screws – a range of professional wood screws for different applications all with CE Marking, and technical reports. The screws are produced under pgb’s own supervision in its wood screw factory in Vietnam.

As well as its pfs-screws, pgb will also be outlining the benefits of Hapax – high-quality solutions for invisible and visible fastening of wooden decks. A diverse range of Hapax wedges and tools that will help users construct wooden decks accurately, fast and professionally will also be displayed. Another of pgb’s innovations include its SMART® high-quality nylon, steel and chemical anchors – covered by European Technical Assessments. For designers, pgb will also be presenting its free professional calculation software, produced under its supervision in its production facility in Poland.

CEIA induction systems for the fastener 630 industry Thanks to their extremely compact dimensions, CEIA generators can be easily integrated inside forging machines – for the warm forming process (300°C – 900°C) – making them ideal for the fastener industry.

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n its stand at Fastener Fair France, CEIA will showcase its generators with a wide range of frequency and power, which achieve excellent performances and very high yields of both magnetic and non-magnetic materials.

The heating head and the coil can be placed inside the machine, in the area between the feeding rolls and the cutting bushing.

All CEIA generators have been studied to maximise the output power and minimise the energy consumption.

The microprocessor control system of the generator, combined with the use of the SLE Optical Pyrometers Family (80 ÷ 2,000°C), allows users to measure and to stabilise the heating temperature.

CEIA controllers are also fitted with a thermal profile and data log for the storage of all parameters of the working cycle.

This allows users to certify that the quality of production always meets the standard required, which especially important in the aerospace and automotive industries.

CEIA generators are also Industry 4.0 ready.

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New for this year, pgb will also be showcasing its SMART® insulation fixings. The economical, energy efficient and safe fixings – suitable for ETICS as well as all building materials – include the innovative S-IPT 8 – a screwed-in fixing, which is strongly recommended for thick insulations. It has a short embedment depth and is the most versatile.

Also available is the S-IPH 10, a hammered-in fixing with very good pullout resistance and a very short installation time.

Accessories such as special insulation discs for soft insulation like mineral wool make the SMART insulation plugs suitable for all jobs. The STY anchor is a special threaded insulation plug to fix light things to external insulation. www.pgb-europe.com

FAR’s new French warehouse

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FAR is determined to consolidate its share of the French market, with a new warehouse in Lyon, becoming a strategic point to create a capillary distribution network through the whole country. Confident in product quality and in its territorial sales force, the 600m2 store provides an efficient and easy service to meet French market demands.

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ounded in 1957, FAR Srl is a family owned business and a leading company in Italy, and in Europe, for the production and distribution of high technology articles for fastening. With highly specialised employees, supported by two automatic warehouse systems and semi-robotised packaging units – in a 14,000m2 plant in Bologna, the company ships a great variety of blind rivets, blind rivet nuts, tools, and semi-automated solutions, to more than 70 countries worldwide.

One of the core competencies of FAR’s in-house research team is the development of high-quality technical solutions for blind rivet installations. For instance, the high performance blind rivets installation tool RAC 172 provides a force of 22,725N and a stroke of 19.5mm. It is also able to set structural rivets in steel and stainless steel, and other high performance rivets in diameters 6mm and 6.4mm.

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EVENTS CALENDAR

Fastener Fair France Paris, France 28 Nov – 29 Nov 2018 www.fastenerfairfrance.com Specialist fastener event.

Intersolar India Bangalore, India 11 Dec – 13 Dec 2018 www.intersolar.in Exhibition for the Indian solar industry.

BAU 2019 Munich, Germany 14 Jan – 19 Jan 2019 www.bau-muenchen.com German construction industry.

The Hardware Show Dublin, Ireland 17 Feb – 18 Feb 2019 www.haishow.ie Irish hardware, DIY and garden show.

Asia-Pacific Sourcing Köln, Germany 25 Feb – 27 Feb 2019 www.asia-pacificsourcing.de A platform for asian companies in import and export.

BouwBeurs Utrecht, Netherlands 4 Feb – 8 Feb 2019 www.bouwbeurslive.nl Trade fair for the construction industry.

St. Petersburg Technical Fair St. Petersburg, Russia 12 Mar – 14 Mar 2019 www.ptfair.ru Metallurgy, welding, metalworking, tools and instruments, materials and machinery exhibition.

23rd Mechanical Components & Materials Technology Expo Tokyo, Japan 6 Feb – 8 Feb 2019 www.japan-mfg.jp Mechanical components and materials technologies.

Construct Ambient Expo Bucharest, Romania 14 Mar – 17 Mar 2019 www.construct-ambientexpo.ro International trade fair for construction technologies.

BUDMA – International Construction Fair Poznań, Poland 12 Feb – 15 Feb 2019 www.budma.pl Building technology, equipment and materials.

Fastener Fair Stuttgart Stuttgart, Germany 19 Mar – 21 Mar 2019 www.fastenerfair.com The leading exhibition for fasteners and fixings.

ACMA Automechanika New Delhi New Delhi, India 14 Feb – 17 Feb 2019 www.acma-automechanika.in Trade for the automotive industry.

MosBuild Moscow, Russia 2 Apr – 5 Apr 2019 www.mosbuild.com Construction technology, materials and equipment.

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EXHIBITIONS

Exhibitors find ROI at Fastener Fair USA After the success of the first edition in 2018, where nearly 75% of exhibitors met or exceeded their objectives, organisers have taken the strategic decision to host the second edition of Fastener Fair USA in Detroit, MI, at the Cobo Center on 22nd – 23rd May 2019.

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he upcoming 2019 show offers manufacturers and distributors another valuable opportunity to showcase their latest technologies and solutions, as well as the opportunity to share expertise through top-notch educational programmes.

“The feedback we received from 2018 exhibitors on their ROI was really positive. Hosting the show in Detroit is a strategic decision to continue to build our brand in the Midwest and market the show to growing end user industries such as automotive and aerospace,” explains Jessica Boweak, exhibition manager for Fastener Fair USA. “The Midwest features a strong manufacturing base to whom we are actively promoting the show.”

Technology and solutions for the entire industrial supply chain

Manufacturers and distributors of industrial and construction fasteners, assembly and installation systems, fastener manufacturing technology, MRO supplies, and services, will all find the right mix of decision makers walking the show floor.

More than 2,300 registrants from a variety of industries packed the exhibit hall in 2018 – looking for solutions for their business challenges. Visitors included mechanical engineers, product designers, purchasers, and R&D personnel from industries such as automotive, aerospace, agriculture and construction equipment OEMs, distribution, home appliances, consumer electronics, furniture, wind power, oil and gas, power transmission/hydraulic/ pneumatic, and on-and-off highway equipment.

For 2019, over 50% of the exhibit space has already been reserved by leading companies including Intools Incorporated, Carlo Salvi USA, Machine Insight LLC, Brighton Best, Dörken MKS-System GmbH & Co. KG, Atotech, AVK Industrial Products, Unbrako LLC, American Ring, Kistler Instrument Corp, National Machinery, and Loomis International.

At the 2019 edition, Fastener Fair USA will also introduce an Adhesives and Bonding Pavilion, highlighting other joining technologies for industrial use.

Showcasing expertise

New for 2019, the show will feature two stages on the exhibit hall floor to offer concurrent education tracks targeted to distributors, as well as end users. Fastener Training Institute will present two pre-show workshops for the second time, one focusing on the automotive market and fastener technology. The other will provide Fastening 101 training to newcomers in the industry, including a new mentor component where newcomers will be paired up with industry veterans during their time at the show for additional learning, support, and networking.

“We encourage industry experts to use the show as a platform to share their knowledge with attendees representing the full supply chain at the show,” comments Jessica. “We’ve been told that our education sessions offer unique value not seen at other fastener events, so we are looking forward to aggressively showcasing and marketing these sessions.”

Fastener Fair USA is inviting industry professionals to submit proposals to participate in educational sessions scheduled for the show. To be considered, industry professionals should submit a proposal on fastening and fixing technology, innovations, case stories, and solutions, using the Speaker Submission form on the Fastener Fair USA website: www.fastenerfair.com/usa/exhibitors/become-a-speaker/

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EXHIBITIONS

New at wire® 2020: A special exhibition area for fasteners For the first time in its history, wire® will have dedicated fastener and spring forming exhibition areas at its next show in Düsseldorf, Germany, on 30th March – 3rd April 2020.

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or quite some time now the organisers of the global trade fair for wire and cable have observed developments on national and international markets and interviewed exhibitors and potential customers – always with a view to being close to the market and able to respond to the current needs of the wire and cable industries. With these two new exhibition areas, Messe Düsseldorf says it has responded to market needs while closing the gap between machinery, plant, raw materials and finished products at the same time.

“The finished products, fasteners and springs, are especially ideal complements for the machinery, equipment and raw materials we present at wire Düsseldorf. This extension of ranges guarantees wire an additional pillar with growth potential from 2020,” explains Friedrich-Georg Kehrer, global portfolio director metals and flow technologies at Messe Düsseldorf.

Fasteners and springs are required virtually everywhere because every technical system needs them to work, one way or the other. The automotive industry – also a driver of innovation in this field – also plays a leading role. Today’s passenger cars, for example, contain more than 1,000 screw connections – 300 of them in the combustion engine – and some 1,000 springs.

The market volume for fasteners earmarked for the automotive industry alone is thought to have amounted to some US$20 billion (€15.4 billion) in 2017 and it is expected to reach almost US$21.5 billion in 2018 and rise to over US$25 billion by 2025 – with an average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.4%.

According to the Deutscher Schraubenverband e.V. (DSV – German Screw Federation) 796,000 tonnes of fasteners worth €3.3 billion were produced in Germany in 2017, one of the leading producing and exporting countries for screws and fasteners. Of these 794,000 tonnes (€4.5 billion) went to exports. The same year the country imported 895,000 tonnes of fasteners. The German screw making industry comprises some 50 manufacturers with a total of 8,000 employees.

Apart from the automotive industry and its OEMs the principal buyers of fasteners are producers of household appliances, electrical equipment and furniture, the construction industry, as well as machinery, apparatus and steel engineering. These are also new target groups with different demands.

As big and international as ever – presenting 1,442 exhibitors from 51 countries on 65,000m2 of net exhibition space and over 42,000 trade visitors – wire 2018 broke all the records attained in its over 30 years of history at Düsseldorf fairgrounds.

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EXHIBITIONS

Special shows at BAU 2019 look to the future As well as in the presentations by exhibitors, the key themes of BAU 2019 – taking place from 14th – 19th January 2019 at Messe München in Germany – will be explored and illustrated in a number of special shows, from different angles and all focusing on different aspects.

Building components TripleS

Under the motto of ‘Building components TripleS – Smart/Safe/Secure’, the ift Rosenheim is presenting the use of smart building components, drives, sensors and security systems – illustrating this with a mockup of a living and working environment. The focus is on ease of use, installation and correct procedure as regards to requirements, compliance and safety for electrical building components.

The show also looks at the problems of complex applications, such as anti-burglary systems, fire and smoke prevention, provision for power cuts, misuse and securing emergency exits. Experts from the ift Rosenheim will be pointing out the normative and legal bases, as well as new guidelines and testing procedures.

Spaces for living in the future

In the special show: ‘Spaces for living: Digital, sustainable, smart’, the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance is presenting innovative products and solutions from research conducted by the Fraunhofer Institutes. The themes are: ‘Digitalisation – from BIM to the digital twin’; ‘New sustainability – recycling building materials and renewables’; as well as ‘Smart buildings and resilient districts’.

Innovative and sustainable solutions are the answer to meeting the ever growing demands on buildings. Cross sector thinking will become ever more important as well as taking an integrated approach. The Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance has taken on the task of systematically tackling the innovations gap. Under the umbrella of the 14 Fraunhofer Institutes, different specialist competences are combined in a drive to offer the building industry interdisciplinary solutions.

Sustainable is the new normal

At the DGNB special show, ideas and solutions will be presented on forward looking themes such as the circular economy and strategies for climate neutral building – so that sustainability will become the new normal. A glance at the most urgent global challenges such as climate change and dwindling resources is enough to realise that in the field of building in particular effective answers are needed. Architects, planners, building clients and manufacturers can get an overview here of current developments in sustainable building and gather information on what they can do in practice.

Smart living

This special show by the GGT Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gerontotechnik® focuses on the subject of smart living. It explores the interaction between human beings, buildings and technology, and, using a mock-up apartment, it shows what it takes to plan and fit out a smart building. One that suits all the occupants, through all phases of their lives. In line with the motto of ‘Comfort for today and provision for tomorrow’, the trade fair visitors can see a living environment that is supported by smart technology and designed for all generations.

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©Messe Munchen GmbH

100% MADE IN ITALY since 1912 MUSTAD S.p.A. - Via Sant’ Anna 59/21 - 10070 Balangero (Turin) Italy Tel. +39 0123 346625 - Fax. +39 0123 346041 - commercio@mustad.it - www.mustad.it

- Professional screws for all applications - One of the leading case hardened screw manufacturers in Europe - 2 plants with a total covered surface of over 20.000 m2 - More than 100 heading machines, threading machines, point forming machines, packing machines - Controlled atmosphere ovens for case hardening treatments - Millions of pieces made every day - Thousands of items available in stock - Technical-sales customer care - ISO 9001 and ISO TS 16949 certifications issued by LLOYD’S Register

EXHIBITIONS

FEICA focuses on digitalisation The FEICA European Adhesive & Sealant Conference and EXPO, which has been growing exponentially since 1972, again saw a record number of delegates attend this year’s event, which took place in Riga, Latvia, from 12th – 14th September.

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EICA, the Association of the European Adhesive and Sealant Industry, represents the industry at a European level and works with all relevant stakeholders to create a mutually beneficial economic and legislative environment within which they can operate and prosper. “Our industry provides leading edge technologies that make the manufacture and supply of many everyday products possible. It contributes greatly to the European and global economy, fosters sustainable development, encourages innovation and offers stimulating careers for people with a wide range of skills,” comments FEICA.

Aric Dromi, futurologist and digital philosopher, explored a world where technology suppresses natural evolution and machines become a disposable basket for cognitive function. Richard van Hooijdonk, trend watcher and expert on digitalisation in the supply chain, examined how for the next production revolution we will need to become fully aware of the Internet of Things, the risk from a young generation of hackers, advanced robotics, industrial biotechnology, and 3D printing, etc.

Aric Dromi, futurologist and digital philosopher

Johan Bruck explained IKEA’s adhesive needs

Focused heavily on digitalisation, the 2018 FEICA Conference and EXPO saw 600 participants from 35 countries attend. This year’s Conference Business Forum, titled: ‘Adhesives and sealants in the digital age’, demonstrated how the growth of the internet and digital technologies will change lives in ways we cannot even begin to imagine. Four top quality keynote speakers showed how digitalisation could bring enormous benefits to business, but only by understanding the challenges it will bring.

Aric Dromi, keynote speaker discussed the benefits of digitalisation

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Also speaking at the show was Johan Bruck, material and innovation leader for polymer materials at IKEA, who explained the company’s current and future adhesive needs. Tom Voskes, founding and managing partner of SparkOptimus, also encouraged visitors to “Make disruption work”. He explained that “for businesses, the water is heating up, and if you don’t want to get boiled, you’ll need to craft a winning strategy”. The overall message was that companies need to quickly come to grasps with the new digital age in order to be well placed to address the risks and reap the benefits.

The conference’s parallel break-out sessions gave delegates a chance to attend informative presentations in their own particular spheres of interest. Topics ranged from the digital transformation of business to the circular economy and smart solutions through to bio-based adhesives and sealants. The FEICA Seminars, open to all members, addressed ‘A business perspective on regulatory challenges’.

The year’s conference also saw the handing out of the very first FEICA/EURADH (European adhesion societies) award for Innovative Adhesion Science. Philip Bruce, FEICA secretary general, presented the award to Dr René Hensel for his paper on ‘Composite pillars with a tunable interface for adhesion to rough substrates’. The award aims to stimulate the interactions between industrial and scientific activities in adhesion science. It is funded

by FEICA and will be presented at the EURADH conferences every two years.

The 2019 FEICA Conference & EXPO will be held at the Valamar Dubrovnik Hotels in Croatia from 11th – 13th September 2019.

Registration will open in March 2019.

EXHIBITIONS

INDUSTRY TOOLS by FERROFORMA: A show for new markets From 4th – 6th June 2019, Bilbao Exhibition Centre will present INDUSTRY TOOLS by FERROFORMA, a trade show featuring products and tools for application in industry – the latest fair to be created from the evolution of FERROFORMA.

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he sectors represented by the new INDUSTRY TOOLS

by FERROFORMA will be mainly locksmithery, fittings and security, hand tools, portable power tools, woodworking, industrial supplies, supplies for construction, protective gear, fixings, hardware, lifting, handling and transport, industrial cleaning and in-house logistics (storage and industrial furnishings).

INDUSTRY TOOLS seeks to open up a path to new markets and products, which in turn will promote the ability to work on new possibilities – gaining access to industrial sectors such as aeronautics, automotive, rail, industrial supplies, hardware stores, and large-scale hardware distribution.

Exhibitors and visitors can also take part in the B2B programme, which has proved so successful in previous events in terms of both the number of meetings arranged and the results in terms of business. In 2017, the hosted buyers programme attracted guest purchaser delegations from 32 countries. In regard to the activities and conferences, in which a total of 121 speakers participated, there were experts in Industry 4.0, automotive, electronic commerce, additive manufacturing, industrial coatings, casting, pumps and valves, and industrial maintenance.

Finally, other events will be held concurrently with this new show, including Subcontratación – subcontracting fair, ADDIT3D – an additive and 3D manufacturing fair, FITMAQ – bargain machinery fair, Maintenance – industrial maintenance fair, Pumps&Valves and Workinn, thus fostering significant synergies in the context of Industry 4.0.

19,200 professionals from 71 different countries visited the show in 2017 – a higher number of visitors than previously, according to the closing report of the show’s organiser. The main countries of origin of visitors from outside Spain were Portugal, France, the United States, Italy and Germany. More than 1,200 exhibitors presented their products and services at the show. www.industrytools.eu

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Via dell’Artigianato, 16-18-20 - 36027 SAN PIETRO DI ROSÀ (VI) - ITALY Tel. 0039.0424.562044 - Fax 0039.0424.564055 E-mail: sipa@sipaitalia.it - E-mail: ordini@sipaitalia.it - Web: www.sipaitalia.it

CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS

The cutting edge of anchoring – concrete screws

By John Muir, technical manager, Construction Fixings Association In the world of post installed anchors into concrete and masonry, all chemical and mechanical anchors need to be tightened against a fixture through application of a defined level of installation torque, with one exception.

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pplying a specified level of torque to an anchor (called the installation torque – T inst) is required to create a clamping force to the fixture to ensure no movement takes place under load. Additionally, in the case of torque controlled expansion anchors, the installation torque creates the expansion force in the anchor, which produces the frictional resistance to the axial applied load.

The clamping force produced will always be well in excess of any applied load to the anchor – ensuring no movement or loosening takes place.

The value of torque to be applied is provided by the manufacturer in the product’s European Technical Assessment (ETA) and Declaration of Performance (DoP), and is obtained through testing and calculation to ensure the correct magnitude of clamping force is achieved.

The one exception, as mentioned earlier, is the concrete screw anchor with a cutting thread, which when screwed into the base material cuts that thread form into the concrete or masonry.

Concrete screw cutting thread

The base material is drilled using a hole diameter that is less than the thread diameter of the anchor, so that the cutting thread of the concrete screw creates a physical key in the base material. The depth of the cutting thread affects the load capacity of the anchor – the higher the thread, the higher the load.

The varying head details make the concrete screw a very versatile product for a wide range of applications.

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Type of concrete screw head Hex head style Internally threaded (M8 and M10) Threaded stud Countersunk head Pan head

Since the working principal for concrete screws is keying, they are suitable for use in cracked concrete and in certain cases for dynamic loading such as seismic, fatigue and shock, making them very versatile.

An issue that has arisen with certain concrete screws is that of hydrogen embrittlement. For these anchors to cut a thread into hard concrete, they are manufactured from a high strength grade of steel, which is more susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement. This can occur when a galvanised product is exposed to an electrolyte (e.g used in a damp or external environment) or when in production hydrogen is absorbed during the hardening heat treatment and coating process. A number of cases of failure of the anchors have occurred due to this effect in the past.

However, concrete screws can be manufactured so that de-embrittlement processes remove and limit the possibility of hydrogen within the structure of the fastener.

The ETA testing for concrete screws, in accordance with the latest European Assessment Document – EAD 330232-00-0601, also now includes a specific test for resistance to hydrogen embrittlement, so a concrete screw with an ETA will have no issues in this area, which may not be the case with non-ETA products.

EAD testing for brittle fracture (hydrogen embrittlement)

As mentioned earlier, the key difference with this product to other anchors is in the installation procedure, with the method of installing all concrete screws outlined below:

Drill hole to correct depth and diameter (which are both critical)

Clear hole of dust

Insert anchor by screwing into base material with a mechanical impact wrench of a specified maximum torque

The suitable mechanical impact wrench for each manufacturer and anchor size will be defined in the ETA or DoP as the T imp.max . It is vital that any impact wrench used does not exceed this value of torque.

The key feature of this product is the fact that it is not set to a specific torque during installation. It is distance controlled not torque controlled.

There are, however, cases when a specific torque value is applied to the anchor. These include the situation where manual installation would be considered realistic or desirable, but only achievable in lower strength materials such as green concrete or masonry. Secondly, where the anchor is partially withdrawn and reinserted to allow for adjustment.

In these situations, the manufacturer of the concrete screws should be consulted. Installation torque (Tinst) for these examples will be much less than Timp.max and is published in the ETA and DoP. Another example where T inst is used is where a component, such as a plate or channel, is fixed to an installed anchor. This can only apply to a concrete screw with the protruding threaded stud, or internally threaded hex head. Here T inst is applied to create the clamping force on the fixture, and is the maximum torque to be applied.

A typical example of the two cases above include: T imp.max = 600Nm T inst = 60Nm for concrete and 5Nm – 15Nm for masonry It is vital that there is no confusion over these values.

Screw anchor into concrete until the head shoulders firmly with the fixture and STOP. The anchor should not be able to be tightened further

Concrete screws are referenced by the hole diameter, which is less than the cutting thread diameter, and clearance holes in a fixture are generally ~ 2mm greater than the thread of the anchor. This being the case, care needs to be taken to ensure any clearance hole is of an appropriate diameter to allow through drilling and fixing of the concrete screw. For instance, a 14mm clearance would be required for a 10mm concrete screw – 10mm hole diameter.

In summary, the concrete screw is a relatively new anchor, which has a good performance, covers a wide range of applications and is simple to install in a range of base materials.

However, since it utilises an installation method different to existing anchor types, it is vital that installers of these anchor have the knowledge of the installation method and, as with all anchors, have the expertise required to carry out the installation correctly.

The key points are: Installation of the anchor is by means of a torque rated mechanical impact wrench to achieve a tight fix with no specific torque value.

Only when fixing a component to the concrete screw with the protruding threaded stud installed will a recommended torque be required.

Provided these key characteristics of this anchor are understood and adhered to, the construction industry will be able to utilise this flexible, innovative anchor to solve anchoring issues across all trades and applications. www.the-cfa.co.uk

FASTENERANDFIXING.COM

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CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS

New DOWSIL™ silicones improve energy efficiency Dow has recently introduced two new advanced silicones that have been designed to further enhance energy performance and enable productivity gains in glass insulation and structural glazing applications.

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OWSIL™ 3364 Warm Edge IG sealant is a secondary edge silicone that offers up to 45% lower thermal conductivity and 25% lower psi-values in warm edge designs when compared to standard insulating glass silicones. This new patented ENERGY STAR® product designed to gain European approval (ETAG 002) helps to further lower the U-value of the curtain wall by up to 5% without changing the overall design. The DOWSIL™ 3364 sealant also contributes to a higher level of comfort by raising the internal surface temperature of the glass, reducing the risk of condensation and mould growth.

Increasingly stringent environmental regulations has led architects, planners and energy consultants to re-examine the design of modern glass façades to capture significant energy gain and CO2 emissions reduction potential. Advances in lowering U-values, condensation risks, and insulating glass edges are key topics in the design of high performing façade designs.

1.762

Next generation silicone

Designed to increase productivity, DOWSIL™ 994 Ultra-Fast Bonding sealant is ideally suited for structural glazing and other bonding applications such as internal partition wall bonding, solar thermal and window bonding, etc, where strong connections and short cycle times are required.

With European approval (ETAG 002), high structural capability and ultra-fast cure, this new product enables continuous production for fast onward processing, automated fabrications and specific bonding designs.

HX ®

1 FIRE RESISTANCE

R120

Tecfi S.p.A.

SEISMIC FIXING

PERFORMANCE CATEGORY C2 - C1 ETAG 001 - ANNEX E

CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS

Recent European Technical Assessments for fixings Following an agreement with the European Organisation of Technical Assessments, here is a list of recent ETAs published in the last two months on the EOTA website.

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t is important to note that existing ETAs may be amended or withdrawn so this list should not be considered definitive.

For further information and a full list of valid ETAs visit EOTA’s website.

If you have recently received an ETA, and would like to have it included in our table, please email us the full details at editor@fastenerandfixing.com

ETA NUMBER

TRADE NAME

COMPANY

EAD 130090-00-0303 Wood concrete composite slab with dowel-type fasteners ETA – 18/0649

Tecnaria CTL BASE, CTL MAXI and CVT 40 OMEGA connectors

TECNARIA SpA

EAD 330030-00-0601 Fasteners of external wall claddings ETA – 16/0097

FibreCem-undercut anchor Keil for FibreCem-façade

FibreCem Deutschland GmbH

EAD 330046-01-0602 Fastening screws for metal members and sheeting ETA – 13/0817

WKS, WKF, WKFT

P.H. HAMAR Sp. J. B. i H. Grzesiak

EAD 330087-00-0601 Systems for post-installed rebar connections with mortar ETA – 13/0780 ETA – 13/0954 ETA – 14/0147

MO-H, MO-HS steel bonded anchor ANKROCHIM SF800+, ANKROCHIM SF800E 2KPS EASF-V,EASF-VC,EASF-VE

Index Técnicas Expansivas PLAKABETON 2 2K polymer systems Ltd

ETA – 18/0685

Verbundmörtel CLIC VM EP CONEL, Verbundmörtel CLIC VM EW CONEL,Verbundmörtel CLIC VM ES CONEL

CONEL GmbH

EAD 330499-00-0601 Bonded fasteners for use in concrete ETA – 03/0008

SPIT Maxima

SPIT SAS

EAD 130118-00-0603 Screws for use in timber constructions ETA – 11/0331

ferronorm Power-Fast screws and ferronorm

SFS unimarket AG

EAD 330076-00-0604 Metal injection anchors for use in masonry ETA – 16/0700 ETA – 18/0833

2KPS EASF-V, EASF-VC, EASF-VE Chemofast Injection system PASF+

2K polymer systems Ltd Chemofast Anchoring GmbH

EAD 330196-01-0604 Plastic anchors made of virgin or non-virgin material for fixing of ETICS with rendering ETA – 18/0809 ETA – 18/0811

WEBER.THERM TA START VITE termofix V8 UNICALCE

SAINT-GOBAIN PPC Italia SpA UNICALCE SpA

EAD 330232-00-0601 Mechanical fasteners for use in concrete ETA – 13/0036 ETA – 17/0184 ETA – 17/0952 ETA – 18/0483

PTB-PRO Rawlplug R-HPTIIZF Zinc Flake Throughbolts Vorpa torque-controlled expansion anchor VSA LTS

DeWalt 5 Rawlplug S.A. Vorpa S.R.L LINK YAPI SAN. VE TIC. AS

EAD 330499-00-0601 Bonded fasteners for use in concrete ETA – 13/0455 ETA – 18/0663 ETA – 18/0667 ETA – 18/0675 ETA – 18/0696 ETA – 18/0834

R-KEX II Injection system ARVEX CV 2KPS EX2+ Chemset™ Reo502™ EF Plus, Epcon™ C6 EF Plus GCP EPFI Injection System for concrete Chemofast Injection system PASF+

RAWLPLUG S.A ARVEX GROBELNY Sp. Z.o.o.

2K polymer systems ltd RamsetReid A division of ITW Australia Pty Ltd General Construction Products Chemofast Anchoring GmbH

Consistent high-quality from Rapierstar A long-term commitment to choosing only high-quality Rapierstar window and door fasteners is helping leading REHAU fabricator, Dessian Products Ltd, to deliver on its promise of superior performance in-use and minimal future callbacks.

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essian, which operates two trade fabrication plants in Belfast and Cumbernauld, has now been using Rapierstar fasteners in the manufacture of its wide range of PVCu doors and windows for twelve years. These components are an essential part of a carefully considered specification for Dessian’s REHAU Tritec (60mm) and REHAU TOTAL70 (70mm) system windows and doors, which are tested to BS7412 and PAS24 to offer enhanced security and achieve the Secured by Design standard.

Stephen Thurley, production and technical manager at Dessian Products, says: “Everyone at Dessian has worked hard over the past three decades to create a culture built around service and product quality, which exceeds customer expectations. That’s why we leave no stone unturned when it comes to the components and raw materials that we use in the manufacture of our windows and doors.”

Stephen continues: “We understand the need for technical excellence in every aspect of the window or door’s construction and that includes the smallest components – the fasteners. That’s why we value the products supplied by Rapierstar, which we know we can depend on technically. The company’s delivery reliability is crucially important to help us maintain efficiency and productivity across our factories.”

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Paul McAuley, Rapierstar’s technical sales manager for Ireland and Scotland, adds: “It’s satisfying to think that the Rapierstar fasteners used to manufacture Dessian windows and doors back when we started supplying them in 2006 are still there today, doing the job they were supposed to do. Dessian’s excellent reputation in the market demonstrates it is delivering a quality finished product and we hope Rapierstar fasteners will continue to make a positive contribution here for many more years to come.”

As the UK’s largest supplier of fasteners to the fenestration sector, with over one billion fasteners held in stock at its bonded warehouse in Cheshire, Rapierstar plays a key role in enabling fabricators to maintain high volumes of production and deliver consistently high-quality finished windows and doors. Its expertise in new product development, sourcing, international trade, logistics, and distribution, ensures it can offer excellent reliability as a supply chain partner, with its current on time in full performance standing at 99.5%.

The Benchmark for Anchor Design Become a Real Anchor Professional DesignFiX is an all-purpose anchor design program for manufacturers of fasteners for free distribution to their clients such as engineers, planners or craftsmen. By using the software, the clients can design mechanical and chemical heavy duty anchors under static loads and under the influence of earthquake.

www.designfix.de

St Co u m St tt e an ga an d rt d # Fa se 18 s e 04 ten us , H er a al Fa t l 3 ir

Now available: Design of post-installed rebar connections in reinforced concrete.

CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS

Building with wood SWG Production is on a mission to convince customers, developers and builders, that building with wood is a great and sustainable thing – providing short construction times, as well as cost-effective construction.

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WG Production, based in Waldenburg, Germany, has stood for innovative and high-quality screws for major customers for decades. A new production building, planned by SWG’s own engineering firm – SWG Engineering, will be such a wooden construction.

“Our engineers spent many months working on the structural design of the production hall. The symbiosis of new materials and new screwed connection variants leads to a unique project with a showroom, in which the use of our products in theory and practice can be seen,” explains SWG. “In the new production hall not only will a lot of wood be installed, but also many of our self-made screws and solutions will be used, too. This will directly demonstrate the use of fasteners from SWG Production.”

Think Fixing

However, SWG Production is not only a pioneer in the field of timber construction. “We are happy to support the construction projects of other property developers with our know-how, our services and our solutions,” mentions SWG. “Due to various approvals and certificates for Europe (ETA), America (ICC) and Canada (CCMC), our fasteners can be used in the most diverse regions and application areas. We offer our customers their own, individual solutions and are happy to assist with our know-how, which has been developed in the technical and planning area of the engineering office of SWG Engineering.”

G&B UK warehouse Quality products with a service to match available

for next day delivery direct from our branch in Sheffield (UK mainland only).

Contact our experienced staff to assist you for all you need.

G&B GROUP, the Italian company

www.gebfissaggi.com

G&B Fissaggi S.r.l. Italia Corso Savona, 22 10029 Villastellone (TO) tel. +39 011 961 94 33 fax +39 011 961 96 39 info@gebfissaggi.com

G&B Fissaggi UK warehouse Unit 16 Riverside Court Don Road - Sheffield - S9 2TJ (UK) tel. 0114 242 0074 fax 0114 242 0075 uksales@gebfissaggi.com

G&B Fissaggi Vertretung Deutschland johnengebfissaggi@gmail.com G&B Fissaggi Ibérica gbiberica@gebfissaggi.com G&B Fissaggi Benelux info@gebfissaggi.com G&B Fissaggi France p.carlu@gebfissaggi.com

WWW.FIXALL.EU

ADHESIVES & SEALANTS FLEXI : Adhesive & sealant in 1 • TURBO : Handtight after 20min. • HIGH TACK : Strongest adhesive-sealant

ADVERT490

X-TREME POWER : Heavy loads • CRYSTAL : 100% Transparent

CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS

HECO screw anchors: Flexible even under heavy loads HECO has expanded its range of screw anchors with the new additions of MULTI-MONTI®-plus, with diameters of 16mm and 20mm, and a special version named ‘SSK’ for the temporary fastening of push-pull props in concrete and formwork structures.

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t the same time, HECO is underlining its expertise as a provider of efficient and cost-effective solutions for heavy-duty anchoring. The new ETA rated screw anchors are even approved for multiple use and for insertion in young concrete with a minimum compressive strength of 10N/mm². Simple anchor calculation and installation is able to save a lot of mounting time when fixing supports for formwork, for example.

MULTI-MONTI-plus SS heavy-duty anchors

MMS-plus screw anchor in diameters of 16mm and 20mm With the large screw diameters of 16mm and 20mm, HECO is entering the field of classic heavy-duty anchoring, which was previously dominated by sleeve anchors and resin bolts in particular. For example, when applying the MMS-plus 20 in cracked concrete, with a compressive strength of C20/25, tensile resistances of up to 44kN can be achieved, according to the ETA – 15/0784.

Screw anchors with diameters of 16mm and 20mm recently received an approval for seismic actions C1 and C2. HECO is providing the MMS-plus screw anchors in the new dimensions with a hexagon head and a combined washer, as well as a pre-set anchor with a metric connection thread.

MULTI-MONTI-plus SSK as a flexible solution

HECO has also developed the MULTI-MONTI-plus SSK in the dimensions 16mm x 130mm, specifically for temporary anchor plate installation of push-pull props in pre-cast concrete component and formwork structures – according to the general technical approval Z-21.8-2061. SSK is a German abbreviation that translates to ‘hexagon head with washer and cone’. The screw anchor with the proven MULTI-MONTI-plus thread and combined washer has an additional, extremely adaptable cone under its head. It can therefore be put to very flexible use when fastening anchor plates with different sizes of clearance holes. HECO provides customers with a load chart for various compression strengths of concrete as an additional evaluation tool. Furthermore, the MULTI-MONTI-plus SSK can be calculated with the calculation software HCS for permanent fixations according to ETA – 15/0784.

The screw anchor MULTI-MONTI®-plus SSK in the dimensions 16mm x 130mm has a hexagon head with washer and cone In case of smaller hole diameters, the screw secures the base plate by pressing it securely on to the substructure via the conus.

The bigger the clearance hole, the further the screw is countersunk when installed in the component to be fastened. The combined washer enables fastenings in even larger clearance holes.

Hole diameters of 17mm to 23mm in the base plate can thus be covered with a single screw dimension. Any hole tolerance is reliably eliminated. Another practical advantage is that HECO uses a screw head with the size for a 24mm spanner, which is commonly used in formwork structures. Users can therefore work with their usual tools.

Use of all the MULTI-MONTI-plus versions is very easy and saves time. A newly developed function tip reduces wear due to a larger outer diameter and strengthened serration. The core and thread geometry enables effortless driving and high loads. The anchor can be screwed in easily with a tangential impact wrench.

It is also easy for contractors to determine whether the anchor is suitable for reuse. The gauge used for this is available in the HECO range and also covered by the approval. If the anchor remains inserted in the gauge without the tip protruding, it can be used again. www.heco-schrauben.com

Images ©HECO-Schrauben

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SPECIALISTS IN

CONSTRUCTION SCREWS Straight and High hardness Faster and more efficient Designed for wood Certificate

YUYAO ALFIRSTE HARDWARE CO.,LTD

Web:www.chinanchor.com

Add:Huiqiao Rd #1122, Langxia Street, Yuyao,Zhejiang,China

E-mail:028@chinanchor.com

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

Weighpack customised packaging solution introduced at HEICO Throughout its 115 year history, HEICO Group has consistently shown its commitment to innovation – both in the products it supplies and the unique production processes and tooling it uses. A prime example was the recent introduction of a complete customised packaging solution – from product infeed to palletising – supplied by Weighpack.

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t the end of 2016 HEICO was ready for the next step in its development and looked at how it could move forward expanding its packaging capabilities.

It is a specialist field focusing on efficiency and accuracy, which is why HEICO contacted Weighpack and invited the company to work on a solution for the complete packaging process.

Weighpack developed a tailor-made packaging line, not a stand-alone system, that perfectly fitted in-line with HEICO’s requirements. However, it is also a system that meets the requirements and wishes with regards to flexibility and can grow with the company.

One integrated system

Weighpack has a unique specialty – processing products with a small volume and a heavy weight. These types of products require completely different solutions and systems. The Weighpack strength is that it can keep the entire process in one hand, from the initial advice up to and including service and maintenance.

All components in the packaging line of Weighpack have been optimised and integrated. This means that all partial solutions ‘communicate’ with each other and the peripheral equipment.

This has many advantages for a trouble-free operation and efficient maintenance. At Weighpack customers can find know-how in the field of machine engineering, mechatronics and control technology – both PLC and PC. It resulted in a system that was built up and tested at Weighpack’s plant in The Hague, the Netherlands. The packaging line was then dismantled, packed, transported and built-up again at the HEICO production location in Ense, Germany, in the first quarter of 2018.

From the Lift&Tip unit the products are stored in a 1,200kg capacity vibratory hopper. Through a special vibratory pre-weigh tray, the products are streamed to feed the 14 head combination weigher, which can generate a product flow up to 120kg per minute. The product portions, created by the multi-head combination weigher, are transported by choice to the box or the bag filling position.

Depending on the desired type of packing, the system activates the automatic case erector to supply American cases or the automatic de-stacker for plastic boxes in case of KLT packing.

Before introducing the KLT or boxes into the system, the empty boxes are checked by a Vision Camera System to check the condition and labeling position of the KLT returnable. The vision system will recognise contamination from alien parts, contamination from water or oil, deformation or damage, as well as correct position of the label slot.

The latest technology

Weighpack’s credo is ‘thinking ahead’. The company likes to be at the forefront in technology, continuously seeking new technologies and materials to optimise the process. In addition, Weighpack works closely together with specialised partners (for components) and organisations (for research). Because of this Weighpack could deliver the latest packaging line for the fully automatic packing of cold forming parts. The packaging line packs the HEICO products in returnable plastic KLT boxes, bags or American folding cases.

The configuration starts at the infeed of the products were a Lift&Tip unit with 1,000kg capacity empties internal bins in the main storage hopper. Before introducing the product bin in the Lift&Tip unit, the operator makes a scan of the product barcode to initiate the central control PC, which will recognise the introduction of a new or running batch order and all other relevant information like product type, packing type, quantity per pack, VDA label information and pallet stacking.

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In case the KLT box faces the wrong labeling position, the boxes will automatically be turned 180 degrees to face the correct labeling position again. If requested by the end user an anti-corrosion paper sheet dispenser can be activated to apply an anti-corrosion paper sheet at the bottom of the empty KLT box and apply another one on the top of the filled KLT boxes.

The integrated horizontal bag maker is especially designed for the packing of low volume, high weight products. Its main advantage is the very low filling height, which avoids a long product fall and limits the building height of the entire packaging line.

The products can be wrapped in standard polyethylene foil or using VCI (corrosion inhibiter foil) before being packed in KLTs or boxes.

A bag-in-box filling position is foreseen to pack the products in bags first and subsequently place them in the KLT boxes or the American cases (for oversea packing).

After the filling, the boxes pass by a check weigh station to check the correct filling; boxes out of tolerance are rejected onto a roller conveyor. In the next section of the line, the KLT boxes are automatically covered by a closing lid to avoid any product mix or contamination during the transport to the end customer. If packed in American cases, the automatic tape closer is activated to fold and tape the boxes from the top.

The sealed and closed KLT or boxes are now ready for a VDA/Odette/AIAG label – by two print and apply systems.

The print information has automatically been generated from a .csv file received from the HEICO ERP system after scanning the barcode of the product.

The KLT’s are tagged by an automatic labelling system that uses an endless roll of paper to print, cut and place the label cards in the desired KLT label slot. The American cases are tagged by an automatic labelling system

that uses self-adhesive labels to print and apply the label on one side of the box.

The new developed palletiser is especially designed to handle KLT boxes and low volume high weight boxes. The new design ensures the stable and reliable stacking and nesting of the plastic boxes used in the automotive industry. The capacity is up to 18 heavy weight boxes per minute with five different box sizes and four different pallet sizes.

To enable the run of small batches, the line is equipped with a central control unit with overall management system and interaction with customers’ ERP system. This system enables the automatic take over of ERP based information to be loaded in the machine parameters by the use of CSV/XML export and import files. The import files will set receipt parameters such as – article number, batch number, packing type, number of packs to produce, pallet type, number of boxes on the pallet, all relevant label information, etc. www.weighpack.nl

THINKING AHEAD Product inspection and packaging with over 40 years of specialised experience

Design and manufacturing of inspection and packaging systems

www.weighpack.nl

info@weighpack.nl Tel +31 70 3067100 Fax +31 70 3549081

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

Multitalented San Shing San Shing Fastech Corp was established in 1965 and is predominately known as a leading manufacturer of high value added products for a variety of key market sectors, including within the inspection and sorting field.

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n 1999, San Shing set-up its own fastener inspection facility – producing nut and bolt sorting machines for customers around the world. Through the feedback of its customers, the company continuously improves the performance and reliability of its machines to offer zero-mixing and defect free control, such as San Shing’s SNS-45G and SBS-35D sorting machines.

San Shing sorting machines include four cameras that are capable of examining a variety of different parameters of nuts and bolts. The sorting range is up to 45mm (M20) for nuts and M3 – M16, with a maximum length of 120mm for bolts – with a sorting speed of up to 400 pieces per minute.

The sorting machines also feature a simulation function that enables users to locate optimised tolerance. With modified upper and lower limits or parameters, a test run is carried out by examining the actual image files. All information gathered from the sorting process such as CPK value and reference images can be implemented back into process improvement to reduce or even eliminate the defects, as well as engage customer claim investigations.

As for packing features, San Shing machines feature a user-friendly interface that allows operators to pre-set the quantity for packing and the production data is applied to execute automatic counting.

“Compared with the traditional packing process, our computerised nut and bolt sorting machines, with packing system, enable customers to accurately count products per carton and eliminate all possibilities of mixing and damaging the products,” explains San Shing.

“In addition, an automated roller conveyor, and adjustable guiding pipe, can be synchronised with our high-speed sorting machine to meet the demands for various sizes of cardboard boxes and plastic containers. Finally, the chute system with buffer zone boosts the efficiency and flexibility to operate the machine and a protective layer of polyurethane is coated on the surface of chutes to minimise the risk of damaging products.” www.sanshing.com.tw

Schuler acquires Italian press manufacturer Schuler Group has rounded out its product portfolio in the field of forging and single-stroke presses with the acquisition of Italian manufacturer of presses and forging lines – Farina Presse Srl.

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y joining the Schuler Group, Farina Presse – based in Suello, northern Italy – will gain access to Schuler’s global distribution network whilst continuing to operate under its own brand name. “By acquiring Farina Presse, we have taken a further successful step in our product strategy of strengthening Schuler’s market position in the mid-range price and performance segment,” says Schuler CEO Domenico Lacovelli. “Farina Presse already supplies interesting customer groups in Europe and, together with Schuler, will also serve customers in Asia and North America in the future.”

Paolo Civardi, general partner of Farina Presse, stated: “Becoming a member of the Schuler Group offers Farina Presse a unique growth perspective, as it will give us access to new international markets. In return, Schuler will benefit from the flexibility and favourable cost structures of a small forging line specialist like Farina Presse.”

In 2017, Farina Presse generated sales of around €21 million with just over 40 employees. The company mostly supplies customers in Italy, Spain and Germany at present and is particularly successful in the automotive industry. With press forces of between 750 metric tonnes and 8,000 metric tonnes, the machines produced by Farina Presse cover a wide performance spectrum.

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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

Define, Improve, Measure, Analyse and Control – all-in-one Internationally recognised as a flexible and reliable company, Dimac Srl is committed to partnering with the fastener industry and continuing to help drive the journey to zero defects. Here, we speak to Massimo Agrati, general manager at Dimac, about the role of inspection and sorting technology in today’s fastener industry.

Why is inspection and sorting important in the fastener industry?

“Inspection has always been a crucial part of the fastener industry. However, through the demands of OEM customers, fastener companies are starting to realise that adopting efficient 100% inspection and sorting equipment is no longer an option, but a must. Fastener manufacturers must be able to produce parts with zero defects, as the production speed and quality demands depend on them. This is even more true for those fastener manufacturers committed to supplying very demanding segments.

For instance, in the automotive and aerospace industries – where the powertrain, the reliability, and the safety of an automobile or an aircraft, are vitally dependent on the quality of fasteners – the expectations are that every part is of the highest quality and integrity.

This approach requires the use of efficient 100% inspection and sorting equipment, guaranteeing a reliable supply of high-quality products to customers, as well as additional feedback to improve the overall production process. This helps maximise uptime, critical part safety and prevent potential rework, recall or liability.”

With quality becoming a vital part of the fastener production process, what are the benefits of using Dimac machines?

“We benefit from new technologies such as Internet of Things, augmented reality and robotics, plus we equip our machines with only the very best mechanic and electronic components, as well as the latest high resolution optical systems for any dimensional measurement. Our machines also incorporate the most advanced laser and eddy current devices to determine metallurgical defects.

At Dimac we want our systems to be high-end, turnkey, Plug & Play solutions and our technological effectiveness is consistent with the Lean Manufacturing Process – which is proved by the appreciation of all our customers’ worldwide.

Currently, we have more than 900 machines running 24/7 all over the world, inspecting and sorting billions of fasteners – ranging from bolts, screws, studs, cylindrical parts, nuts, washers, fittings, and bushings.

Dimac inspection solutions prevent costly malfunctions and down times, removing defective fasteners at source, before they enter a customer’s production. Each piece can be inspected for burrs, scratches, thread damage or head cracks. Dimensional measurement such as thread parameters, lengths, diameters, radii, straightness, and recess depth, can be confirmed with higher tolerance accuracy.

A total control like that, smooths the operations in any fastener business and provides guidelines to help quality management always select the right action at the right time.”

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Inspection has always been a crucial part of the fastener industry. However, through the demands of OEM customers, fastener companies are starting to realise that adopting efficient 100% inspection and sorting equipment is no longer an option, but a must.”

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

How has demand for your machines developed in the last five years?

“Demand has been constantly increasing as it has become more crucial for modern manufacturer to equip workshops with reliable top class instruments – helping to 100% qualify and certify the fasteners being produced on their production lines.

In the past it was considered acceptable to simply look at a fastener’s silhouette to see if it had a thread or gross thread damage. Now sorting machines need the ability to find any defect.

Thread damage can be anywhere, and if you’re not looking at it from 360°, that burr will get you. Therefore, Dimac aptitude is not only to keep pace with the market requirements, but to anticipate them.”

How important is innovation to Dimac?

“A key part of innovation is to continuously invest in research and development. For instance, we have recently exhibited our latest innovation – SPC-ROBOT – at Fastener Fair Italy. This is revolutionary equipment, one of a kind, using collaborative robotics to allow the automatic control of SPC data collection and measurement – directly from the production floor. With all our innovations, we are committed to further enhancing and integrating our series with state of the art technology.

Any new technology that is implemented by Dimac is designed to be compatible with our complete series of machines, introduced from 2000 – 2010. We look to increase the performance levels in a leaner and faster perspective, boosting them to run more smoothly, snappily, efficiently and to be more user-friendly.

We have also introduced new control stations on the overall MCV series, such as the latest heat treatment inspection station with eddy current module, to sort parts by classes of hardness, or the mechanical recess drives inspection station, with interchangeable penetrating gauges, increasing the accuracy detection to <0.1mm.

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We have also updated our vision software with a new release of MCVx, as well as developing and distributing new packages and suites, like Volume Plus and MCVx Remote.”

What are the challenges for inspection in the future?

“A significant growth in automotive industry and rising production of vehicles will logically involve the growth of the automotive fastener market, which means the exponential growth of the demand for continuous enhancement and development of superior quality fasteners.

Also, the introduction of lightweight materials such as aluminium body panels, engines, and manifolds, is making supplying zero defect parts a challenge when the fasteners are made of steel.

With the switch to aluminium bodies, you can’t weld as you did with traditional steel as it’s critical to ensure not only that steel fasteners don’t damage the aluminium or lightweight material they’re inserted in, but also that they’re flush, fastened properly, and not loose.

Finally, automation, robotics, augmented reality, as well as AI, are at the gates and we all must be ready for the 4.0 technological challenge. At Dimac we constantly look forward to technology developments and trends that lie ahead. An example is Dimac Acty, the new augmented reality application that gives more suppleness and efficiency to the services offered to Dimac customers.” www.dimacsrl.com Dimac will be at Fastener Fair France 2018 – Pavilion 2.1, Stand 910 – and will exhibit all of its very latest technology.

WHEN STANDARD Threadlockers FAIL...

Thermoloc CAN TAKE THE HEAT

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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

CAN-ENG to deliver mesh belt fastener hardening system CAN-ENG Furnaces International Ltd has been contracted to design and commission a complete large capacity fastener hardening furnace system for a tier one automotive supplier based in Detroit, USA.

T

he contract is the result of CAN-ENG successfully delivering multiple systems to this customer over a twenty year period and supports the capacity increases for the fastener manufacturing company, which offers wire processing, heat treating, coating and packaging services.

CAN-ENG was contracted to see through the design and commissioning for a complete high-quality automotive fastener hardening furnace system that closely integrates a computerised part tracking and metering system, pre-washer, mesh belt hardening furnace, oil quench system, post washer, temper furnace, soluble oil system, endothermic gas generator and Level 2 automation system. The contracted system is engineered to produce at a rated capacity of 6,000lb (2,700kg) per hour.

CAN-ENG’s customers continue to enjoy the benefits associated with time tested mesh belt furnace designs, which promote soft loading and handling features that minimise part damage and mixing potential. Custom designs provide energy efficient

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This project is currently being processed through CAN-ENG’s manufacturing and is planned for commissioning in Q1 2019.

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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

Voestalpine modernises blast furnace Completing the general renovation of ‘Blast Furnace A’ has brought the voestalpine steel division a further step towards increasing energy and resource efficiency at its steel production site in Linz, Austria.

A

fter 111 days of renovation the furnace, in which two-thirds of the entire annual pig iron volume of five million tonnes is produced, has successfully restarted operations.

At a total cost of around €180 million, the relining project involved completely replacing the extremely wear-resistant interior lining of the blast furnace, as well as modernising all other facilities used in operating the blast furnace. At around the same time, interim repairs were carried out on one of the two blast furnaces in Leoben-Donawitz, Austria.

“The comprehensive upgrades to ‘Blast Furnace A’ are important in safeguarding the future of the site in Linz, and that of its around 11,000 employees, for the coming decade. At the same time, the high technical standard of this blast furnace is also the basis for supplying our processing sites with high-quality steel grades,” explained Wolfgang Eder, chairman of the management board of voestalpine AG. The relining of the large blast furnace, originally built in 1977 and most recently extensively upgraded in 2004, was undertaken between June to September 2018. In addition to replacing the refractory bricks the project included the modernisation of all peripheral plant and equipment, such as the Cowper stove, gas supply, and dedusting systems. The focus also lay in installing new digital measuring and control instruments. By involving the customers at an early stage and consistently building up a stock of the relevant pre-material supplies, it was possible to deliver as usual during the renovation phase.

“While modernising ‘Blast Furnace A’, we upgraded all process steps to state of the art in order to achieve even better results in terms of resource conservation and material consumption. We are doing this by using completely new digital capabilities as well,” explains Herbert Eibensteiner, member of the management board of voestalpine AG and head of the steel division.

The applied technologies include 3D radar to determine the optimum distribution of raw materials and automated temperature measurements within the blast furnace. Around 160 employees in the core voestalpine team worked to prepare and realise this major project, while at the same time a total of 1,000 people were employed at the site for over a year.

Special simulation software, which mapped all the plant and equipment as well as process scenarios, was used to plan the relining. In future this tool will also be used during ongoing operations at the blast furnace.

130 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

Parallel to the major project in Linz, one of the two blast furnaces belonging to the metal engineering division in Leoben-Donawitz also underwent interim repairs.

After 64 workdays, the furnace, which is responsible for around half of the 1.5 million tonnes of annual pig iron production at the Styrian site, returned to normal operations. The costs for the repairs, which are routinely undertaken on each of the two furnaces at the site once every four years, amounted this time to the comparatively low sum of €14 million.

As the largest Group division in terms of revenue, the voestalpine steel division is the first point of contact for major automotive manufacturers and suppliers when it comes to strategic product developments and offers support to its customers around the world. It is also one of the most important partners to the European white goods and mechanical engineering industries. In the business year 2017/18, the division generated revenue of €4.8 billion and reported an operating result (EBITDA) of €908 million.

It has around 11,000 employees worldwide.

Operating globally, voestalpine has around 500 group companies and locations in more than 50 countries on all five continents. In the business year 2017/18, the Group generated revenue of around €13 billion, with an operating result (EBITDA) of almost €2 billion; it has around 51,600 employees worldwide.

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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

First combined rolling mill in Africa Prometal Aciérie has awarded SMS group the order to supply a new hot rolling mill for rebars, sections and wire rod. The new rolling mill will be designed for the production of straight rebars, angles, channels, flats, squares, beams and wire rod coils – enabling Prometal to expand its product portfolio, covering as much as possible the product mix for long steel products.

W

ith this investment, long steel producer Prometal Aciérie, based in Douala, Cameroon, is going to install the first combined rolling mill in the African region. The rolling mill will be designed for a maximum overall capacity of approximately 300,000 tonnes per year.

Starting with 130mm2 billets, which will be heated up in a 60 tonnes per hour modern pushertype furnace, the mill will be able to produce rebars from 8mm to 32mm, sections such as 100mm high beams and channels, and smooth rounds in coil from 5.5mm to 12mm.

The state of the art HSD® (High Speed Delivery) system can reach the full production capacity for the complete size range, increasing the material yield. The high-speed finishing block will produce quality wire rod coils at minimised operational costs. Moreover, the rolling will be controlled by a Level 2 automation system provided by SMS group.

The combined mill, completely supplied by SMS group, will become the new reference benchmark for the market in terms of high technology, quality, efficiency and low operational costs in Africa.

Commissioning of the new rolling mill is scheduled for December 2019.

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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

Skills shortage solutions with automation Here Andy Pretious, UK sales and marketing manager at Automated Packaging Systems, looks at how automation can help streamline a company’s operations and provide a solution to the skills gap.

T

Traceable technology

here’s no denying that many UK industries, including manufacturing and engineering, are being faced with an ongoing skills shortage, and, as a result, research has shown that UK manufacturers are apprehensive about future roles within their businesses and the availability of skilled workers to fill them.

However, automation should be viewed as an opportunity instead of a threat. By automating internal processes and implementing progressive methods of production, companies can reduce operating costs, grow their business and increase efficiency.

By investing in semi-automated packaging systems, businesses can offer customers complete traceability by incorporating tracking capabilities. Overprinting gives the supply chain the opportunity to print labels directly onto packaging, including barcodes and QR codes, which can be read further down the process.

Adopting new technology, such as touch screen control units, is a great way to ease workload as the systems are easy to use and require minimal training time for operators. This also enables companies to utilise temporary workers during peak times and streamline overall processes.

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Implementing smart packaging systems speeds up production lines and maximises productivity to meet growing demand for next day delivery. Bagging machines, such as the Autobag 550, provide speeds up to 4 – 5 times faster than hand packing and feature bag opening and over printing technology, significantly increasing turnaround time and overall efficiency.

These advancements allow companies to meet modern requirements without the need to recruit additional staff.

In fact, by using automated technology, companies require less manpower while delivering a higher output of orders.

It is important that machinery is easy to use, materials are readily available, and customers have access to reliable support services whenever technical assistance is required. This offers added reassurance and allows technological developments, such as advanced packaging systems, to act as an extension of the team.

Semi-automated packaging solutions from leading packaging designers and manufacturers, such as Automated Packaging Systems, not only help to futureproof a business but also saves valuable time, money, and resource, as a smaller workforce is required.

New testing facility for Wallwork Group Metal heat treatment specialist, Wallwork Group, has opened a new GB£130,000 in-house testing facility for the mechanical testing of heat treated components, certified by UKAS, at its Cambridge, UK, plant.

A

ndy Fox, operations director at Wallwork Cambridge, explains: “Destructive testing is mainly specified by customers in aerospace, however, it is becoming increasingly common in motorsport, medical devices and other industries where there can be no compromise in product integrity. The new facility gives us much quicker results than going out to an external testing lab.”

Adding to hardness and shadowgraph, is the new Z100 testing rig from ZwickRoell. This gives Wallwork the capability to run tensile, compression and hardness tests on materials and components prior to and post heat treatment. This helps the company quickly identify any material or processing issues that could impact quality. It also helps provide data to refine existing metal heat treatment processes, component design and more.

Confirming that correct heat treatment has been performed on components is especially important within aerospace, where accurate results contribute to risk-based usage of materials. Wallwork also operates vacuum brazing units at its Manchester and Cambridge sites.

These work to many aerospace prime approvals and the new Z100 has the potential to confirm joint strength between vacuum brazed materials. Metal heat treatment is also performed at two other plants in Birmingham and Newcastle.

134 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

“Faster turnaround of testing results is necessary for us to meet customer manufacturing targets and it also makes the internal management of important accreditations much easier. From operating our own commercial pick up/delivery fleet to product testing, we are always seeking ways to improve both the quality and the speed of service to customers. We are now looking at adding in-house impact and flat tensile testing as part of our continual development process,” Andy concluded.

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MANAGEMENT + SYSTEMS

Expansion with a high-level of automation Through the help and close partnership with Jungheinrich, Keller & Kalmbach has been able to consistently expand the capacities of its central warehouse, whilst still providing a first class service to its customers.

K

eller & Kalmbach’s facility includes an automated pallet warehouse and a small parts warehouse as well as conveyor technology, as well as the set-up of a separate hall with goods to person workstations and palletising robots for order picking and SLC filling. As general contractor, Jungheinrich was responsible for planning, project configuration and implementation of the complete intralogistics system.

Keller & Kalmbach GmbH was founded in Munich, Germany, in 1878 as a wholesaler for screws and blacksmithing supplies.

Since those beginnings, the company has developed into a leading service provider for C-parts management worldwide. With about 800 employees, Keller & Kalmbach generated €270 million in sales in 2016. That is almost twice as much as in 2009, when the first construction phase of the new central warehouse was built under Jungheinrich project management. The reason for this extraordinary growth was the company’s consistent focus on C-parts management for industrial customers. This includes complete procurement, material resource planning, warehousing and provision of C-parts in small load carriers (SLCs). The project involved special requirements for intralogistics processes in the warehouse, for example in terms of order picking and determining the order of containers for palletising. The ultimate objective was for Keller & Kalmbach customers to receive delivery of their goods at the right time, to the right place and in the right quantity.

Step-by-step commissioning during ongoing operation

Due to larger storage quantities and increased diversity of articles, space in the new central warehouse in Hilpoltstein became limited sooner than expected. “We needed more storage capacity relatively fast,” recalls Dr Ingomar Schubert, head of supply chain management at Keller & Kalmbach. Accordingly, senior management decided to expand the central warehouse in 2013. Jungheinrich was retained again as the general contractor because the intralogistics expert delivers everything from a single source. The fact that the two partners had already designed the warehouse for possible expansion in the original design now paid off.

By the end of 2014, the high bay warehouse was expanded, first by two aisles and later by three additional aisles. By July 2015, it was already possible to start operation in the new expanded pallet storage facility with an additional 37,000 storage positions. The new high bay warehouse, erected with a roof and wall-supported silo construction, is 120m in length, 23m in width and 37m in height. Five single mast rack operating devices, each with two load handling attachments, reach 25 double cycles

136 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

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per hour and aisles on 35 levels for highly dynamic requirements.

Expansion of the automated small parts warehouse for cartons followed in early 2016 with an additional six aisles. This expanded the automated small parts warehouse by 137,000 carton storage positions to a capacity for a total of 289,290 cartons. At the same time the overall materials handling capacity, and with it the order picking output, was doubled. The most important processes in the warehouses were designed redundantly.

“The extension of the conveyor technology during ongoing operation was very complex, in terms of both planning and assembly. We had to install new conveyor systems and two pallet lifters in the existing warehouse in extremely confined spaces,” explains Dipl.-Ing Matthias Michen, project manager at Jungheinrich.

“The step-by-step commissioning was not originally planned that way. But it allowed us to already use the warehouse area prior to complete commissioning,” says Schubert, commenting on Jungheinrich’s flexibility throughout the entire construction and test phase. “All that required extremely precise coordination because we couldn’t allow for any negative impact on regular operation, which was running in three shifts at that time.

On the other hand, there were also deadlines to meet. The only way we could succeed was with collaborative work based on an exemplary partnership with give and take on both sides,” reports Manuel Wagist, team leader of warehouse management systems at Jungheinrich.

138 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

Fast and efficient order picking of customer SLCs

The concept for the middle hall, with an area of 2,600m², was specially adapted to industrial customer business. “It was important for us to implement fast and efficient order picking here directly into our customers’ SLCs or into our in-house SLCs with RFID tags. This is because in our business, if you pick up a screw once too many, you’ve already lost money. That means we always have to keep our processes very lean,” says Schubert.

The result consists of eight ergonomic workstations connected via conveyor systems with the small parts warehouse and also via several levels of structural steel platforms with the high bay warehouse. Items ordered by customers via EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) are counted off from storage cartons here and packaged directly into the customer SLCs. Once the shipping container is full, it is labelled, placed on a tray and buffered in an order picking unit until order picking for all the containers in that customer order is complete.

Then a palletising software calculates the layer formation for the palletising robot, transferring to the Jungheinrich Warehouse Management System (WMS) the order in which the SLCs have to be retrieved from the order picking unit onto a buffer track. Once all the containers are standing on the buffer track, they are all retrieved at once and then palletised. The special feature of the palletising robot is a flexible load handling attachment that is able to grip and lift different types of SLCs without changing tools.

It achieves an output of 500 containers per hour.

“The great advantage of the robot is that we are now much more flexible in order picking because we no longer have to pick in the same order in which goods are placed on the pallet.

So for large orders that come in unexpectedly, we can order pick at several workstations in parallel with a uniform workload on the stations,” explains Schubert.

Automatic palletising by robot also means employees no longer have to lift heavy containers, some weighing up to 20kg. In addition to industrial customer orders, conventional orders for tradesmen, fitters or special retail can also be processed flexibly at each workstation. A smaller order picking unit ensures the correct order. It holds up to 50 cartons from the ASW until the order can be sequenced and processed at the workstation. In this manner, approximately 150 tonnes of goods with about 10,000 pick positions in cartons, SLCs or open fronted storage boxes pass through shipping each day on their way to customers of Keller & Kalmbach. There is also a new area in the hall for repacking, sorting and forming sets, as well as a washing system and a rack system for empty containers.

Controlling of individual functions, the interface to the Proalpha ERP system and controlling of logistics processes by the Jungheinrich WMS all work flawlessly now. “We were impressed by the trusting collaboration with Jungheinrich over the entire time. We remained on schedule and even below the originally proposed budget. We would be happy to work together again with Jungheinrich on any future expansion,” confirms Schubert.

Keller & Kalmbach also relies on the competence of Jungheinrich to service the system, with mechanical maintenance performed on-site by Jungheinrich after sales service engineers, while central support for logistics system is available 24 hours a day from Jungheinrich Systems Solutions in Graz, Austria, in case of electronic data processing malfunctions.

FASTENERANDFIXING.COM 139

MANAGEMENT + SYSTEMS

Böllhoff modernising logistics network Through the continuation of its long-standing cooperation with its logistics software specialist – inconso AG – Böllhoff Group has started expanding and modernising its logistics network. By building a new logistics centre and expanding digital processes in the logistics chain, Böllhoff is looking to optimise all planning and control processes for storage, transport and shipping.

T

he start of the project was the groundbreaking ceremony for the new European logistics centre in Oelsnitz, Germany, in June 2018. The new complex will be equipped with an automated high bay warehouse and an automatic storage and retrieval system for over 100,000 products.

The warehouse management system inconsoWMS X ensures the efficient control of all goods flows, which inconso will implement by the planned go-live in Autumn 2019. Aberle GmbH, a sister company of inconso belonging to Körber Logistics, is responsible for setting up the hardware.

At the same time, the implementation of the transport management system inconsoTMS and the shipping and dispatch system inconsoSDS at Böllhoff’s Bielefeld site will also start. Afterwards Böllhoff will look to implement inconsoTMS at the company’s other European locations, such as Chambéry, France, and Senec, Slovakia, to create a uniform system landscape for planning and controlling Böllhoff’s entire trip network. The system’s application areas will therefore include both production and logistics locations with different function and system requirements.

The integration of the inconsoSDS shipping system in combination with inconsoTMS will make the flexible management and assignment of general cargo and CEP shipments possible. In addition, inconsoTMS offers a web portal for controlling and monitoring the shipping process and web service interfaces for integrating the data of external partners via the internet. The combined investment volume for 2018 and 2019 amounts to €150 million.

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CRM and ERP: Collaborative success across the fixing sector

By Matthew Gibson, Dynamics 365/CRM Solutions consultant, HSO Organisations within the global fastener and fixing industry are starting to lean towards the implementation of a combined ERP and CRM approach to help power increased efficiency and GDPR compliance.

P

reviously organisations within the global fastener industry have preferred a one solution platform to record customer data or manufacturer information. Usually choosing between CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning).

Those companies have previously gained a huge advantage from using a CRM system. The differentiator of these sales environments with manufacturing environments, is the need for external relationships to power their turnover. CRM really drives and enables their ability to engage effectively with individuals and businesses outside of their four walls. In contrast to this a fastener manufacturer would have seen the efficiency of its internally focused systems and processes, in terms of selling a less expensive product with fewer flaws, as more important to its overall profitability than excelling in its external relations, therefore finding more success with an ERP solution.

Even those organisations that opted to invest in both CRM and ERP, typically did not integrate them both together. With many opting for ERP but then adding further mini CRM systems into the mix. This provides some basic CRM functionality without having to expend the time and effort required to fully integrate the two. However, by leaving the two systems as standalone platforms and failing to integrate them, their functionality will be limited.

Today, this view is completely changing due to increased competition across the industry as well as an everyday drive to improve and change technologies.

So now, even previously inward looking companies are starting to realise the benefits of running CRM and ERP together – enabling their in-house sales and marketing departments, which previously operated separately, to collaborate more closely to deliver a more connected, personal form of customer engagement. This integration gives them a full customer view. In-line with this, technology has also advanced to the point where integration has become easier and more cost-effective.

Scoping out the benefits

CRM and ERP integration delivers a single customer view with all the information in one place, easily updated and controlled by a customer’s demand. For instance, if a customer no longer wants to receive emails, this can be controlled easily from one place as opposed to going through different record banks to remove the information. This falls in-line with the new GDPR and makes compliance in this area far easier than before.

The most important benefit outside of this is the enhanced intelligence and competitive advantage it brings. Poor integration often decreases this success. For example, an everyday scenario in a fastening factory where ERP is relied upon. These environments can increase its gross profit by automating processes such as build operations and order managements.

However, its marketing team is more than likely going to be using a CRM which contains entirely different data. When it comes down to a marketing activity, i.e releasing new product information, the business would have to ask the ERP administrators to manually extract the information which is inefficient and time-consuming. This will negatively impact the business. Also, if sales people are not aware of new product deliveries, which can happen due to this lack of shared interface, then the company also loses part of its competitive edge.

142 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

Looking ahead

Many manufacturers and sellers are starting to see the benefits of implementing both systems as a collaborative integration. Technological advances like business agility, enhanced business intelligence, and improved compliance, are all joining forces to bring in a new GDPR compliant age, where organisations are more efficient than ever before.

CRM and ERP integration delivers a single customer view with all the information in one place…”

About HSO

HSO is a leading Microsoft Global Solution Integrator – delivering innovative enterprise business solutions that improve the results of clients. Founded in 1989, HSO specialises in implementing, optimising and maintaining enterprise solutions based on Microsoft Dynamics 365, AX, CRM, and Office365, as well as integrating these into our client’s wider technology landscape.

HSO works with multinational enterprises in industries such as distribution, retail, manufacturing and services.

MANAGEMENT + SYSTEMS

EDP acquired by Kerridge Commercial Systems EDP Plc, a supplier and developer of sales analytics, CRM and ERP software to businesses in the fasteners, fixings and industrial distribution sector, has been acquired by Kerridge Commercial Systems Ltd (KCS).

K

CS develops software solutions that are widely used by distribution companies, of all sizes, in the construction product and automotive industries. The company has over 40 years of experience and is a recognised thought leader in trading and management technology.

Seen as a great fit by both businesses, the acquisition will deliver significant benefits to existing and prospective customers of EDP’s solutions – who will now be able to access a more extensive range of software products.

During the past eight years KCS has grown rapidly, both organically and through the acquisition of a number of businesses, to extend its geographical reach, add product capability and extend into adjacent vertical markets. The company now serves over 15,000 customers across Europe, South Africa and the United States.

“The acquisition of EDP is a great opportunity to accelerate our strategy.

It brings us greater presence in the UK and an increased platform for growth in our traditional markets. EDP is a high-quality business with customer offerings that are highly complementary to KCS. We welcome EDP employees to the group and look forward to working with them,” commented Ian Bendelow, chief executive officer of Kerridge Commercial Systems.

Sir Michael Heller, non-executive chairman of EDP, commented: “The EDP and KCS businesses have been good competitors for many years, addressing the needs of customers in the same vertical markets.

Accordingly, the EDP directors believe KCS’ activities provide a strong fit with those of EDP and that KCS is an appropriate partner to continue the development of the EDP business. The additional resources KCS will bring will mean it is well positioned and resourced to support EDP and its customers, as well as grow the business in the future.”

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A challenging climate, the huge forces experienced in buildings and special hygiene requirements – the products have to withstand all these extremes, and the selected material and quality must be just right. It’s a huge responsibility.

We are the specialist in high-quality fasteners made from stainless high-grade steel and special materials. We are used to extreme conditions and face the toughest challenges on a daily basis. We never lose sight of our aim to give the customer just what they want. And we always offer that little bit extra.

So, why not contact us? We are looking forward to your call.

In the course of the harmonisation of standards the category of corrosion resistance classes (CRC) has been regulated by the Eurocode 3/DIN EN 1993-1-4, annex A. Many European countries are therefore encouraged to consider these newly determined stainless steel grades for the calculation and construction of steel structures.

TOBSTEEL is the only stockholder for fasteners who covers all corrosion resistance classes (CRC) I to V according to Eurocode 3 – annex A.

TOBSTEEl GmbH

Rudolf-Diesel-Straße 8 | D-74613 Öhringen T: +49 7941 6073-0 | F: +49 7941 6073-500 info@tobsteel.com | www.tobsteel.com

APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY

WARR Hyperloop team wins SpaceX with Nord-Lock washers During the 2018 Hyperloop Pod Competition, the WARR Hyperloop team from the Technical University of Munich raised the laser-sintered titanium trophy, after their pod broke a world speed record for Hyperloop pod travel – using Nord-Lock wedge-locking washers to secure each bolt of their pod.

T

he Hyperloop Pod Competition was launched in 2015

by Elon Musk, the billionaire behind the futuristic transport technology companies Tesla and SpaceX. The competition challenges university students to design functional prototypes of high-speed pods for the Hyperloop – a transportation system that would propel people and goods at supersonic speeds between major cities across the world through a giant tunnel network.

The 30-strong WARR Hyperloop team was divided into several subteams to manage areas ranging from CAD design and structure to procurement, finance and marketing. Subteam leader for CAD design and structure, Florian Janke, was inspired by Musk’s vision for a superfast futuristic transport system, and the idea that people could one day travel from Munich to Berlin in just 30 minutes.

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“When Musk launched his SpaceX competitions, I just had to be part of it,” he says. “We did well in all the stages of the Hyperloop Pod Competition. In the last one, which focused on maximum speed, we achieved 324km/h (210mph).”

The WARR Hyperloop team’s lightweight pod smashed the previous 310km/h (192mph) record speed set by California-based Hyperloop One, whose pod reached this speed in a 500m tube.

“There is obviously lots of acceleration and vibration when testing at such high-speeds in a relatively short tube – 1.2km (0.8 miles),” Janke explains. “It was essential that we had secure bolts, so we used Nord-Lock wedge-locking washers, which held the bolts firmly in place. They were perfect.”

WARR Hyperloop decided to continue using Nord-Lock washers for the third instalment of the Hyperloop competition, which took place in July 2018. The team’s pod travelled an impressive 50% faster than during the competition last year, reaching a record speed of 467km/h (290mph) and winning the competition for the third time. “Winning the competition three times in a row now feels incredible,” says Janke. “After last year’s successful run we worked very hard and put so much effort into the project again to keep this streak up.”

According to Janke, Nord-Lock washers played a pivotal role in securing the pod’s bolted joints, especially since the test track was not in perfect condition. “Rail tracks are not 100% smooth and perfectly aligned,” explains Janke. “Running with almost 500km/h against a step induces high shocks and vibration, as well as a lateral oscillation of up to 2 g. This motion very easily leads to the self-loosening of screws, which was prevented by Nord-Lock products.”

SpaceX has announced that it will be hosting a fourth Hyperloop Pod Competition in 2019 and Janke promises that the WARR Hyperloop team will be there to defend their title. “We are definitely planning to take part in the next Hyperloop Competition and of course the main goal is to achieve an even higher velocity,” says Janke. ”We will most certainly continue working on this field to bring the Hyperloop closer to reality.” www.nord-lock.com

FASTENERANDFIXING.COM 147

APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY

The best of two worlds combined for modern multi-material designs The automotive industry cannot do without modern lightweight concepts. Not only do they considerably improve vehicle dynamics, but they also help to reduce emissions. Lightweight construction therefore continues to be a key technology for future cars. It is also important for e-mobility because the green innovation capacity counts on the know-how in battery and lightweight technology. While chasing an ever greater reach, lightweight construction is particularly essential to further promote electromobility.

H

owever, efficient lightweight construction also sets high standards for multi-material concepts thus requiring innovative fastening technology, such as the established RIVSET self-pierce riveting technology from Böllhoff Group.

This technology enables the joining of different materials in a single production step without pre-punching.

There are the reliable multi-material designs with aluminium (die-cast, extruded profile, sheet metal), multiple-layer joints, applications with adhesive as intermediate layer and deep-drawing steels with a tensile strength of up to 500MPa. Now, high strength steels with a tensile strength of up to 1,600MPa have been added, which are suitable for series production. In this context of lightweight construction and the use of related materials, the self-pierce riveting technology with semi-tubular rivets had to be further developed beyond the known technology limits.

Maximum life and minimum maintenance

Böllhoff has broken new ground with the innovative assembly system Automation EH. For this assembly system, the focus is on functionality, flexibility and design. Plus a long life, maximum availability and minimum maintenance, this is the foundation for effective production.

The intelligent machine variants such as the modular and comprehensive range allows high flexibility from prototyping to large-scale production. The fast and high performance control provides open software interfaces for robot communication, as well as for provision of data via OPC UA. The main requirements for such systems are a 100% electrical installation on robots (no hose coupling), the compensation of punches (for high strength steel applications with tensile strengths up to 1,600MPa) and short process times – for some applications <1.5 seconds.

These systems are hard to outperform, since a TPM-concept is also provided.

RIVSET HDX: An example of a high strength application: 1.5mm high strength steel, 2mm aluminium

High strength results

A great number of fastener varieties result from the many possibilities of use. RIVSET self-pierce rivets can vary in geometry, hardness, surface, head shape, shank length and diameter. The application defines the rivet type.

As a fastening technology expert, Böllhoff develops fasteners according to the material trends. Due to continuous development, Böllhoff can offer the RIVSET HDX for solutions to join materials with tensile strengths of up to 1,600MPa and a sheet thickness of 1.7mm in the top layer in series.

To that end, the fastener geometry has been optimised and the rivet hardness adapted. However, today’s body designs are not only characterised by an innovative use of materials.

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RIVSET Automation EH – setting tools with 100% electrical control for setting forces 60kN and 78kN

Further technical key highlights include the new die changer, the new magazine feed, as well as the new RIVSET feeder with simple feeding technology. The new die changer is suited for up to 8 dies, with die changing taking less than six seconds. The optional automatic 100% die recognition improves production reliability.

Plug & play

For modern production systems, production planning and control are also of great importance for defining and optimising manufacturing processes.

Such requirements have also given new impulse to Böllhoff as an expert in self-pierce riveting technology.

In cooperation with its customers, it elaborates new concepts, such as a software-based workflow to plan and handle the procurement of process devices.

Transparent and project specific data and information are thus guaranteed. Another example is an intelligent delivery concept based on the modular design of Böllhoff components. Time critical machine components are separated from non time critical components. Those are two concepts that are very useful contributions to a flexible and equally efficient production and procurement planning.

RIVSET die changer.

For prototyping, small series/series production and spare parts management Böllhoff states that nothing compares to the new magazine feed.

Rivet sequences of the same rivet diameter and up to eight different rivet lengths are processed. Partial loading and buffers are available. A die change takes less than four seconds and is executed during non-productive cycle times.

Innovative industries need innovative partners

Böllhoff also offers a service package including a specialised maintenance team for optimum maintenance of the process machines. The team provides significant support for smooth and trouble-free production.

“Böllhoff fasteners and joining tools for self-pierce riveting come from a single source, which are ideal conditions to continue to stand out as a solution specialist for innovative industries in the future.”

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APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY

New structural adhesive with high temperature stability DELO has developed a new adhesive that it says achieves up to three times the strength of its predecessor products at high temperatures. DELO MONOPOX HT2860 can also be inductively cured, which significantly accelerates manufacturing processes. Among other applications, the epoxy resin is used in electric motors.

W

ith many epoxy resins, temperatures of +150°C and more lead to a change in the polymer structures and thus to a drop in performance. The elasticity also often increases above this temperature range.

With DELO MONOPOX HT2860, DELO has now developed a structural adhesive with a glass transition temperature (Tg) of +168°C. As a result, the Young’s modulus below Tg does not change significantly; the adhesive achieves a very high temperature stability; and the flexibility only increases above this temperature.

On sand blasted aluminium, and at +150°C, DELO MONOPOX HT2860 achieves a strength of 18MPa. This is up to three times higher than that of standard epoxy resins.

The adhesive also shows very good adhesion to metals, temperature resistant plastics, ferrite compounds and ceramics.

At room temperature, for example, it achieves a compression shear strength of 65MPa on aluminium and 55MPa on ceramics.

• THREADED INSERTS • SPRING STEEL CLIPS • SHEET METAL FASTENERS • THREADFORMING SCREWS • ELECTRONIC HARDWARE • TURNED PARTS

Tel: +44 (0) 1246 296 930 fasteners@harrisonsilverdale.co.uk www.harrisonsilverdale.co.uk

The adhesive is heat cured in an oven or by induction. The latter requires metal joining partners and enables a reduction in process times by up to 90%, whereby the adhesive achieves the same high strength as with standard curing at +150°C and 40 minutes in the convection oven.

Another advantage of the new structural adhesive is that the adhesive containers of DELO MONOPOX HT2860 can be processed in the production line at room temperature for four weeks before heat curing.

DELO MONOPOX HT2860 also has a temperature range of use of -55°C to +220°C and is suitable for bonding under high static or dynamic loads.

APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY

ZAGO helps protect data centres from environmental threats High-tech companies in the US and overseas are discovering that ordinary fasteners are not sufficient to protect high value assets. Data centres house servers that are part of critical infrastructures and cannot be left vulnerable to the contaminants that can seep through unprotected fastener openings and clearance holes.

E

nvironmental contaminants, moisture and humidity are a constant challenge to the security and safety of the economy’s most valuable assets. ZAGO self-sealing fasteners and components are designed with a groove and O-ring to seal out both internal and external environmental contaminants.

ZAGO hardware limits the incursion of internal hazards including gases, electrostatic dust and cleaning chemicals, as well as external threats such as pollution particulate, pollen, sea salt, construction dust and exhaust. In addition, ZAGO’s sealing fasteners seal out moisture and humidity, which are two of the top threats to valuable servers housed in data centres.

Sealing hardware and components not only protects equipment from environmental threats but also protects the environment from potential contaminants leaking from electronic equipment.

The fasteners comply with all national and international standards for the restriction of hazardous substances including REACH, ROHS and California’s Prop 65, which ZAGO states makes them the ideal choice for protecting the environment and protecting data centres and other high value assets from environmental threats.

Temperature resistant silicone 0-ring prevents leaks

High-quality titanium assures thermal stability and mechanical resistance

Socket recess allows for high torque with no side clearance

Custom captivation for permanent secure joining

Titanium sealing fasteners

Also available from ZAGO are titanium sealing fasteners. With the highest strength-to-density ratio of any metallic element, titanium is an ideal metal for use in aerospace and military applications.

In addition, its high resistance to corrosion also makes titanium an excellent choice for subsea exploration and other situations where exposure to salt water is a hazard.

“As a company we are an acknowledged expert in the fabrication of seal screws from exotic metals and titanium is a favourite because of its wide range of utility,” explains ZAGO. “Our titanium seal screws are available in diameters ranging from 4mm – 40mm to ½ inch – 2 inches and come in a range of head styles including slotted pan head, hex head and socket caps among others. All lengths are available and the parts can be made in both inches and metric sizes.”

Even if a customer doesn’t need a sealing element, ZAGO can still provide a variety of titanium parts, with cutting edge machining capabilities to rapidly produce speciality orders in small and large quantities. ZAGO’s experienced team is dedicated to designing and producing the best products available that fit exact specifications.

Finally, ZAGO’s exceptional raw material inventory and its in-house tooling grants it the ability to provide the shortest possible lead times. In addition, it can provide ready to use products which are plated, heat treated, grinded or otherwise finished exactly according to customers’ specifications.

ZAGO’s efficiency and overall businesses model also allows it to offer competitive pricing, meaning that customers never need to forgo quality for price or vice versa. www.zago.com

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The World’s Most Innovative Fastening Solutions EFC International Is A Global Provider Of Specialty Engineered Metal, Plastic & Electrical Fastener Components Including Design & Application Engineering ISO 9001:2015 Certified

a

Company

EFC-INTL.COM | +1 314.434.2888 ATLANTA • ST. LOUIS • CHICAGO • DALLAS • DETROIT • FRANKFURT • TORONTO • QUERÉTARO • SHANGHAI • SEOUL

APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY

Barrday and Arkema join forces for the oil and gas market Barrday Inc, a specialist in the composite market, and Arkema, a speciality chemicals and advanced materials company, have announced the creation of a joint venture to manufacture and market carbon fibre and speciality polymer tapes for the growing oil and gas industrial market.

T

he new venture, to be named Barrflex® TU, will supply the most efficient thermoplastic composite solutions to the various players of the oil and gas industrial markets.

The tapes will deliver substantial improvements in terms of weight reduction (replacement of metal) and corrosion resistance for the flexible pipes used in the deep offshore, as well as onshore, operations of tomorrow.

The complementary offering of Barrday and Arkema’s range specialty polymers and resins (PVDF, Polyamides 11 and 12, PEKK, etc) will enable Barrflex TU to fully capitalise on the growth of the oil and gas market, by marketing a new comprehensive and integrated range of solutions. Barrflex TU will be focused on satisfying customer composite tape requirements using any resin, fibre and the development of product and process technology.

“This partnership with Arkema provides us with access to a unique and wide range of proven polymer solutions for this sector.

For a long time Arkema has been an innovative and renowned player in fluoropolymers with Kynar® PVDF, in speciality polymers with Rilsan® PA11, and more recently with its new Kepstan® PEKK resins.

We are delighted to be teaming up with Arkema for this exciting oil and gas opportunity,” stated Michael Buckstein, CEO at Barrday Inc. “Barrday is an innovative first-class supplier of thermoplastic composites for the composite pipes market serving the oil and gas industry. Our respective capabilities and expertise are highly complementary, and this new integrated offering will deliver high added value to our pipe manufacturing customers, as well as the major oil groups,” explained Christophe André, executive vice-president, advanced materials at Arkema.

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Factory & Warehouse: Via Verona 5, 20060, Cernusco s/Naviglio, Milan, Italy

Headquarters: Via Negroni 30, 20060, Pessano c/Bornago, Milan, Italy

T: +39 02 9574 9273 | F: +39 02 9574 4857 E: info@pec.mitossrl.com | www.mitossrl.com

Smith

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APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY

Expanding bolting knowledge with Nord-Lock Group

Nord-Lock Group is on a digital journey, with the aim of improving its digital offering and making it easier for customers to access product information and technical services online.

W

ith the launch of its new web platform, Nord-Lock Group customers can find all they need to know about the Group’s technologies, services and offering. Among the digital content available are web applications: Torquelator by Nord-Lock and the Fastener Dimension Guide; as well as online technical videos and social media platforms – all providing further expert insights.

Improving the Nord-Lock Group online experience

Any customer that has logged onto Nord-Lock Group’s website lately, will have noticed its updated façade. The website is also now simpler to navigate, making it easier for customers to find the information they need.

The information on the website is not limited to the company’s four technologies – Nord-Lock wedge-locking, Superbolt multi-jackbolt tensioning, Boltight hydraulic bolt tensioning and Expander System pivot pins. Visitors can also download data sheets, certificates, CAD drawings and much more.

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The number one source for bolting knowledge

The Nord-Lock Group website also features a knowledge hub filled with exclusive content about the world of bolting, which can be found at bolted.com. On this platform, customers can read up on news, bolting tips, real-life customer case studies and technical articles to help expand their bolting knowledge and technical expertise.

As the world of bolting evolves, so does Nord-Lock Group.

With more digital offerings than ever before, the company is ensuring that customers can improve their productivity as well as expand their knowledge of the bolting world.

Customers can find everything they need to know about Nord-Lock Group technologies and services on the new website.

If you have any questions, contact Nord-Lock Group at www.nord-lock.com/contact/

LOOKING TO CONNECT WITH ENGINEERS AND SPECIFIERS?

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PRODUCTS + TOOLS

More than traditional bolts and screws Alongside traditional bolts and screws, Berardi Bullonerie has gradually added new items to its stock including springs, clamps, magnets, operating and anti-vibration elements, as well as accessories for industrial lifting, hydraulics, pneumatics and fluidics, plus personal protective equipment.

M

ore recently, Berardi added a new range of plastic industrial components, including cable glands, wiring supports, closures, clips, nuts, rivets, spacers, and cable clamps to its inventory – due to its desire to innovate.

With the company approaching its 100 year anniversary, Berardi still displays a youthful enthusiasm typical of a company that wants to keep growing and expanding in the market. “Berardi pursues a simple strategy: To increasingly affirm ourselves as a service provider and partner company by actively contributing to the completion of a project,” explains President Giovanni Berardi, the fourth generation of a dynasty of entrepreneurs.

With a modern headquarters in Castel Guelfo, Bologna, inaugurated just over a year ago – as well as 12 warehouses and two subsidiaries (Vibolt and Vitman) – Beradi is able to cover the whole of Europe. In addition the company has two offices abroad in Morocco and Croatia.

Berardi boasts 150,000 articles, 45,000 items in stock, more than 3.5 billion pieces delivered per year and a turnover that is poised to reach €70 million in 2018. “We continue in that process of innovation that we began at the beginning of the 2000s, with the addition of new items in stock and an integrated logistics service capable of keeping up the pace and predicting the needs of customers,” adds Giovanni Berardi. “By offering high-quality products with technologically advanced solutions, we are partners, not just suppliers for our 7,000 customers.”

Riccardo Leoni, lean manager at Berardi Bullonerie, adds: “The variety of our offering is supported by a vision of integrated logistics where the goal is not simply to respond to needs but to

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adapt to our customers, saving time, energy and resources. It is not the vision of a traditional supplier, but of those who see themselves as service providers and contribute to a project.”

Riccardo continues: “It is a tailor-made service because it is built directly on the client’s processes, analysing structure, needs and peculiarities. To date, we have been providing about 350 integrated logistics services – you would be hard pressed to find two identical ones.”

Thus, processing operations, schedules and document management are evaluated in every aspect. “The goal is to provide a ‘zero-impact’ service, because when we approach a customer, we do not look at an individual supply, but we aim to provide efficiency, and by extension, achieve savings across the board.

Our goal is to streamline purchasing and warehouse procedures, facilitate the identification of materials, eliminate unnecessary operations and simplify the inventory. So that we can work with our administration department through electronic documentation compatible with different operating systems and achieve efficiency,” mentions Riccardo.

To meet Industry 4.0, Berardi has an App (Kanban-up) and Easy Self 24, where everything is calibrated to maintain a continuous flow of production – providing a fast stock service and quick response.

“To reach our planned growth, we understand that we must combine the opportunities Industry 4.0 offers with the experience we have gained from one hundred years of corporate activity.

We will also continue to be innovative as a daily tool to enable us to further consolidate ourselves in Italy, whilst aiming to expand in Eastern Europe and North Africa.” www.gberardi.com

PRODUCTS + TOOLS

Why tape?

By Bathsheba Fulton, communications at Afera – the European Adhesive Tape Association Imagine something virtually invisible and weightless that would allow you to hold two or more things together or fix something to something else without weakening or failing, staining, or corroding under a variety of extreme conditions. This ‘something’ could also, for example, insulate or conduct electricity as part of a design.

F

orget the image you may have of household or duct or even industrial tape. Think of adhesive tape as a functional sheet, which makes the production and assembly of your design, however big or small, possible. Tape is often the hidden driver of product innovation in many applications and industries. It can be utilised in so many more ways than it is in the traditional home, office and industrial arenas.

Tapes and films are replacing mechanical fasteners

Designers and engineers often turn to traditional fixings, such as rivets, screws, nuts, bolts, staples, clips, needle and thread, and liquid adhesives, to join two substrates. Many are discovering however that adhesive tapes and films are proven alternatives to these methods, matching and often exceeding traditional fastenings in strength and durability. Furthermore, they provide unique benefits not found in traditional fastening methods, such as sealing, dampening, shielding and insulating.

High-quality tapes and films offer versatility and superior workability to designers, engineers, and manufacturers, in every conceivable industry.

They can be specifically designed for any product or application and die cut into complex shapes.”

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Tapes can perform a variety of functions at once, meaning that products could be made thinner, lighter and using fewer and less expensive materials. Tapes and films bring design options to the table that weren’t even conceivable a few years ago. And what’s more, tape can be incorporated into product manufacturing and processing with reliable, reproducible and cost-effective results.

The considerable expertise behind today’s adhesive tapes, as well as the astoundingly wide variety of applications they have, is the constant buzz in product innovation circles.

High-quality tapes and films offer versatility and superior workability to designers, engineers, and manufacturers, in every conceivable industry.

They can be specifically designed for any product or application and die cut into complex shapes.

Businesses in the tape industry know from frequent development journeys with product designers and engineers that adhesive tape is often the hidden driver that enables innovation in product design.

Designers and engineers can use lighter, thinner and possibly fewer and less expensive materials without worrying about distortion, splitting, or crazing at the mechanically fastened site. Adhesive tapes use less space than traditional fixing methods, so a desired product weight, mass or size can be more easily achieved.

When design is important, bonding tapes, which are generally hidden between the bonded substrates, offer virtually invisible fastening to keep surfaces smooth and clean, with no screws or rivet heads or protruding nuts and bolts.

The number of materials that can be combined using traditional fixing technologies such as spot welds, rivets, screws and nails is limited. For instance, joining plastics and glass is usually not possible. However, a vast range of material combinations can be bonded using tapes.

Adhesive tapes provide a solution for mismatch in coefficients of thermal expansion. They also provide a barrier or carry inhibitors to reduce or prevent bimetallic corrosion that often occurs between different types of metal.

PRODUCTS + TOOLS Cheaper prototyping in the early stages of design

Often tape and film manufacturers and converters have in-house prototyping capabilities, which enable designers and engineers to test and demonstrate products before committing to full batch production. This leads to rapid prototyping, lower development costs, and the opportunity to test different materials and enhance designs before full production.

Where smart design and engineering meet, the possibilities are literally endless. Tape manufacturing and converting companies routinely work with product designers and architects on developing solutions to meet their customers’ needs while helping them cut costs, reduce waste and improve efficiency.

Examples include: Formulating adhesives to achieve agreed criteria on specific substrates, such as a clean peel after exposure to extreme temperatures, UV light and chemicals.

Adjusting unwind force to allow rapid application and ease of use.

Designing components to achieve the highest yield from the customer’s tape.

Designing a part with convenient application aids such as easy to remove liners or location aids for automated application of parts.

Enhanced product performance

Using a tape in place of traditional fixing methods will improve the overall quality and performance of a product by providing a durable bond, even in the most demanding applications. Adhesive tapes and films offer many types of bonding, ranging from repositionable to permanent high strength with the capability of replacing rivets and welds. Tapes allow for reliable, consistent bonds that are not often possible using other techniques. Some automotive tapes used to bond hood emblems to the exterior of a car, for example, are more than a hundred times stronger than household wrapping tape.

Some double-sided tapes, depending on the substrate, can offer a bond strong enough to take the weight of a fully grown person.

Adhesive tapes are used in a wide variety of environmentally challenging applications because they have been proven to resist stress corrosion, cracking, and distortion, when exposed to extreme temperatures and weather, UV and chemicals. This keeps products looking younger for longer. Enhanced quality and life span means reduced returns and complaints, saving money and contributing to a quality reputation.

Continuous contact between surfaces bonded with tape helps keep out water, moisture, dust and other environmental factors. This additional sealing functionality reliably protects the internal parts of products for a longer life.

Tapes have also been developed to provide reliable insulation, mechanical support, aesthetic finishing, point-to-point electrical contact, grounding and EMI (electronics metal finishing) shielding.

Spot welds, rivets, screws, nails and other mechanical fasteners create single joint stress points. Because the entire force is concentrated on one joint, this attachment can often fail and/or cause material breakage. Bonding tapes distribute stress evenly over the entire bonded area. Double-sided tapes are perfect for tension compensation.

By using tape, stress concentration that decreases substrate integrity can be eliminated. At the same time it also gets rid of the need for holes that invite rust and corrosion, making products stronger and longer lasting.

Creating a product that is protected against vibration and other concentrated stresses is every designer and manufacturer’s aim.

Better products mean fewer complaints and product returns, saving on administration and replacement costs. The viscoelasticity of many tapes improves resistance to vibration fatigue by adding flexibility to a joint or bonded area. They absorb and dissipate vibration and reduce noise and fatigue.

Tapes can also help save time and money and eliminate the tools and manufacturing equipment required for drilling and tightening. The use of tapes is easily integrated into operations and in most cases requires minimal training and little or no investment in equipment. Whether handling by hand or with automated equipment, tapes are generally quicker and safer to apply.

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Minimise adhesive waste and handle immediately

Adhesive tapes provide uniform thickness throughout the bonding area of products, and clean bonding – both permanent and temporary – in which the adhesive is confined to the bonding area without dripping or overflow, minimising adhesive waste. They also enable immediate handling of the product as tapes bond rapidly, unlike many liquid adhesives.

Reclosable adhesive tape systems allow parts to be separated for easy maintenance or service.

Permanent adhesive tapes can be formulated to stay on a specific surface when removed for recycling purposes when the product is dismantled.

The use of any kind of adhesive tape, when compared to an alternative fixing solution, could improve the ecological footprint of a product.

Certain tape products have been developed that are environmentally benign or considered as leveraging the environmental friendliness of products. These include water-based and 100% solid tapes, low or no VOC adhesive tapes, solvent-free tapes made without organic solvents or toxic chemicals, and repulpable tapes.

The European tape industry and Afera

Where does the European tape industry come into play? Europe’s economy is poised for modest growth, as discussed by Oxford University economist Andrea Boltho at one of Afera’s latest Annual Conference sessions. There is a strong demand for new, more specialised tape applications and technologies to meet the challenges of the transitioning industry. Companies are spending a significant amount of time and training on their sales forces to search out opportunities, and also on their R&D capabilities to create and utilise lightweight materials and to down-gauge product specifications.

The European tape business, renowned for its standards of quality and service, remains an attractive business sector. Careful consideration of the types of activity and investment that will be most appropriate going forward, given changing global dynamics, is required. Afera meets this challenge by strategically selecting, organising and supporting projects, events and other resources for its members to plan and grow their businesses successfully.

Afera is widely known and valued as the go-to community of the European tape industry for both industry and non-industry stakeholders.

Stakeholders connect within the Afera community to address current and future key topics, which individual stakeholders cannot or prefer not to tackle themselves.

For more information about what we do and how to become a member please visit Afera online or contact mail@afera.com

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PRODUCTS + TOOLS

Whatever fasteners can do, tapes can do better

By Steve Morrow, business development manager, Techsil Ltd Traditionally mechanical fasteners such as nuts and bolts, screws and rivets, and mechanical interlocks, were seen as the strongest and most reliable fastening and fixing method. However, double-sided structural adhesive tapes can match and often exceed this strength.

D

ouble-sided structural adhesive tapes provide longer lasting reliable bonds and offer unique benefits not found with traditional fastening methods such as sealing, damping, shielding, heat dissipation and insulating. As technologies of adhesives and backing materials evolve and new applications are found, more design engineers are utilising the unique characteristics of tapes and the market for adhesive tapes is growing year-on-year.

The global adhesive tapes market was estimated to be US$51.25 billion (â&#x201A;Ź44.9 billion) in 2017 and is projected to reach US$69.42 billion by 2022, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.26% between 2017 and 2022 (Markets and Markets Research Ltd â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Adhesives Tapes Market Report April 2018). The tapes market can be split into two distinct categories â&#x20AC;&#x201C; commodity adhesive tapes and speciality adhesive tapes. Commodity adhesive tapes include packaging, masking, and consumer and office tapes.

Over the forecast period, the market is anticipated to witness faster growth in the speciality adhesive tapes category, exhibiting a CAGR of 6.8% in terms of value (PS Market Research Adhesives Tapes Market Report July 2018). This is attributed to the large-scale utilisation of these tapes in rapidly growing industries such as automotive and transportation, healthcare, electrical and electronics, white goods, paper and printing, building and construction, and retail.

The major growth driver for the adhesive tapes market is the expanding automotive industry. In this industry, tapes having adhesive properties are mainly used in the form of double-sided and protection tapes. Automotive manufacturers are moving from mechanical fasteners to automotive tapes with adhesive properties to cut down the weight of vehicles. Since mechanical fasteners, such as bolts and screws, increase the weight of the vehicles, these products are increasingly being substituted by lightweight adhesive solutions.

Thus, the growing adoption of these tapes in the automotive industry is expected to boost the adhesive tapes market even further.

Replacing mechanical fasteners with structural bonding tapes can result in many benefits such as:

Even distribution of stress

Mechanical fastenings can produce concentrated areas of stress and in the case of many fastenings the substrates have to be physically penetrated. In both cases this can cause damage to the materials being joined such as splitting, crazing and distortion at the site of the fastener.

Structural bonding tapes, on the other hand, eliminate any concentrated areas of stress by distributing forces evenly over the whole bonded area. Additionally, speciality tapes are designed to dampen vibration, which also reduces damage to the part and eliminate noises such as rattles and hums.

Techsil is currently working with a company that manufactures panel sided truck trailers. The company was looking for a double-sided structural adhesive tape to replace rivets on two metal substrates that had uneven surfaces. A transparent acrylic foam tape (DF011) was recommended by Techsil, which gives a high strength structural bond to metal, high initial tack and high heat resistance. The foam thickness allows for an evenly distributed bond over the uneven surfaces of the substrates. Other typical applications include replacing mechanical fasteners and welds in the signs and graphics industry.

164 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

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PRODUCTS + TOOLS Easily join dissimilar substrates

One of the toughest challenges of bonding, is joining together substrates with different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) such as: Rubbers to metals.

Ceramics to plastics.

Aluminium to glass.

Glass to plastics.

The different CTEs mean that changes in the surrounding temperature results in different movements of each substrate, which puts stress onto the joint. Furthermore, thermal cycling and service temperature extremes can cause extra problems and sometimes complicate an already difficult situation. For instance, the fastened site will be exposed to wear and will deteriorate in the long-term. Another consideration with metal mechanical fasteners, when joining dissimilar metals, is that the joined surfaces will be subject to bimetallic corrosion. Both of these challenges will result in a shortened lifespan.

Replacing fasteners with adhesive tapes removes these difficulties and improves the life of the product. The adhesive materials used on a structural bonding tape is flexible and durable and compensates for any deflections of the adjoining materials, allowing the bonded entities to move more freely with little constraint and therefore less stress. They also provide a barrier between different surfaces to reduce or prevent bimetallic corrosion.

Eliminate rust and corrosion

As well as the above mentioned bimetallic corrosion, substrates joined with traditional fixings can also be subject to rust and corrosion, for example around screw holes, particularly in outdoor applications or where moisture is present.

Adhesive tapes not only remove the need for screw holes, but offer long-term durability in demanding applications with resistance, to environmental extremes such as high and low temperatures, UV and water.

Techsil is also working with a manufacturer of laundry machines, which wanted to attach the plastic cable trunking to the outside of a new laundry machine. In previous models screws had been used.

It was important to ensure that no steam could ingress into the cable trunking and so all screw holes needed to be eliminated.

A high performance double-sided tape (DSPR965) was therefore recommended. This tape has very good tack, adhesion, and shear resistance, to low surface energy materials and good resistance to humidity, solvents, plasticisers and temperature.

Some other applications it is used for include the mounting of ABS plastic parts, trim, mirrors and covers in the automotive industry; bonding varnished surfaces and plastic clips in the point of sale display industry; mounting rubber and EPDM profiles; bonding decorative profiles and mouldings in the furniture industry; attaching cable trunking in the electrical industry; bonding textiles in the window blinds and furniture industry; and splicing and extending in the paper, textile, plastic and metal film industries.

DSPR965 has excellent temperature resistant characteristics, with typical short-term temperature resistance of 200°C. Coupled with its excellent dynamic shear and tensile strength, it can solve the issue of one tape for multi surface applications.

166 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

Reduce noise and vibration

The metal to metal contact of traditional fixing methods can create a lot of unwanted noise when exposed to movement and vibration. Even plastics and composites used in car dashboards, doors and seats can produce annoying squeaks, rattles and hums.

Using an adhesive tape as a fixing method eliminates metal to metal contact, can provide additional damping qualities to reduce damage and noise by vibration, as well as provide a seal against dirt and moisture.

Protect against impact and fatigue

The ability of mechanical fasteners to resist fatigue and impacts deteriorates in the long-term, which shortens the lifespan of products and parts. Whereas adhesive tapes retain long-term flexibility, which means they are more resistant to any impacts and fatigue. Their dampening properties also reduce the effects of impacts and vibrations.

Enhanced aesthetic design and lightweighting

Nuts and bolts can limit design options where the fixings might need to be hidden but still easily accessible. Also, some traditional fasteners and fixings can be quite weighty especially ones made of metal. Lightweighting is of particular concern in the automotive market in the quest to make vehicles more efficient and environmentally friendly.

Adhesive tapes have revolutionised design options to improve functionality and aesthetics. Designers are able to use thinner, lighter materials and take advantage of newly developed composite materials â&#x20AC;&#x201C; some of which are difficult to drill into. Tapes offer invisible joints and a cleaner appearance than traditional fastenings. Adhesive materials are available where disassembly is required and are lighter than mechanical fastenings, reducing overall product weight. Tapes also take up less space.

Reducing manufacturing and assembly times

Tapes can be die cut by the supplier to customised shapes and sizes including location holes if needed. Replacing traditional fixing methods with easy to apply die cut adhesive tape components can reduce assembly times, as well as material requirements, refinishing and ultimately costs. In most cases there is minimal need for training and little or no investment in equipment. Pressure sensitive adhesives can also offer immediate handling strength.

How do you choose the right tape?

With a myriad of adhesive tapes on the market it can be a difficult task determining the right tape for a particular application. There are many things to consider such as the substrates, bond stress, application conditions and environmental factors. Using a tapes specialist can ensure you select the right materials in the right format based on your particular manufacturing requirements.

About the author

Steve Morrow is a specialist in the adhesive tape market with knowledge of a wide variety of structural bonding tapes and engineering applications. He has a background in engineering and has worked for Techsil since 2010.

Techsil Ltd is a global supplier of industrial RTV silicones, adhesives, sealants, encapsulants, conformal coatings, tapes, and dispensing equipment, to a wide range of manufacturing industries including aerospace, automotive, medical, electronics and LED lighting.

PRODUCTS + TOOLS

New Panacol adhesives stamping out the impact of theft globally

New adhesives in Panacol’s product line include the Elecolit® 6603 – a thermosetting, one component epoxy resin adhesive with very good heat conducting properties and very high metal adhesion, which is specially formulated to meet the increasing demands for bonding and dissipating heat from power electronics.

E

lecolit® 6603 is augmented with mineral-based fillers that ensure high electrical insulation. Comparable dielectric strength is usually only achieved by thermally conductive adhesive tapes. As an added benefit, the adhesive is resistant to constant heat stress up to 200°C. The adhesive is slightly flexible and can also be used as a potting compound and features very good flow behaviour. It can be processed via screen printing, with a dispenser, spreading knife or a spatula. Variations of this adhesive are also available that offer greater rigidity and several selections of viscosity ranges. Depending on the individual application, adhesives with higher heat conductivity or higher dielectric strength are also available.

Panacol-Elosol GmbH, a member of the global Hönle Group, is an international supplier of adhesives with an extensive product range that includes UV curable, structural, and conductive adhesives. Panacol is also a reliable provider of UV processing systems, supported by Dr Hönle AG – a global technology leader and manufacturer of industrial UV curing devices and systems.

Bostik 6000 with i-Boost™ technology Bostik, a leading global adhesive specialist for industrial, construction and consumer markets, has recently launched Bostik 6000 – a next generation hot melt sealant for insulating glass units (IGUs).

For more security fasteners visit; www.hafrenfasteners.com Or call us

+44 (0)1686 621 300 Or email

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F

ormulated with exclusive i-Boost™ technology, Bostik 6000 is an active single part hot melt sealant that offers enhanced performance, productivity, and durability, over existing best in class IGU sealant options.

“By understanding the IGU market needs for more sustainable solutions, we saw an opportunity to develop an innovative sealant that combines enhanced durability with improved productivity and safety for manufacturers,” said Olivier Bousquet, business development manager for Bostik’s building components market.

With higher thermal resistance and tensile strength, Bostik 6000 is well equipped to handle continual application stresses, enabling manufacturers to meet increasing demands and regulations. Easy to use, this product allows users to reach unprecedented speeds on automated lines (while still compatible with manual application), with no curing time, the shortest skinning time on the market, and no waste. It also is a versatile sealing solution that exhibits excellent adhesion to glass and commonly encountered surfaces in IGU construction.

With this new product, Bostik confirms the value of the single part butyl hot melt technology over traditional reactive technologies such as polyurethane – bringing boosted performance, productivity and durability, and a better HSE profile.

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PRODUCTS + TOOLS

Fisnar launches DTD50 An international manufacturer of fluid dispensing systems, Fisnar has launched the DTD50 – a new 50ml multi-ratio 2K dispense tool for the precise dispensing of two component materials packed into 50ml side by side cartridges.

B

oasting a weight of just 280g, the DTD50 is the industry’s lightest 50ml multi-dispense tool.

Its simple operating system allows for small, accurate and repeatable fluid deposits to be applied to a component when attached to a Fisnar dispense controller. The device could further be used for downpacking into Fisnar QuantX™ syringes when precise micro shot dispensing is required.

The lightweight and durable design of the DTD50 makes it ideal for handheld use, with an optional trigger handle attachment available if required. Additionally, the dispense tool can be mounted onto a stand for handsfree dispensing. This will eliminate operator fatigue and alleviate symptoms of RSI. The universal tool is compatible with all differing ratios of 50ml cartridges. With a standard configuration for dispensing 1:1 and 2:1 ratio material, the DTD50 can also be quickly converted to dispense 4:1 and 10:1 ratio material using the included piston. A storage facility at the rear of the tool allows for safe and secure storage of pistons when not in use. As the DTD50 is equipped to dispense the widest range of mix ratios, it differs from any other dispensing tool on the market and will suit a vast array of production needs.

FIXI: Great success at Fastener Fair Italy FIXI has been a leader in Italy for the production and distribution of mechanical fastening systems for over thirty years. Today it sees itself as a reference point for all companies that work in the fields of sheet metal working, solid parts and plastic materials processing.

A

mong FIXI’s strong points are its capillary presence in the market and participation in sector fairs, which are fundamental to it becoming known by more and more Italian and international companies. The several branches strategically located in the various regions, and the extensive network of distributors, enable FIXI to have a fast and efficient distribution chain, supported by warehouse management, which guarantees the entire range of products always available to customers at any time of the year.

During the recent Fastener Fair in Milan, the FIXI team, made up of experts with many years of experience in the sector, presented its wide range of fastening systems, achieving considerable success among the visitors thanks to the support of demonstration videos showing the products and their applications.

FIXI offers a vast assortment of fasteners such as blind rivets, threaded inserts, self-clinching fasteners , wire inserts, fasteners for plastic and new inserts for tubes. To complete the offer, installation tooling is also available: Manual and oleo-pneumatic rivet and rivet nut tools, self-clinching presses as well as accessories and tools for wire inserts.

170 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

The inserts for tubes are among the latest products included in the 2018 catalogue, which are designed to solve all the issues related to the forming of threaded holes inside tubes. By replacing the traditional process of welding nuts inside tubes yet providing a secure and tight fitting.

The company also offers its customers a number of exclusive advantages such as a custom package labelling service. This possibility arises from the common need of customers to have to relabel the goods with their own logo, product code and other details. In this way FIXI’s service eliminates this time-consuming and cost-effective procedure for customers.

“We would like to thank the number of visitors present at the Fastener Fair event in Milan and point out that on the FIXI website it’s possible to consult the demonstration videos, download the complete catalogues of the various products and request information and quotations directly through the appropriate information request form,” comments FIXI. www.fixi.it

Quarter page Add.pdf 1 16/02/2017 10:33:03

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PRODUCTS + TOOLS

Excellent thermal shock resistance Master Bond EP110F8-3 is a two part epoxy system ideal for sealing, encapsulating, potting, and casting applications.

F

eaturing excellent thermal cycling and shock resistance, passing 10 cycles from -55°C to +125°C with no signs of cracking, EP110F8-3 has a superior electrical insulation profile with a low dielectric constant of 2.67 as well as a low dissipation factor of 0.006, both measured at 75°F for 1 KHz. “This toughened system provides very good flexibility and possesses a relatively high elongation of 120% – 150%. It offers a low tensile modulus of around 5,000psi – 15,000psi and a shore A hardness of 40 – 50 at room temperature,” explains Rohit Ramnath, senior product engineer at Master Bond.

EP110F8-3 has a convenient mix ratio of one to two by weight; the colour of Part A is clear while the colour of Part B is amber. It has a low mixed viscosity of 1,000cps – 2,000cps and flows readily. Working life for a 100g batch is 2 – 3 days at room temperature and can be cured within a few hours at 250°F – 300°F (121°C – 149°C).

Since its founding in 1976, Master Bond has been committed to developing epoxies, silicones, light curing systems and other speciality adhesives that meet specific customer requirements. Master Bond manufactures over 3,000 grades of specially designed formulations that are widely used across a variety of industries including electronic, medical, aerospace and optical.

THE FIRST KITEMARK™ CERTIFIED HOSE CLIPS OUTSIDE EUROPE

Een solide verbinding Eine feste Verbindung A fixed connection Une conexion Fixe www.eurobolt.com

PRODUCTS + TOOLS

New range of spring steel and stainless fasteners A brand new range of 12mm – 150mm safety clips is now available from SD Products’ website – manufactured from high grade spring steel and offering excellent stress and corrosion resistance, as well as the ability to withstand considerable forces without any distortion.

T

he high yield strength of spring steel in the safety clips allows them to return to their original shape, even after substantial deflection, twisting or compression, without suffering any significant deformation. Safety clips are well suited for both domestic and industrial applications and can be easily installed or removed by hand.

SD has also added several new lines of stainless steel connector bolts and nuts to its furniture fastener range. This includes connector bolts that are designed to be used with connector caps nuts – with the nut applying an axial clamping force and the shank of the bolt acting as a dowel, pinning the joint against sideways shear forces.

SD Products’ connector bolts – including flat low profile bolt heads that allow for a decorative finish – are suitable for a variety of furniture applications.

SD Products has also added a range of mild steel slab base T-nuts and added a new range of stainless steel four pronged T-nuts.

T-nuts have a wide range of uses and are ideal for automotive, domestic, furniture and industrial applications. Durable, reliable and low in cost, these fasteners are designed to securely anchor particle or composite materials like wood and plastic to a workpiece.

Produced from high-quality mild and stainless steel, T-nuts from SD Products are sturdy and hard-wearing.

“We are committed to providing superior products and services and competitive prices for our customers, states SD Products.

“Thanks to our large quantities of stocked items we are able to offer speedy deliveries with next day dispatch to the UK.” www.sdproducts.co.uk

Standard Listed – you know who’s best!

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Non-preferred Metrics ~ Intermediate Sizes Short and Long Lengths ~ Slotted Grub Screws A4/80 Bolts & Socket Caps ~ 6 Lobe (TX) Drive Screws All Metal Self-Locking Nuts ~ Studding Connectors And many more...

Tel: +44 (0) 117-972 8560 Fax: +44 (0) 117-972 8570 sales@avonstainlessfasteners.co.uk www.avonstainlessfasteners.co.uk Unit 10, Riverside Business Park, St Anne’s, Bristol, BS4 4ED

Online Product Guide:

PRODUCTS + TOOLS

ARK expands its range After a successful 18 months following the launch of its ARK branded rivet and rivet nut range, the ARK brand is now bringing new products to the general industrial market.

L

aunched in May 2017, ARK has reported a high-level of support from distributors interested in expanding their businesses, as well as increasing their sales activity, with stable stock support, and importantly, achieving high-levels of gross margin.

“ARK boasts the largest standard range of rivets, rivet nuts and associated tooling, ex-stock, in the UK,” comments Steve Auld, managing director. “Arpel, Rivco and Kamtech Fasteners, the approved distributors of the ARK brand, offer comprehensive support to customers, which allows us to react to customer requirements and market demands in an informed and dynamic style. ARK branded products will remain a brand with a purpose to adapt and serve the general industrial market.”

Steve continues: “During the first 18 months of trading with the ARK brand, a number of distributors have shared their thoughts on additional products that ARK should add into its product portfolio that will meet customer requirements, and fill existing gaps in the market. By popular demand, we have brought into stock a wide range of ARK coloured rivet options; in dome and countersunk head styles, across all materials. This is a really popular area of sales and has continued to grow for Arpel, Rivco and Kamtech, and we are happy to announce continued stock support for these ARK branded coloured rivet products.”

Following 12 months of research and development, ARK will also be launching the complete range of battery tools for rivet and rivet nut products. The 12 month process has seen the ARK Group of Companies invest in a programme of tools, which will provide its valued distributors with a complete solution. The battery tools and a full suite of spares will be available from launch at competitive prices in early 2019.

The ARK brand represents assured quality and performance on products and the ARK Group of Companies deliver a ‘complete solutions service’ with technical and engineering support on all fasteners and tools. The programme is supported by easy to use, fully comprehensive, colour coded ARK product catalogues, in addition to the ARK branded product boxes, which allow for quick delivery, alleviating need for distributors to re-box and relabel products to get them into the supply chain.

“The ARK brand programme has resulted in great interest and demand from distributors overseas. The direct result in this interest has seen ARK branded products shipped to new territories, and distributors interested in becoming approved ARK distributors in their own regions. This is an exciting expansion of the ARK brand, as distributors are realising the potential ARK provides to expand their business activities,” proudly states Steve. www.arkbrandedrivets.co.uk

176 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 114 NOVEMBER 2018

High Quality Bespoke Large Nuts & Fasteners Trojan supply to many niche markets with special industrial fasteners and focus on high quality, bespoke custom fasteners.

M4-M52 Metric, #10-2.1/2” Imperial/Unified thread Hex, square, flange, dome and round Nuts Castle, Slotted, All Metal Prevailing Torque Nuts Manufacturers of hard to find items Very fast manufacturing and delivery times Fully traceable manufacturing and delivery Fully compliant to ISO 9001:2008 quality standard Certificates in materials, heat treatment and plating Certificates of Conformity

www.trojansf.co.uk trojan.fasteners@gmail.com Tel: +44 (0) 121 789 8586 | Fax: +44 (0) 121 789 8006 18 Fortnum Close | Kitts Green | Birmingham | B33 0LG

Trojan Quarter page - Sep FFM 2017.indd 1

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APPROVED APPROVEDDISTRIBUTORS DISTRIBUTORSOF OFARK ARKRIVET RIVETNUTS: NUTS: APPROVED APPROVEDDISTRIBUTORS DISTRIBUTORSOF OFARK ARKRIVET RIVETNUTS: NUTS:

WE WEHAVE HAVETHE THELARGEST LARGESTSTANDARD STANDARDRANGE, RANGE,EX EXSTOCK, STOCK,IN INTHE THEUK UK WE WEHAVE HAVETHE THELARGEST LARGESTSTANDARD STANDARDRANGE, RANGE,EX EXSTOCK, STOCK,IN INTHE THEUK UK ARPEL.CO.UK ARPEL.CO.UK | | RIVCO.CO.UK RIVCO.CO.UK | | KAMTECHFASTENERS.CO.UK KAMTECHFASTENERS.CO.UK ARPEL.CO.UK ARPEL.CO.UK | | RIVCO.CO.UK RIVCO.CO.UK | | KAMTECHFASTENERS.CO.UK KAMTECHFASTENERS.CO.UK

ADVERTISERS INDEX Abbey Clamps.......................................................11 Achilles Seibert....................................................11 Acton....................................................................... 91 Advance Spares................................................165 Albert Pasvahl...................................................... 9 Alloy & Stainless Fasteners......................... 178 Ambrovit............................................................... 13 Apex Stainless Fasteners...............................49 Ariljemetal Doo................................................155 ARK Group..........................................73, 144, 177 Astrotech Steels Private Limited................ 85 Avon Stainless Fasteners Ltd..................... 175 AWAFAST............................................................... 81 Bendfast............................................................... 177 Berardi Bullonerie...........................................145 Berdan Bolt........................................................... 71 Birlik Baglanti Elemanlari San.................. 101 Bomet......................................................................95 Bordo.....................................................................159 Bossong................................................................ 112 Bralo........................................................................29 Brugola................................................................... 35 Bulte......................................................................... 91 Carlo Salvi........................................................... 131 Cetin Civata........................................................... 5 Ceviz Pres Döküm San. ve Tic. A.S.............56 Chavesbao......................................................... 1, 19 Ching Chan Optical Technology Co........... 41 Colombo Special Fasteners Srl..................103 Dell’Era Ermanno & Figlio Srl...................... 81 Dimac....................................................................125 Don Quichotte......................................................94 DS Fasteners...................................................... 171 EFC.........................................................................153 Essve........................................................................ 47

Ettinger................................................................ 141 Eurobolt...............................................................173 Evirt Italia............................................................. 15 Fareast Metal International Co Ltd.........154 Fastbolt.................................................................... 2 Fastbolt UK......................................................... 178 Fastener + Fixing Magazine......................... 57 FastFixSearch.com...........................................83 FastTixTechnology.com................................157 Fastener Fair Stuttgart...................................79 Ferroforma.........................................................108 Fiminox................................................................ 101 Fixi Srl..................................................................... 15 Fong Prean Industrial...................................173 G & B Fissaggi Srl............................................. 116 GADR..................................................................... 115 Gala Precision Engineering..........................33 Gebo Fasteners................................................... 75 Gesipa................................................................... 101 Hafren Fasteners Ltd.....................................168 Hamar..................................................................... 73 Harrison Silverdale........................................150 Heco....................................................................... 141 Heico........................................................................ 81 Hexstone Group.................................................. 17 Index Tecnicas Expansivas S.L...................... 3 Industrial recence............................................. 91 Jeveka.......................................................... 137, 155 Johan Smit..........................................................163 Joker Industrial Co. Ltd................................137 Jubliee clips ....................................................... 171 Kaleliler Baglanti Elemanlari Ltd Sti......143 Kinfast Hardware Co Ltd.............................165 Kingwin Precision Co Ltd.............................128 LD Fasteners SRL............................................... 85

Bolts • Nuts • Studs Sockets • Washers Machined Parts

Lederer............................................................22, 24 Lusavouga SA...................................................... 67 Mac Precision Hardware.............................145 Marcopol...............................................................59 Mecavit................................................................... 21 Mectron................................................................129 Merlin Business Software Ltd....................140 MITOS Srl.............................................................154 Mustad SpA........................................................105 Nakashimada Engineering Works Ltd...... 37 National Machinery......................................... 27 ND Industries............................................... 4, 127 Ningbo Londex....................................................39 Nord-Lock Group.............................................180 Norm Civata.........................................................99 Omnitechnik......................................................169 Orbit Fastener Company Limited.............172 Pecol........................................................................97 Peter Schröder..................................................137 PGB – Europe NV................................................69 Pinstructure.........................................................11 Precision Technology Supplies.................. 151 R+FK Schulte........................................................ 51 Ray Fu Enterprise Co....................................... 77 Rexlen Corp........................................................ 174 Reyher.....................................................................33 Rivit.......................................................................179 Rotorclip................................................................89 Sacma.....................................................................93 Saima Corporation.........................................152 San Shing Fastech Corp................................123 Saspi Talleres.......................................................23 Schäfer+Peters................................................... 61 Schnorr.................................................................. 15 Schwer+Kopka..................................................133

SD Products........................................................ 175 Shanghai Fast-Fix Rivet Corporation.... 171 Sheh Kai Precision Co....................................107 Shin Chun Enterprise..................................... 167 Sipa........................................................................109 Skako Vibration A/S.......................................133 Smith Bullough.................................................155 Soudal................................................................... 117 Specialinsert........................................................97 Spirol Ind.............................................................150 Srubena-Unia......................................................63 Stafa...........................................................................7 Star Fasteners................................................... 161 Staytite.................................................................165 STS-Tectorius.....................................................133 Tecfi........................................................................ 113 Tecno Impianti..................................................132 Teknoform...........................................................173 The Insert Company.......................................163 TITIBI..................................................................... 112 Tobsteel................................................................145 Top Screw Metal Corp Ltd............................ 175 Transvalor............................................................92 Trojan Special Fasteners.............................. 177 UBK........................................................................ 161 Vipa..........................................................................65 Vital Srl...................................................................25 Viteria Fusani......................................................50 Viteria Ratto......................................................... 31 Wan Iuan Enterprise Co................................135 Wasi....................................................................... 141 WPI Services...................................................... 121 YUYAO ALFIRSTE HARDWARE.................. 119 Zago Manufacturing Inc................................29

UK National Sales Executive Fastbolt are a leading international fastener wholesaler. We are currently looking to recruit a professional and experienced sales executive to continue our growth and success in the UK market.

Reporting to our UK Sales Manager, the successful candidate will have a proven track record in sales to the distribution market.

®®

You should be capable of maintaining and developing strong relationships with our existing customer base, and at the same time display market awareness to deliver opportunities to enhance our market presence.

® ®

Special Metals and Alloys

Over 150 Material Grades 10,000 Ton Inventory Over 250 Machines We Service All Quantities Fast Global Delivery www.GoASF.com

Global@GoASF.com

As a progressive company we are looking for a strong communicator with comprehensive product knowledge, capable of being proactive to deliver further growth to our business.

The position requires the ability to be attentive to solid time management, you will have a proven history of working under your own initiative but at the same time will be very much part of our dynamic sales team.

If you feel you are suitable for this role, please submit your CV and covering letter with salary expectation by email to Steve Clarke, UK Sales Manager – s.clarke@fastbolt.com

www.fastbolt.com

RIVIT Srl ITALIA Bologna / Italy T. +39 0514171111 rivit@rivit.it / rivit.it

RIVIT INDIA Pvt Ltd Chennai / India T. +91 44 428 50 250 rivitindia@rivit.in / rivit.in

RIVIT MAROC Sarl Au Temara / Maroc T. +212 661 379 765 rivit@rivit.ma / rivit.it

From Rivit the Client always get something more. The force of the completeness of the fastening solutions, the constant improvement in the products, the passion in all we do.

R I V I T . I T

WHEN SAFETY REALLY MATTERS Our wedge-locking solutions are used all over the world, from the deepest subsea applications to power stations, bridges and wind turbines. Whatever your bolting challenge, we will be there to help you ensure safer, more efficient operations.

To further extend our promise and to ensure your trust in our products, we have introduced a lifetime warranty covering our whole product range.

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