Fastener + Fixing Magazine #133

In this issue…

From Mattmar to the world Janus Perspective Chemical anchors + resins fastenerandfixing.com ≡ Issue 133: January 2022

A PERFECT FIXING FOR YOUR BUSINESS

• Customer Service Driven • Vertically Integrated • Innovative Products • Global Presence

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES Since 1955 ND Industries has specialized in the development of innovative materials and processes which increase the safety and reliability of fastener assemblies.

ND serves a global market with divisions across the continental U.S., Taiwan, and licensees around the world. ND’s core business revolves around the application of a wide variety of materials onto fasteners and assemblies to aid in functions such as locking, sealing, masking, lubricating, and noise and vibration dampening. ND also manufactures a line of bottled products under the Vibra-Tite® brand name for MRO and retail use.

From two base products in 1965 to currently over two hundred twenty, ND continues its tradition of cutting edge research and development with the regular introduction of unique materials along with competitive brand offsets.

ELECTROLOC® High strength encapsulated epoxy threadlocker for use in electrical systems where low halogen materials are necessary. Contains small micrometer microcaps which reduce material extrusion on installation.

THERMOSEAL™ A high temperature, high pressure thread sealant which withstands up to 40MPa. Offering thread locking breakaway torques greater than 20Nm and a maximum temperature of 428°F (220°C). Thermoseal is an extremely versatile product for challenging sealing conditions.

THERMOLOC® 1500 ND’s highest temperature chemical threadlocker. Initially performs like a vibration dampening compound. Once temperatures reach 750°F (400°C), a secondary activation begins, causing the fastener to be permanently locked in place. Tested to over 1500°F (850°C).

AUTHORIZED APPLICATOR Did you know that ND is an approved 3M applicator? Further proof why ND should be your one stop shop for pre-applied fasteners.

ND PATCH® HI-TEMP Highest temperature pre-applied nylon threadlocker in the industry. Unlike the competition, ND’s application process requires only 120°C, preventing plating damage. However, once crosslinked, it can withstand temps up to 260°C. Meets MIL-DTL-18240F / QPL-18240.

THREAD ARMOR® GP Prevents galvanic corrosion in assemblies with dissimilar metals, such as aluminum, and steel, by electrically isolating the fastener. Specially bonded to the fastener, ND Galvanic Patch is durable, chemical resistant, and non-conductive.

THREAD ARMOR® VC An advanced anti-galling and lubricating thread coating designed to extend the life of bolts up to 15 times while under intense torque and high friction loads. Helps to ensure consistent clamp load. Works well on stainless steel fasteners.

EPOXY-LOCK® NUTS This pre-applied threadlocker consists of separated epoxy hardener and expoxy resin.

Upon fastener installation, the two materials mix and activate. When fully cured, EpoxyLock provides greater breakaway torque than conventional nylon fastener locking devices.

EXPAND-A-LOCK® A unique pre-applied microencapsulated expanding threadlocking & sealing compound. Increases in volume 20-50% on installation, penetrating the gaps in fastener threads typically unfilled by conventional threadlockers.

CONTACT US www.ndindustries.com www.vibra-tite.com info@ndindustries.com

EXPAND-A-SLEEVE™ Extruded ND Mastics are pre-applied to fasteners (threaded or non-threaded), bound for e-cote cycles. Heat from the process causes the material to expand, sealing large leak paths between fastener and assembly.

SEALTEK™ An acrylic-based sealing material which is applied to the underhead of the fastener. SealTek’s robust seal replaces the need for O-rings, gaskets, or sealing washers.

CONTENTS

38

NEWS 10-36 Financial reports, acquisitions and trade duty news

COVER STORY 38-39 From Mattmar to the world

JANUS PERSPECTIVE

40-100

A retrospective look from the industry on 2021, as well as prospects and challenges for 2022

INSIGHT 102-103 Circumvention will not work – be warned

EXHIBITIONS 104-108 CONSTRUCTION 110-125 FIXINGS

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Chemical anchors + resins feature

110

MANUFACTURING 126-132 TECHNOLOGY

TESTING 134-138 The king of mechanical tests

MANAGEMENT + 140-149 SYSTEMS

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Can technology help us get through this labour crisis?

Supply chain management feature

APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY

150-165

Electric planes will challenge fasteners The significance of fasteners in electric vehicles

PRODUCTS + TOOLS 166-177 Torque wrenches feature

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www.colombofasteners.com

EDITOR’S NOTE

Will Lowry, content director, Fastener + Fixing Magazine

Part of the Mack Brooks Group

www.fastenerandfixing.com Managing Director Jamie Mitchell jamie.mitchell@verulammedia.com Content Director Will Lowry will.lowry@verulammedia.com

A time to take stock The start of a new year is always a good opportunity to take a step back and look at what happened over the previous year and what could happen in the future. Unfortunately, sometimes this is just not possible with the day-to-day pressures, especially in the current climate.

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hat is why we invited the leading players from within the fastener and fixing industry to give us their thoughts on the previous year and the opportunities that lie ahead, creating the unique Janus Perspective and giving all our readers the opportunity to see what the industry is thinking.

With nearly 40 contributions there are too many companies and associations involved to name them, but the articles cover every facet of the industry, such as distribution, manufacturing, machinery, coatings, as well as reports on individual countries, including China, Taiwan, India, Brazil and Turkey. Make sure you give it a read.

In Industry News, we have a breakdown on the latest situation within the AD676 case on imports of certain iron or steel fasteners in the People’s Republic of China.

In November the European Commission published to interested parties its General Final Disclosure Document that showed the European Commission intended to apply definitive anti-dumping duties of up to 89.8%.

Later in December the Commission disclosed additional conclusions, which included a small reduction of duty rates between 1.8% – 3.3%, which would still make the top duty rate 86.5%.

Whilst this is a disclosure of the European Commission’s intentions, rather than the final regulation, it does show that the Commission intends to apply definitive duties.

According to the Commission, the duties are to be imposed by 17 th February 2022 at the very latest. Before that, the governments

of the EU member states will vote on the definitive measure.

Of course, you can keep up to date with the latest information as it happens on fastenerandfixing.com, as well as subscribing to our newsletter, which includes breaking news on all the latest developments within the industry.

Within our Insight section we cover another big topic that relates to the potential anti-dumping duties – circumvention. Phil Matten explains how companies need to be hyper alert to the risks, whether a company gets knowingly or unknowingly involved in circumvention. It is well worth a read.

Other articles within the January issue include our Cover Story from Nord-Lock Group, which focuses on how the company has continued its expansion plans during the Covid-19 pandemic. Alongside which it has introduced new machinery, enhanced processes and additional personnel.

To add to this we also have a great chemical anchors + resins feature in Construction Fixings, plus expert articles from Jason Bader, managing partner at The Distribution Team, who asks whether technology can help us get through the labour crisis; Cesare Certini, owner of CERMAC Srl – an Italian testing machine manufacturer – explains why tensile testing is ‘the king’ of mechanical testing; and finally regular contributor Ian Parker discusses how Covid-19 and environmental concerns could lead to electric planes in the future, and the challenges this will bring for fasteners.

Deputy Editor Claire Aldridge claire.aldridge@verulammedia.com Sales Director Mac Rahman mac.rahman@verulammedia.com Business Development Manager – Italy Emiliano Pagliaroli emiliano.pagliaroli@verulammedia.com Business Development Manager – DACH Beata Csano beata.csano@verulammedia.com Business Development Manager – Europe Chantal Ridings chantal.ridings@verulammedia.com Production & Design Manager Lee Duskwick lee.duskwick@verulammedia.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 Verulam Media.

Copyright Entire contents copyright © Verulam Media Ltd 2022. 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.

Annual subscription (6 issues) to non–trade and outside EU is €160.00 Verulam Media Limited, Office 121, Ashley Road 134, St Albans AL1 5JR Tel: +44 (0) 1727 743 882

Subscribe for free at www.fastenerandfixing.com

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NEWS COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE OF KEY INDUSTRY NEWS

EU announces intention to apply anti-dumping duties On 16th November the European Commission published to interested parties its General Final Disclosure Document for the AD676 case on imports of certain iron or steel fasteners in the People’s Republic of China. Fastener + Fixing Magazine was sent the document, from an unnamed source, which showed the European Commission intends to apply definitive anti-dumping duties of up to 89.8%. ater in December, the European Commission disclosed its additional conclusions, which included only a small reduction of duty rates between 1.8% – 3.3%, which still makes the top duty rate 86.5%. Whilst this is a disclosure of the European Commission’s intentions, rather than the final regulation, it does show that the Commission intends to apply definitive duties as below: Specific exporting companies (three companies): Anti-dumping duties ranging from 23.9% to 51.5%.

Other cooperating exporting companies (listed within the Annex in the document): 39.6% (previously listed as 41.8%).

All other companies: Anti-dumping duties at 86.5% (previously listed as 89.8%).

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Assuming the duties will be confirmed in the final regulation, they will apply to the products cited in the Disclosure “originating from the People’s Republic of China” – regardless of the country

from which consigned and imported to the EU. The products involved are currently classified under CN codes 7318 12 90, 7318 14 91, 7318 14 99, 7318 15 58, 7318 15 68, 7318 15 82, 7318 15 88, ex 7318 15 95 (TARIC codes 7318 15 95 19 and 7318 15 95 89), ex 7318 21 00 (TARIC codes 7318 21 00 31, 7318 21 00 39, 7318 21 00 95 and 7318 21 00 98) and ex 7318 22 00 (TARIC codes 7318 22 00 31, 7318 22 00 39, 7318 22 00 95 and 7318 22 00 98).

Another important part of the disclosure is in regards to the potential for any retrospective action. The document states: “The Commission considers that one of the legal conditions under Article 10(4) of the basic Regulation is not met and therefore the duties should not be levied retroactively on the registered imports. Thus, the registration of imports should be discontinued.”

The date of the publication of the final EU regulation has not been confirmed. However, the AD676 case schedule on the European Commission website sets a target date of 17 th February 2022. It is worth noting that these dates are only indicative and not binding.

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the aerospace segment stabilised appreciably, and newly won framework agreements pushed growth rates in the second half of the year into the double-digit range. The acquisition of Dutch company Jeveka B.V, consolidated since 1st October 2021, contributed to the gratifying sales performance.

Fourth quarter sales in America increased by 4.7% to CHF 55.9 million (in local currency: +3.2%). Notwithstanding the high comparative base in the same quarter of the prior year, business continued to perform well in the electromobility sector and others due to continued diversification of the customer base. The completion of several exciting projects helped Bossard solidify new long-term customer relationships.

In Asia, sales grew by 29.2% to CHF 54.8 million in the fourth quarter (in local currency: +26.0%), making it the fifth quarter in a row of doubledigit growth rates in local currency. On the one hand, the Group benefited from the investments made in the expansion and modernisation of Bossard’s infrastructure over the last few years. On the other hand, the growth initiatives in the robotics and electronics segments spurred welcome growth in the project pipeline and gains in market share.

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ll regions performed well in the fourth quarter, even though the high basis effect of the prior year was clearly felt in America. Bossard Group’s fourth quarter sales increased by 17.9% to CHF 250.8 million (2020: CHF 212.8 million).

The growth of Bossard Group that began with the broad-based economic upturn in the fourth quarter of 2020 continued into the fourth quarter of 2021. At the same time, Europe and Asia recorded impressive double-digit growth rates. However, the rising Covid-19 infection rates in various market regions continued to foster uncertainty. Simultaneously strong global demand also continued to strain the situation on the procurement market, resulting in further price increases and longer delivery times. In addition to Bossard’s sustained delivery capability, the Group also benefited from further expansion of its market position.

In Europe, Bossard recorded fourth quarter sales growth of 19.7% to CHF 140.1 million (in local currency: +21%), accounting for a significant share of the improved results. Among other things, newly won customer projects in the focus markets of railway and medical technology helped sustain positive demand. In addition,

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Thanks to further market share gains in a strong economic environment, Bossard Group recorded sales of CHF 995.1 million in 2021 (around €950.37 million) – the previous year was CHF 812.8 million. This corresponds to organic growth of 21.1%, with currency effects and acquisitions having a positive impact.

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Bossard records record breaking year

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NEWS - INDUSTRY

SFS reports strong market demand in 2021 In a dynamic market environment characterised by high demand, supply chain bottlenecks and the Covid-19 pandemic, SFS boosted its sales by 11% to CHF 1.893 billion (€1.8 billion), an outcome that was based on its ability to fill customer orders.

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FS states that whilst the 2021 financial year was characterised by strong market demand, supply chain bottlenecks and the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, its focus on temporary capacity adjustments in the previous year enabled it to not only preserve jobs and hold on to expertise, but put it in a strong position to respond swiftly to the recovery in demand.

The Engineered Components segment recovered substantially in the wake of the Covid-19 related slump of the 2020 financial year.

In the automotive industry, recovery had already begun in the third quarter of 2020 and this persisted into the first half of 2021.

Bottlenecks in the semiconductor supply chain started putting pressure on OEMs’ production figures in the summer months, which then also impacted call-offs at SFS. While the trend in the various industrial niche markets served by the Industrial division exhibited a similar yet delayed pattern overall, supply chain problems impacted this division to a much lesser degree. The Aircraft business lingered at a low level yet began showing initial signs of a recovery during the fourth quarter. Overall, the segment generated sales of CHF 975.2 million, representing growth of 8.6% compared to the same period of the previous year.

The exceptional demand situation that the Fastening Systems segment had already successfully leveraged in the first half of the reporting period – to generate record results – continued in the second half of the year, albeit at a slightly lower level. This strong demand resulted in widespread supply shortages on the market, however. Both divisions successfully managed to largely guarantee their ability to fill customer orders in this challenging environment.

The generally stable situation in terms of material and product availability enabled the Construction division to take advantage of its good positioning and gain new customers. While the Riveting division made use of the good demand situation among industrial customers, the business with customers from the automotive industry cooled down substantially over the course of the second half of the year.

In this exceptional environment, the segment generated CHF 574.9 million in sales, which corresponds to a remarkable 17.4% increase over the same period of the previous year.

SFS establishes presence in quality tools

The addition of Hoffmann SE gives SFS Group a strong international position in the quality tools. The two companies have been collaborating successfully for many years and share a similar value proposition and corporate values. Both are positioned as leading providers in their respective industries. Their decision to join forces marks a milestone and opens up major development opportunities. The board of directors and Group executive board of the SFS Group will be strengthened with key individuals from Hoffmann.

Headquartered in Munich, Germany, Hoffmann is on-site in over 50 countries, with a workforce of approximately 3,000 employees. Hoffman generated approximately €1 billion in sales in 2021 and is a specialist international systems partner for quality tools that is well-known on European markets and serves more than 100,000 customers with a product range comprising around 500,000 items.

Simpson acquires Etanco Group Simpson Manufacturing has announced it has submitted a binding offer with exclusivity to acquire the Etanco Group for approximately €725 million. tanco is a designer, manufacturer and distributor of fixing and fastening solutions for the building construction market throughout Europe, which includes innovative fasteners, connectors, anchors and safety solutions for roofing, cladding, façade, waterproofing and solar applications. For the twelve months ended 30 th September, 2021, Etanco’s net sales and operating income margin were approximately €258 million and 19.7%, respectively. The acquisition is expected to close near the end of the first quarter of 2022.

“Etanco’s business of providing reputable, highly engineered technical solutions with a high focus on customer service, aligns with Simpson’s core business model and values, making Etanco an ideal acquisition to support continued growth in our European business,”

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said Karen Colonias, president and chief executive officer of Simpson Manufacturing Co Inc. “The acquisition of Etanco fortifies our footprint and expands our geographical reach in Europe, deepens Simpson’s portfolio of solutions with new and existing customers, and allows us to enter into new commercial building markets and grow our direct sales activity across the region.”

“We are very pleased to join the Simpson team and look forward to participating in their growth plans for the future,” said Ronan Lebraut, chief executive officer of Etanco Group. “Etanco and Simpson share the same core values of providing high-quality products and customer service, and we view this partnership as a great opportunity to broaden our product lines and further our customer and market reach.”

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NEWS - INDUSTRY

Fieldwire joins Hilti to establish jobsite management platform Hilti Group has entered into an agreement to acquire Fieldwire, a US-based construction technology company, for an approximate US$300 million (approximately €263.9 million) to help drive productivity at contractors and on construction sites.

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ieldwire provides a leading platform for jobsite management that powers more than a million jobsites worldwide. Founded in 2013, Fieldwire has built a strong presence in North America and managed to expand internationally into Europe and Asia Pacific, while building market-specific features that enable customers to improve field productivity. The company is presently supporting thousands of clients to better manage their jobsites digitally by offering a software solution that is reliable, easy to use, has a wide range of features and is also device-agnostic. It is used by general and specialty contractors alike and is known for its field first approach to productivity.

“The acquisition of Fieldwire will accelerate Hilti’s capability to deliver productivity to our customers through software solutions. Since digitalisation has become a major driver of productivity in construction, Hilti has been investing in digital solutions for construction professionals. This acquisition will strengthen our software portfolio and is a logical step towards our vision of becoming the leading digitalisation partner for our customers. We intend to continue investing in the platform to create the next market leader in construction project management software,” said Christoph Loos, CEO of Hilti Group.

With Hilti’s support, the team at Fieldwire will expedite the work on building the preferred digital solution for construction professionals in the market. Not only will all current Fieldwire team members be invited to stay with Hilti Fieldwire under the continued leadership of the two founders, Yves Frinault and Javed Singha, but additional efforts will also be made to significantly grow the team.

“We started Fieldwire to help construction contractors empower their teams, drive field productivity and create stronger, more profitable companies. With Hilti, we have found a partner that truly shares our values and at the same time allows us to speed up our product development for our customers in new and existing markets. We are thrilled to be joining the Hilti Group,” comments Yves Frinault, co-founder and CEO at Fieldwire.

Sika posts record sales for 2021 Sika performed well in a challenging environment in 2021, once again demonstrating the strengths of its business model. Despite the persistent Covid-19 pandemic and bottlenecks in the procurement of raw materials, sales rose significantly to a record CHF 9.24 billion (€8.8 billion), corresponding to growth of 17.1% in local currencies. homas Hasler, chief executive officer at Sika, commented: “2021 was expected to be a challenging year and it proved to be a very successful one for Sika. We are benefiting from a number of growth platforms and are in an ideal position to achieve long-term success. Thanks to our innovative technologies, we are the partner of choice for many customers in the construction and industrial sectors. We have solutions in place for all the development stages of construction markets, and government supported investment programs running into the billions will provide further impetus for our business.

In addition, we are making targeted use of the megatrends that drive our key markets. There is huge demand for sustainable solutions. Our products and services enable our customers to reach their ambitious sustainability goals.”

In an environment characterised by a number of temporary lockdowns, Sika grew more strongly than the market in all regions in 2021. Distribution business also posted significant gains in all regions.

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The EMEA region reported a sales increase in local currencies of 16.1% (previous year: 4.4%). As in 2020, growth in distribution and refurbishment business outstripped growth in the other business segments. Nearly all countries in the region achieved double-digit growth rates. The countries in the Middle East, along with eastern Europe including Russia, the UK, as well as the countries in Africa benefited from a boost in growth. In general, purchases of Sika product solutions via eCommerce platforms saw an above-average increase.

MBCC acquisition In November 2021, Sika signed a binding agreement to acquire MBCC Group (the former BASF Construction Chemicals). With sales of CHF 2.9 billion, MBCC Group is a leading supplier of construction chemicals worldwide.

This acquisition will complement and broaden Sika’s product and solutions offering in four of five core technologies and seven of eight Sika target markets, while further strengthening the company’s geographic footprint.

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NEWS - INDUSTRY

NORMA Group celebrates 15th anniversary Formed in 2006 from the merger of the German company Rasmussen and the Swedish ABA Group, NORMA Group celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2022. Relying on a global network of 26 production sites and numerous sales locations, the company now serves more than 10,000 customers from various sectors and industries.

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ORMA Group’s products are used in a wide range of industries and end products, including irrigation and drainage systems, vehicles with conventional and alternative drive systems, ships and trains, as well as household appliances. The company supports its customers and partners as they respond to global challenges such as climate change and increasing resource scarcity.

“We are very excited to celebrate NORMA Group’s 15th anniversary,” says Dr Michael Schneider, CEO of NORMA Group.

“There are many successful and eventful years behind us, during which we have constantly adapted our product portfolio, expanded our customer base and entered new markets.”

“Our successful and sustainable business model addresses the global megatrends of climate change and resource scarcity.

These megatrends are having an increasingly dynamic impact on our future markets of water and electromobility,” says Dr Michael Schneider. “For this reason, we are continuously aligning activities in our strategic business units of Water Management, Industry Applications, and Mobility and New Energy to these key markets. Together with our employees, we will continue to grow and successfully shape our future.”

Indutrade acquires Swedish fitting company On 3rd December 2021 Indutrade signed an agreement to acquire all the shares in the Swedish company Svenssons i Tenhult AB, which has annual sales of approximately SEK 100 million. venssons i Tenhult is a niche technical trading company that offers different types of locks and fittings to OEM customers in the Swedish market. The company’s comprehensive and deep product offering includes mechanical and electromechanical lock systems, door automation, as well as fittings from leading manufacturers.

The company also has a long-standing and close collaboration with Assa Abloy. Customers consist of door manufacturers, window manufacturers, house manufacturers, carpentry, and manufacturers of metal profiles. Svenssons i Tenhult was founded in 1931 and has a total of 18 employees at sites in Tenhult and Knislinge, Sweden.

The acquisition was Indutrade’s 16th in 2021 and is expected to have a marginally positive impact on Indutrade’s earnings per share.

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HellermannTyton to double UK site

UK manufacturer HellermannTyton has broken ground on phase II of a major expansion of its factory at the International Medical and Technology Park in Plymouth.

The multi million pound investment will see the site double in size to support market growth and increase its capacity, with HellermannTyton anticipating the project will generate many new job opportunities on completion.

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elayed due to the pandemic, the expansion is part of HellermannTyton’s ten year plan to reinforce its status as the leading supplier of cable management solutions. Scheduled to finish in late 2022, the investment includes the installation of state of the art machinery along with a training academy and R&D facilities.

The Plymouth site is one of two manufacturing facilities HellermannTyton operates in the UK, alongside its sister site in Manchester. Already, over four million components are manufactured at Plymouth every year; the expansion will see capacity increase even further.

The expansion gives HellermannTyton the ideal combination of production space, warehousing, shipping docks and R&D labs. Key manufacturing processes at the new facility will concentrate on solutions for manufacturing, industrial, earthmoving, defence and rail applications.

“Our Plymouth factory is already a huge success and it’s testament to the hard work and effort of the team that we’re able to expand,” explained Sarah Walton, site director at HellermannTyton Plymouth. “The new investment means we can continue to thrive as a local employer, with nearly 100 new jobs to come. I’m delighted we’ve now broken ground – after the understandable delay caused by Covid-19 – so we can put our ambitious plans for the site into action.”

FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE ≡ ISSUE 133: JANUARY 2022

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NEWS - INDUSTRY Optimas to distribute comprehensive PPE range to the UK Optimas OE Solutions, a global manufacturer and distributor of precision made fasteners and supply chain solutions, has partnered with some of the world’s leading PPE brands to bring an unrivalled range of high-quality personal protective (PPE) equipment to the UK market.

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stimations place global PPE value in 2020 in the region of US$77 billion dollars and predictions indicate growth upwards of 7.3% in the next 6 – 7 years. Heavily relied upon by every corner of industry, staff safety is paramount, and in a post-BREXIT, Covid-facing world, where supply chains continue to buckle under demand, it’s clear that finding a reliable source of critical PPE is a key consideration for many businesses.

Already a major distributor of fasteners, components, and value-added inventory services into many of the leading manufacturers throughout the UK, Optimas had been met with repeated demands from existing and new customers alike to offer an even more diverse range of products that would complement the company’s existing offerings and address total cost of ownership by promoting cost savings through vendor reduction.

Through this, it became clear that PPE would represent an ideal solution to meet this requirement, allowing customers to benefit from cost and time savings through consolidation of supply and leveraging the supply chain expertise of a long established, quality driven industrial distributor.

Renowned for supply and service excellence, Optimas (boasting a loyal

customer base of over 5,000 businesses worldwide) was able to identify a gap in the market that would also allow access to previously untapped sectors of industry.

Partnering with PPE manufacturers including Globus Group, Portwest and Beeswift, the launch finds Optimas set to meet all safety equipment requirements, from face masks and safety glasses to high-visibility clothing and workwear.

Customer confidence and satisfaction will be ensured through comprehensive, on-site glove audits, sight tests and face fitting for masks and respirators.

With the correct articles identified, on-site distribution and management can be simplified with a line of affordable vending options that feature easy to use, secure, 24/7 access and boast the capacity for up to 400 pieces of essential work equipment per machine.

Furthermore, using optional ‘best in class’ technology, driven by ‘real time’ data, Optimas can radically increase efficiencies for customers by monitoring stock levels and automating the reordering process.

Commenting on the significance of the new product range, head of MRO at Optimas (EMEA), Craig Spencer, said: “It was apparent that there was a real need for a company who already prides themselves on delivering quality, reliable solutions for

direct materials to step in and provide that same level of service for PPE articles. With Optimas’ breadth of experience, expertise and geographic coverage, we are well place to fill this void and become a ‘one stop shop’ for our customers.”

Led by a dedicated and fully trained team, and guided by the expert knowledge of supplier partnerships, customers will be able to access advice on how best to standardise and rationalise products, improve internal processes, realise significant savings, while simultaneously reducing existing vendor bases.

As the UK roll-out gains momentum, and as part of Optimas’ growth strategy, further expansion of the service is already underway with plans to push into EMEA in 2022.

ARaymond diversifies into new areas of expertise ARaymond has announced the acquisition of CGA Technologies, an Italian manufacturer of high performing thermal cooling plates, which follows the acquisition of Castello Italia SpA in October 2021 – a company specialised in plastic tube extrusion for pneumatic applications within transportation and specific industrial market segments. ntoine Raymond, CEO at ARaymond, comments: “These acquisitions are not just about broadening the ARaymond product offering but about scaling up complete and tailor-made plug-and-play solutions. The goal is to design and deliver optimised thermal management systems within the mobility and selected industrial sectors.”

He adds: “As a leader of fastening and assembly solutions for more than 155 years, we continuously strive to reinvent ourselves and stay ahead in the fast moving markets that we operate in. The automotive industry is shifting to electric and autonomous vehicles and we want to actively contribute to this extraordinary transition. To meet our customers’ evolving demands, we have a clear vision that agility and time to market are critical and that our customers are expecting complete solutions. For all these reasons, the acquisitions of CGA Technologies and Castello Italia are an ideal fit.”

“With this expansion we are building up our network to create sustainability for the future. This includes putting the wellbeing of our collaborators and the protection of our environment at the forefront of our priorities for our future generations. We want to provide a service and product offering of the highest quality that meets both our customers and employees demands for long-term growth and sustainability,” continues Antoine Raymond.

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NEWS - INDUSTRY

Tony Williams celebrates 40 years at Owlett-Jaton In 2022 Tony Williams, sales director for Owlett-Jaton, celebrates 40 years with the company. His career path has given him the perfect opportunity to experience the company from different angles, giving him a clear insight and understanding as to how the company operates

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long the way, Tony has also met a lot of colleagues, contacts, and companies, providing him with an enviable network of knowledge.

Tony’s career with the company started in November 1981, when he joined ‘Jaton’, with his first role working on the trade counter, serving customers. Soon after, he took up a position in the warehouse, picking orders. This was followed by a driving role, delivering customer’s orders around the Staffordshire, Shropshire, Cheshire, and East Midlands regions. His next position was within the key accounts department, looking after major accounts for Jaton including RollsRoyce and GEC. An opportunity then arose to move into a post within the mesh department, which Tony jumped at. Further progression then saw him become a representative for the mesh department, visiting customers on a national scale.

Tony went on to hold the position of national sales manager for 14 years, from 2002 to 2016.

Starting with the Stone branch of Jaton, Tony’s role expanded when he took the responsibility of Elland, followed shortly by Milton Keynes, Swindon, and Dartford. In January 2017, Tony was successful in becoming sales director for Owlett-Jaton – the position he holds to this day.

“Tony is a leading figure of the team and this significant milestone reflects his commitment and dedication to the company; an inspiration to many. During his time as sales director, we have repeatedly witnessed Owlett-Jaton achieving record sales and he has played an instrumental part in the company’s success,” commented Owlett-Jaton.

“The experience, understanding, and knowledge that Tony has gained during his time with the company serve to ensure that the company continues in the right direction.”

ND Industries names Luis Gonzales division manager ND Industries has hired Luis Gonzales as general manager of its Arlington, TX facility. He is taking over the position from Dan Conner, who recently announced his retirement. an Conner worked at ND Industries since 1988 and played an integral role in making ND one of the current leaders in the fastener locking and sealing industry. “We wish Dan all the best while he enjoys a well deserved retirement,” commented ND Industries.

As general manager of the Southwestern Fastener Processing Division, Luis will be overseeing all production in this facility with a strong focus on Lean manufacturing. Luis will draw on his extensive production line process expertise, logistics background, and fastener coating experience to drive continuous improvements. Luis is planning to overhaul the production equipment to increase reliability and output.

“We’re always looking for ways to increase operational efficiencies. Luis brings with him a vast amount of experience streamlining production processes,” comments Mike Garofalo, president at ND Industries.

Luis’ previous work includes an eight year role as production manager for LATICRETE International, where he introduced Lean practices to seven of the manufacturing facilities, increasing production by an average of 16%. He was also a production/maintenance manager at a Dura-Tech composite coating processing plant, where his production equipment improvements led to a significant increase in production.

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NEWS - INDUSTRY

Lederer wins two prestigious awards Lederer GmbH has been honoured as ‘Marketing Heroes’ by the Marketing Club Südwestfalen, as well as being given the ‘seal of approval’ in the Top100 competition.

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or the ‘Marketing Heroes’ recognition, the Ennepetal-based company convinced the jury with several projects at once – an unusual Work@Home incentive; a digital anniversary celebration with 500 guests; and an interactive 3D model of the entire company.

“Our award is about flexibility and the ability to go with the changes – strengthened and in new ways. Lederer has implemented the new way of thinking impressively and exemplarily with the realised projects,” says Dr Ebbo Tücking, president of the marketing club Südwestfalen and jury member.

When home office changed the world of living and working quite directly in March 2020, Lederer sent 400 employees, customers, partners and suppliers a thank you gift – the Lederer Work@Home set with practical and beautiful utensils for working from home.

“All gift recipients were able to publish their personal home office photo on a specially created website and share this motivating action. This was real community building in a crisis,” explains Markus Gebehenne, head of marketing and eBusiness at Lederer.

Following this, when the planned anniversary celebration with over 700 guests had to be cancelled at short notice due to Covid-19, creative changes were made. In the style of a TV studio with a presenter, interviews, live music, an award winning star chef and guests connected to the TV, the celebration continued.

“Covid-19 has also significantly reduced the number of personal visits to our site. That’s why we also created our 3D model of the entire company to give customers, partners, suppliers and applicants a really very realistic sense of space and show them Lederer’s true size. We also wanted to create proximity,” explains Markus Gebehenne.

Together with Werft 6, a company specialising in this area, the new virtual reality was created in four days of shooting. More than a thousand measuring points thereby represent a complex picture of the company, because one moves through a three dimensional architecture and not through conventional 360° degree photos. In addition a ten language trailer was created

to give visitors a four minute impression of the possibilities of this innovative and impressive technology.

Top100 seal of approval

Since 1993, compamedia has been awarding the Top100 seal of approval for special innovative strength and above average innovation success to medium-sized companies. Lederer was awarded particularly impressive in the size category B – ‘Innovation promoting top management’.

Volker Lederer, managing director at Lederer, explains: “The award means a lot to us, because we are proud to be one of the companies that are considered particularly innovative in Germany.”

Stainless steel fasteners.

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Lederer GmbH | Katzbachstraße 4 | 58256 Ennepetal | Germany | Fon +49(0)2333/8309-0 | info@lederer-online.com Lederer Shop Anzeige 2020 - Jubilogo_ 20200106_DRUCK.indd 1

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4:30:19

NEWS - NORTH AMERICA

by John Wolz, editor, GlobalFastenerNews.com

Brighton Best acquires Vertex Brighton Best International (BBI) Inc has acquired Vertex Distribution, a distributor of stainless steel fasteners in North America. Vertex currently lists facilities in seven US states and can trace its roots back to 1881 as the Pawtucket Manufacturing Company in Rhode Island.

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un Xu, president at BBI, commented: “We are appreciative to DOT Family Holdings for the opportunity to acquire Vertex Distribution. Vertex has a deep legacy in the fastener industry with the company tracing its roots back to the 1880s.

We are excited to bring Vertex into the BBI family and to build forth a more robust and diversified business for our distributors.”

Rich Megliola, president at Vertex, said: “BBI management brings many years of hands-on experience running and growing companies.

They are great people, serious businesspeople, and very focused on helping their customers, suppliers, and employees, achieve a higher level of success. I have found their insights and perspectives invaluable. They have interest and intense passion to lead our business. Consistent with the Vertex culture, it is clear that Jun, Peggy and the BBI team believe people matter”.

Xu and Megliola expressed appreciation to the customers, suppliers and employees “who have shown their support to their individual companies in the past and looks forward to building a stronger business through the combined strengths of both organizations”.

PennEngineering® opens in Tokyo PennEngineering® has launched its first location in Tokyo, Japan. The expansion reflects the company’s commitment to the region and its focus on providing direct access to PEM and Haeger products, as well as local resources.

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n 2019 PennEngineering® acquired Tokyo-based Eurotec Ltd, a specialty technical reseller of clinch and sheet metal fasteners and fastener installation systems.

Eurotec Ltd has transitioned to PEM and continues to support the company’s growth initiatives in the automotive, automotive electronics, consumer electronics and sheet metal fabrication markets.

“As a result of the growth in the industries we serve, many with headquarters in Japan, it is important for us to strengthen our relationships and establish a permanent presence in the region,”

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stated Leonard Kiely, CEO at PennEngineering. “This will enable us to collaborate directly with our Japanese customers and offer the capabilities they’re looking for in a global fastening solutions partner.”

With PEM’s expansion in Japan, PennEngineering’s global footprint now includes facilities in 17 locations around the world, including locations throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Founded in 1942, Danboro, PA-based PennEngineering designs and manufactures self-clinching fasteners, threaded inserts, and other threaded and unthreaded fasteners used in automotive, consumer electronics, industrial and electric vehicle markets.

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NEWS - NORTH AMERICA

Optimas Solutions upgrades inventory management Optimas Solutions has upgraded its inventory management solutions with improvements implemented over the last 12 months focusing on technology enhancements, process automation changes and contactless delivery protocols.

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aniel Harms, president of the Americas for Optimas Solutions, states: “The pace of business and delivery expectations for fasteners, C-Class components and indirect consumables have increased significantly in the last year. This new dynamic for manufacturers and distributors is grounded on unprecedented demand coming out of the Covid-19 disruption and subsequent economic reawakening. We anticipated this change and made improvements in inventory management to adapt to this customer demand.”

According to the latest 2021 Thomas State of North American Manufacturing Report, 83% of manufacturers are planning to add North American suppliers to their supply chains within a year. This is a significant increase from 54% in March 2020. Daily challenges around inventory availability, lead times and delivery schedules have become the norm.

“In a market environment where ‘inventory is the new king,’ timing, efficiency and organization have never been more critical,” Harms stressed. “It’s these three characteristics of supply chains that call for inventory management solutions like ours that simplify and automate the process of replenishing high volume parts.”

“Optimas is focused on two sides of the equation to improve inventory management – the front end collection of a variety of customer data that paints a clear picture of what’s needed to meet future demand – mapped to supply chain partners’ inventory availability and production capabilities. Having a true understanding of demand and supply is the chief factor of our data driven approach,” Harms emphasized. “This type of sophistication and analysis enable us to collaboratively optimize planning, fulfillment

and financial investments for replenishing parts at smart manufacturers of all sizes.”

“This delicate balance of consumption and delivery, highly influenced by transportation timing, is critical to successful, efficient customer inventory management,” said Paul Przyby, senior vice-president of sales and marketing for Optimas Americas. “We have applied some of the best technology and thinking in the industry to our inventory management system. This gives customers the most valuable insight possible into their inventory and closes the gap between suppliers, distributors and manufacturing customers.”

Optimas’ innovative OptiTech inventory management solutions use the latest technology to automate inventory replenishment. A secure, Cloud-based ‘Just In Time’ platform receives and processes orders from any OptiTech solution with scanning and barcode technology, scale systems using weight capacity, and RFID – which is becoming more pervasive because it offers a higher degree of accuracy. In fact, RFID increases inventory accuracy from an average of 65% to more than 95%. “More and more, customers are accepting the use of RFID as an investment for increasing sales,” Przyby said.

According to Przyby, Optimas has a very skilled and experienced Demand Planning team whose sole responsibility is to work with customers and ensure the company delivers accurate inventory forecasting and replenishment based on historical data, trends and known upcoming events.

“The team has been around for quite some time, but they have been empowered even more today with AI-based systems and technology that make customers and us smarter,” Przyby said.

Private equity firm acquires EFC International St Louis, MO-based EFC International, with locations in North America, Europe and Asia, has been acquired by Chicago private equity firm Frontenac for an undisclosed sum.

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ounded in 1983 by the late Doug Adams, EFC is a global supplier of specialty engineered metal and plastic fasteners and other component parts to OEMs and distributors. CEO Matt Dudenhoeffer and the current executive team will continue in their roles for EFC. “We have enjoyed strong growth over the past several years as we executed on a number of key initiatives that have expanded our global reach, as well as our customer and supplier base,” stated Dudenhoeffer. “With Frontenac as our new partner, we are excited to leverage its industrial distribution expertise to continue our expansion plans, both organic and inorganic, and continue to increase market share both domestically and abroad.”

Ron Kuehl, managing director at Frontenac Company, added: “EFC has grown impressively and perfectly fits our target profile. We look forward to deploying our playbooks, working with the team to accelerate the pace of progress and having another successful industrial distribution investment for Frontenac.”

Frontenac invests in lower middle market buyout transactions in the consumer, industrial and services industries.

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NEWS - RUSSIA + CIS

by Alexander Ostashov, editor, Fastener, Adhesives, Tools and... Magazine www.fastinfo.ru

KONAR increases hot forging capabilities A new workshop of hot forging equipment, for the production of fasteners, has started operation at KONAR Industrial Group.

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ncluded within KONAR’s new hot forging equipment workshop is a modern press machine from HATEBUR, which is the third and most modern machine owned by KONAR for the production of large quantities of high precision metal produce.

KONAR produces high-tensile fasteners for the oil and gas industry, as well as for metal structures, plus the railway and automotive industries. CEO Valery Bondarenko said that the total investment volume for the construction of the workshop amounted to 890 million rubles (€10.3 million). The launch of the production also created 50 new jobs.

Izhstal plant focuses on automotive fasteners The Izhstal plant, part of the Mechel Group, has mastered the technology for the production of calibrated rolled products for the manufacture of automotive fasteners.

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or the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant, Izhstal has mastered the technology for the production of calibrated rolled products with specific requirements for the microstructure and hardness of metal produce, which is used for the production of fasteners for almost any elements of automobiles. After the approval of the pilot batch, UAZ has already placed new orders for such rolled products.

The Izhstal plant has also started the production of 10 new steel grades in connection with orders from the automotive and aviation industries, including GAS Group and UEC-Saturn. Among the new products there are stainless, instrumental, constructional carbon and alloyed grades.

Iskra helps increase fastener production by 67% Iskra, the Perm Research and Production Association, which has the status of the Federal Research and Production Center, has increased the production of fasteners for gas compressor units by 67% – through its participation in the national project ‘labour productivity’.

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ogether with the team of the Regional Competence Center, Iskra has increased the efficiency of production for bolts, nuts, and other hardware products, required for the assembly of gas compressor units. At the first stage of the project, Iskra specialists – together with the experts of the Regional Competence Center – analysed the processes of hardware production, identified possible risks, developed proposals for optimisation and then started their implementation.

Thanks to the introduction of lean manufacturing tools at the pilot site, it became possible to cut the production by 67%, increase production capacity by 18% and reduce stock in the flow by 17%.

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NEWS - RUSSIA + CIS

Russia agrees to foreign construction standards The Russian government has agreed to radical changes in domestic industrial construction, with it permitting designs according to Eurocodes and Chinese standards.

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’road map’, approved by Prime Minster Michael Mishustin, and published on the official government website, outlines how the building of industrial facilities according to projects can be developed on the basis of foreign construction standards, including those based on Eurocodes and standards of the People’s Republic of China.

It is expected that the cabinet ministers will prepare appropriate amendments to the law ‘Technical regulations on the safety of buildings and structures’. Also, in accordance with the ‘road map’ document, it is planned to permit the construction of industrial facilities in Russia with the use of foreign design documentation. The preparation of the government act, necessary for the realisation of the procedure, is scheduled for June 2023.

New Russian fastener lectures on YouTube

A YouTube channel with recordings of Russian lectures on the production of fasteners has appeared online to help those who study this topic.

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o help with a lack of fastener specialists, which has slowed down the development of Russian fastener production, a new subject ‘The technology of fastener production’ has been introduced at the Ryazan Institute of the Moscow State Polytechnic University – in the specialties ‘Design and technological provision of machine building productions’ in the current academic year. The lecturer of the new course is Semen Volkov, the author of the recently published tutorial: ‘The production of self-tapping fasteners’. Videos of his lectures are now regularly posted on YouTube.

Mariya Valiakhmetova, editor in chief, Metiz Magazine, Ukraine

MMK-METIZ expands its product line Through its investment programme MMK-METIZ has been able to introduce a range of promising types of products, which have been possible due to the company equipping its production line with a whole range of new equipment for stamping, chemical-thermal treatment, phosphating and packaging.

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s a result of this investment in its machinery, MMK-METIZ is able to produce machine building bolts and nuts in sizes M6 – M12 with a hex head and a flange – according to DIN 6921/6923 and a bolt strength class of 5.8. This is in addition to grades 8.8 and 10.9 and nuts 6, 8 and 10 – with all fasteners available with or without galvanised zinc coating.

These new products help reduce both time costs, by eliminating one technical operation, and material costs, since there is no need to complete the bolted connection with a washer.

Another new type of product offered by MMK-METIZ is screws, in sizes M6 – M12, with a cylindrical head and a hexagon socket for a wrench – according to DIN 912 and in strength Class 5.8, 8.8 and 10.9. Again, the screws are available with or without galvanised zinc coating and the main area of application is for the assembly of cars and various mechanisms.

Other products that MMK-METIZ is able to supply include bolts and screws up to 180mm in length, as well as bolts and screws with full threads up to 150mm in length – sizes M6 – M12.

At all stages of production, all fasteners undergo various types of tests in the factory laboratory, which is equipped with all the necessary testing equipment.

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PERFECTION IN NATURE MECHANICAL PERFECTION

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NEWS - ASIA

Ching Chan hosts plant tour At the end of last year Ching Chan Optical Technology Co Ltd hosted a tour of its plant, as well as its headquarters in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, attracting nearly a hundred visitors from the Taiwan Fasteners Trading Association (TFTA) reports Fastener World Magazine.

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number of TFTA members in northern and central Taiwan even travelled by high-speed rail down to Kaohsiung in anticipation of taking a deeper look at Ching Chan’s skillful technology and its efficiently operating inspection equipment production lines.

According to Ching Chan, the industry was heavily stricken by the Covid-19 pandemic last year and around a third of fasteners produced were applied to the automotive industry. Although many countries were in a lockdown and some factories were forced to temporarily shutdown last year, the export value of Taiwanese fastener companies still reached NT$120 billion, showing the tenacity of Taiwanese companies.

Ching Chan pointed out that the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way people live and boosted the demand for 3C electronic products and DIY furniture screws; and the appearance of more natural disasters such as deluges has also made the demand for general construction fasteners to surge, all showing the opportunity for the fastener industry to grow.

In addition, Ching Chan believes that in terms of the trend of net zero carbon emission, the electric vehicle industry will definitely be an opportunity for the future Taiwanese fastener industry. As a result, companies must establish a transparent and instant information sharing system for corporate structures, market intelligence, customer negotiations, product design, order-based production and customer service.

“Facing issues like jam-packed seaports, shortages of containers, fluctuations of material prices, etc, companies definitely must maintain flexibility in cash flow control in order to achieve sustainable operation,” explained Ching Chan.

During the plant tour, TFTA members watched the operation of the new generation of HR-series sorting machines, which, different from the non-continuous operation and rotation of traditional machine models, integrate with continuous machine models and can achieve a speed three times faster than traditional ones – doubling capacity.

Taiwan CSC increases prices for Q4 Taiwan China Steel Corporation (CSC) has announced that domestic steel prices for Q4 2021 would go up by an across grades average of 1.32%. The price of low carbon wire rod remains unchanged, medium-to-high carbon steel wire rod went up by NT$500 per tonne and cold forged and low alloy steel wire rod has gone up by NT$1,000 per tonne

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hen making the decision Taiwan CSC considered the market supply and demand, price levels of every product item quoted on a regular monthly or quarterly basis, as well as considering material costs, exchange rate fluctuations, and its current price level compared to other competitors on the global stage.

Although it originally expected that the demand from end users would continue to increase, the actual situation in south-east Asia – heavily impacted by the pandemic and the severe delay of global logistics – has influenced the downstream production, with sales likely to slow down the appearance of upcoming demand.

China’s cargo/ container throughput sees growth in 2021 Cargo and container throughput at China’s ports registered stable growth in the first 11 months of 2021, data from the Ministry of Transport showed.

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rom January to November, cargo throughput at China’s ports totalled 14.21 billion tonnes, up 7.2% year-on-year, according to the ministry. The country’s container throughput at ports during the period climbed 7.6% from a year ago to 259.65 million twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs).

In December 2021 China’s ports handled over 1.34 billion tonnes of cargo, while container throughput stood at 24.17 million TEUs, according to the ministry.

Shanghai port ranks first in container throughput The container throughput of Shanghai Port exceeded 47 million twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2021, ranking first globally for 12 consecutive years – despite the Covid-19 impact on the shipping industry, reports Chinafastener.com.

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ast year, the port handled 32 million TEUs in foreign trade and 6.3 million TEUs in domestic trade. The throughput of international transit containers at the port exceeded 6 million TEUs for the first time, or a year-on-year increase of 13.4%, according to the Shanghai International Port Group Co Ltd. Technological support such as automatic terminals and intelligent heavy trucks has played an important role in achieving the growth amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a port source said. The port is speeding up its digital transformation and production mode transformation to improve the operation potential and ensure the stability of the industrial chain and supply chain, the source added.

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NEWS - ASIA

Virtual fastener and EV industry forum held In order to promote the development of local fastener and electric vehicle (EV) industries, the Economic Development Bureau (EDB) of Kaohsiung City Government collaborated with the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) of Taiwan, and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), to give a 2021 virtual industry experts forum and business matchmaking event in September last year for fastener and EV industrial clusters in Taiwan and the USA.

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ffering an online platform to at least 60 companies, incuding Chun Yu Group, Sheh Fung Screws Co Ltd and SUMEEKO, the forum enabled one-on-one interaction with leading EV related companies such as Optimal Inc, Altair Engineering Inc, as well as South Carolina Department of Commerce – the heartland of automotive industry manufacturing within the USA. The Taiwanese fastener industry has been promoting industrial upgrades and transformation, as well as the development of high value-added products, over recent years.

According to Bloomberg News, the total number of EVs on roads in the world will reach 14 million units by 2025 and each of the EVs will have to be installed with around 2,500 to 3,000 fasteners. According to MIH Open EV Alliance CTO, William Wei, the value of the global EV market will reach US$600 billion by 2025. Hon Hai Technology Group and MIH will not only demonstrate three EV models assembled with MIH platforms, but also will launch mass production in the USA and Thailand in 2023. In the US, they have been in collaboration with Fisker and expect that the preliminary annual capacity will be around 150,000 units, which will be progressively increased to 500,000 units. MIH Open EV Alliance will try its best to search for collaborative partners in anticipation of getting at least 5% of the global EV market share.

Source: Fastener World Magazine

EU to impose carbon tax starting 2026 In July last year the EU proposed a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which will gradually be implemented from 2023 and will initially apply to imported steel, aluminium and cement, among other highly ‘carbon-leaking’ products.

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or the transition period importers only required to report the level of carbon emission on the imported products and no fees will be incurred. However, in 2026 when CBAM is in effect, importers must purchase a CBAM certificate from the EU to pay the fees for carbon emission of the imported products. The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) in Taiwan estimates 212 product items to be subject to the CBAM with an impact range of around NT$24.5 billion, which takes up 3.6% of the products exported to the EU, mostly steel products.

Additionally, the MOEA will propose the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act as an amendment to include carbon taxation and to collect NT$300 for each tonne. The new regulation will enact carbon tax collection, but details including the tax rates, methods and procedures will wait until the sub-act is determined.

Xinhua commentary: RCEP a big boost for free trade As trade protectionism and anti-globalisation have been surging, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which took effect as of 1st January 2022, sends a strong signal to support free trade and uphold the multilateral trading system.

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he RCEP, signed by 15 Asia-Pacific countries and covering roughly 30% of the world’s gross domestic product, trade, and population, will give a strong boost to international trade and investment and contribute to global economic recovery.

According to the agreement, the RCEP covers a wide range of areas, including tariff reduction, trade facilitation and opening up of services and investment. Over 90% of trade in goods among approved member states will be tariff-free, and all member states will significantly reduce restrictions on economic and trade cooperation; facilitate the flow of goods and factors of production; and improve production efficiency.

It will also help strengthen industrial chain coordination and optimise supply chain layout in the Asia-Pacific region; facilitate deeper integration of industrial chains and supply chains among members; and help the free flow of economic factors.

The RCEP integrated market will further tap into the cooperation potential of member states in various fields; ease the pressure brought by anti-globalisation and the impact of Covid-19; release the win-win dividends of market sharing and common prosperity to the world; and inject new vitality into free trade and multilateralism.

With the huge population, diverse membership and great potential, the RCEP will further boost the confidence and resolve of the international community to work together to achieve economic recovery.

Source: www.xinhuanet.com

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FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE ≡ ISSUE 133: JANUARY 2022

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NEWS - BRAZIL Sérgio Milatias, editor, Revista do Parafuso, www.revistadoparafuso.com.br

The sun shines again for trade fairs in Brazil

The success of the Intersolar South America 2021 show, which took place from 18th – 20th October 2021 in São Paulo City, sees the rebirth of trade fairs and events within Brazil, with it being the first trade fair since March 2020.

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he Covid-19 pandemic has meant that the only answer in recent times has been ‘uncertainty’, especially when it comes to things such as events and shows – where building personal relationships are a key to success. That is why the action of the organisers and the exhibitors of this event dedicated to solar energy sector can only be described as ‘bold’ and ‘pioneering’.

Months prior to the show, exhibitor companies had to sign an agreement to put their teams and investments into an event without knowing if it would happen or not, a common question around the world, especially in Brazil – which has been so deeply hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

This bravery was rewarded, with the 2021 edition of Intersolar South America having over 250 exhibitors and around 28,000 visitors from 29 countries. Among the exhibitors were some key fasteners companies, with local factories and/or offices – including ARaymond, BelEnergy (from Belenus Group), Boltinox, Inox-Par, LuduFix, Max Del, Walsywa, amongst others. All of which showed their latest products and services to this emergent and highly promissor sector, which is still almost unexplored in Brazil with a big potential for business in the next 5 to 10 years.

Fastener suppliers among winners of GM award Several Brazilian fastener manufacturers were amongst the winners when General Motors announced its annual list of winners for its Quality Excellence Award 2020, which involved suppliers that serve the giant automaker in its South American operations.

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n total there were 133 suppliers, in which 107 of them were from Brazil, 16 were from Argentina, seven from Colombia and three from Ecuador. Included within these suppliers were Brazilian manufacturers of fastener systems and similar parts, including Progeral – which received the 7 Star Special Recognition.

Within the propulsion/powertrain category, the fastener players awarded were: Irmãos Parasmo (6 stars), Rudolph Usinados (5 stars), Böllhoff Brazil (4 stars), Lipos Fateners (4 stars), Metalac SPS (3 stars), Continental Fasteners (2 stars) and Refal Rivets (1 star).

Brazilian steel industry wins world metallurgy award 2021 The Aço Verde do Brasil long steel division, a subsidiary of Ferroeste Group, was recognised with the main industry award at last year’s Global Metals Awards, hosted by S&P Global Platts.

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mong the main products manufactured at the Aço Verde do Brasil (AVB) long steel division plant – located in Açailândia town, Maranhão state – are wire rods and rebars (CA-50 and CA-60). With more than 2,300 employees, the company says it is the first steel mill in the world to produce carbon neutral steel, with it winning the ESG development category.

AVB’s gas emission values for steel production for the years 2019 and 2020 were respectively 0.06 and -0.04 tonne of CO 2 per tonne of crude steel. Another 11 companies competed in the same category, including Alcoa, JLW Steel, Rio Tinto and Posco.

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“The carbon neutral certification and this award were just our first steps. We will continue to invest in the implementation of innovations with a new plant to produce briquette of co-products for use in our blast furnaces, with the aim to be the first carbon neutral and zero residue plant, with 100% of solid residues being reused in such operations,” said Sandro Raposo, industrial director at AVB. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the AVB staff did not make the trip to the ceremony in London, UK. It was up to the general secretary of the International Iron Metallics Association, John Atherton, to get the award.

COVER STORY

From Mattmar to the world The home of the Nord-Lock wedge-locking washers in Mattmar, northern Sweden, was expanded by two-thirds to 8,700m2 during the Covid-19 pandemic. Alongside the increase in physical space came the deployment of new machinery, enhanced processes and many additional personnel.

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eanwhile the geographic developments of coronavirus caused demand to fluctuate between regions and extraordinary logistical challenges added to an already uncertain environment for global companies. As the world leading manufacturer of the original wedgelocking washers, Nord-Lock prides itself on availability and fast delivery as much as outstanding quality. Wherever a customer is in the world, Nord-Lock delivers. However, the unique operating context of Covid-19 still challenged Nord-Lock’s position, just as it did everybody else.

Picture an idyllic Scandinavian landscape of forest and lakes in northern Sweden, and then ask yourself, why have a factory there? It’s a rather remote location if you consider delivering those products to South America, the Far East, or even guaranteeing fast lead times for customers in Central Europe. It’s a good question and the answer is simple. This is where the story of wedgelocking washers began in 1982.

It is where Nord-Lock’s heritage comes from and where many of its colleagues grew up. The people in Mattmar have very specialist skills, built up over decades of manufacturing Nord-Lock washers, and they are one of the company’s greatest strengths. In the home of the wedge-locking washer, Nord-Lock is not just a product or a brand, it is an important part of the local community.

Still, it might seem nothing short of a miracle that Nord-Lock has continued to provide the same high standard of delivery performance as before, especially as it operationalised the new facilities during 2021. However, the reality is not so down to chance. Had Nord-Lock not been investing in its ability to manufacture and supply products to customers over the long-term, things could have been very different.

Put simply, Nord-Lock is now making more of the best wedge-locking washers in the world than ever before, and making sure they are available precisely in the moment a customer needs them – wherever they are in the world. How is it that the company is able to grow, improve the quality of washers and maintain deliveries during a tough period?

The answer lies partly in building an organisation that is extremely close to the markets and customers it serves, while creating and running a business with the flexibility to cope with changing demands, both in the short and long-term.

Hanna Månsson, customer centre manager at Nord-Lock, heads up a department of highly qualified staff in Mattmar. This customer centre is divided into three regional teams covering the Americas, Europe and Asia respectively. Each unit is comprised of technical product specialists, plus sales support colleagues who are closely connected to the sales engineer offices that Nord-Lock Group has all over the world.

In the mornings, work is done so that colleagues in the Americas region can wake up to an overnight response. The afternoons are more focused on colleagues in Asia, and then of course throughout the day they’re on the same schedule as Europe, which makes it easier.

Perhaps there’s not too much novelty in having this regional split, but the centralisation of its global customer team, in the same building

No wedge-locking washer can leave Mattmar without being 100% accurate.”

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as production and planning, does have a tremendous impact on Nord-Lock’s efficiency.

Due to vast experience within the team, they’re able to handle 80% of incoming questions directly, but for those remaining 20%, they may need to discuss raw materials with purchasing, lead times with planning, or technical drawings and tooling with engineering.

Thankfully, those people are within walking distance.

“We’re a relatively small team, but we have a really large support team in the background,” says Hanna. During the last eighteen months, they’ve had a laser focus on global stock availability. Three main distribution points in Germany, the USA and China have been kept well stocked and meticulously controlled. Material Requirements Planning (MRP) is a daily priority for some regions and quarterly reviews of stock positions were given even more acute attention, balancing the unique year with historical sales to make sure that the company could always deliver.

It’s about having the right product, in the right place, at the right time, but Nord-Lock has several hundred products to maintain.

At times, the team even switched to daily, manual work in close cooperation with the planning team.

Lead times for raw materials have been unprecedented.

Purchasers that have worked in the industry for more than thirty years have never experienced a situation quite like this. In response, Nord-Lock used close collaboration with its global sales teams to forecast demand changes – so there are instances where the company is placing raw material orders one year in advance to mitigate the risk.

The other major constraint over the year has been responding to the rapid increase in sales, as all industries emerged from the pandemic. The increase in demand meant that Nord-Lock needed to employ many new production colleagues and onboard them with a technical production process.

Hanna comments: “It’s been strained, but we’re proud to have maintained very high availability in the past eighteen months. Everyone did a fantastic job in keeping customers happy and we have received positive feedback from distributors in recent months, impressed and almost puzzled at how well we’ve maintained deliverability.”

Mike van Bergeijk, sourcing category manager at Fabory, a customer of Nord-Lock, adds: “To keep our own promises to customers, it goes without saying that we need an accurate performance and replenishment from our suppliers. Nord-Lock is a premium fastener brand frequently used in high-end applications, so at all costs, line stops at our customers should be avoided. Throughout the pandemic we remained in close consultation with Nord-Lock, even sharing our own forecasts to facilitate with planning, and the result was continuously reliable supply – even during the rough times.”

Nord-Lock has maintained a competitive advantage by keeping lead times short, even on non-standard, customer unique special orders too. Sometimes a customer needs wedge-locking washers with different outer/inner dimensions, a slightly different material or sizes outside of its standard range. The production process is completely flexible, and Nord-Lock has the capacity to turn these around quickly because of the clear process, close internal collaboration and a narrow chain of command that the company maintains globally – from customers, through sales to its customer centre and directly into production.

Even the more complicated requests Nord-Lock can respond to quickly, because it has usually done it before. However, in some instances, the company might need support from sales and the customer to fully diagnose the need for their applications.

At the very least, a first response is given directly because “for me, success is about really understanding the customer need and responding quickly. Our overall vision is to provide proactive and trusted sales and technical support to all customers at a global level,” concludes Hanna. www.nord-lock.com

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

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FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE ≡ ISSUE 133: JANUARY 2022

A review and preview of the global fastener market Welcome to the 2022 Janus Perspective, a unique feature that includes a wide cross section of global fastener business leaders. Named after the Roman God ‘Janus’ who had the ability to look to the future and to the past – and was often depicted having two faces – this feature brings together thought leaders from every facet of the industry, from around the world, to give us their retrospective thoughts on 2021, as well as prospects and challenges for 2022.

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ince the last Janus Perspective in January 2020, it has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging periods in modern times for not only the fastener sector, but for every industry around the world.

Firstly with the outbreak and challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, but also the knock-on factors, especially in 2021, such as working from home feasibility, a lack of raw material and steep price increases, sea freight challenges, road logistic issues, as well as stock availability problems.

With the extreme level of complexity these factors have created for every business in 2021, Fastener + Fixing Magazine would like to express its gratitude for the precious time and thought invested by so

many senior figures within the industry for what is our biggest ever Janus Perspective – with nearly 40 contributors.

These contributors were asked to consider not just economic and financial issues over the last year, but also technology drivers for the fastener industry and to identify priorities for the upcoming year – where there is still a significant amount of ‘what if’ scenarios, including potentially high anti-dumping duties on certain carbon steel fasteners from the People’s Republic of China.

With so many articles – covering distribution, manufacturing, machinery – from companies supplying every industry, as well as country insights, it is a must read for anyone involved with fasteners and fixings.

EIFI – European Industrial Fasteners Institute Anders Karlsson, president 2021 has been a recovery year for most of the industry after all the shutdowns that affected us during 2020. Still Covid-19 continues to affect our daily lives and has not gone away as previously predicted. We are now into yet another wave of new strains of the virus and it seems we have a very uncertain situation for the winter. This certainly affects the recovery and it will take a longer time to come back to pre-2019 levels.

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t the same time, it has created a whole new business model – less travel and almost no physical meetings; working from home and not in our offices became the reality; and we have all got to know Skype, Zoom and many more meeting platforms. EIFI only managed one real meeting this year when the automotive group met in Milano, Italy, in November very successfully. We are planning to go ahead with our General Assembly in May 2022 in Germany but who knows. This will be the first big meeting for us since 2019. The big question now is will we ever return to pre-2019 levels again? Probably not, so the business model will be changed much quicker than anticipated and will affect us all directly and indirectly.

Listening to all business oracles and prognosis institutes, they predict we will have very good growth (4% to 5 %) in 2022. So far, I have not seen one pessimistic forecast for 2022, and the following years, so the future should be bright. On the other hand, inflation has once again taken off with raw material price increases, there are increased freight costs, increased energy prices and other costs as well. This will all have to be compensated in some way, but we all know how difficult that is in our industry – so it is most likely that the

thin margins we have will take a hit during 2022. No economist has been able to quantify the compensation demand that will come from the labour market and other parties and how that will affect us again, but the demands will come. We have all got used to a close to zero inflation but that has probably come to an end now, especially when you read the USA is seeing levels it hasn’t seen for 30 years.

There is also shortage of semiconductors that is having a huge impact on our customers’ ability to produce at the required capacity and it is very difficult to see how this will go away quickly. In the automotive industry alone, several million vehicles have been lost in production worldwide – due to forced shutdowns of factories and shortages of components in 2021. These shortages are likely to continue in the first half of 2022 at least.

Overall EIFI is optimistic for 2022 but there are a few worries as always – let’s hope for the best.

WWW.FASTENERANDFIXING.COM

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

European Fastener Distributor Association

Alexander Kolodzik, secretary general

Undoubtedly the greatest challenge for our industry in 2021 was the European Commission’s anti-dumping investigation concerning imports of iron and steel fasteners from the People’s Republic of China, which was initiated on 21st December 2020.

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s I am sure most people are aware, the Commission is planning to impose anti-dumping duties at levels ranging up to 86.5% by 18 th February 2022. It is now up to the national governments of the EU Member States to vote on the Commission’s proposal. Should the duties pass as proposed, this would have a disruptive effect on the fastener supply chain and further increasing costs in an already inflationary environment.

The effects of the duties would therefore have a significant effect on our business – and the entire EU industry – also in 2022 and the following years. That’s what EU fastener distributors need to prepare for.

We live in uncertain times. The pandemic continues to pose new challenges to politics, economies and society. The consequences for EU fastener distributors range from pandemic related shutdowns of production in exporting countries; an ongoing exceptional sea freight situation; as well as restrictions on work in the companies themselves – when and where the Covid-19 situation requires it. Of course, the ability to travel for business is also severely limited due to the pandemic, which limits the screening and auditing of new business contacts.

Irrespective of this, for some years now we have been living in a time of international tensions in which protectionist tendencies are spreading. This also affects the USA, which may have softened its tone even after Trump’s departure but has not necessarily become less tough on the substance.

Unfortunately, the EU is also entering dangerous waters. The fact that the Commission is apparently pursuing trade policy approaches that have nothing to do with establishing a level playing field is currently being experienced in the ongoing anti-dumping investigation.

At 86.5%, the duties recently proposed by the European Commission exceed the anti-dumping duties applicable from 2009 to 2016 and are set to almost double prices that have already exploded in the last twelve months. A reduced tariff of 39.6% shall apply to a limited number of Chinese exporters, as well as individual tariffs to three Chinese companies. These duties have nothing to do with the reality on the market but arbitrarily distort an already extremely strained market.

It is not comprehensible how the Commission came to this conclusion.

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EFDA has identified fundamental errors in the Commission’s decisions and calculations contributing to these extraordinarily high duty levels. It had brought forward in the investigation extensive evidence proving this incorrectness and remains surprised and deeply perturbed by the Commission’s decision.

With anti-dumping duties as proposed by the Commission, the EU is creating a permanent supply problem for the European industry thereby putting ‘Made in EU’ at risk. The excessively high duties will hit European companies at a time when they are already suffering from massive supply problems. It is completely incomprehensible that the European Commission wants to make the supply situation even worse under these exceptionally difficult circumstances.

There are no sufficient capacities for fasteners in other countries as the global capacity for fastener production is already under unprecedented pressure. The effect of the proposed duties will be to place the capacities of manufacturers outside China under even more intense pressure.

European fastener manufacturers are not available as substitutes either.

Their capacities are already stretched now and there is no improvement in sight. EU fastener distributors know this from decades of experiences and numerous attempts to source standard fasteners within the EU, also during the period from 2009 to 2016 when duties were in force on iron and steel fasteners from China, as well as during the pandemic when imports from third countries were very difficult to obtain.

During the entire year of 2021, EFDA has been extremely active in contributing detailed and comprehensive arguments and evidence to the Commission and, through its members, to the national governments of the EU Members States – to obtain a reasonable outcome of the investigation. With the same commitment, EFDA informed and assisted its members about the proceedings. In 2022, EFDA will continue with its efforts. Should the EU eventually decide to implement the duties as proposed by the Commission, the whole EU fastener market will be exposed to particularly significant challenges during 2022 and the years to come. It all depends now on the national governments of the EU Member States and whether they take the interests of their European manufacturing, construction and consumer economies seriously and council the Commission to reconsider its proposal.

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Bulten AB

Anders Nyström, president and CEO

To summarise 2021, one can say it has been a very successful year, at the same time as we have faced some tough challenges. In the beginning of the year we saw very strong sales volumes and the first quarter was actually a record quarter for Bulten.

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his was an effect of the progressive recovery that the global automotive market faced after a very turbulent 2020. This recovery already started at the end of 2020, so we were prepared to ramp up production. In general, the inflow of new contracts, from both existing and new customers, in and outside the automotive industry, was very strong in 2021.

However, we have also seen the problems our customers have had in their supply chains, primarily related to the global shortage of semiconductors, along with price rises for steel and shipping. The issue with semiconductors has increased in recent months, which has had a negative impact on Bulten’s sales. Even if this hasn’t been positive for us, we were able to see that this would have a negative impact on our business early on and wouldn’t be shortlived. Therefore, we had time to focus on the actions necessary to minimise the negative effect for us (e.g reducing inventory levels and focusing on cost control).

In addition, we can see that the measures we have taken as a part of our ‘Stronger 24’ strategy has produced results over the year, both in the shape of new business and productivity.

Finally, I would say that 2021 has been a year where we have continued our sustainability journey. The very tangible and measurable improvements Bulten has made in recent years are being noticed by customers and we are recognised as a resource to help customers reach their sustainability targets.

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I think the winners in our industry will be the ones that can quickly adapt to customer needs and have a strong focus on sustainability.”

Opportunities and challenges in 2022

For our part, I believe the semiconductor shortage will not be solved rapidly. This will go on for a while and we need to be able to ramp up and down our manufacturing on short notice. Flexibility will be the key.

On the positive side, I see an increased interest for our products and services and I expect that we will continue to win new business at a high rate in 2022. Also, we will focus on strengthening our global presence in Asia and the USA. We acquired PSM International two years ago with the goal to increase our presence in Asia. This has worked very well and the Asia business has developed even better than planned since the acquisition. Our ‘manufacture where you sell’ philosophy will also serve us increasingly well and will make us focus more on increasing production capabilities in North America.

I think the winners in our industry will be the ones that can quickly adapt to customer needs and have a strong focus on sustainability.

We have re-energised our product innovation activities, both on the functionality and the sustainability aspects, and that will be even more important in the coming year.

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The million dollar question is the economic and financial issues that might arise within 2022.

With having the pandemic in mind, I think we have learned not to be too sure about how the economy will develop and what implications this will have on the fastener supply chain.

In the last year, we have faced supply chain issues related to the pandemic, trade barriers, raw material and semiconductor shortages, sea freight turmoil, etc… Honestly, I am not sure we would have been able to foresee this two years ago. I believe we need to adjust to a world with more economic fluctuations and uncertainties. To deal with this we need to be more agile. We have increased our regional sourcing and production as a way to secure the supply chain in more uncertain times. We have also learned a lot from last year’s challenges, which will help us going forward. I wouldn’t be surprised if my industry colleagues have the same experiences. To closely monitor global macroeconomic trends in order to be able to quickly respond to these will be essential to secure the supply chain.

Technology drivers for the future

I believe that one of the main drivers for the future will be sustainability. It is about finding new materials and processes, developing new and increased functionality, to investigate how one can reduce the material and energy consumption, as well as streamline manufacturing processes. In order to do that, the industry has to break out of old standards, which are locking us into certain ways of making fasteners that are not optimal any longer.

We see a clear difference between customers in this respect who, especially the new players in the automotive world, are very open to non-standard solutions if it delivers value for them. Also, using fasteners to integrate sensors to monitor both systems and the state of the joints themselves is a field that is only in its infancy still. I believe we will see more of that going forward.

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Brighton Best International Inc Jun Xu, president When discussing 2021, we cannot avoid discussing 2020 because the two years are intricately related. In 2020, when Covid-19 triggered lockdowns around the world, we saw demand reduce by over 30%. Companies were struggling; workers were being let go; and no one was thinking about anything but survival.

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uickly governments passed trillions of dollars of stimulus, which buffeted the worst of what the economy and our world could have become.

However, the increase in money supply into the hands of consumers drastically increased demand at the same time that most companies were still only thinking about surviving and not recovery.

Economics is based on an equilibrium of supply and demand. With factory closures/port closures/manpower shortages, coupled with the demand spike, the supply chain stressed and buckled. In the supply/demand equation, demand is much easier to manipulate than supply. Auto-depositing billions of dollars of stimulus is done much faster than the building of more container ships, or trucks, or the ability to hire and train new employees. Hence, when demand picked up, the supply chain cracked. If the story of 2020 was about Covid-19, the story of 2021 was about a supply chain crisis sparked by a supply/ demand in-equilibrium. So, what does 2022 look like?

In 2022 I believe we will see more volatility, although in a different form. 2022 volatility will come with less amplitude, but higher frequency.

I think of Covid-19 as a large rock being thrown into a pond. The first wave is the largest. The second wave more moderate, but essentially a reaction to the first wave. As time wears on, the waves get smaller in amplitude, but faster in the rate of change. I believe this is what we’ll be facing in the coming years. In 2020, and 2021, we saw the first two waves. The waves were large and wide, so movement was in a consistent direction. 2020 was about managing the reduction in demand and the health and safety of our families and colleagues. 2021 was about managing the demand surge, the supply chain, and customer’s

expectations. Although we believe the first half of 2022 will look similar to 2021, the latter part of 2022 will be much more uneven as competing currents start to affect our economies. Material costs may stabilise, but will ocean freight, trucking, or labour? Will demand be more uneven with the current high inflationary prices? These waves will not be single directional. In fact, they may accelerate, conflict, or cancel each other out. Where we will be at the end of 2022 is anyone’s guess.

The only certainty we have of the future is that volatility is accelerating. Will there be other large rocks thrown into the pond in 2022? Just on our horizon are the threat of new Covid-19 variants, Omicron or otherwise. What about the geopolitical risk and landscape? Our world is getting more divided every day by politics, and potential flash points are getting warmer, not cooler. What about the new EU trade tariffs? Is this really the best timing with the current parts shortage?

Businesses are becoming more challenged because news is coming in faster than ever before, and everyone is expecting a reaction. While some elements we must quickly react to, I hope we also train ourselves to see through the daily noise and chart a path where you want to see your business in the future. If the waves are noise, try not to oscillate with the waves, but look through the waves. There, you’ll find your moving average. Riding and reacting to each wave, especially as they increase in frequency, will exhaust you and everyone around you.

I’ll just conclude with this. One fundamental truth is that the future belongs to those who believe in it.

Because if you believe in it, you will invest in it. If you do not invest in your future, the future will pass you by. This is why as leaders, we must maintain a sense of hope and optimism for the future. Keep a steady hand on your ship and best wishes to everyone. Whether manufacturers, distributors, or wholesalers, we are all in this global industry together.

While some elements we must quickly react to, I hope we also train ourselves to see through the daily noise and chart a path where you want to see your business in the future.”

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

fischer Group of Companies Armin Heß, speaker of the board of directors fixing systems and managing director sales and marketing Despite the challenging circumstances due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our company was able to achieve a successful financial year in 2021. Our largest company division, fischer Fixing Systems, once again made a significant contribution to this success.

W

e recorded an excellent order volume in our Fixing Systems division in 2021. The challenges simultaneously prepared us for the lack of availability and rising cost price of certain raw materials and purchased parts. We responded to the problematic procurement situation with creative solutions. As such, we were able to avoid production bottlenecks in our fixing systems in the areas of plastics, steel and chemicals, for instance. Thanks to these measures, we were able to continue supplying our products despite the increased global demand, in contrast to our competitors. This was a key factor in our commercial success.

In future, here at fischer we will continue to retain our ability to anticipate imminent bottlenecks quickly and well in advance. We have already developed measures for 2022 that will enable us to meet the challenges ahead. Continuous process optimisation plays just as big a part in this as new products and services that we develop and establish – in close proximity to our customers and markets.

Our innovative power, technological competence, and high degree of global brand recognition, were once again significant factors in our excellent order volume in the past fiscal year, resulting in significant growth – particularly in Europe and Germany. Our fixing innovations allowed us to increase our market share in many countries in addition to the 38 countries where our company is represented by 50 subsidiaries.

We are focusing on digitalisation and eCommerce, smart production, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence – working with or setting up in-house start-ups, internationalisation and sustainability. These issues have long since been prevalent at our company and we will continue advancing them in 2022. In doing so, we are looking at trends such as the digital transformation of the construction industry with Building Information Modelling (BIM); new products and services for project business; interconnected physical and virtual objects in the Internet of Things; modular construction; as well as new and frequently used construction materials and modified processes.

In terms of sales channels, these varied between analogue and digital channels over the past year depending on whether DIY stores were open. In general, however, the online business trend continued in 2021 and will play an ongoing role in future, which is why we are offering our retail partners comprehensive sales support. Various new solutions will continue to provide convincing stationary displays and further support for our retail partners’ online sales in the coming year. In addition to sales support, our customer advice, care, and training, continue to be important both in the digital and analogue fields.

Our fixing innovations and professional services serve as proof of our competitive advantages again and again. As such, we’re confident that we will continue to strengthen our brand recognition in future and secure the global market leadership in key areas of fixing technology.

We have already developed measures for 2022 that will enable us to meet the challenges ahead.

Continuous process optimisation plays just as big a part in this as new products and services that we develop and establish - in close proximity to our customers and markets.”

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Hatebur Metalforming Equipment Thomas Christoffel, CEO In times of uncertainty in the industry a technology leader cannot sit back and be merely reactive to the many challenges. Instead, the fundament for future growth must be built in these times of change. That is why Hatebur put its efforts in 2021 into digitalisation, technological innovation and R&D.

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he pandemic years 2020 and 2021 have been difficult for everyone. Travel restrictions, lockdowns, economic downturn, uncertainties in all the major industries. We also felt the effects of Covid-19 at Hatebur.

However, a crisis can also be a chance. In 2021, our international teams focused on digitalisation, technological development, product innovation, and research, making sure that our company is well positioned for future growth.

Let me give you a few examples. In a time of cancelled industry trade fairs and a lack of direct customer contact, we started a virtual showroom where customers from all around the world can experience our technology and learn about our products in exclusive, digital tours. Our engineers introduced and refined technologies such as the servo-electric linear infeed, the servo transfer unit, and the servo direct drive – opening up a wide range of untapped possibilities; making parts transport more reliable; improving the tool life of the forming tools; and saving production costs for our customers.

We also launched Hatebur Connect, providing interconnectivity of all control components and state of the art data analysis for machine operators – a major step towards increased efficiency in production and troubleshooting. Our second brand, Carlo Salvi SpA, introduced a new machine concept with the CS 513 TH – for the first time offering a header with an integrated thread rolling unit, unlocking new market segments, and reducing investment costs for our customers. Last but not least, we took further steps in utilising synergies between Hatebur and Carlo Salvi, for example when it comes to the manufacture of control cabinets. With these and other achievements, we are convinced that Hatebur is on track to be well positioned for the future and we look back at 2021 with a sense of accomplishment.

When it comes to major industry trends, 2021 – with all its disruptions – has been an eventful year. A few trends dominated the automotive and fastener industries: Semiconductor crisis: While early in 2021 the outlook for the automotive industry was quite positive, we saw initial delivery problems in the second quarter, before the semiconductor problem took full effect in

the second half of the year. This led to a lack of predictability and made long-term planning almost impossible. A low utilisation rate was one of the results. The trend towards electric mobility also plays a role in the semiconductor crisis because electric cars require more semiconductors than combustion-engined ones. All of this had direct effects on the automotive supply chain. Looking into the future, we believe that the semiconductor situation will gradually, but not quickly, improve and normalise in 2022 and beyond.

Electric mobility: Subsidies and support measures have led to an acceleration of the transformation of the automotive industry towards electric mobility.

This trend is here to stay and we expect electric mobility to play an ever bigger role in the coming years. The transformation creates some uncertainty, but it also offers unique opportunities. We continuously evaluate the trends and our R&D experts try to always be a step ahead and identify the potentials and requirements of tomorrow.

Sustainability: Sustainability is already much more than just a buzzword and without a doubt it will be a growing trend in the automotive industry and other industries in the coming years.

We expect that this will have effects throughout the whole supply chain. Not only when it comes to CO 2 reduction, and other environmental protection efforts, but also work safety and security.

Production relocation: In various industries, including the fastener industry, we witnessed the trend towards the relocation of production capacities from the Far East back to Europe. It became apparent that global supply chains and transport channels can be vulnerable and producing in Europe for the local markets has advantages.

Shortage of skilled workers: This is a challenge that will likely increase in importance in the years to come. As companies are eager to innovate and maximise efficiency, the competition for the brightest minds will intensify.

When it comes to major industry trends, 2021 – with all its disruptions – has been an eventful year.”

At Hatebur, we rely on our technological expertise and our R&D team to position ourselves for the future.

Which parts will need to be manufactured in ten or twenty years from now? What are the production potentials? What are the machine concepts of the future? We are determined to focus on the answers to these questions, to improve existing technologies and machines, as well as develop clever and innovative solutions.

WWW.FASTENERANDFIXING.COM

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Chinese market

Generally speaking, the supply chain of China’s fastener industry is still uneven. There is an oversupply of low-end products while the supply for the high-end products is inadequate, which gives more opportunities to high-end fastener enterprises.”

Fanty Fan, english editor, ChinaFastener Magazine In 2021 China’s fastener industry encountered many challenges, such as anti-dumping, huge fluctuations in raw material prices, energy conservation and emission reductions. However, China’s fastener industry has been able to continue to develop and achieve some significant milestones.

F

rom January to September 2021, China’s fastener export volume was nearly 3.52 million tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 19.8%. The export value was US$8.07 billion, a year-on-year increase of 27.8%.

However, Generally speaking, the supply chain of China’s fastener industry is still uneven. There is an oversupply of low-end products while the supply for the high-end products is inadequate, which gives more opportunities to high-end fastener enterprises. For example, Qifeng Precision Industry Sci-Tech Corp is engaged in producing high-end fasteners, which are widely used in railway, construction, aerospace, engineering machinery, automobile, ship and other industries. In the first half of 2021, the company’s operating revenue was RMB 93.88 million (€12.9 million), a year-on-year increase of 32%. In December 2021 Qifeng Precision also announced that the company planned to apply for listing on the Beijing Stock Exchange at a reserve price of RMB 5.5 per share.

New breakthroughs in technology

In November 2021 the high performance steel materials team, led by Professor Dong Han from Shanghai University, successfully developed Grade 16.8 and 19.8 fasteners, which is a breakthrough in high strength fasteners and materials. This is beneficial to promote the lightweight manufacturing of major equipment in China. This breakthrough also indicates China’s fastener production ability is keeping pace with the world.

At present, China is implementing the 30:60 development strategy, which means that carbon dioxide emissions will reach their peak by 2030 and China will achieve carbon neutralisation by 2060. Because of this, Chinese fastener enterprises are accelerating transformation and upgrading. The development is on the trend of clustering, high-end and intelligence, so as to achieve green, low carbon and sustainable development as soon as possible.

When it comes to clustering, China’s well known fastener production bases include Haiyan (Zhejiang), Yongnian (Hebei) and Dainan (Jiangsu). Fastener enterprises in the Greater Bay Area are

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also gathering in Yangjiang (Guangdong). In just three years, more than 100 enterprises engaged in fastener production, and supporting services, have moved to Yangjiang. The production value is estimated to be RMB 10 billion.

Regarding technology innovation, in addition to accelerating the research and development of special steel, China has gradually approached the advanced international level in terms of material selection, structural design, manufacturing process, special process, testing, surface coating and quality control. The integration of different subjects like mechanical manufacturing, information technology, and various high and new technologies, will continuously inject new vitality into the development of the fasteners industry in China.

With the implementation of energy conservation and emission reduction policies, and the increase of labour costs in China, Chinese enterprises are also speeding up intelligent production upgrades.

A number of digital workshops, digital chemical plants and digital enterprises have emerged. For example, in order to improve the company’s digital transformation and expand production capacity, Zhejiang Tong Ming implemented the high-end stainless steel fastener digital chemical plant project, with a total investment of no less than RMB 350 million.

Looking forward to 2022, energy conservation, emission reduction and industrial upgrades are still the main focus of China’s fastener development. Chinese fastener enterprises will also face many challenges, but also opportunities. Within China there are always a number of excellent enterprises that emerge, leading the steady development of China’s fastener industry.

For example, Fastener Expo Shanghai has taken advantage of the trend to redefine the exhibition as a global high-end fastener industry innovation platform. It aims to link global high-quality resources and provide excellent opportunities for industrial upgrade, technical exchange and business development. The next edition will be grandly held in the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Shanghai) from 8 th – 10 th June 2022. At that time, visitors will be able to see the new heights of fastener development in China.

JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Brugola OEB Industriale SpA

Jody Brugola, president

Brugola OEB Industriale SpA was born in 1926, from Egidio Brugola, the inventor of the hexagonal socket head cap screw, which was patented in 1945. In 2021 Brugola turned 95, which means 95 years of experience in production of critical bolts – those bolts dedicated to assembling an engine’s vital components.

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he company is now on the third generation of the family and is recognised as a market leader of critical fasteners for the automotive industry. Brugola has a network of sales offices on a global level, covering the most important markets, with 11 production plants in Italy and one in the USA, which opened in 2015.

Until 2020 Brugola produced 1.8 billion pieces, annually, with almost 800 different types of fasteners, but unfortunately the first half of 2021 has been inevitably characterised by the trend of the worldwide pandemic, but not yet effected by the lack of raw materials and semiconductors that is currently affecting the automotive market.

The semiconductor shortage, coming from Asia – the main worldwide producer, is causing a decline of fastener and component orders for the automotive world. The automotive industry is recording a negative trend in car production quantifiable at approximately 7.7 million vehicles worldwide, of course this situation is inevitably reflected in our company. However, Brugola never stops and proves to be a company that continually wants to innovate, evolve and grow. Already in the second half of 2019 we started a process of enlarging the range of fasteners offered, in order to diversify our portfolio in automotive and other different industries.

We also started the process of moving forward with increasingly complex, sophisticated and high performance products, as well as continuously working on keeping quality standards high. We have also started looking away from the automotive sector and we’re getting involved with key niche markets.

In the last few years, we have carried out an important generational change and we now have a lot of young people with many new ideas and projects in the company.

Brugola has always focused on customers and market requests, that’s why over the past few years we have moved to producing components for eMobility. The strategy of focusing on manufacturing products destined to the new platforms for electric vehicles partially balanced the reduction of orders caused by the raw materials and semiconductors shortage. In addition, in the last few years Brugola has researched innovative raw materials, whilst respecting the ones that we have used over the last 95 years. We are able to work with aluminium, stainless steel, copper and heat resistance alloy.

Thanks to the study of these new raw materials, Brugola has been involved in the design side of various projects, including turbo chargers, heavy trucks and battery packs. We are confident we will be able to go into series production of the new products in the second half of 2022.

Despite the difficulties that we suffered in 2021, we have been able to continue the process of innovation and to continue our investment – enabling us to be ready as soon as the markets start to grow again.

What do we expect from 2022? Today’s forecasts indicate that the first part of the year will still be tough, but then we think that the situation will improve. We will be ready when the automotive industry, as well as other markets, bounce back and finally we will reap the fruits of our two years of effort and we will return to growth.

Despite the difficulties that we suffered in 2021, we have been able to continue the process of innovation and to continue our investment – enabling us to be ready as soon as the markets start to grow again.”

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Keller & Kalmbach Holding & Co KG Dr Florian Seidl, CEO What a year! Out of the deep, the Covid-19 crisis recovered with rapid speed, combined with huge price increases, anti-dumping taxes and a lot of problems on the supply side. Never in my 46 years in the business have I experienced such an accumulation of extremes.

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es, we had crises, but they were not as heavy as the Covid-19 crisis.

We’ve previously had high inflation rates but not so high as 2021 with several waves of increases up to 30% to 40% – especially with our products. We’ve also never had such problems to fulfil the demands of our customers.

The backlog with our customers were at a rate of around 1% for years now – which means that from 100 lines, 99 can be fulfilled.

This grew up to 3% or 4% in the past months – due to a number of factors including: The supply from Asia being a huge problem; the reduced capacity in production, which did not speed up in time; as well as arguably the most difficult problem, which was the transport of goods.

The prices for containers from Asia to Germany were eight times higher than one year ago. There was also a lack of capacity, with there not being enough containers in Asia – meaning there were a lot of ships waiting at Asian harbours. There was also the ship that blocked the Suez Canal for several weeks. Air freight costs also increased immensely because of Covid-19, as there were no passenger flights to Asia or America.

To add to this there were problems with the supply of steel and wood, but especially of semiconductor chips, which are used in a lot of industries. The automotive industry for example did not get enough chips, which meant they could not produce cars for weeks.

We felt this as well. Without the automotive industry – we serve OEMs as well as 1 st and 2 nd tier suppliers – our turnover would have risen much more than it did.

One thing is quite sure, for the first six months of the new year, we will still have a very high demand. The order books in many industries are full, a lot of cars have to be manufactured and sold, and they need a lot

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With all these factors, prices will be high or will even go up in the first six months of 2022.” of fasteners. Because of the low interest rates, the construction industry is on the limit of its capacity. Machinery companies are earning money again and therefore ordering machines, which means the machine industry has very full order books. Even private consumption is higher, because governments gave a lot of money to the people, which they could not spend (i.e for holiday travels), so they have enough money to buy things now.

With all these factors, prices will be high or will even go up in the first six months of

FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE ≡ ISSUE 133: JANUARY 2022

2022. Our sales guys – most of which are quite young – of course have never had the experience to press huge necessary price increases in the market. For years, prices were quite stable or rather sinking. Where previously it was not so important if you reacted too slow or too soft, now you have to react faster and be harder, otherwise companies will lose a lot of money.

The only experience we had before was with the anti-dumping duties. If the anti-dumping duties on certain carbon steel fasteners goes ahead, which we deeply hope it will not, these problems will only get worse and the supply problems will increase.

The huge question mark really is: What happens after that? Maybe the supply side will fully recover; maybe transport will work itself out and start to run smoothly again; maybe there will be enough raw material on the market. If this happens then the prices could go down. But maybe the prices will go up again because of rising wages and political problems, which cause interruptions on the supply side?

Anyway, it’s a very thrilling time and it’s a big challenge for our whole branch to be successful in these times. But when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

NORM Holding Fatíh Uysal, chairperson

The Covid-19 virus has impacted sectors and businesses around the world and it is still influencing society and markets. As a business we continue to navigate our way through this difficult situation with clear and quick thinking to enable us to meet the challenges of the industry.

D

uring this period, we focused on our sustainability-oriented investments and developing projects that create value for our business partners without impacting day-to-day business. Against all odds of global inflation, the semiconductor chip crisis affecting our industry, and particulaly in respect of burdensome procurement processes and increasing commodity prices, we continued to open new doors in Turkey and abroad.

With the strategic alliances we have established, we are on our way to becoming one of the world’s five largest suppliers of fasteners. In September, we signed one of the major supply agreements for the Turkish industry with Ford Otosan and took the first steps of a collaboration that will last ten years. By providing R&D, design, engineering, production, sourcing and supply chain management services to Ford Otosan, as a result of our collaboration, we have earned the title of a Full Service Provider (FSP). As the first local company to receive this title in Turkey, we will continue our efforts to become a service supplier and business partner with the world’s leading automotive companies – that shape the future of the automotive industry.

Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, NORM Holding prioritised in its agenda the need to provide innovative support to our business partners together with research and development of new technologies that facilitate the performance of our team. While multi sourcing and intensifying cooperation with our suppliers and customers all over the world, we concentrated our focus on emergency response scenarios, business sustainability management, preparation of quality and performance improvement programmes for suppliers, as well as increasing the level of automation-based operations.

We have not compromised our vision and strategy for 2025. With these in perspective, we established two new companies last month.

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Today’s rapidly evolving manufacturing technologies mean all players must rise to the challenge. For instance, additive manufacturing technology is a major trend in the industry and is becoming an indispensable method in the manufacturing of value-added products. At NORM Holding we see this as an opportunity to invest in this production infrastructure and integrate it to our production expertise. For this purpose, we established Norm Additive, a new group company that will provide services not only in the automotive industry, but in a wide range of industries such as aviation, white goods, defence, as well as medical technologies and supplies – both in Turkey and abroad. In contrast to traditional manufacturing technologies, we aim to provide cost and time effective modalities in terms of both engineering and production support for our customers in order to reduce weight and increase performance in their structural parts. Prototyping and mass production services will also be offered through our additive manufacturing systems. Under these changing prerequisites, 316L stainless steel and AlSi10Mg aluminium alloys will be available in our systems for our customers in the automotive industry.

In addition, based on the years of accumulated knowledge, experience, production, as well as R&D and engineering competencies in cold forging, plus the needs of our customers, we established NORM Forging, a new company by NORM Holding. Our new enterprise will help to diversify our product portfolio with hot forged special parts and enable us to continue to create value for our customers, as well as position us as a solution partner through a zero defect philosophy; customer satisfaction-oriented production; and end-to-end supply chain solutions.

Our main goals for 2022 will be to continuously increase our quality standards, and customer satisfaction, and to strengthen our business practices to establish sustainability in each phase of our operations.

As such, while we continue our efforts to be a mindful business partner for our customers, we will also move forward in-line with the main strategies of our organisation in environmental, economic and social issues.

In 2022 and 2023 we plan to invest in business ventures and operations in Turkey and abroad totaling €110 million. Our target is to reach a consolidated turnover of €500 million in 2025, while we maintain our export growth target as 50%. Our logistics and marketing company in the USA will be our gateway to one of the markets enabling us to grow the fastest. Moreover, we expect rapid growth in Poland, Romania, and Germany, and we aim to further increase our business operations abroad in the upcoming period in respect to proximity to consumers, the supply of skilled labour and ecosystem synergies.

We see sustainability as providing for the present needs without compromising the needs of the future generations – based on issues, economics, environmental and social development. Therefore, we strive to create value for our world and community. From installing solar panels in our manufacturing facilities to measuring our corporate carbon footprint; from transitioning to sandblasting techniques to our digital transformation; all our actions are thoroughly planned to create a better future and a more sustainable world.

In 2021 we focused on sustainability of our business practices and took it on our corporate agenda to publish an annual Sustainability Report – starting from

With the strategic alliances we have established, we are on our way to becoming one of the world’s five largest suppliers of fasteners.” this year. We made an assessment of our business – both the operational and commercial processes in NORM Holding, as well as our group companies – from a sustainability perspective and we embarked to bring solutions on issues that could directly affect the manufacturers in the near future, such as the EU Green Deal and Carbon Border Adjustment.

As NORM Holding, we strongly support weight reduction efforts especially in the automotive industry, not only to increase vehicle performance but in consideration of environmental and economic reasons.

That is why we concentrate our efforts to provide innovative solutions for the needs and demands of the industry. As a result of our R&D activities carried out in this context, we have developed innovative designs that provide significant reductions in the weight of fasteners, depending on design and metric, without compromising mechanical performance. We have also filed a total of nine local and international patent applications and six industrial design applications, one of which is international, for the innovative designs that emerged as a result of the weight reduction studies carried out so far.

As a result of weight reduction R&D activities on hexagon head bolts, which are widely used in the automotive industry, we have produced innovative products in different forms under the Hexlight® brand. A significant weight reduction was achieved in Hexlight products, which meet the mechanical requirements specified in the standards and mean the products can be used without any change in assembly conditions. Starting with the automotive industry, weight reduction has become an increasingly significant matter in other industries. We are closely following the latest technological developments, demands and needs of the industry, as well as advancing research and development studies on this matter with an increasing momentum every day.

JANUS PERSPECTIVE

WAFIOS Umformtechnik GmbH Jens Gutsche, managing director In 2020 our company turned 100 years old, something our employees, the management, and the entire WAFIOS Group, are very proud of.

Unfortunately, we were denied an anniversary celebration with our customers and business partners due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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s a business we are committed to building on the extensive accumulated know-how of WAFIOS Umformtechnik in the field of cold and hot forming, as well as looking to the future.

At the end of 2019, in addition to the quantitative analysis of the machine range, we launched a structured customer survey in order, in a targeted manner, to bundle specific necessities, needs and wishes with qualitative statements from customers and to use these as a decision making basis for actions, product and service alignments. It is only when our customers are successful and satisfied that we can also be successful.

The strategic approaches for the individual sectors have been clearly defined to focus capacities and investment accordingly. For example, we took advantage of weak market demand, particularly in the first half of 2020, to initiate strategic and product related measures. Machines and processes were expanded to include customer beneficial and friendly features.

Investments were made in the areas of feasibility and process simulation for the production of blanks to be cold and hot formed on our machines. This area will be further expanded, which will enable us to communicate much more closely with customers about the range of challenges and to advise our customers even better on the basis of process simulations in 2D and 3D – alongside our existing process know-how.

From September 2020, the turnaround in our customers’ investment approvals, which continued throughout 2021 and remains at a very high-level to this day, became apparent. Some European customers experienced great difficulties in supplying their customers with screws and other fastening elements due to the breakdown of supply chains from Asia. As a consequence, in 2021, some customers greatly increased investment in the expansion of their own manufacturing capacities in order to reduce the risks associated with supply dependency.

Here, in close interaction with our customers, and with our sister company, E.W. Menn GmbH & Co KG, we have succeeded in generating cooperation projects from wire to finished screw. With the customer benefiting from the full know-how of both traditional companies at its disposal.

In 2021, in the after-sales business, we at WAFIOS Umformtechnik were able to offer our customers significant added value and competitive advantages through customisation – by working out unique selling points, for instance by adding new features in the retrofit area and by defining service packages, all of which will be further expanded in 2022.

Our third business area, following new machines and after-sales businesses, is the production and sale of thread rolling dies, where

It is only when our customers are successful and satisfied that we can also be successful.”

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we have placed a special focus for the future that concentrates on the strengths and further improvement of quality, distinctiveness and speed.

In October 2021, German machinery and plant manufacturers once again recorded double-digit growth in their orders of 19% in real terms. Domestic orders rose by 13%, orders from abroad increased by 23%. Our growth rates are still impressive, but they are now lower than they were in the spring and summer of 2021. On the other hand, we had already recorded an increased order level in October on the previous year.

The biggest challenge at the moment is to deliver the good order intake on time. We, too, are still struggling with numerous supply bottlenecks. In particular, electrical/electronic parts and components are in short supply, but also certain metals and metal products, too.

Difficulties with logistics and transport handling add to the problem.

If the supply bottlenecks ease in the coming year, industry should take off again, for example in vehicle manufacturing. For us as a machine manufacturer, the enormous and, I think for many, unexpectedly strong growth of 2021 will be significantly reduced in 2022, despite continuing follow-up demand from our customers.

We can look to the future with optimism because our engineering expertise will continue to be in high demand. This will be coupled with increasing automation, digitalisation and the move towards Industry 4.0.

However, there are major challenges to overcome in our industry in the coming years. To this belong, amongst other things, digitising core processes; thinking even more globally; incorporating more sustainability; maintaining customer access; defining the Asia strategy; and creatively meeting the demand for employees, in particular skilled workers.

The next major highlight is the wire® and Tube 2022 trade fair in Düsseldorf from 9 th – 13th May 2022. We are already making preparations for this and will be focusing on the efficient and resource-saving production of fasteners on our machines. I think we would all like to have a wire and Tube show just as in the old days. Even though there must, of course, be restrictions due to hygiene measures, personal interchanges are of great importance.

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Rawlplug Radoslaw Koelner, CEO I think of the year 2021 with genuine satisfaction. Rawlplug, as a business, has proved its worth and proved its ideals. It has undoubtedly been a year of intense work for us, but we have also experienced a lot of anxiety about the present, our nearest and dearest, and about our future.

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n historical terms, this period may well be perceived as the true beginning of the 21 st Century – a century of great opportunity and innovation, but for those who manage businesses, also a century of numerous socio-economic challenges.

Deglobalisation, protectionism, socialism in the social and economic sphere, inflation, the USA and China parting ways, cyber attacks, blackout threats, new monetary and fiscal policy, not to mention the pandemic, and climate change, are all phenomena that shape our reality, and no harbingers of them de-escalating are to be seen. These used to be but theoretical notions for us. However, in 2022 and the following years, we will face them for real.

For two years, the current cycle has been completely transforming our supply chain before our eyes. This process started in 2007 and has been gradually changing for the last decade. Raw materials have been exposed to a very strong deflation pressure. Both the pandemic, as well as quantitative easing, have led us to the point where the raw material cycle is rebounding to levels that have not been observed worldwide for 20 – 30 years.

If you consider this problem from the perspective of decades, and not just a few years or several terms of office of governments imposing their political perspective upon us, this appears to be a natural economic cycle. Such a cycle will not only define the actual strategies of businesses, but also determine if they thrive or fall into decline. It will lead us to even faster transition and enormous deficits in virtually all raw material spheres.

There are no raw materials that are not going to eventually run out or which are already not in short supply, their deficit reaching 20% – 40%.

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I think that the wind of change is blowing with increasing might, forcing us to choose whether we should set sail or drop the anchor.”

We are discussing matters such as the raw material crisis and are surprised by the reality of this day and age, so we should definitely focus on the supply chain and prices, but we mustn’t forget about the historical context, because all these components are just perfectly matching.

We are witnessing what recent generations have not, namely an abrupt and unstoppable rise in raw material prices, combined with availability issues. And I mean all raw materials.

Only companies with a strong balance sheet will survive this. I hope that successful pursuit of raw materials is determined by financing in 30%, while the remaining 70% is attributable to skills and relationships.

However, this represents an enormous hurdle for newly established organisations that intend to use raw materials.

There will be a shortage of the simplest products in the market, and just because the

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share of raw materials is the highest in the least complex products, this automatically leads those manufacturers, which deliver more highly processed products, to cannibalisation.

That is precisely what you can already observe in the automotive market.

It is also not merely a matter of the business scale. What matters is the relationships, the right geographical positioning of the manufacturing site, and the product itself. We are witnessing the new reality unfolding. Innovations bring us solutions and guide us to the right path. The 2020s, and probably the entire 21 st Century, will prove to be the age of artificial intelligence, robots, automation and machine learning. SDRs, cryptocurrencies and soon also the new Bretton Woods system will define the world of finance.

Communication will mostly become virtual, while travelling will be rarer and far more expensive on account of the necessity to reduce CO2 emissions. The years 2021 and 2022 will be very much alike in terms of the geopolitical situation, but human habits will change. Back in 2019, were you asking yourself such questions as “what will the next day bring?” Today, it is among the most reasonable ones.

The fastener and fixing industry is an exciting and inspiring sphere and that is precisely for the amount and value of the available information that is original, genuine and untampered. It is the mirror showing us if the problems at hand, as well as their scope and urgency, actually grow or dwindle. I think that the wind of change is blowing with increasing might, forcing us to choose whether we should set sail or drop the anchor.

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Atotech Group Pasquale Cozzolino, tier 1 manager, corrosion protection, GMF 2021 was marked by a series of extraordinary events. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and inflation, hit the world on an unprecedented scale. Globally, manufacturing industries faced severe challenges.

D

espite these exceptional circumstances, we made every effort to meet the needs of the market and our customers, ensuring that we delivered products and services with our proven reliability. Our global presence, our multi-source purchasing approach, and our forecasting capabilities allowed us to mitigate supply shortages. At the same time, we continued to focus on promoting our sustainable solutions and developing our R&D roadmap, keeping in-line with market needs.

In 2021, the automotive industry was hit by shortages in electronic chips. Though increased wafer production will ease this pressure on the market in 2022, high lead times will still impact supply chains.

Relief is expected towards the end of next year. Rising demand for electric vehicles is set to stimulate global production and the faster transition to eMobility will generate technical challenges. For example, new requirements for electrical conductivity or cleanliness of connecting elements will play a key role in the future and new standardised test methods will be introduced. Downsizing of fasteners and the implementation of different base materials to enable weight reduction are further key trends. With our comprehensive knowhow in electroplating and finishing, and our extensive analysis capabilities, we are well-equipped to offer the ideal products and solutions for fasteners for electric vehicles.

The construction market is driven by high-levels of public investment around the world. Rising construction fastener demands and continuing import problems, such as high transport costs and delays, call for more investment in production and expansion across Europe and North America. With production facilities around the world, Atotech is a reliable global industry partner for providing high-quality coating processes.

In 2022, fast expansion is predicted within the renewables markets. Over the coming months and years, further market growth will be driven by political initiatives in the US and Europe, boosted by public pressure to reduce CO2 emissions. Fasteners utilised in onshore and offshore wind turbine production require outstanding corrosion performance to prolong their life. We have developed high corrosion resistant zinc flake systems – providing the best corrosion protection to meet this demand.

Sustainability: The driver of innovation and cost efficiency

Environmentally sustainable production, specifically reducing CO2 emissions, plays an important role in the fastener supply chain – requiring a strong commitment from all stakeholders.

Atotech is committed to being an innovative and environmentally conscious company. Our goal is to be the leading supplier of sustainable plating systems,

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Rising demand for electric vehicles is set to stimulate global production and the faster transition to eMobility will generate technical challenges.”

with sustainability driving our R&D strategy. As we meet global demand for technologies and chemicals, we seek to contribute to a more sustainable plating industry by improving our environmental performance and resource efficiency. Over the last decade, we have focused on making our chemical portfolio more environmentally friendly. We are committed to reducing the use of hazardous chemicals and developing less harmful processes, going beyond industry standards.

Our systems are designed to use water, energy, and raw materials, at high efficiency – reusing and recycling where possible. Atotech strives to make a positive impact by helping our customers achieve their goals through sustainable products and services. This allows us to quickly respond to customer needs as they adapt to evolving environmental laws and regulations, enabling cost efficient and sustainable production.

Maximum efficiency with minimum environmental impact

Atotech’s innovative and patented compact modular coating line, DynaSmart® for fastener coating, features a revolutionary automation design that, in combination with Atotech’s portfolio of acid and alkaline zinc and zinc alloy processes, maximises efficiency while meeting sustainability standards. Paired with online purification systems, production efficiency can be further increased for additional cost savings and reduced environmental impact. In the field of chemical processes, we are constantly expanding our portfolio of non-hazardous and efficient processes and are currently introducing nickel-free alloys that demonstrate the same corrosion behaviour as alloys containing nickel. Our portfolio of sustainable and economical zinc flake systems was recently expanded by a new self-lubricating base coat – Zintek® 200 SL F – which meets the automotive industry’s requirements for corrosion protection and coefficient of friction – with only two layers of the same base coat. This results in a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to systems that require a third or fourth layer top coat. With this product, we not only meet requirements for environmental compatibility, but offer greater cost efficiency and productivity, counteracting the rising costs of production and raw materials.

Over the coming year, it is expected that many existing supply chain challenges will continue to impact various markets. With our global presence and broad service and production network, we are excellently positioned to meet the needs of our customers with our proven reliability. By delivering innovative and sustainable solutions, as well as an unparalleled service to our fastener industry partners, we will continue to facilitate and foster excellent collaboration across the supply chain in 2022.

FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE ≡ ISSUE 133: JANUARY 2022

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Nord-Lock Group Fredrik Meuller, CEO 2021 has been a positive and successful year for Nord-Lock Group, not only in terms of mitigating the pandemic and maintaining superior customer service, but also enhancing our operational platform by completing the investments in three upgraded facilities across the globe.

I

n fact, finishing the year stronger than ever before strategically places us at the exciting beginning of a new J-Curve.

Now, we are ready to reap the rewards in 2022 by gearing up for more growth and innovation, in a better structure. We will also celebrate forty years since Nord-Lock Group first invented the original wedge-locking technology – time flies when you’re having fun!

Nord-Lock Group has seen that uncertainty can be relatively good for us, as volatility in the markets drives a ‘flight to safety’ and customers return to trusted manufacturers in order to mitigate risk. As the original and number one manufacturer of wedge-locking washers, customers know that Nord-Lock Group has a performance track record and the financial muscle to weather the storm.

We also benefit from a well balanced portfolio of customers, both geographically and across the many different industries that use our solutions. This was particularly helpful to offset any potential downturns – as when one region suffered due to the pandemic, elsewhere would perform better than expected. The same goes for our industry exposure. Nord-Lock Group doesn’t stand or fall with any particular accounts, so when one area has been more subdued, it was countered by an upturn somewhere else.

Our strength is the result of a long-term approach, with a clear focus on efficiency, growth and innovation. Our owners, Investment AB Latour, invested heavily to complete three new or upgraded facilities, so much of 2021 was spent operationalising them to extract value from the more efficient setups. These facilities doubled in size. Now, our colleagues have safer, more sustainable and efficient workplaces, and crucially our customers get an even better product and service.

Strong, financially stable ownership is also key to our availability.

Profits are reinvested into the company, so as well as future-proofing facilities we’re also able to carry stock across the world. We’re able to serve urgent customer needs and deliver immediately, this is a key success factor for Nord-Lock Group. Sometimes a customer needs washers yesterday, so to speak, and Nord-Lock Group is there to ‘go the extra mile’ and sort it out. We’re able to tie up capital and have the right product, in the right place, at the right time – and our ability to deliver has been extremely appreciated and has actually resulted in us gaining market share.

Looking ahead, we and all other companies need to get accustomed to an uncertain operating context. In a precarious world you need to be agile and flexible, and we’re quite satisfied that

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Nord-Lock Group has adapted well to remote working and digitisation. We had the digital infrastructure to handle a pandemic and will remain flexible enough to serve customer needs digitally whenever that becomes necessary.

We work in close partnership with our customers to solve complex engineering challenges. So, our global reach and local presence has become more relevant and valued in a more connected yet protectionist world. We’re able to talk design with a customer in Germany and then quickly deliver the products to its operations in Australia, for example.

Of course, travel restrictions added complexity, but again we were able to transfer our thought leadership and unique competences via digital communications – hosting webinars and producing comprehensive white papers on specific industries such as bridge construction and oil and gas.

Overall, there is a rather optimistic and ambitious outlook for Nord-Lock Group, following on from what will most likely be a record year for us in 2021. Transportation is settling, with freight and container vessels now being in the right parts of the world. I think availability will remain key, as will being that safe haven in an uncertain world.

We’re determined to continue capturing organic growth.

Yes, we’ll also open new offices and be opportunistic with bolt-on acquisitions, but organic growth is in our own hands and awareness is often our biggest competitor. Simply making more people aware that we are out there is key, so in 2022 we’ll pursue the huge growth potential remaining in mature markets, plus strengthen our presence in the Middle East, Africa and south-east Asia.

Our growth is facilitated by winning in the war for talent. It’s been a challenge, but our ability to attract, retain and develop the right people has been absolutely key. We have grown a lot in number of employees in recent years and taking advantage of in-house knowledge drives our efficiency and innovation.

Progress here is also facilitated by the factory expansions providing more physical space for R&D, bigger testing labs and an even better department for quality assurance. There’s plenty more room to ‘think outside of the box’ than we had before and this paves the way for more successful innovations, with an interesting pipeline of product/concept launches already in place for the coming year across our four technology brands.

Of course, there is a lot happening with smart sensors in the fastener field, but few can prove their solutions with a concrete business model. Our industries can be rather conservative, so testing

Nord-Lock Group doesn’t stand or fall with any particular accounts, so when one area has been more subdued, it was countered by an upturn somewhere else.”

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and piloting applications takes time. However, large companies are now beginning to endorse our Superbolt LoadSensing Tensioner (LST) and it is establishing a sizeable revenue stream since being launched in 2019.

We’re introducing Superbolt Load-Sensing Flexnut (LSF) to complement our smart products offering this year. LSF is more flexible than multi-jackbolt tensioners and is therefore open to a wider range of applications, ensuring uptime and reducing maintenance cost for end users in a major way.

For cost driven industries like offshore wind, optimising uptime by scheduling maintenance with solutions like the LST/LSF could help save millions of Swedish Krona, at the same time as retaining quality and safety in the wind turbines. Thankfully we now have a performance track record in this area too.

Bigger infrastructure projects are back on the rise too, with bridges, tunnels and mega construction a part of many nations’ recovery efforts. We don’t just supply high-quality security washers, many of these projects also look to our four strong technology brands for engineering design partnership, such as the recent bridge constructions in Stockholm and Gothenburg in Sweden. Next generation industrial technologies in offshore wind, nuclear, and other sectors, select us among a limited number of partners too.

We support these customers very closely with initial drawings, calculations, application and follow-up maintenance.

These kinds of supportive, full project performance services are in demand, so consultancy is a growing area for us.

And of course, 2022 marks forty years in the industry for us. From developing the world’s original pair of wedge-locking washers in a barn in northern Sweden, to forty years later completing upgrades on an 8,700m 2 facility on the exact same grounds and standing as a global company with twenty-five offices worldwide, our organic growth into a world leader in secure bolting solutions provides a fantastic platform to continue building this company into the future.

We look forward to celebrating this milestone with our colleagues, customers and partners across the world, and we all take great pride in the knowledge that our work continues to make the world a safer place after four successful decades.

Overall, there is a rather optimistic and ambitious outlook for Nord-Lock Group, following on from what will most likely be a record year for us in 2021.”

WWW.FASTENERANDFIXING.COM

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Lederer GmbH Dr Volker Lederer, managing director

2021 was for sure one of the most challenging years in the fastener business. The demand literally exploded. From a business point of view that was above all positive.

However, all our employees have worked hard and to the limit.

I

n the first half of 2021, there was on one side an exceptionally strong increase in demand. After the economic downturn in the spring of 2020, business awoke to new life in autumn of the same year and suddenly the industry had a great need for fasteners again.

On the other side, stock level fell continuously at the beginning of 2021 due to a very cautious and reduced procurement activity in spring and summer 2020. Especially in the second quarter of 2021 the situation worsened and more and more gaps in the range appeared. Extremely long delivery times, the shortage of containers, and rising freight costs, made it impossible to refill the warehouse in the short term.

Our employees, especially in the sales, purchasing and logistic department, did a fantastic job in that period. Despite the massively increasing workload they worked hard to satisfy our customers; to find solutions with our suppliers; and to process the extraordinarily high volume in our warehouse. All this while most of our commercial employees were working from home, sometimes under difficult Covid-related framework conditions. Not everything worked out, but we as a team were all in all able to successfully manage this challenging phase.

Fortunately, the overheated economic situation has calmed down a bit in the last few months of 2021. But what can we expect for the year 2022?

At present, we see that the container situation has slightly improved. We also notice that freight costs seem to have reached the highest point. Delivery times in the stainless steel business are still long, especially for smaller screws, but we are a little bit optimistic that this will improve in the first half of 2022.

One important target for 2022 is to get back to a normal working situation. Commercial employees working at home is a good measure to protect them from Covid-19 and of course working at home is now part of a modern world of work. It also helps to better combine professional and personal requirements, promotes flexibility, and increases the motivation of many employees. However, we are also increasingly realising the negative effects if employees work often at home. The communication with their colleagues is getting more difficult, internal contacts and relationships suffer and at the end, in some cases, the bond with the company gets weaker. It will be one of the great future challenges to maintain the identification with the company and the loyalty of the employees under the conditions of the modern world of work.

Finally, I believe that the fastener market will, probably, be more balanced in 2022. Against the background of the positive economic forecasts for the European industry in 2022, the fastener demand should remain on a satisfactory level. It can be assumed that the general stock level will rise and that supply chains will step by step work better. However, I am convinced that 2022 will also be a very exciting year in the fastener business.

Fortunately, the overheated economic situation has calmed down a bit in the last few months of 2021. But what can we expect for the year 2022?”

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Würth Industrie Service Martin Jauss, general manager An intensive 2021 has come to an end. After we already had a very challenging time in 2020, we definitely reached new dimensions this year. From the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic to political uncertainties and environmental disasters, 2021 was a year of diverse and large-scale issues.

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eyond these various local situations, one challenge united us across all our markets and industries this year: An unprecedented and volatile situation in the global procurement markets and supply chains, as well as in transport management, in pricing structures or in the shortage of skilled workers.

The demand in many sectors and industries has increased in 2021, yet the situation on the procurement market currently remains unstable and is in a state of flux. This is reflected not only in continuing price increases, but also in bottlenecks in material availability and delivery times. The following two factors are decisive for this development: Increased export demand and a massive increase in transport costs.

The majority of goods are shipped by containers across the world’s oceans. This not only leads to shortages in containers and associated higher prices, but also to longer delivery times.

The consequence of all that is the shortage of raw materials. Raw materials are becoming increasingly rare in Europe. The probable introduction of anti-dumping duties on fasteners from China in 2022 will not ease the situation with regard to availability and will cause further uncertainty.

That is why one of the most important levers for us as a company is, and has always been, the supply security for our customers worldwide – in terms of our products and systems. As a holistic C-parts partner, our strategy is designed to invest continuously in innovative logistics solutions; in the further development of our digital supply systems; in dynamic procurement of goods; and in our employees. Our purchasing unit is organised centrally and is responsible for procurement and for any enquiries regarding new projects from all European companies – a

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decisive competitive advantage. The resulting bundling effects, as well as the frequent high volume of enquiries, make us a preferred customer for manufacturers from all over the world and this in turn guarantees good terms and conditions.

In our disposition, it is not only rigid parameters that decide on the quantity that is purchased. We have experts who determine the disposition parameters, as well as the purchasing volume. This allows an anticyclical purchase. By operating proactively, as well as extensively monitoring the suppliers and stocking up the products adequately, we were able to fulfil all our delivery commitments in the production sector in spite of the restrictions due to the Covid-19, a situation in several countries, and thus to ensure the availability of C-parts at the manufacturers’ production sites worldwide.

Würth Industrie Service closed 2021 on a very positive level, with preliminary growth of more than 23% and sales expected to exceed €664 million, which is a big milestone in the company’s history. Despite a good order situation and positive conclusion to the year, we can expect further uncertainties in the procurement markets when we look ahead to the coming year. That is why the focus at Würth Industrie Service will remain where it is today.

Above all, we will continue to focus on our customers and thus also on the topics of supply security, process and material reliability, as well as customer oriented systems and innovations. It is also important to develop our portfolio to beyond the standard, such as additive manufacturing technologies and 3D printing. In the future, we will not only focus on classic fasteners, assembly materials, plus auxiliary and operating materials, but also develop completely new business areas and technologies together with our customers. Thanks to our colleagues and our strong team we will achieve this together.

That is why one of the most important levers for us as a company is, and has always been, the supply security for our customers worldwide – in terms of our products and systems.”

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

SACMA Group Enrico Brigatti, chief commercial officer What exciting times! Despite the worldwide situation, SACMA Group core values have been proven by a strong strategy to consolidate its own main philosophy: ‘Excellence in providing Winning Technologies® to our customers worldwide’.

T

o provide Winning Technologies®, we had to review many features of our organisation, in every location where we want to supply our product lines. For a long time, SACMA Group sales were 80% dependent on the automotive industry. After the introduction of electrical cars in the market, we focused our strategy to approach more sectors, such as aerospace, construction, electrics, as well as general industry.

During 2021, the sale share was roughly 40% automotive and 60% other industry sectors, which is a very successful achievement for us.

Along with this, as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the transportation difficulties, many countries started to relocate their production, especially with the trending topics of ‘Km0’ and a ‘low carbon footprint’.

As a consequence of this new situation, SACMA Group became very busy with an important orders portfolio for all our brands – SACMA, Ingramatic, HS ASPE and Tecno Lift. Despite the pandemic, we also introduced new branches and agencies around the world, to ensure the installation and the maintenance of our machines by local services, which are close to the customers. For instance, we created a new SACMA Machinery branch in Taiwan, where we supply many machines to this important market. We have also increased the service technicians in the USA, France, Turkey and Poland. In fact, SACMA Group has five interconnected production sites in a range of 100km within Italy, 300 employees worldwide, 5 branches with local after sales staff (USA, China, Taiwan, Germany and Brazil), 24 agencies, as well as offering 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on-site and remote services.

In addition to our worldwide organisation, SACMA Group recently made important investments in the production factories with new machining centers and Flexible Machine Systems equipped with up to date automation and Industry 4.0 features – reinforcing our competitivity and enabling us to dedicate more human resources to critical operations, such as process engineering, programming and quality control.

To date SACMA Group has been able to face the various problems coming from the disrupted supply chain, thanks to our wide parts and components stock – ensuring the delivery of new machines, spare parts and service interventions. This model has led to a large number of cold forming specialists to choose SACMA Group for their new projects.

Looking forward, 2022 starts with a great achievement for SACMA Group – the new location of HS ASPE in a brand new plant in Ciriè, close to Turin. This new factory is designed according to the SACMA concept, including design, manufacturing, assembly, as well as the testing of automatic tapping machines, combined machines, transfer and multi spindle turning machines. This new plant will allow the HS ASPE team to increase the output of secondary operation machines and to enlarge the product line of SACMA Group.

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2022 will also be marked by the start-up of the first KSP12-R, which is our brand new 1D2B combined header producing M3 to M8 screws, all in one, with integrated threading unit. SACMA will also introduce the new SP18 series, with a more efficient and ergonomic soundproof enclosure and extended capacity. Other new machines include the new combined threader RP820 – RR20 from Ingramatic, which includes a rotary thread rolling station before the flat dies threading unit – enabling it to run multishaped parts in one operation. HS ASPE will also present new tapping machines for bigger parts, such as the high productivity model T30-HC, which can work on four parts, up to M30, at the same time.

Tecno Lift will continue to provide ancillary equipment to load and unload parts for SACMA Group operating machines, as well as other machinery. Beside conveyors, the product line of Tecno Lift includes, lotifiers, bin tilting units, automatic loaders and vibrating hoppers.

In 2022 SACMA Group will also continue to focus on Industry 4.0, both internally and for its own products. It will introduce a new App, which will be available for customers who want to supervise the machines from a tablet or smartphone. This App will allow both technicians and managers to monitor every piece of data of the machines while running in production. The maintenance teams can also be informed live and it enables them to plan technical intervention.

Finally in 2022, our Group will implement a SAP system to manage and connect the headquarters with the factories and branches worldwide. This step forward is a condition to get the Group to be monitored for at least the next 20 years and it will help support steady growth, with an optimal governance, which is a key factor to challenge the macroeconomic events and the fluctuation of the markets.

JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Taiwanese market Fastener World Magazine In the first ten months of 2021 Taiwan’s global fastener exports totalled US$4.32 billion (€3.81 billion) – already surpassing the pre-pandemic level of US$3.96 billion in 2020, which itself was down 8% on the US$4.31 billion in 2019. In fact, the final export numbers for the whole of 2021 could inch closer to the US$4.6 billion in 2018.

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aiwan’s economic growth was 2.73% in 2019, 2.98% in 2020 and expected to be 6.1% in 2021 by the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, and even 6.6% by Morgan Stanley. The scourge of a disrupted global supply chain rolls off Taiwan’s fastener industry like water off a duck’s back. Taiwan is blessed to be one of the rare countries performing well in export given the current global landscape.

The post-pandemic era has turned the macro-environment into something that can take control over fastener companies. A higher proportion of outsourcing and foreign labour could mean a higher risk to bear. Large companies differentiate themselves from competitors through equipment upgrades, mass production and investment.

While small companies survive and develop upon profits and overtake competitors through mobility and agility.

As always Fastener World Magazine embarked on its annual survey of Taiwanese fastener companies towards the end of 2021.

Included within the survey was a list of ten issues of 2021 and companies were invited to evaluate each issue for the level of impact and rank them. Based on feedback from 82 companies the top 10 issues of 2021 were: Rank

Top 10 issues of 2021

1

Wire rod availability

2

Exchange rate (appreciated TW$)

3

Harbour congestion, increased freight rate

4

US/Europe fastener market demand

5

Overseas plants’ production and sales change under the pandemic

6

The pandemic’s impact on trade, production and sales

7

Increased cash flow stress

8

Workforce and foreign labour availability

9

Impact of carbon tax on fasteners

10

Transforming and upgrade of fastener companies and their products

This underlined that the biggest concern after the pandemic outbreak was wire rod availability, which created considerable cost stress for Taiwanese fastener companies – as a result of global rising steel price over the past two years.

Overall, Taiwan’s export has been robust since the second half of 2020 resulting in a trade surplus and because the Central Bank of Taiwan didn’t actively adjust the exchange rate, the New Taiwanese Dollar has appreciated and remains strong among the

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Taiwan is blessed to be one of the rare countries performing well in export given the current global landscape.”

Asian currencies, with a prospect to remain strong through next year.

This would explain why the exchange rate is placed 2 nd in the chart.

As for the harbour congestion and increased freight rate this year, this issue is to continue through next year with no easy way of resolving the issue. Whilst these top three concerns remain, Taiwanese companies’ shipments will be obstructed and revenues will decrease – despite a strong US/Europe fastener market demand.

Therefore, market demand is not the determining factor for corporate sustainability in the wake of the pandemic outbreak.

To small and medium sized Taiwanese companies the ‘carbon tax’ is still a few years ahead and operating cost will add up if they take corresponding actions to improve performance in building a green environment. At present they don’t have enough personnel to deal with the ‘carbon tax’, which as a result has yet to gain enough attention.

As for transformation and upgrade, this is a long-term expenditure which, in contrast to stabilising cash flow, retaining talents, and gaining profits, is less critical in the current backdrop of tremendous cost pressure.

HECO Schrauben GmbH & Co KG Achim Carstanjen, general manager Looking back, 2021 was a very challenging one for HECO. It began with the European Covid-19 lockdown with all its restrictions for our customers and our team. Despite all the difficulties in supply of raw materials; restrictive visits to our customers; and a new way of work – including separation of shifts in our plants; HECO mastered these challenges in an excellent way thanks to a great team.

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oday we are looking back on a very successful year, both economically and technically. 2021 was a year of uncertainty for all of us, with supply problems and a price rally on the purchase markets, which all of us faced. Even under these conditions HECO could prove its reliability and service towards our customers. In total we received good feedback from our partners in terms of delivery service and flexibility.

We find ourselves confirmed in our strategy – being a local producer with extensive depth of production in all our plants. Last but not least, we are very proud of what we have achieved under the mentioned conditions, including the product launch of our two main product lines, Multi-Monti-plus Inox for masonry and concrete applications, as well as HECO-TOPIX-plus for wood applications – both representing much more than 50% of our business. Furthermore, we took over the complete timberwork range from our partner SFS, which we now offer in Germany under the HECO brand. These changes and amendments now allow us to provide the complete service package and, I guess, the most sophisticated product range for wood applications by HECO – facilitating logistics and technical support to our customers and end-users.

Looking into the future, I think we are now observing the initial point of a decade of uncertainty, which will be less stable than the previous decade was. I do not want to summarise all the aspects of uncertainty each of us faced and experienced – especially this year. In

spite of these conditions, HECO is looking optimistically into the future. In the past two years our team learned a lot and we are well prepared to adapt to new challenges. Having a look on our markets, in Germany and central Europe, we expect the wood building sector to grow constantly. The new German government will hopefully extend the regulations soon, referring to sustainable construction made of timber.

Located in the Black Forest, our roots are in the heart of a wood region and in the heart of Europe. These are the best preconditions to serve our customers with products and services.

Globally I see continuing conflicts with high impact on trade and supply chains. The recent EU anti-dumping decision or the traceability of supply chains set into force by law are only two examples for fairness and reasonable regulations in a modern society. I predict that Europe, as one of the three world main markets, will find its own way to shape the future and come back to be a technology leader.

Of course, this will only work with regulations and governmental programmes to accelerate the transformation, especially with regards to our environment. The actual transformation towards eMobility is one example for that. In the construction sector, we are more conservative.

However, I am convinced that within a decade we will have new terms of construction in Europe, considering not only a contribution to an equilibrated CO 2 balance, but giving space for new social encounters of the new generations. This demand may be fulfilled on one hand by sustainable construction of new buildings, e.g with wood or similar materials, or on the other hand by refurbishing and refitting of existing buildings – prolonging their lifetime or leading them to a new purpose.

Who will be closer to these questions of our future than innovative European experts and producers, organisations that are able to plan and to effect by giving solutions?

I am convinced that the objectives of our society will contribute to strengthen local European producers, offering answers and solutions to outstanding questions. This is not relevant to the fastener sector only. In my opinion, producers in Europe will only have the right to exist if they are innovative and close to their markets and customer needs.

Recently our team demonstrated that we are capable of realising projects even under adverse circumstances. HECO’s pipeline is full of ideas that may contribute to the transition in the building sector.

Due to being located in a high-tech region HECO is faced with various obstacles like finding suitable talent. Furthermore, digitalisation is a big challenge for a mid-sized company like us. Not only in cost, but also in time. On the other hand we offer a wide range of interesting jobs where people have the possibility to take over responsibility quickly and really ‘live’ the job. This is what HECO stands for: Making life easier with passion and enthusiasm – making the world a little bit more orange.

I am convinced that the objectives of our society will contribute to strengthen local European producers, offering answers and solutions to outstanding questions.”

WWW.FASTENERANDFIXING.COM

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ARaymond Network Antoine Raymond, CEO Throughout our 155+ year history, we have always innovated to rise above the challenges of adversities, and now a worldwide pandemic. 2021 for ARaymond was about navigating the present on the one hand and shaping a sustainable future for our next generations on the other.

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ur teams and production sites across the world were all impacted by the health crisis and lockdowns in varying degrees and ways. The agility of our teams and processes allowed us to respond to the continuously unpredictable needs emerging from a health crisis. We were able to go from managing production freezes to massive and unprecedented orders from our clients to compensate for backlogs.

2021 was also a year of important growth for our Corporate Social Responsibility policy. In addition to finalising our UN Global Compact report, our charter, and strategy, we engaged in another collective initiative – the 2021 Business Convention for Climate Change (CEC).

This convention for climate change brings together the 150 most proactive CEOs in France to share their best practices and to co-create new ones for sustainable development in business. In-house, our focus has also been on climate change mitigation through the reduction of our carbon print; progressively shifting to renewable energies in our activities; increasing the proportion of recyclable materials we use; and working towards preventing waste wherever possible.

In-line with our CSR ambitions, we were very proud to be a part of an industry first with Ford Motor Company this year. Ford teamed up with HP to innovatively reuse 3D waste for auto parts. The discarded powder from Ford’s HP 3D printers was transformed by resin producer Lavergne into plastic pellets. We reused these plastic pellets to manufacture the injection moulded fuel-line clips that we design and are then installed on Ford’s first Super Duty F-250 trucks.

These parts have better chemical and moisture resistance than conventional ones; are 7% lighter; and cost 10% less.

We are proud to be a part of this new circular economy.

Also, in alignment with our CSR policy, and the shift taking place in the automotive market to electric and autonomous vehicles, we defined our next steps to be proactive participants of this revolutionary transition. As competition increases in the traditional automotive markets, EV and autonomous vehicles are changing the game. Not only do electric and hybrid vehicles require different parts, but there is also huge pressure to keep costs down, to stay competitive and to add value for our clients. We therefore decided to diversify and invest in two acquisitions at the end of 2021 – CGA Technologies, a leading Italian manufacturer of high performing thermal cooling plates, and Castello Italia SpA, an Italian company specialised in plastic tube extrusion for pneumatic applications within the transportation and specific industrial market segments.

We were able to go from managing production freezes to massive and unprecedented orders from our clients to compensate for backlogs.”

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These acquisitions are not just about broadening the ARaymond product offering, but about scaling up to complete system and tailor-made plug-and-play solutions.

The goal is to now also design and deliver complete and optimised thermal management systems within the mobility and selected industrial sectors.

Besides the developments of our automotive industry in 2021, we also continued to invest in the expansion of our product and service offering for the renewable energy market, the agriculture market and the health sector. A few examples of these include our fastening solar panels on ground, roof and floating; our compostable clips for greenhouse crops; and our innovative packaging solution for orthopedic implants, OR2Pack®, for which we received the 2021 Pharmapack Awards in the primary packaging category.

For ARaymond, 2022 will be about value added, complete and quality assembly, as well as fastening and packaging solutions for our customers – driven by our core commitments to sustainability, protecting the planet and human values.

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Hexstone Limited Ian Doherty, CEO I am sure I am not alone in looking back at 2021 and seeing Covid-19 and its impacts as the dominant feature. It seems incredible that this particular issue has been with us for nearly two years!

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ovid-19 has created enormous disruption in our lives, businesses and in the local and global supply chains. Our response has been a huge change in working practices and a review of the fundamental Far East sourcing business model.

Prior to the pandemic, our office staff were based completely on-site, working from home was not part of our business DNA. For nearly two years now, most of our office staff have worked from home and only visit the office infrequently. The use of internet phone systems, video calling, and other remote working tools, means we can deliver a seamless service to our customers, suppliers and other stakeholders whilst keeping our team safe. We have surveyed the team working from home on a regular basis and have seen a radical shift in attitudes.

At the beginning, staff were keen to return to the office, now the majority are looking, once all restrictions have been lifted, to only be in the office one day a week. This wholesale move to working from home may have kept our teams safe, but has raised a whole new dimension to the issue of cyber security. Cybercrime has surged during the pandemic and no business, large or small, is immune from the attentions of criminals. Maintaining cybersecurity awareness for remote workers and providing remote access whilst securing our networks has been a new set of challenges for the business.

For us in the UK, 2021 saw BREXIT finally happen, by and large it has not had a massive impact on our industry. It has created additional costs and administration, as well as lengthening the lead times from order to delivery, but apart from a few disruptions early on, it has not proven a big issue.

As the economy has recovered from the worst of the Covid-19 restrictions, demand has surged and global supply chains have struggled to cope. A combination of restrictions and labour availability has had a massive effect on manufacturing, trucking, ports and shipping. Stock shortages and price increases have been the result. Looking forward into 2022, I am hopeful that with the continued rollout of vaccination programmes, the port delays at the heart of shipping disruptions will ease, allowing schedule reliability to improve. I don’t think this is going to happen quickly, but I expect that by the end of 2022 things will be operating much more smoothly.

However, whilst we should see the reliability of supply from the Far East improve, I do not foresee any major reduction in the current high shipping costs being charged.

The biggest disruptor I anticipate in 2022 lies in Anti-Dumping Duty (ADD). At the time of writing, in spite of strenuous efforts made

by EFDA on behalf of the industry, it seems very likely that ADD will be

applied to many fasteners sourced from China in early 2022. Whatever future sourcing decisions are made – paying the duties or shifting sourcing to factories outside China – the cost price of fasteners will rise and will have to be handed on to end users. This will be yet another inflationary pressure working against the strongest possible economic recovery from the pandemic.

Whilst the British government will not apply ADD, it is likely to have a big impact on UK trading with the EU and affect Northern Ireland, which remains in the EU customs area for goods. I feel certain the EU will see the trade channels between mainland GB and Europe, particularly Ireland, as very high risk in terms of circumvention and will apply a very high-level of scrutiny to trade. Being forced to produce certification of factory of production for every affected product may prove very difficult and have a marked impact on trade with Ireland.

In 2022, and beyond, the challenges of climate change loom large on the horizon. It is an issue that is not going to go away and affects us all. It forces all of us to look long and hard at all of our business activities and seek to minimise the carbon impact. Undoubtedly there will be increasing legislative requirements as governments seek to achieve carbon reduction targets. Ultimately I think it is more likely to be market pricing, with energy costs continuing to rise, which will be the necessary spur to drive down carbon production – and that means higher prices for end users.

Although there are challenges ahead, on balance, I feel positive about the prospects for 2022, with economies and demand improving and light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.

At the time of writing, in spite of strenuous efforts made by EFDA on behalf of the industry, it seems very likely that ADD will be applied to many fasteners sourced from China in early 2022.”

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Marposs Group Joachim Krüger, head of sales support for forming and stamping The impact of Covid-19 and global supply chain problems, along with the shift towards eMobility, are the predominant factors for the year ahead.

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ngoing, global supply chain problems and resulting assembly line standstills at car manufacturers have led to an economic downturn throughout the Eurozone.

Medium-sized automotive suppliers are facing almost insurmountable challenges, the effects of which will be felt well into next year. eMobility, BREXIT, material bottlenecks and a wave-like pandemic have to be countered by us and our customers with innovative and imaginative solutions on a near daily basis.

In connection with digitalisation, the topic of process monitoring is an innovation driver in the field of forming technology.

Many fastener manufacturers are constantly pushing the topic of digitalisation and thus the complete networking of all production machines. Various interfaces such as OPC-UA are used to communicate between the different components at the production level right up to the higher-level IT management system. The evaluation of process data is rapidly gaining in importance, as new tools enable customers to carry out targeted analyses and evaluations.

The combination of the evaluation of process data on the one hand, and the production or machine data on the other, represents an immense step towards realising preventive maintenance, increasing tool life and generating reproducible processes. The topic of quality assurance in the running process is indispensable for our customers and an integral part of our corporate philosophy.

The process monitoring solutions from Brankamp, which belongs to the Marposs Group, is of great interest to the manufacturing industry for several reasons.

First of all, the monitoring devices provide important information about the forming processes, which can be used to optimise them and thus ensure the reliable production of fasteners. Furthermore, the process data stored in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) environment can be used for evaluation and analysis and the collected operating data can be forwarded to higher-level systems. All Brankamp monitoring devices of the X-series have the above-mentioned possibilities and have established themselves as a permanent fixture with customers

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worldwide. Particularly noteworthy are the uniform user interface and the very flexible connection options for various sensors, such as force, acoustic and voltage signals.

Various evaluation algorithms take over the analysis and evaluation of the signals in the background and, in the best case, regulate the machine, sort out parts, stop the machine or provide the machine operator with specific information about process anomalies. Linear drives offer completely new adjustment possibilities for material deviations.

With the new C-Thru MES software, we have also succeeded in offering customised solutions to customers in the field of forming technology, depending on the desired level of expansion. The documentation of process information is a rapidly growing market segment, combined with an increasing need for traceability over the production process and proof of quality checks. The provision of data for statistical evaluations is becoming another task of the process monitoring system itself. Machine condition monitoring is also becoming increasingly important and is essential for predictive maintenance.

Condition monitoring can be realised through vibration and oscillation evaluations at the relevant measuring points of the forming machines. For these special monitoring methods, we work closely with the manufacturers of the forming machines.

Exhibitions have always been a touchpoint with manufacturers, but after

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Many fastener manufacturers are constantly pushing the topic of digitalisation and thus the complete networking of all production machines.” the pandemic, they have gained even more importance. Particularly wire® 2022 in Düsseldorf, Germany, which will most hopefully take place as planned and we expect important impulses from this leading trade fair of the industry for 2022.

Our focus in 2022 will be on driving digitalisation for our customers with a new range of devices in addition to the well proven machine and tool protection. In the future, process data will play a major role in preventive maintenance, optimal machine settings and quality assurance.

The monitoring devices, in combination with data collection, are designed to anticipate production bottlenecks, tool and die damage, as well as other disturbances during the production process.

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

US market

By John Wolz, editor, GlobalFastenerNews.com What is happening in the North American fastener market can be summarised by comments from three panelists at the autumn 2021 joint conference of the Southwestern Fastener Association and Pacific-West Fastener Association.

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anelist Tim Roberto of Star Stainless Steel declared: “Just in Time is dead”, with the three panelists agreeing shortages and strong market will continue well into 2022. Danielle Riggs of Würth Logistics told the conference: “Relief will not be until 2023, at best.”

Whilst Mike Bailey of Nucur Fasteners commented: “All signs are that the market is strong.”

The panelists’ comments indicated what they – and the industry – are seeing. All three panelists emphasised: “partnerships” as important in the current market. Who will gain? Long-term good customers who have developed partnerships with suppliers. Who will suppliers ignore? Those past customers who bought only now and then when they could get a cheap price.

In a separate panel programme Michael Selman of Beta Steel, Beneke Wire, and Monarch Metals, predicted to the National Fastener Distributors Association that “2022 is going to mirror 2021 from a supply point of view”. Freight remains a major issue exacerbated by a shortage of truck drivers, Selman said. “Don’t expect a market shift now that the White House has replaced the 232 tariffs with steel quotas for the European Union,” Selman added. “Lifting the 232 tariffs

will not have a huge effect on the market,” he explained.

Cold heading quality steel (CHQ) is generally available at higher prices, though the delivery wait has doubled to eight weeks. That delay has extended customer deliveries to 14 to 16 weeks. To survive the current conditions, Selman advised distributors to “stay strong with your suppliers”.

Shipping rates have gone up 500% or higher (up to 1,000% based on destination), according to Chris Donnell, national sales director for Scanwell Logistics International.

In 2022, the Chinese New Year and the upcoming Beijing Olympics may push rates higher, Donnell told the NFDA. Currently, carriers are ignoring any pricing structure agreements signed before the shipping season. “Before the pandemic, ocean carriers were losing money, so now they’re trying to make as much as they can,” Donnell explained.

In 2022, ports will begin charging a US$100 storage fee to ocean freighters after 7 days for freight in port; that rate increases US$100 every day after that, with freighters saying they’ll pass those costs on to customers, Donnell pointed out.

Frustrated with ocean freight, some importers are switching to air freight. There are also truck shortages, particularly with ports not letting drivers return empty containers, tying up trucks for days before they can haul full containers, Donnell mentioned.

It is estimated that there is a one million truck driver shortage nationwide. “Economists now see 2026 as when there will be enough drivers to handle domestic freight,” Donnell said.

Before the pandemic, ocean carriers were losing money, so now they’re trying to make as much as they can.”

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Mike Bailey of Nucor Fasteners commented that US manufacturers and distributors are looking for domestic suppliers. Domestic producers are responding, Bailey added. Nucor just acquired an existing state of the art coil processing facility in Shelbyville, IN, where four new National bolt headers will be installed and begin operating in 2022.

Supply chain problems start with raw material

“Vendor/supplier partnerships will remain critical,” Bailey emphasised. What Nucor does sell will focus on what customers need most, he added. Star Stainless president Roberto pointed to a weaker US dollar, plus nickel rising 30% and copper 40%, for stainless steel fastener price increases. The price jumps follow six years of “relative qualm” for nickel, Roberto observed.

The five year average price for nickel has been US$6.09 per pound and the 20 year price US$7.31. Recently it topped US$9.

Copper averaged US$2.64 a pound over the past five years and the 20 year average is US$2.96. It has reached US$4.30.

There isn’t much price negotiating going on, Roberto said. There are a limited number of wire mills and “what the wire mill quotes you are stuck with it”.

The unknown factor in nickel pricing are “ghost warehouses” holding unknown amounts of supply, Roberto commented. In addition to higher prices, it is hard to book shipping lanes, Roberto mentioned. What used to take three weeks now takes six to eight weeks.

Railroads also cut back during the pandemic and can’t just simply hire more. “You just can’t do that overnight”, Roberto pointed out.

China also is using more of its production domestically.

The 13% export rebate has been cut making supplying China versus exporting more competitive.

Danielle Riggs, managing director of Würth Logistics, summarised the current supply chain situation as a “train wreck”. For example, Würth has had a container stuck in Chicago since July, Riggs noted.

There are “one and a half million kilos that can’t get to a warehouse”.

Würth monitors the Freight Baltic Index in shipping decisions. The Baltic Dry Index is a measure of the correlation between the supply of large super bulk cargo ships and the demand for the freight space on the ships.

EV market creates questions for fastener industry

An actual count shows 6.16% fewer fasteners in an electric vehicle than the traditional internal combustion engine. This was according to Phil Lienert of General Motors advanced technology communications team, who responded to a GlobalFastenerNews.com inquiry on the difference between the number of fasteners in its EVs versus ICE. “We compared two similar ICE and EV models and found that the ICE model had about 730 fasteners in its propulsion system with about 685 for the EV,” Lienert reported.

“Outside of the propulsion system, we expect that EVs will have a similar number of fasteners to their ICE counterparts,” Lienert added.

Traditionally the total number of fasteners in a car has frequently been rounded off to 2,500.

Lienert noted the actual “total number of fasteners varies from vehicle-to-vehicle, but 1,400 is a rough average for the typical GM internal combustion vehicle, not counting pre-assembled components that might contain additional fasteners”.

The industry is aware and moving toward EV fasteners. New York-based Sherex Fastening Solutions has begun marketing EV fasteners, including its fasteners for thin sheet and lightweight materials. Sherex points out that “it’s not just the way the vehicle runs that’s the difference” and “Sherex understands the differences and nuances between EVs and combustion engine vehicles”. EVs use more aluminium, composites and carbon fibre than traditional combustion engines.

Sherex has fasteners for thin sheet base materials for easier assembly and joint strength.

Outside of the propulsion system, we expect that EVs will have a similar number of fasteners to their ICE counterparts.”

Böllhoff Group Wilhelm Böllhoff, CEO

As a business when we look back on 2021, we are at first quite happy – volumes are back to pre-pandemic times, profit is reasonable and order intake is good. However, on second viewing it is a bit more critical – with prices, delivery times and general availability of fasteners (and everything else) challenging all of us a lot.

There are as many questions and risks as there are answers and chances for 2022.”

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ith this in mind, when it comes to 2022 we will look to be more alert on what can or will happen. For instance, how we work alongside our customers when it comes to higher material and service prices, as well as potential anti-dumping duties. There are also questions on when industries, especially the automotive sector, will restart production to pre-pandemic levels, as well as how long will the lack of semiconductor chips impact sectors. Of course, Covid-19 is still not going away with the new variant.

How will the pandemic situation in Europe, and globally, continue to impact consumption and GDP growth? There are as many questions and risks as there are answers and chances for 2022.

Overall Böllhoff Group will continue with its ‘passion for successful joining’ and we will look to continue the process of globalising and diversifying our business, as we have done over recent decades. I encourage everyone to stay optimistic for 2022.

WWW.FASTENERANDFIXING.COM

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Thielco Steel Solutions Group Mark Thijssen Msc, manager sales and marketing

The disruptive developments on the world stage have been felt by us all since 2020. Whereas 2020 showed itself to be particularly erratic in the demand pattern, 2021 was marked by a strong recovery. This has been accompanied by new challenges, but also sheds a bright light on opportunities for the carbon footprint, efficiency and robustness of our collective value chain.

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he world of Thielco is that of corrosion protection. As a family-owned business with 180 employees, we offer a diverse spectrum of modern surface treatments for fasteners used worldwide in the wind, automotive, agricultural, railway and general construction industries. By definition, this means that we operate at the end of the production chain and are the last step before delivery to the end customer.

From our place and role, we recognise that our customers have come under higher delivery and cost pressures in 2020 and 2021, due to the limited availability of raw materials, logistics and labour. While we estimate that the situation may relax slightly in 2022, 2020/2021 has created a new reality that will not change to the situation of yesteryear. It is in the midst of the current turmoil – where robustness and stability, reliability, and cooperation, are more important than ever – where the Thielco DNA comes to full bloom. We hold the conviction that chain partners have a responsibility to look out for each other in complex times. If we collectively learn from the challenge, we will be more resilient in the strategic term.

Thielco’s strategy has always been to have the conversation about challenges and then develop solutions. Each new investment then brings a lower carbon footprint, improved efficiency and new opportunities, for example more possibilities in terms of product dimensions.

Especially now, with the recent developments, we notice the appreciation for this modus operandi among tier customers and the OEMs, both direct and indirect.

Where previously the conversations were limited to a pleasant supplier customer relationship, we are now experiencing an increased partnership in the chain. The joint insights emerging from this have led to Thielco opening no less than three new production facilities in 2020 and 2021, which strengthens our partner network as a whole.

Strengthened by these positive experiences, we call on the market to actively seek out this communication. Focus on the mid to long-term and choose mutual development with fewer and stronger partners over a fragmented procurement policy.

In daily business, the trend towards more transparency and cooperation is clearly visible in several areas. A shining example of this is the ever growing maturity of modern quality standards, such as IATF 16949 for the automotive industry and APQP4Wind for the

wind industry. This type of certification gives a clear signal about the capabilities of chain partners, without the essence being lost in a maelstrom of information. In addition, it facilitates the standardisation of packages of requirements and counteracts fragmentation of regulations. In this sense, it is fully in-line with the current zeitgeist and will help the value chain to set-up its processes effectively. It simply provides guidance for investment choices throughout the chain.

Logistics have become permanently more complex from an environmental and cost perspective. In addition, anti-dumping measures are expected to take effect in 2022, further disrupting European imports. In the short term, this is a challenge for those companies pursuing a global sourcing policy. At the same time, this makes the move back to a more geographically concentrated value chain more attainable than before.

At Thielco, it is our firm belief that European fastener manufacturers are well equipped to cope with increasing capacity requirements.

We too, as a surface treatment specialist, work with a scalable capacity, which allows us to continuously anticipate a growing need.

The development towards a more regionally oriented production network will greatly reduce the number of transport movements. This means that we will reduce the environmental impact, be able to work more leanly, simplify communication and ultimately reduce the entire cost of production.

Centralisation is an important principle of our strategy. For this reason, Thielco has chosen to accommodate all processes, also in the future, at our main location in the village of Reuver. This location is in the south-east of the Netherlands, right on the German and Belgian borders, and therefore in the heart of our European network. Very recently, a large acreage adjacent parcel was obtained, securing generous expansion space for decades to come.

From this main office in Reuver, Thielco will retain a calm but focussed eye on the market developments. We are optimistic, open for ideas and will continue to facilitate stronger cooperation. In fact, yet another new facility is already looming on the horizon.

Stay healthy, stay tuned and all the best to all players in our wonderful industry.

Focus on the mid to long-term and choose mutual development with fewer, stronger partners over a fragmented procurement policy.”

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Çetin Cıvata Group of Companies Cenk Turfanda, general manager Throughout 2021 the Çetin Cıvata Group of Companies has been continuing its investment programme, with the total consolidated value expected to reach approximately €20 million by the middle of 2022.

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his investment programme includes the enlargement of its machine park for multi-stroke cold formers and nut formers, as well as increasing the capacity of its heat treatment lines, with a new continuous heat treatment furnace going operational in Quarter 1 of 2022. It also includes two newly opened factory buildings and a modernised administration building at the group’s main Çetin Cıvata factory in Istanbul, Turkey. In terms of machinery and equipment investments, in addition to the cold forming and heat treatment departments, the logistic department was also furnished with a new integrated packaging line in Q4 of 2021 and the Group’s main surface coating plant has been equipped with a new zinc nickel line – obtaining a multinational brand’s licence.

After all this investment, with the aim of increasing the capacity of the Group, Çetin Cıvata – and the affiliated two cold forming factories – will reach a monthly capacity of 7,000 metric tonnes and an annual capacity of 80,000 metric tonnes of cold formed fasteners. The Group’s monthly surface coating capacity will reach 5,000 tonnes in the same period.

Combined, the Çetin Cıvata Group of Companies has a full production setup, enabling it to produce a wide range of products – including bolts from M3 to M27, nuts from M6 to M22 and a wide range of screws, in various qualities and coatings. The factory is IATF 16949 certified and we also give great importance to sustainability in all production processes, as well as conformity to global decarbonisation – zero CO2 emission – and zero waste management goals. Our Group of Companies has already made progress in 2021 in phasing out fossil-fuel-based productions with one of our cold forming companies, Tekno Baglantı, already obtaining a zero waste certification. The Group management’s project team has also started to develop the

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Throughout 2021 the Çetin Cıvata Group of Companies has been continuing its investment programme.” project of applying solar power for the energy needs of our cold forming facilities.

This increased power of machinery, and growing capacity, are continuously supported by creating additional highly qualified employees and gaining highly qualified technical staff, who have been trained in the ‘Çetin Academy’ – the technical education department established in Çetin Cıvata’s main factory at the beginning of 2021. Alongside its investments, the Çetin Cıvata Group of Companies is also developing projects focused on a Customer Oriented Sales Process and After Sales Service Organisation.

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These projects have been supported in 2021 by further using our ERP system’s CRM modules and will continue to develop through our new Customer Satisfaction Helpdesk and department. This will help us reach ‘perfection’ in our customer-oriented services, which we provide to all of our domestic and global clients. Çetin Cıvata has worked with several automotive FSP companies, automotive OEMs, tier 1 factories, as well as white goods producers, on a serial and ‘Just In Time’ basis for many years.

With reference to our marketing and sales activities, we have to mention that Çetin Cıvata’s sales office in Germany – recently celebrating its 3rd year in service at the end of 2021 – is becoming more important and effective in securing clear and direct communication with our active and emerging client portfolio in Germany and in the western EU countries. We have also established a distribution and marketing organisation in Chicago, USA, and we will speed up our steps to enter the US market within 2022.

We believe that the Çetin Cıvata Group of Companies will increase its capacity and market share significantly in the Turkish fastener industry throughout 2022 and will be a shining star in the Turkish fastener industry’s global role when it comes to the international fastener supply chain.

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Brazilian market Sergio Milatias, editor, Revista do Parafuso Firstly, I want to start this article by thanking Fastener + Fixing Magazine for the invitation to the Janus Perspective feature and the opportunity to talk to the global leaders of our sector about my beloved country Brazil.

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will start with the high inflation we are facing in Brazil, which has come back to hit double-digits in 2021 – something we have not seen since 2016. From October 2020, the cumulated inflation for the last 12 months is around 10.25%. Meanwhile, the growth prediction for 2021 is around 5.3%, which is a relatively positive result after a disastrous 2020.

Similar to other industrial powers, such as Asia, Europe, and the USA, prices have been high in all areas within Brazil – with prices increasing too much and too fast. A prime example is something as simple as the plastic bag most printed magazines are sent in, which jumped 92% in price, from US$2.4 to US$4.6 per kilogram. One of the key factors within the price increases has been the fuel sector, which has pulled up all prices including things such as food.

Despite the global steel shortage, Brazilian production of crude steel, from January to October 2021, hit 30.3 million tonnes, an increase of 19.2% compared with the same period in 2020. The Brazilian Steel Institute predicts that steel demand will have reached 36 million tonnes for the whole of 2021, with it predicted to grow around 2% during 2022.

With the lack of steel, as well as the global semiconductor shortage, the production of light vehicles, trucks and buses within Brazil for 2021 is reported at around 2.8 million units – with 2.03 million cars made as of the end of November 2021. Whilst this figure is slightly up on the 2.01 million produced for the entirety of 2020, it

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Whilst the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic shook every company, and the lack of steel represented other challenges, overall the Brazilian fastener sector faired relatively well.”

is still significantly down on the 2.94 million produced in 2019. When it comes to the motorcycles sector this is going a lot better. Up to November 2021, there were 1.1 million produced, which is 16% more than the whole of 2020 and almost 1% above total production for 2019.

For fastener manufacturers that supply the automotive sector, as well as a variety of other sectors, it was a very challenging year – with some companies not able to complete orders due to the steel shortage. Fastener manufacturers reported having production idle due to the lack of steel. In one scenario, a global auto part company asked a fastener manufacturer to sell its own steel to another fastener company – so they could produce certain lines of fasteners and thus avoiding stoppages in the production lines of some automakers.

Whilst the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic shook every company, and the lack of steel represented other challenges, overall the Brazilian fastener sector faired relatively well. Ricardo Marques Castelhano, CEO at Brazilian fastener manufacturer JOMARCA, explains: “Though disastrous, the last year was good for business.

Throughout 2020 we produced 26,000 tonnes of fasteners, beating the 22,000 tonnes in 2019. In 2021 the production increased a further 20% until the end of Q2, before falling 15% in Q3. For 2022 we are predicting a 15% increase, an expansion caused by the depreciated exchange rate with our currency, the Brazilian real, and the high prices from China.”

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

NORMA Group Dr Michael Schneider, CEO

We plan to take further steps to leverage the advantages of digitalisation – in sales, our own production and to an increasing extent in our products.”

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his year, NORMA Group celebrated its 15th anniversary – one and a half decades in which we succeeded in becoming an international market and technology leader for joining and fluid handling technology. Under normal circumstances, this would be a reason for us to celebrate, but the Covid-19 pandemic began rearing its ugly head again at the end of 2021 and we had to change our plans.

Throughout the year, protecting our employees on-site has been our top priority. In all regions, we have implemented protective measures and supported regional vaccination campaigns – including providing Covid-19 shots at workplaces in Germany, Malaysia, the USA and Mexico.

During a brief period in the summer, we were able to go back to physical meetings and we participated in trade fairs in China. There, we saw unwavering interest in our products and, in particular, in improvements such as customised multilayer cables or connectors with additional digital functions.

Using a broad portfolio to mitigate global supply chain interruptions

We have been busy adapting to the ‘new normal’ in our daily operations – our automotive business was and still is affected by global supply chain challenges. After a strong first half of 2021, we saw a change in order behaviour among many customers, requiring much higher flexibility and short-term planning from us than usual.

On the input side, we noticed an increase in raw material costs due to faltering supply. We felt the impact of sharply increased prices for engineering plastics, stainless steel and alloy surcharges in the past quarter. In addition, earnings and margins were impacted by special freight rates, higher overall costs for logistics services and increased costs for temporary workers and contract labour in Europe and America.

We were able to mitigate the impact of these developments for the most part through our diversified positioning in the marketplace and our consistent focus on customer demand in NORMA Group’s three growth markets: Water management, industry applications and mobility/new energies. In 2021 we also received initial contracts for hydrogen applications in vehicles and industrial power storage systems. On the water management side, we brought the Raindrip

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2021 was shaped by unprecedented interruptions to global supply chains – interruptions that also affected NORMA Group’s automotive business.

Despite such setbacks, our business remains resilient on the back of a diversified portfolio; a number of product innovations catering to global megatrends; and, most importantly, the consistent delivery of our mid-term transformation programme.

RootWise™ to market: A 360 degree precision irrigation pad that, compared to other irrigation methods, can save up to 80% water. In the years ahead, we will continue to bring forward innovative products and solutions to tackle the global megatrends climate change and resource scarcity – and leverage these for our business growth.

Success towards NORMA Group’s ambitious sustainability targets

NORMA Group also used 2021 to press ahead with our sustainability initiatives. We continued along the path set out in our 2018 environmental strategy, which also included ambitious quantitative goals. Since July 2021, our production facility in Serbia has been running exclusively on climate neutral green electricity, drastically reducing our carbon footprint.

Apart from our environmental stewardship, we are also stepping up in terms of our social responsibility with the NORMA Clean Water project. These efforts have been underway for more than seven years, together with Plan International, with the goal of providing access to water for children in India and Brazil. We are proud that the Clean Water project was awarded the German Award for Sustainability Projects 2021 in the ‘equal opportunities’ category by an independent jury from business, science and media.

Toward 2022: Group strategy focusing on growth

The first half of 2022 will most likely remain burdened by global supply chain interruptions and we expect higher raw material costs and unsteady order behaviour from the OEM side in our automotive business.

We have, however, set in motion several mitigation measures to reduce operating costs and be more flexible in our production capabilities. We are confident that we will emerge from this situation stronger. We plan to take further steps to leverage the advantages of digitalisation – in sales, our own production and to an increasing extent in our products.

Although we faced many unforeseen challenges in 2021, we have continued to drive forward our mid-term transformation programme and will continue to do so in 2022. On top of that, we plan to grow our business continuously – both organically and through acquisitions along the megatrends climate change and resource scarcity.

CELO Ramón Ceravalls, chief executive officer I always evaluate the performance of our business in two parts, firstly the performance of the current year and secondly the work we have done to improve our business for future years.

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fter a difficult 2020, with sales slightly decreasing (-2%), 2021 will be a very good year with sales growth at around 20% and good economic results. At the beginning of the year, we were already expecting a good performance as we had very good new projects for customers in our Industry division (mostly automotive, with technical screws for plastics and thread rolling screws for metals). We had also managed to keep growing our Construction division in the electrical, plumbing and hardware markets – thanks to the continued good momentum in our range of direct impact fixings, support systems, fixings on isolation materials and frame fixings.

The supply chain has been a common problem in many countries and sectors during 2021. We have also suffered a lot, but overall, our customers say that we have done better than the market. For once, having our own factories and very good and reliable (even personally close) supplier base has been a competitive advantage. Raw material price increases have been negotiated with suppliers (of course) but we have been sensible to the cost increases of our suppliers and we have prioritised the service over price discussions and speculating.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a major problem, especially at the beginning of the year and towards the end of the year. As a small company, we have done our very best to secure the wellbeing of our employees, in the company and at their homes. The situation forced us to change some internal processes and we had time to focus on mid-term projects for logistics, the factory, our sales team, as well as administration, to improve our sharing knowledge among our local and international teams (a kind of CELO Wikipedia). Plus, we have looked at processes and added new machines to improve efficiency.

Throughout 2021 our team continued to improve both its talent and knowledge. We also continued to invest in new machines for cold forming, plastic injection, metal rolling and automatic assemblies. We have not stopped in our product development and we have some very nice new products that will be launched in 2022.

As for 2022, every year there are new challenges and opportunities… and as always, we will adapt. Whilst there is a lot of short-term noise, we will keep focussed on our long-term objectives. The advantage of being a small family company is that we are ready to accept some bad times as long as the long-term is good.

I believe that our main challenge in 2022 will be the volatility of costs, which have been ramping up since Q4 2021. We need to pass these costs to our selling prices. However, I expect that

bottlenecks will be solved sometime in the second half of 2022 and this might lead to some costs reducing. Our plan is to minimise the price volatility to our customers by cutting the high price peaks and hoping that costs will reduce to a more normal level.

Another main challenge is the volatility of demand. Our factories and our supply chain cannot be adapted every three months. We have planned our operations for 2022/2023 to be capable to face a significant increase in demand. But demand may change very fast as is happening now with the automotive sector. We have kept our structure because we expect the situation will change in the second half of 2022 and then we must be capable to react fast to serve our customers.

Other important factors for 2022 will be related to the climate emergency and digital transformation. To solve the climate emergency will require investments for energy savings in buildings and transition from coal/fuel/gas to more sustainable energies such as solar, wind and maybe even nuclear. Cars will change to electric, and I expect that hydrogen will also have a part to play in the future.

These changes will have a major impact on fastener businesses.

At CELO, like many other fastener companies (but not all), we have been preparing ourselves to take advantage of these new scenarios. We will continue in the same direction in the future. We want to be a leader in technical screws and technical fixings that reduce installation times and costs. That is why our main focus will continue to be to keep building a top team with the latest talent and knowledge; carry on product innovation when it comes to screws and fixings that reduce installation times; as well as focus on our digital transformation and how we can reach/service our customers, as well as improve our internal processes. Finally, we will look for international expansion to access new markets.

As for 2022, every year there are new challenges and opportunities… and as always, we will adapt.”

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BESIAD

The Turkish Association of fastener industrialists and businesspeople Mustafa Tecdelioğlu, chairman of BESIAD and chairman of Çetin Cıvata The most important and essential challenges for Turkish fastener producers in 2021 have been the tremendous and continuous rise of raw material costs and the rise of other production input costs – due to factors occurring from the impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

However, a positive was the huge diversion of supply chain sourcing traffic from Asia to Turkey due to the logistic challenges, such as increased container lead times, as well as a boom in container freight rates globally.

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capacity in Turkey. These he collapse of the supply chain in many fields of member producers are production affected by the 3rd and 4th waves of the first class factories Covid-19 pandemic; ongoing travel restrictions – that make serial supply limiting networking and face-to-face contact – due to automotive OEMs and automotive tier 1 companies, as well as to new Covid variants creating outbreaks; as well as global white goods producer companies in Turkey and Europe. There several production breaks in various sectors served are more than 50,000 workers employed in the Turkish fastener by the fastener sector, such as automotive and automotive related industry currently. industries; have formed a ‘new normal’ for Turkish fastener producers All members of BESIAD work in close cooperation with the Material and also for many companies that supply the Turkish fastener Test and Innovation Laboratory, which was established 10 years ago with industry, and seem set to remain for 2022. the support of the Turkish Steel Exporters Association. The laboratory In this ‘new normal’, we have observed and faced an carries out accredited tests and analysis to give testing services to all steel extraordinary increase in fastener demand levels – especially emergency usingPRODUCTION industries within the campus of the Istanbul Technical demand for fasteners diverted to Turkish fastener producers due to a • HIGH-QUALITY FASTENERS VIA COLD FORMING & HOTUniversity.

FORGING This test and innovation laboratory gives strong support in fields of R&D, broken supply chain from Asia to Europe. Turkish fastener producers • BOLTS, NUTS, AND THREADED RODS WITHIN A RANGE OF M12 M 220 innovation, technology development and consultancy, specific technical have stepped up to this challenge and have been successful in meeting as per sectoral profession AND and accredited laboratory services, the demand of the domestic and international fastener sourcing sectors.

• ACCORDING TO THE DIN,education ISO & ASTM STANDARDS SPECIAL to many steel using industries’ companies in Turkey, as well as to Turkish Thanks to big machinery and equipment investments that Turkish WITH DRAWINGS fastener producer factories. fastener manufacturers have been making since as far back as 2015, there • VARIOUS CLASSESFurthermore, & MATERIALS BESIAD has recently concluded an agreement is a growing domestic and global interest, and demand,QUALITY for fasteners with theA490M-ASTM Turkish Republic A563M National -Education Ministry in providing produced in Turkey and this growing demand(4.6-5.6-8.8-10.9-12.9-14.9-ASTM has created good capacities B7) professional education to the association’s member companies and high-quality levels at Turkish fastener manufacturers. At the end of • 3rd HEAT TREATMENT IN-HOUSE! place among the European from the state’s vocational high schools and academies. All these 2021, Turkish fastener production sat in zone‘s fastener industries’ ranking, while the Turkish fastener industry is development investment programmes, as well as • ELECTROGALVANIZING & HOT-DIP programmes, GALVANIZING LINE INHOUSE within the biggest eight fastener producer countries worldwide. capacity and production growths of Turkish fastener companies, are • (ALL AUTOMATIC & ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY- HIGH & LOW TEMP!) Current capacity of the Turkish fastener production industry key factors in the country’s sustainable growth – whilst conforming QUALITY IN-HOUSE! is 1.5 million metric tonnes as of the •end of 2021. The CONTROL target for theLABORATORY to globally agreed carbon footprint reduction regulations in-line with Turkish fastener industry for the year 2023 is to reach a production the global near zero carbon dioxide emission goals.

• EXPORTING TO THE WORLD! capacity of 2 million metric tonnes, with an annual production volume Through its continuous growth rate and further investments, we FAST REPLY & FAST DELIVERIES! in excess of 1.5 million metric tonnes. • believe the Turkish fastener industry will become an industrial supply The fastener producers in Turkey who the member companies power and the perfect sourcing opportunity for all global fastener using • are CERTIFICATION & TRACEABILITY FOR YEARS! of BESIAD represent 88% of the total current fastener production industries and production sectors in the next decade and long-term.

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HIGH-QUALITY FASTENERS PRODUCTION VIA COLD FORMING & HOT FORGING

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BOLTS, NUTS, AND THREADED RODS WITHIN A RANGE OF M12 - M 220

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ACCORDING TO THE DIN, ISO & ASTM STANDARDS AND SPECIAL WITH DRAWINGS

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

BRALO S.A Daniel Suárez, managing director 2021 has been a year full of challenges for every business. The Covid-19 pandemic; the challenges in global transport; and the increase in the prices of raw materials and energy; have forced BRALO to react and be flexible to adapt to the circumstances – without compromising its customers’ commitments. BRALO’s ability to adapt to market demands has led us to achieve double-digit growth in our results compared to pre-Covid figures.

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t BRALO our workforce proved the best possible commitment during the pandemic. At the same time, BRALO supported all our teams in those difficult times.

We started 2021 facing a heavy snowstorm that brought Madrid to a standstill for a week. However, thanks to our incredible workforce, we resumed production within 36 hours and were the first production company in our region to do so. That’s just a demonstration of our resilience.

After the first few months, we decided to see the Covid-19 crisis as an opportunity to review some strategic approaches and, honestly, I think we have come out stronger, as our turnover shows – more than 10% above pre-pandemic 2019 levels. We have also made investments in new machinery in China and Spain to increase installed capacity to ensure BRALO factories produce with the latest technologies.

While the company focused its efforts on safeguarding employee health and maintaining service to customers, BRALO’s extensive logistics and production network, with plants in China, Spain, and Mexico, as well as seven warehouses across Europe, enabled it to meet global demand by adapting production when shutdowns occurred anywhere in the world.

Sustainable mobility and renewable energies

Innovation, to which BRALO devotes 5% of its turnover, remains key for the company. New developments of solutions for sectors such as wind energy or electric cars, the introduction of new ranges of battery powered tools (BT-20 for rivets and an insert nut tool in the prototype phase), as well as the development of a new family of hydro-pneumatic riveting machines for high strength rivets and insert nuts (HT family), are examples of the constant importance of innovation in the company’s strategy.

In addition to manufacturing rivets and insert nuts for a wide range of applications in industry, automotive, and construction, BRALO has experienced significant growth in the renewable energy sector, where we have created fastening solutions that achieve a wide variety of options for the installation of solar module structures.

Our sales volume in solar energy has skyrocketed. The renewable energy sector will account for 5.7% of turnover in 2021, up from 3.5% in 2020. Today, we are designing and selling rivets to most of the world’s top 10 solar tracker producers, with customers in North America, Europe and China – supporting their projects worldwide.

Other sectors are also experiencing quick changes. In automotive, for example, the trend is unmistakable – the future is electric.

At the recent Frankfurt Motor Show, all major manufacturers presented innovations in the electric segment.

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Our obligation as a supplier is to go hand in hand with them. That is why we are developing new products specifically for this type of technology. Our automotive customers include Ford, but we also supply Bosch, VALEO and Toyota Boshoku. Our crisis management during the pandemic has helped to strengthen relationships with long-standing customers and opened the door to new business relationships.

Underlining our dedication to product quality, BRALO was honoured in 2021 with the highest recognition for quality, a Gold Award from Toyota Boshoku. We are deeply proud of the award and this recognition is the best possible image for our products. Our motto is ‘The quality in rivets’, therefore having such recognition from a well-known company as Toyota is the best possible recognition to our way of delivering products to our customers.

BRALO exports its products to more than 60 countries. The data indicates that we are doing great numbers in several countries and exceeding our plans in others. Many customers are coming to us because we are reliable in quality and deadlines.

Digitalisation and environmental commitment

BRALO is also looking to the future with two key themes in its plans – digitalisation and environmental commitment. Advancing the digitisation of our processes and using data to accelerate improvements is becoming increasingly important. BRALO has recently take part in some conferences to support digitalisation in the metal sector in Spain to share our best practices to other players.

Economics, compliance and ecology cannot be considered separately. BRALO is ISO 14001 certified, which proves that we have an environmental management system in place. In addition, BRALO has recently joined a partnership to support the battery lifecycle and ensure a safe ‘end of life’ proposition for all of the company’s batteries.

BRALO has also replaced plastic blister packs in its hand tools with 100% recyclable cardboard and is committed to also do it with plastic blister packs for parts (rivets, insert nuts and accessories) throughout the year.

From when I joined BRALO in 2019, with the goal to make BRALO grow and complete a process of professionalisation to create a stronger company, we have already implemented several changes and improvements and strengthened our team. The year 2021 has shown the expected growth, which is an excellent sign that our goals are being met. At the same time, we’re focusing on 2022 with several confirmations from customers for new projects, as well as renewed riveting machines.

Our investments are a main step towards a constant growth; therefore, we’ve already ordered an extended list of stamping machines for the coming years.

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Chavesbao Jorge Cámara, export manager As I am sure is the case for the majority of companies, 2021 figures for Chavesbao showed a very positive recovery from 2020’s global contraction. The relevant turnover increases experienced in 2021 is a trend every company involved in the fastener sector will have seen. However, hiding in those brilliant numbers is an intense suffering.

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his suffering involves the management of unprecedented tough conditions that we are currently experiencing and living in the supply chain – such as the replacement of goods both for our purchasing and sales teams, which is a key issue, as well as service reliability, which has been seriously impacted from origin to destination.

At least the next two quarters of 2022 are forecasted to be framed in that context – under high pressure and instability due to different disruptions and bottlenecks currently affecting and risking supply chains. With significant probability they will remain for the following months.

There are a number of challenges we all must face. Covid-19 is still unsolved and damaging (new variants of the virus, infection spreading, unequal percentages of the population vaccinated in Europe and worldwide).

There is also accelerated consumption and an unbalanced situation between demand and offer – there are relevant shortages in capacities and delivery delays at manufacturing sites. There is also friction in raw material costs, as well as currencies playing their role.

Freight tensions and a great global traffic jam are leading to increased costs, lack of capacities and delays in global sea freights – with a growing shortfall status in the European freight forwarders capacities. To add to all this, there are difficulties in recruitment of qualified skilled employees; energy costs are undermining private and company economies; meanwhile regulatory and industrial adaptations are needed. It is easy to see why the updated reviews are for a drop in macroeconomic forecasts for 2022.

There is also the anti-dumping factor to add to this perfect storm formula, with the European Commission seemingly set to apply huge anti-dumping duties, as its final measures position, for Chinese carbon steel bolts and washers This will be bad for China and bad for Europe. Unfortunately, the European regulators seem to be leading us all, again, to unsafe and unclear waters.

These duties endanger the competitiveness, profitability and sustainability of the European industry when playing on the worldwide gameboard. For European wholesalers and importers that hold European fasteners distribution, those big question marks come back again – similar to a few years ago. We do not have the persuading touch that the great Henry Fonda showed in the film ‘12 angry man’, to put things under reasonable questions to the jury. In our case, really being understood and having chances to change political positions/ views in Brussels and at national authorities (they do hear, but how do

Values are always good masts and sails, and you especially need them to drive the ship when the ocean market shows its power.”

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they listen?) is a challenge when starting always under presumption of guilt. It was Julius Caesar who said: “Alea iacta est” (the die is cast).

Uncertainty is our companion. Current stoic times evidence how reality exceeds fiction. A changing and destabilising external situation that continually shows us that the biggest challenges we will face will be those we cannot foresee. As Marcus Aurelius, another wise roman Emperor, said: “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.”

So, talking of things that are in our hands, inside my company. In the middle of 2021 we began shifting warehouses, meaning 2021 was a transition period to 2022 when our new premises will be consolidated. Honestly it has been very challenging lining up this transformation with current demand speed; we feel grateful to customers for being really understanding with any service inconvenience through this journey. However, once complete we will be able to give an even better and optimum service for a huge portfolio of demands and requirements.

Other day-to-day focuses include digitalisation, compliance, as well as our recycling and renewable policies. Values are always good masts and sails, and you especially need them to drive the ship when the ocean market shows its power.

Real inspiring leadership and commitment is needed to better face today and tomorrow, as well as minimise any potential risks. Our crew and customers deserve that we show them wisdom and hope, as well as a better picture of ourselves – everyday. These are not empty words, for me the daily effort; working to build a humble houselight – a warm flame to guide; bringing in our teamwork, training, good communication, perseverance, resilience, quick adaptation, continuous improvement goals, generosity and sense of humour; all fasten together to make an extraordinary steel. It is a privilege to hoist that flag at Chavesbao.

I take this opportunity to thank all our partners who daily cooperate and rely on our team and CHB fasteners. We do appreciate your confidence. Take care and I wish you all the best!

DQ_

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21.10.21 11:14

JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Dörken Coatings Dr Gerhard Reusmann, CTO and COO, and Christos Tselebidis, key account manager global sales How did 2021 progress for Dörken – with the multitude of challenges it presented – and did it differ from perceptions at the beginning of the year?

“Dörken Coatings expects sales in 2021 to be above the level of 2020 – this applies to both industrial coatings and architectural paints in two stage sales. After a strong first half of 2021, we saw a decrease in the second half of the year. The year was negatively influenced by significantly increased costs for energy, freight and raw material, as well as scarcity of raw materials. The raw material shortages also had a negative impact on the productivity of our customers, such as the automotive sector.”

What opportunities and challenges does Dörken believe lie ahead in 2022?

“The greatest opportunity for 2022 lies in the normalisation of the procurement situation. At the same time, the massive cost increases, driven among other things by increases in raw material costs and raw material shortages, will represent a major challenge. Overall, we can also see how the issues of sustainability and digitisation are still becoming increasingly important.

That’s why we have already taken measures to achieve maximum flexibility in production through digitisation of all value-added processes and maximum sustainability

Christos Tselebidis, key account manager global sales at Dörken Coatings

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in the use of energy, raw materials, buildings and machines.

In terms of economical and financial terms, we need to observe how the supply chain issues with semiconductors, but also other components, as well as major commodities, will impact the production of key sectors like the automotive industry. The longer the lack of these components and commodities remains the stronger the impact will be on the companies in this field. We are afraid that

When it comes to defining the technology of tomorrow we see a strong tendency in cutting down CO2 emissions.” many small and medium sized companies will get into severe problems in terms of solvency.

It is obvious that the uncertainty reigning in the automotive supply chains burden the above-mentioned companies and could push them to the edge of the abyss named bankruptcy.

After talking to many players along the value chain it is obvious that the cancellation of orders and the lack of reliable forecasts will continue to create massive costs. A turnaround in communicating with each other would probably make life easier to the complete supply chain – but this needs to start at the very beginning, the OEM. On the one hand the markets might answer to the uncertainty in transport (availability of transport capacities and exploding costs) with localising their sourcing activities. However, it still needs to be observed if the capacities within the European fastener market are big enough to meet the local demands. Talking to many producers in Europe we found that the

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Dr Gerhard Reusmann, CTO and COO at Dörken Coatings order books are full and that companies that had been reluctant to invest in new machinery now plan to massively increase their capacities.

There are so many aspects that make decision making in our business difficult – steadily increasing energy costs, raw material costs are partly exploding and social megatrends like CO 2 reduction and green production, digitalisation, etc. In order to find reliable solutions to the questions arising from these challenges we will need to join forces and bundle our expertise along the value chains. Networking, cooperations and even coopetition will become something we will all need to think about.”

What will the technology drivers for the fastener sector be in the future?

“When it comes to defining the technology of tomorrow we see a strong tendency in cutting down CO 2 emissions. This approach can be found in various fields: High-tensile strength fasteners, new materials, as well as insourcing of activities like heat and surface treatment. Equipment manufacturers keep on developing new machinery; chemical suppliers like Dörken keep on looking for new products; material suppliers are looking for more energy saving production processes. Apart from that, we believe that the applications will become more and more relevant. In particular, the automotive industry is currently facing a massive transformation, with many new applications the focus will be laid on to how best solve problems occurring in the application. A perfect example are the fasteners for battery cells and housings. What dimensions shall be used? How many fasteners do I really need? Are there alternatives to fasteners? Shall we use metric or special fasteners like self-tapping screws? All these topics need to be examined in detail to avoid problems in the field.

The companies that are willing to perceive these challenges as chances will be successful, those who see them as a threat will face massive difficulties.”

Acton SAS Philippe Purgy, director

2021 finished with some great and different feelings.

Indeed, the economic situation started a huge rising trend – since the middle of 2020, after the first pandemic wave – well helped by the numerous domestic recovery plans set-up by almost every country, as well as the European plan.

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hese large economic projects pulled up the building industries and had positive effects all over Europe and the rest of the world. For more than one year, we observed a rising demand of global needs – especially in the field of building, construction and renovation. The raw materials involved in the building sector include wood, concrete, carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminium, and for the second fix it includes copper, plastic, nickel, rubber, synthetic putties, etc. This means that a lot of different manufacturers, distributors and installers were involved and able to increase their sales and generally speaking their business. As a company we made the most of this dynamic situation and we can positively say that 2021 was a ‘grand cru’.

The consequence of this higher demand however is inflation, which has not wasted any time making its impact. All goods have seen a rising cost in 2021, some very quickly, other slowly, depending on the global demand.

The consequence of this higher demand however is inflation, which has not wasted any time making its impact. All goods have seen a rising cost in 2021, some very quickly, others slowly, depending on the global demand.

All manufacturers, based in Europe and Asia, have been concerned by a shortage of materials, decreasing of productivity, and finally by longer delivery times. Furthermore, some other disruptions have appeared during this year – some new variants of the pandemic; the growing cost of energy; and the difficulties of international transport.

The transport sector especially has been impacted since the middle of 2020. Every field of international transport has had difficulty with storage, lack of containers, increasing energy price, reduction of shipping speed, modifications of sea routing, additional blank sailings, new booking rules (ACID), as well as unprecedented port congestion. This has caused a drop in vessel and container availability and pulled up the cost of freight – especially international transport, which has increased by an unusually high manner.

It is very hazardous to guess what next year will bring to us. You might think the first quarter will keep on the same trend – good levels of demand, quite high general prices, and some difficulties with products being delivered on time. However, there are so many changes that can occur during the next few months. We may consider that the material price is high but the growing potential does still exist, because of a high global demand. Concerning the transport charges, we expect a better future, but the improving effect seems to be taking a very long time, which means the difficulties will remain for several months.

Whatever will happen it is important to think global because developments and actions in certain regions of the world can quickly impacting another part of the world – whether it be a disease, economic, transport or environmental.

This market situation has been deeply disturbing and it has created stresses on the complete supply chain - all over the world.”

WWW.FASTENERANDFIXING.COM

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Indian market Abhijat Sanghvi, president Fasteners Association of India

It’s been an unprecedented situation for the global economy since Covid-19 hit the world in early 2020 and its catastrophic impact has ensured no individual’s lives are the same anymore.

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hrough some phenomenal efforts from the global medical fraternity and swift government policies and action, we have adapted our lives to the ‘new normal’. Businesses worldwide including in India were set back drastically in the second and third quarters of 2020.

As the work from home culture and limited manufacturing activity commenced, economic activity began limping back. Massive vaccination drives, especially from the Indian perspective, have been instrumental in keeping excellent control after the brutal second wave in May 2021, which saw a peak of approximately 410,000 cases a day to early December – where we are almost down to 10,000 cases a day. For a population of over 1.3 billion, it augurs well for India assuming any new mutations don’t play havoc again.

Despite the cruel second Covid-19 wave in India and the widespread disruptions that ensued, India’s economy is set to be one of the fastest growing major economies for this year and beyond. Following a sharp contraction in GDP last year, India’s latest outlook shows growth is expected to rebound to 9.5% this year and 8.5% in FY2022-23.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted that India will have the fastest economic growth rate by next year. The favourable factor is that in the list, except for India, this growth rate has not been estimated to go above 6% for any other country. The other big positive is that over 50% of India’s population is under 25 years old and 65% is under 35.

Fastener Exports & Imports Data for India received from the Engineering Export Promotion Council of India (EEPC) indicate that for FY2020-21, though exports and imports dropped 13% and 16% respectively over the previous year – after being hit by Covid-19, the rebound has been very positive with a jump of approximately 25% and 27% for FY2021-22.

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From the Indian fastener industry perspective, many companies that would have deferred their capex plans will now go into action, considering a healthy jump back to industry growth. Although the impact of steel rises, to an all time high, have currently affected industry margins, with a steel price jump of almost 50% in a year and a half, the next couple of years are envisioned for consolidation and growth in the industry.

After a hiatus of almost two years, Fastener Fair India resumed in the last week of November 2021 in Mumbai. Industry members were delighted to reconnect and I was personally witness to large footfalls at the show. Most major shows such as Fastener Fair Delhi 2022, the International Fastener Expo at Las Vegas USA 2022 and Fastener Fair Global 2023 should stay on course, which is a positive sign.

We have to accept the fact that Covid-19 is here to stay and complete eradication seems a distant dream. As long as there are boosters developed in time to combat any new potentially dangerous mutations, we need to move on albeit with utmost precaution of safety measures. The latest hurdle is the very recent Omicron variant – where again the world is in panic mode. On grounds of precaution, steps taken have hurt industry again.

There is a massive air of unpredictability but we need to maintain a positive attitude to weather the coronavirus storms, which will be frequent. The next decade holds phenomenal growth opportunity potential for the Indian fastener industry.

The Fasteners Association of India will conduct in 2022 regular technical seminars and training for skilled labour as it did in the pre-Covid phase. The industry must also embrace automation in their business plans as the top tier of large fastener companies in India are already making a transition to Industry 4.0. An organised plan of excellence through continuous improvement, effective training programmes, upgrading technology, and focus on customer service, can be effective in building ‘Brand India’.

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JANUS PERSPECTIVE

Berardi Group Last year was a year characterised by the continuous breaking of the old patterns recorded in the last decade. For Berardi Group, on the other hand, it was a satisfactory year after the forced closures of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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he impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 meant that 2021 would be a difficult year, where the world economy would restart at a slow pace due to uncertainty in the markets and global demand.

Berardi’s goal for 2021 was to support its customers, many of whom actually experienced significant production increases due to the recovery that took place throughout 2021.

A critical situation regarding sea freight gave rise to an absence of raw materials in western markets, which triggered an increase in prices for the material available at the start of the year and continued to get worse as the year progressed. Whilst there was these raw material challenges and supply lead times issues, Berardi was able to overcome these problems by making moves and decisions in advance, thanks to supply agreements with its partners, as well as rethinking processes in some of its departments such as logistics, marketing, as well as the corporate strategies themselves.

For 2022 Berardi Group expects it will still be difficult to find raw materials, at least for the first quarter. However, whilst it will probably be another year full of challenges, at the same time it will be full of opportunities for those who are able to read and interpret the unprecedented factors that we are experiencing. The market has certainly accelerated the race towards the search for new structured and performing suppliers, capable of offering services that make it possible to reduce procurement problems.

This concept is amplified in C-class components, where the low unit value of the products and the multiple codes under management often put industrial assembly lines into difficulty.

Berardi’s challenge will therefore be to ensure its customers do not

have stock shortages, especially for those who have Kanban supply agreements and who have seen Berardi as the ideal partner to solve internal logistics problems on fasteners. At the same time, we need to look at how to avoid customer price increases – due to increases in raw material costs (steel for instance is up 140% compared to the end of 2020).

All the dynamics described, in addition to the upcoming anti-dumping measures, has led Berardi Group to think that, in the fastener context, the doors could be open to new important opportunities within Europe. With western industry possibly returning to investing large resources in their own countries – generating employment and new value for the territory.

For over 20 years Berardi has believed in the importance of investing in resources; the importance of logistics services; as well as increasingly structuring the know-how made available to customers. Believing that the future will increasingly go in this direction.

One of Berardi’s priorities going forward will be to further expand its product range through the Extracomponents division, allowing customers to reduce the number of suppliers and consequently reduce their indirect costs.

Another priority will be to focus on the continuous technological evolution of integrated logistics systems, not necessarily only C-class components. Berardi’s new B-Lean Factory Systems team, specialised in the design of customised Lean services and in the development of new technological drivers, aims to increase the efficiency of the supply flow directly to the customer’s assembly lines – reducing waste and material shortages; avoiding dangerous stock outages and managing production peaks; while at the same time allowing the customer to reduce the stock of material in its warehouse.

Whilst it will probably be another year full of challenges, at the same time it will be full of opportunities.”

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INSIGHT

taking an indepth look at the workings of the fastener industry

Circumvention will not work – be warned It is very likely, although not confirmed at the time of writing, that the EU will shortly apply anti-dumping duties of up to 86.5% on many fasteners originating in China. There is a similarly high probability that some Chinese exporters will attempt to circumvent the duties, and that importers, knowingly or unknowingly receiving circumvented product will, sooner or later, be caught and pay heavy back-duties. Phil Matten reported throughout the last anti-dumping case and has continued to take a close interest in the latest developments. He has a blunt warning for importers.

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ircumvention of European Union trade remedy duties is illegal under EU law. It’s that simple.

Chinese exporters, however, do not face any legal consequences, in fact they have every incentive to maintain sales of their product to EU buyers. So, some will unquestionably encourage and participate in circumvention.

The European Commission expects circumvention to occur, especially where duties are as high as is anticipated from the AD676 investigation. It is alert to the potential, as are national customs authorities, has sophisticated monitoring mechanisms and, in OLAF, a powerful investigative authority dedicated to protecting EU income.

So, bluntly: Importers that bring in circumvented product will almost certainly be caught and pay the consequences in the end. It, therefore, behoves all importers to be hyper-alert to the risks.

Many in the fastener market are all too aware of circumvention from the previous EU anti-dumping regime on fasteners, between 2009 and 2016, during which tens of millions of euros in back duties were recovered by customs authorities. That was despite many responsible importers exercising stringent due diligence, including supplier visits and factory audits, to try to ensure their supply routes were legitimate.

Most commonly, circumvention involves the transhipment of fasteners of Chinese origin, subject to anti-dumping duties, via another country. Last time, these routes were primarily

in Asia. Malaysia was identified as a major circumvention route and consequently faced an EU circumvention investigation, resulting in imports from most of its exporters becoming subject to AD duties. Circumvention also occurred via many other countries including Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines.

The actual form of circumvention varied. At its most blatant, Chinese product was shipped to another country, often into a Free Trade Zone, where the export documentation was rewritten to change the origin before re-export to the EU. Sometimes product was transferred to a new container, maybe at the port, maybe at a warehouse – again with fraudulent export paperwork claiming origin from the third country. There are many stories of wary buyers visiting addresses at which goods were allegedly being produced to find they were warehouses, offices or even just service addresses. In one instance, a factory was visited only to discover that, while appropriate machinery was present, it was not connected to the electricity supply.

Even more challenging to detect, is where a factory legitimately manufacturing the product in the third country imports the fasteners from China and re-exports them as its own – sometimes supplementing its own output many times over. Even on-site audits can fail to detect this activity, which only becomes apparent when comparing the factory’s capacity with its export volume.

With the Covid-19 pandemic likely to continue to be a major constraint on travel during 2022, physical visits and audits will

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be even more difficult. If that wasn’t enough, there are, this time, two additional concerns.

Some 100 Chinese exporters, which cooperated with the investigation, are likely to be accorded a significantly lower duty rate of 39.6%. The differential between this and the 86.5% duty for almost all other exporters creates a very real risk of circumvention within China. Factories facing the higher duty rate may look to route their product through those able to export at the lower rate.

In normal conditions that would be difficult to detect – under coronavirus pandemic conditions it will be a massive challenge.

Secondly, the United Kingdom is no longer part of the EU, so becomes a potential circumvention route in Europe’s backyard.

UK importers belonging to BIAFD, as many do, are already very aware of that risk and alert to Chinese exporters trying to encourage circumvention. Others may be less aware and more tempted. They should not be. Under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement accurate declaration of Country of Origin is obligatory, so consigning Chinese product as from any other origin is fraudulent – attracting HMRC investigation and sanctions. One of EU leaders’ major concerns about BREXIT was that the UK could become a ‘back-door’ route for circumvented product. Consequently, it is already very clear that EU customs authorities scrutinise traffic from the UK very carefully.

As a quick note, there are further complications for companies supplying goods into Northern Ireland that, under the Northern Ireland Protocol, are subject to EU duties. BIAFD is currently working

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Importers that bring in circumvented product will almost certainly be caught and pay the consequences in the end. It, therefore, behoves all importers to be hyper-alert to the risks.” with UK customs authorities to clarify the implications of this for its members.

The consequences of circumvention for an EU importer are stark. Where the illegal practice is detected, the importer will be required to pay the duties it has avoided.

Detection may take time, but the probability of detection is very, very high. The accumulated duty bill must be paid on demand, which can have a devastating impact on company cash flow. If the authorities have reason to believe an importer has knowingly connived in circumvention, it may be investigated for fraud – with consequent criminal penalties, including fines and even custodial sentences.

So, what can importers do about it all?

Most importers are committed to careful due diligence of their supply chains. Even in this pandemic environment some continue to manage to physically audit factories. However, there is no way of ensuring that fasteners imported from outside the EU are not tainted by circumvention. There are, however, some important ways to try to mitigate the risk.

It should be said, one solution and that advocated by EIFI is simply to buy the fasteners from EU producers. This is not the place to debate the claims and counterclaims for the level of capacity EU fastener manufacturers might be able to dedicate to production of standard fasteners, nor at what cost. However, what was clear last time

anti-dumping duties were applied is that most of the volume previously sourced from China shifted to other sources outside the EU. Assuming that will be the case this time also, what should importers be thinking about? Firstly, never be tempted to agree to participate in circumvention. There might seem to be an attraction in taking advantage of a lower cost than from alternative sources or duty-paid from China, whether to enhance profits or outflank competitors in the market. That is – until you are caught.

At which point your company’s viability and your personal liberty are in severe jeopardy.

Hopefully you are committed to honest and legal trading – then think carefully about the following: Chinese exporters DO NOT face any legal consequences if they encourage and participate in circumvention.

Chinese exporters may assure EU buyers there is no problem in circumvention – they have before. THIS IS UNTRUTHFUL. So may exporters in other countries that are conniving with Chinese exporters. They also have before, and it is also untruthful.

Even assurances from long established suppliers CANNOT BE TRUSTED at face value. Sorry, but that is a harsh reality proven by history.

IGNORANCE IS NOT A DEFENCE against liability for back duties. Thorough,

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documented due diligence may, however, help demonstrate there was no intent to defraud.

The EU expects circumvention, knows where to look and how to detect it. Very few importers evade the consequences.

Additionally, fastener manufacturers, their trade bodies and even other importers are likely to REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY in the market.

The basic rule is: “If it looks too good to be true, it almost certainly is too good to be true. If the deal on offer is significantly better than you reasonably expect from the factory/ country involved you should be suspicious.

There’s reference above to the role BIAFD is playing in the UK in keeping its members well informed. There are similarly active national fastener distribution associations in Germany, France, Italy and Spain, all of which belong to the European Fastener Distributor Association, which also has individual company members across Europe. This magazine is excellent in informing the fastener industry. However, these associations have been actively involved in the minutiae of the AD676 case since its outset and are a deep reservoir of knowledge. If you are not already linked into one of them, now is unquestionably the time to consider being so.

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EXHIBITIONS

PREVIEWS AND REPORTS FROM INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIRS

Fastener Fair CONNECT reunites fastener industry The fastener and fixing community once again came together for Fastener Fair CONNECT. The new digital event succeeded in connecting international attendees from various industrial sectors, looking to source the latest innovative products, equipment and services from fastening technology suppliers.

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rom 17 th – 18 th November 2021, the interactive networking event offered a platform for in-depth expert talks and knowledge transfer. A total of 551 attendees from 47 countries took the opportunity to access the platform to meet suppliers, conduct business meetings and learn about the latest trends, policies and developments. A total of 163 exhibiting companies took advantage of the digital offering, presenting hundreds of product showcases to allow visitors to virtually explore new products and services in more detail.

In addition, Fastener Fair CONNECT featured a webinar programme with seven sessions discussing the latest fastener and fixing technology trends and policies. The audience had the opportunity to listen to industry experts discussing the sector’s hot topics, as well as interact

with the speakers during Q&A sessions. The webinars covered insights such as safety and security fasteners, complementary fastening and additive technologies, augmented reality, technical coating processes and European regulations for structural fixings.

“Fastener Fair CONNECT was launched with the intention to offer the global fastener and fixing industry the opportunity to get together, keep connected, conduct business and learn from educational content to keep the momentum – whilst waiting for the live events to resume,” commented Liljana Goszdziewski, portfolio director of the European Fastener Fairs, on behalf of Mack-Brooks Exhibitions, organisers of Fastener Fair CONNECT. “We are now looking forward to meeting the industry face-to-face next year at Fastener Fair Italy in Milan and Fastener Fair Global in Germany in 2023.”

75th National Hardware Show® a success After pivoting to a virtual format in 2020 and adding a year round, digital component in 2021, the National Hardware Show® (NHS) returned in person from 21st – 23rd October for its 75th edition, gathering exhibitors, industry leaders and other attendees for a safe and successful return to business at the Las Vegas Convention Center’s new west hall. he show garnered 690 exhibitors, including 259 new exhibitors, 225 featured products and 97 inventors. Notable exhibitors included Stanley Black & Decker, MTD, Traeger, Ukiah and Flex Seal.

“We are grateful for all exhibitors, attendees, staff and media who made this show possible and successful,” said Beth Casson, event leader at the National Hardware Show. “Despite a smaller footprint, we made important investments this year to ensure NHS remains the top destination for industry members to make meaningful connections and celebrate successes for years to come.”

To celebrate the 75th edition the 2021 event featured Area 75 – a curated exhibit commemorating each decade within NHS’ history. The installation took attendees down memory lane – showcasing nostalgia inducing home trends, vintage tools, products, past event directory programmes and more, truly showing the evolution of the industry and the show.

The 75th edition was the most sustainable yet, with help from the Las Vegas Convention Center’s water conservation and energy efficient light initiatives, plus an events contractor, Freeman, which helped deliver positive social and environmental impact. Specifically, NHS swapped out paper for a digital directory, used reusable, sustainably sourced signage and eliminated aisle carpet to reduce CO 2 emissions.

NHS also revealed the dates for its 2022 show, set for 5th – 7th April, once again in the west hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

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EXHIBITIONS

Fastener Fair Stuttgart rebranded as Fastener Fair Global Mack-Brooks Exhibitions has announced a new name, logo, website and style for the Fastener Fair Stuttgart show, now called Fastener Fair Global, which will take place from 21st – 23rd March 2023 at Messe Stuttgart, Germany.

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ack-Brooks Exhibitions believes the new brand name reflects more on the international character of the exhibition, with the German show considered the flagship event of the Fastener Fair series. Hand-in-hand with the name change, the logo has also been updated. Building on the existing branding, Mack-Brooks Exhibitions Ltd has reimagined the iconic double interlocking Fs and the classic yellow and blue colour palette, trading the outdated 3D look for a bolt head in a contemporary flat aesthetic. Combined with a modern typographic treatment, this change ensures readability and recognisability across all applications, from giant billboards and signage to small phone screens.

“With the new brand, we wanted to get away from a late 1990s design by refreshing its style with a more modern look. Over the years, the fastener and fixing industry has consolidated Industry 4.0 into manufacturing processes and across different supply chain stages, including automation, advanced robotics, augmented reality and big data. As the leading trade exhibition for the fastening

industry, Fastener Fair Stuttgart – now Fastener Fair Global – has continuously supported the industry throughout its technological advancements,” explains Liljana Goszdziewski, portfolio director of the European Fastener Fairs on behalf of organisers Mack-Brooks Exhibitions. “Now, we thought it was time to adapt the logo to a new digital era, as the old one did not fit the purpose of preserving consistency between traditional and digital advertising. Therefore we opted for a simpler and more iconic design. In order to guarantee brand recognition, we kept Fastener Fair Global in a distinctive blue and yellow colour palette, but with more saturated colours that have a stronger visual appeal.”

Fastener Fair Global is the flagship exhibition of the Fastener Fair brand. The show is the world’s leading meeting place for the fastener and fixing industry. It is part of a series of targeted trade events for the fastener and fixing industry, including Fastener Fair Italy, Fastener Fair India, Fastener Fair Mexico and Fastener Fair USA.

EISENWARENMESSE moved to September 2022 Since the Covid-19 pandemic situation continues to develop dynamically worldwide and strict travel restrictions are expected in March, especially for important Asian overseas markets, organisers have decided to postpone the EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair Köln to 25th – 28th September 2022. riginally meant to be held again on 6th – 9 th March 2022, organisers say exhibitors can plan for September with a longer lead time and look forward to the usual international audience, including from Asia.

“As the world’s leading trade fair for the hardware industry, our aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the global market and bring together suppliers and buyers from all over the world. With this in mind, we, together with the associations and exhibitors, have decided to postpone to September,” announced Oliver Frese, chief operating officer of Koelnmesse.

Koelnmesse points out that visitors can look forward to a renowned group of participants and an attractive event programme shaped by a high number of exhibiting companies.

The digital extension EISENWARENMESSE @home will also be offered in September.

“Of course, we will follow the industry intensively and include any changed topics in our plans,” concluded Oliver.

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EVENTS CALENDAR

Taiwan International Fastener Show Kaohsiung, Taiwan 19 Apr – 21 Apr 2022 www.fastenertaiwan.com.tw Specialist fastener show.

BUDMA - International Construction Fair

Empack

SchraubTec SÜD

National Hardware Show

Mechanical Components & Materials Technology Expo

CONSTRUMA

FEICON BATIMAT

Mechanical Components & Materials Technology Expo

Poznań, Poland 1 Feb – 4 Feb 2022 www.budma.pl Building technology, equipment and materials.

Sindelfingen, Germany 15 Mar 2022 https://www.schraubtec.com German regional trade fairs for screw connections.

Tokyo, Japan 16 Mar – 18 Mar 2022 https://www.japan-mfg.jp/en-gb.html World’s leading B2B trade show for mechanical components/processing technology.

São Paulo, Brazil 29 Mar – 1 Apr 2022 www.feicon.com.br Construction industry fair.

Utrecht, the Netherlands 5 Apr – 7 Apr 2022 https://www.empack.nl/en The future of packing technology.

Las Vegas, USA 5 Apr – 7 Apr 2022 www.nationalhardwareshow.com Connects retailers, dealers, wholesalers, distributors and manufacturing to the marketplace.

Budapest, Hungary 6 Apr – 10 Apr 2022 www.construma.hu International building trade exhibition.

Nagoya, Japan 13 Apr – 15 Apr 2022 https://www.japan-mfg-nagoya.jp Asia’s leading B2B trade show for mechanical components/processing technology.

MosBuild

St. Petersburg Technical Fair

MACH

Nordbygg

Moscow, Russia 29 Mar – 1 Apr 2022 www.mosbuild.com Russia’s largest buolding and interiors trade show

Birmingham, UK 4 Apr – 8 Apr 2022 www.machexhibition.com The UK’s biggest event for inspiring, innovating and connecting manufacturing.

St. Petersburg, Russia 26 Apr – 28 Apr 2022 www.ptfair.ru Metallurgy, welding, metalworking, tools and instruments, materials and machinery exhibition.

Stockholm, Sweden 26 Apr – 29 Apr 2022 www.nordbygg.se Nordic construction industry.

*All dates correct at time of print

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MARCH 2022

FASTENER MACHINERY SPOTLIGHT Make sure you’re included in our in-depth spotlight of the latest Fastener machinery innovations.

For more information please contact sales@verulammedia.com or call +44 (0)1727 743 882

CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS

news and information dedicated to construction fixing products

CHEMICAL ANCHORS + RESINS FEATURE

Why choose a chemical anchor?

Thanks to continuous investment and the experience gained in the field of fastening systems, Bossong is an expert in chemical anchors and outlines here when a chemical anchor should be chosen, instead of a mechanical one.

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ith its complete range of high-quality chemical anchors, manufactured at its main plant in Bergamo, Italy, Bossong SpA points out that the use of chemical anchors is continuously growing within the market thanks to their flexibility and the possibility of installation in every type of base material – hollow, aerated and solid.

For some base materials such as hollow and solid masonry, AAC, and lightweight concrete, the chemical anchor is the best solution, because it doesn’t create any tension on the base material during installation.

In terms of flexibility, a chemical anchor enables the possibility to anchor the rebar, for example with the post-installed rebar connection, and also to design fixings with variable setting depth. The possibility to increase the setting depth up to 20 times the diameter of the threaded rod gives the designer the option to have a higher resistance load with respect to a mechanical anchor.

Chemical anchors also enable the restoring and reconstitution of the support continuity after hole drilling, as there’s no risk of water infiltration if there is a resin as interface between concrete and steel.

Chemical anchors offer protection of the rod against corrosion once installed into concrete thanks to the resin.

There is also no stress shock for concrete or impact vibration pressure in the base material due to mechanical anchor expansion. Resin anchors bond by adhesion and not by expansion like a mechanical anchor.

Flexibility is also increased when using chemical anchors due to the wide range of rod diameter under approval from 8mm to 32mm.

110 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE ≡ ISSUE 133: JANUARY 2022

With mechanical anchors, M27 is generally the maximum, with fewer lengths per size. There is also reduced installation limits with chemical anchors due to no mechanical stress during installation.

Stock is also a big benefit with chemical anchors. With mechanical anchors or concrete screws, dealers need to stock different diameters and sizes, which means many boxes and space in the warehouse. In comparison, three carton boxes of chemical anchors – polyester, vinylester and pure epoxy – can be used for many diameters and lengths of rods or rebar for all kind of supports such as masonry, concrete, stones, aerated material, wood, etc.

Bossong’s bonded anchor product range is completely ETA certified, with every type of bonded anchor solution – polyester for masonry and non-cracked concrete, epoxy acrylate for rods and rebar fixing, vinylester resins for cracked concrete and structural fixing in high seismicity areas for rods and rebar, as well as pure epoxy for high performances, cracked concrete and seismic applications, of which different versions for winter and tropical situations are available such as underwater and fire resistant solutions for contractors, dealers and project engineers. www.bossong.com

Flexibility is also increased when using chemical anchors…”

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THE ITALIAN MANUFACTURER OF CHEMICAL ANCHORS ETA

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OPTION 7

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DESIGN SOFTWARE

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FIXING SYSTEMS ETA

OPTION 7

OPTION 7 - 1 SEISMIC C1-C2 ETAG 020 - 014 FIRE

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CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS CHEMICAL ANCHORS + RESINS FEATURE

Mechanical vs chemical anchors – classification, applications, installation

By Michal Tokarcik, technical manager at Klimas Wkręt-met On every construction site, at each stage of the works, a decision on the right type of fastenings will occur sooner or later. This is especially true in safety related applications, in which the failure of a fastening may result in the collapse or partial collapse of the structure – causing risk to human life or leading to significant economic loss.

A

mong the anchors intended for safety connections of structural elements and non-structural elements, to the base materials in medium and heavy-duty applications, are two basic types – mechanical and chemical. The selection and correct installation of an anchor are essential points. Therefore, it is crucial users take into account the following aspects in determining the correct choice: Substrate material (type and class of concrete or masonry – solid or with voids): Depending on the type of substrate a suitable anchor must be selected. Some anchors are approved to be used in numerous substrates, while others are designed for one particular type of substrate.

Environmental conditions (moisture, presence of chemicals): Atmospheric conditions determine the selection of material or anti-corrosion protection of the anchor. Fastenings located in chemical plants or coastal areas are more exposed to corrosion risk.

Type of loads: Static, seismic or dynamic.

Direction of load: Tension, shear or their combination.

Load-bearing capacity of anchor: The value of loads to be securely anchored determines the selection of the type and diameter of the fastener. The required anchorage depth is also crucial as it provides verifications that the value of design actions (E d) does not exceed the value of design resistance (R d).

Edge distances and spacing between anchors: Reducing the edge distances and spacing is only possible when minimum allowable values s min and c min and appropriate reduction factors are applied to calculate values of resistance under tension and shear load.

Installation parameters and additional requirements: Additional requirements needing to be taken into account include concrete conditions – whether its dry, wet or water filled; the type of drilling such as hammer, rotary or diamond; as well as the diameter of the clearance hole in the fixture; and the temperature range during the working life of the anchor.

The selection and correct installation of an anchor are essential points.”

112 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE ≡ ISSUE 133: JANUARY 2022

Mechanical anchors

Mechanical anchors are mostly used to fasten elements to the main structural concrete such as beams, columns and slabs. Post-installed mechanical metal fasteners are placed into pre-drilled holes in the concrete and anchored therein by mechanical means such as friction or mechanical interlock. For post-installed mechanical fasteners, a distinction is made according to their principle of operation.

The most popular type of mechanical fasteners are torque controlled expansion anchors, which have a main advantage when compared to chemical anchors – the possibility of push-through installation. Torque controlled expansion anchors also guarantee high load-bearing capacity combined with easy application and quick installation time. The positioning and securing of even the heaviest elements is also more convenient and simple as it eliminates the need of pre-positioning. The expansion is achieved by a torque acting on the bolt. The tension force applied to the fastener is then transferred into the concrete via friction and, to a limited extent, via keying (mechanical interlock) between the expansion sleeve and the deformed concrete.

Due to more than 30 years of experience in creating innovative solutions and the production of construction fasteners, Klimas Wkręt-met has designed the LE torque controlled mechanical anchors, which allow a significant reduction of installation parameters such as minimum spacing, edge distance, as well as minimum thickness of concrete.

STRONG FOR GENERATIONS

NEW WEDGE ANCHORS THE HIGHEST PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS

ANTI-CORROSION PROTECTION Zn WHITE

SUPER

QUALITY SQ CERAMIC

A4 INOX

Galvanized steel - minimum 12 μm of zinc galvanized coating guarantees high degree of anti-corrosion protection SQ Ceramic - Special anti-scratch multi-layer aluminum-zinc lamellar coating allows the use of the anchors in environments with higher corrosivity classification.

Stainless Steel A4 - Highest level of anti-corrosion protection.

LE-ZN - Wedge anchors (Galvanized steel)

LE-ZNA4 - Wedge anchors (Galvanized + Stainless steel A4)

LE-DA4 - Wedge anchors (SQ Ceramic + Stainless steel A4)

LE-A4 - Wedge anchors (Stainless steel A4)

Design of chemical and mechanical KLIMAS anchors has never been so easy!

LE-A4

KLIMAS DESIGN FIX - FAST AND INTUITIVE SELECTION OF FASTENER Software is available free of charge. To download our software or to get more information please contact us.

more at: www.klimas.com | contact us: export@wkret-met.com

European Technical Assessment: ETA 20/0640 (LE-ZN), ETA 20/0641 (LE-ZNA4, LE-DA4, LE-A4)

POLISH PRODUCER OF FASTENER TECHNOLOGIES

CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS The unique design of the LE anchor expansion sleeve, combined with the high strength of the steel, safely transfers the loads into the concrete.

Interaction between the bolt’s cone and sleeve enables high load-bearing capacity with ideal tensile stress distribution, so that the anchor can also be used at optimal edge and spacing distances. Groups of mechanical fasteners characterised by deformation-controlled expansion – achieved by hammer blows or by percussion of a machine – are mainly utilised for performing various types of fixings in MEP and HVAC building services and resist lower loads. Bolts or threaded rods are screwed directly into the internal thread of a hammer set anchor.

Another type of mechanical anchor are concrete screws. Concrete screws are screwed into a pre-drilled cylindrical hole and feature a special thread, which cuts an internal thread into the concrete member while setting. The fastening is characterised by mechanical interlock in the concrete thread.

One of the advantages of concrete screws is that they generate much less expanding forces during installation. Load is also distributed across a larger area of the entire length of the anchor. This feature enables even closer edge and spacing distances than torque controlled expansion anchors. The essential characteristics of concrete screws offer fastest installation among all post-installed fasteners as they do not need to be set to a specific torque during installation. Only distance must be controlled to obtain the full contact of the screw head with the fixture while screwing into the pre-drilled hole by using an impact screwdriver. Concrete screws can also be reused for temporary installations, such as anchoring formwork supports. Klimas’ WDB concrete screw portfolio comes with various types of heads, which makes them a versatile product for a wide range of applications.

If a base material is masonry, such as vertically perforated bricks or AAC blocks for non-structural applications, Klimas nylon frame anchors KPS/KPR-FAST are recommended. They are approved according to ETAG 020 in all types of substrates and provide reliable and secure fastening, offering excellent values of characteristic resistance (FRk).

The bonded anchor systems offer a variety of unique benefits compared to mechanical anchoring. By avoiding mechanical expansion, they do not cause installation stress and can also be installed close to each other and to substrate edges. They are also able to resist the highest static loads, with some products also approved for seismic applications, with chemical anchors being the better choice for dynamic applications. Most resin anchors may be used in a wide variety of substrates and site conditions.

Nowadays chemical anchor systems also offer the possibility to be used in dry, wet and flooded holes without the loss of performance. Their non-sag formulation allows overhead applications without specific accessories. Variable embedment depth from 4d to 20d offer versatility in design for shallow and very deep applications and advanced bond strength makes them irreplaceable in applications where action loads need to be transmitted into limited concrete component volume or via base plates with limited dimensions.

To match an end user’s installation environment, chemical anchors are available with various curing times which include: Normal gel and cure time (standard grade).

Slow gel and fast cure time for high temperature environments (extended gel time/tropical grade).

Fast gel and fast cure time for more rapid applications (speed grade).

Fast gel and fast cure time for cold temperature environments (winter grade).

The bonded anchor systems offer a variety of unique benefits compared to mechanical anchoring.”

Chemical anchors

Chemical anchors, also called bonded fasteners, consist of a bonding material and an embedded metal part placed in a pre-drilled hole in the base material. They are anchored primarily by means of a bond. The embedded metal parts used are mostly threaded rods and reinforcing bars.

Types of bonded anchors according to chemical formulations

Klimas offers a wide range of chemical anchors from a classic polymer compound to top of the range epoxy formulations. These include the polyester styrene-free (WCF-PESF) and pure epoxy system (WCF-E3), which each offer a versatile range of applications and benefits.

A chemical formulation can influence many aspects of the behaviour and performance of a chemical anchor. These include resistance to chemicals and corrosive environment, service and installation temperature ranges, resistance to fire, gel and cure times, as well as the load-bearing capacity of the bonded anchor system. Although chemical anchors available on the market can contain a variety of additives to influence some of their properties, Klimas generally distinguishes five typical formulations, which include polyesters, vinylesters, epoxy acrylates, hybrids and epoxies.

Polyester resins

Polyester is a low to medium performance level chemical anchor system. It is a cost-effective, general purpose system with unsaturated polyester as its chemical base. The two component system has been formulated for anchoring in a wide variety of building materials, making it ideal for standard applications in brickwork and hollow brick.

This type of chemistry is a proven and reliable formulation that has been a common choice in the construction industry for over 30 years. It is considered a ‘classic’ chemical combination, which is tried, tested and trusted. The combination of the styrene monomer has historically been used as a reactive diluent and crosslinking agent.

Klimas has advanced its technology to remove this and developed an alternative product WCF-PESF (styrene-free) with the equivalent strength properties. The WCF-PESF has reduced chemical hazards and has a very low odour, making it suitable for use indoors and in confined spaces.

114 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE ≡ ISSUE 133: JANUARY 2022

Vinylester resins

A vinylester resin, also known as epoxy acrylates, is considered a hybrid of epoxy and polyester. It is produced by the esterification of an epoxy resin with acrylic or methacrylic acids, which is why it can also be known as epoxy acrylates. Bringing the best elements of epoxy and polyester together, vinylester resins offer improved performance parameters, fast cure and good low temperature behaviour. These resins have been engineered to generate a higher bond strength, as well as a resistance to a high ph environment, making them suitable for more demanding heavy-duty structural anchoring applications.

The WCF-EASF formulation from Klimas has undergone extensive testing, as well as withstanding C1 seismic conditions and can offer outstanding performance in concrete and masonry substrates.

Hybrid resins

A hybrid system includes a two part chemical anchor with an addition of inorganic fillers to one of the components. It is designed to cure fast so users can load the fastening point earlier than could be achieved with an epoxy anchor. Hybrid systems have similar performance characteristics to epoxy acrylates resins, however the incorporation of inorganic fillers can enhance their properties.

Epoxy resins (pure epoxy)

Pure epoxy formulations offer the strongest chemical bond as well as excellent chemical resistance. The physical characteristics of the epoxy allow them to be used in diamond cored holes with a smooth surface. Relatively no shrinkage in the curing process also enables epoxy resins to be used in applications with large diameter steel elements to be set at deeper embedment, as well as the filling of larger annular gaps. Epoxy chemical anchors are sensitive to low temperature ranges during installation and the curing process and are therefore generally not recommended for use below +5°C. Klimas WCF-E3 is a top performance two component 3:1 ratio pure epoxy bonded anchoring system for use in cracked and uncracked concrete under normal as well as very demanding seismic conditions (seismic categories C1 and C2). The anchoring system also enables a wide range of post-installed rebar connections including anchorage and overlap joint applications such as slab to slab at support, overlap joint at a foundation of column or wall, etc.

Choosing the suitable type of fixing for a particular application, as well as knowing the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of each anchor group aids

the selection process for end-users. In safety critical applications however verifiable calculation notes and drawings must be taken into account, as well as the value of load to be anchored.

Manufacturer’s software such as the KLIMAS DESIGN-FIX can also help to streamline the selection process further. It features an intuitive interface that allows users to input all load and geometry data directly on the 3D drawing. The calculation is then completed in accordance with the latest standards, making it an ideal tool for designers, engineers, project site managers, but also for building owners, developers and contractors. www.klimas.com

WWW.FASTENERANDFIXING.COM 115

CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS CHEMICAL ANCHORS + RESINS FEATURE

Tecfi: An expert in chemical anchors Over the last few years Tecfi has concentrated on the development of its range of chemical anchors, strongly believing in the advantage of reducing edge distances and spacing, without pre-stressing the base material.

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s part of this concentration, Tecfi SpA is proud to have been one of the first companies to achieve the C2 performance category on a styrene-free dual component pure epoxy chemical anchor for use with threaded rods from M16 to M24, according to the Annex E of the ETAG 001. The SWE01 epoxy resin is ETA-CE Certified in Option 1 for cracked concrete, for use with threaded rods from M12 to M24, and Option 7 for non-cracked concrete, for use with threaded rods from M8 to M30, according to ETAG 001 – Part 1 and 5. In addition, the epoxy resin also achieved a Technical Report (TR 023) for post installed rebar connections from 8mm up to 32mm in diameter.

Furthermore, Tecfi has achieved the C2 performance category on the DGE02 styrene-free dual component vinylester resin, for use with threaded rods from M12 to M16 and C1 performance category for use with threaded rods from M12 to M20. In addition, DGE02 also achieved ETA-CE for use with rebars from 8mm to 32mm in diameter with exposure under fire and in seismic areas. These last achievements consolidate the very high status of the DGE02, already certified in ETA-CE Option 1 for use in cracked and non-cracked concrete with threaded rods from M10 to M20 and ETA-CE Option 7 for use in non-cracked concrete with threaded rods from M8 to M30.

“These upgrades were welcomed in the market with very big enthusiasm,” commented Tecfi. “Today customers can use, in seismic areas, a vinylester chemical anchor with standard and easy to find threaded rods or rebars and not just with very special and expensive anchor rods.”

Tecfi has also developed two varieties of vinylester resins that are suitable for extreme climates – DGE12 and DGE22 – which also come

116 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE ≡ ISSUE 133: JANUARY 2022

with the same high grade certifications. The DGE12 resin is suitable for low temperatures and guarantees fast curing and the DGE22 resin is suitable for high temperatures and guarantees a slow curing. DGE02, DGE12 and DGE22 can also be used in wet concrete and flooded holes, except for rebars installation and with seawater. DGE02 is available in 300ml and 400ml cartridges, while DGE12 and DGE22 are available in a 400ml cartridge.

To add to its ever increasing range of chemical anchors, at the beginning of 2020 Tecfi launched the DGE03, a styrene-free dual component epoxy acrylate vinylester resin, that achieved the ETA-CE Option 7 for use in non-cracked concrete with threaded rods from M8 to M16 and rebars from 8mm to 16mm in diameter. Moreover in 2017 Tecfi introduced EHE01, a dual component vinylester resin in glass capsule, that achieved the ETA-CE Option 7 certification for use in non-cracked concrete, with threaded rods from M8 to M30. EHE01, which can also be installed in wet concrete, avoids any waste on the jobsite thanks to the pre-sized capsule.

Tecfi has also invested huge resources in its polyester resins, including its dual component polyester resin, under range code DGE00, available in 300ml and 400ml cartridges. DGE00 achieved ETA-CE for use in solid masonry (use category b) and hollow or perforated masonry (use category c) with threaded rods from M8 to M12, ensuring a very good compromise between quality and price.

Also available is the DGE01 styrene-free dual component polyester resin, which is now an extremely flexible product – suitable for a very wide range of base materials. It has ETA-CE Option 7 certification for use in non-cracked concrete with threaded rods from M8 to M16, according to ETAG 001 – Part 1 and 5. This adds to the ETA-CE certification for use in solid masonry (use category b) and hollow or perforated masonry (use category c) with threaded rods from M8 to M12 certifications that the DGE01 had already achieved. DGE01 is available in 300ml and 400ml cartridges.

Finally, Tecfi also offers a wide range of studs for chemical anchors with nut and washer slotted dog point steel bars in Grade 8.8 (range code DAT02), 45° sliced steel studs in Grade 5.8 (range code LN01), flat ended steel rods in Grade 5.8 (range code DA02), studs with hex shank and double 45° cut in steel (5.8 grade, range code DAF02) and A4-70/ AISI 316 stainless steel (range code DAF72).

All Tecfi chemical mortars suitable for use in concrete are included in TADS – Tecfi Anchor Design Software. www.tecfi.it

CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS CHEMICAL ANCHORS + RESINS FEATURE

CELO – ‘one step ahead’ with chemical anchors Chemical anchors not only meet amazing requirements and withstand the highest loads, but they help to realise previously unimaginable building projects. However, with heavy-duty construction projects comes great responsibility.

F

or safety critical applications, the reliability of the fixing is crucial and the usage of a high-quality, safe and extensively tested anchor is a must. Therefore chemical anchors must have an ETA (European Technical Assessment), a widely accepted confirmation of technical suitability of a building product in accordance with the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) in the member states of the EU, which can be achieved by undergoing an extensive testing programme.

To ensure maximum user safety, all CELO resins have multiple ETAs. The ETAs either provide information about the suitability in certain substrates, such as cracked and non-cracked concrete and masonry, or for certain applications, such as rebar connection.

Most of the chemical injection systems from CELO are tested for use in areas with high risk of earthquakes and are suitable for usage under seismic conditions, which widens the possible range of applications for the installer.

Premium products such as the ResiFIX VY SF and ResiFIX Pure Epoxy are also fire resistant with an R120 approval.

‘One step ahead’ of metal anchors

anchor rod and type of concrete – their initial flexible consistency enables the chemical mortar, together with the perforated sleeve, to adapt to any stone geometry and thus reach high loads in any kind of hollow brick up to circa. 140kg per fixing point – depending on the brick type. Wet or waterfilled drill holes are no problem for all the CELO ResiFIX resins and even overhead installations are possible.

The wide assortment of chemical mortars from CELO applies to heavy-duty applications like steel constructions, cantilevers, façade constructions, distance mountings, stairways, pipe installations, etc. Answering specific needs, some of its products go beyond that and offer suitability for contact with drinking water or extreme climate conditions. For example, the vinylester ResiFIX VYSF Cool is the product of choice when temperatures go down to -20°C.

All CELO resins have multiple ETAs.”

In

terms of substrates, chemical mortars are ‘one step ahead’ of metal anchors. Not only are they highly effective in solid materials like concrete, solid bricks or aerated concrete – with high loads up to 1,350kg and more depending on the

118 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE ≡ ISSUE 133: JANUARY 2022

Harmless to health

The chemical mortars from CELO are not harmful to health as proven by the following tests and certificates. All CELO resins have styrene-free formulations, which means there is only marginal to medium odour during the installation. The ResiFIX mortars from CELO rank in class A+ of the French VOC label for lowest emissions of critical substances in closed spaces and are harmless to health after curing. The chemical mortars are also tested by the sustainability certification LEED for environmentally friendly, low pollutant, low emission and sustainable construction products.

Think Fixing

G&B FISSAGGI, the Italian company

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.

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 export@gebfissaggi.com G&B Fissaggi France export@gebfissaggi.com

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.

ETA NUMBER

TRADE NAME

I

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 www.eota.eu

COMPANY

Bonded fasteners for use in concrete ETA - 21/0664

EJOT Multifix PSF+, EJOT Multifix PSF+ Blue, EJOT Multifix PSF+ Tropical, EJOT Multifix PSF+ Winter

EJOT Baubefestigungen GmbH

ETA - 21/0817

EV W bonded anchor

Selena FM SA

ETA - 21/0859

Mapei injection system Mapefix V, Mapefix V LP

MAPEI SpA

ETA - 21/0865

ZETACARTRIDGE NO 4

ZETAPRO LTD UK

ETA - 21/0885

GMS-CHEMICAL MORTAR POLY SF Injection anchor

GMS-Bautechnik GmbH

ETA - 21/0905

PROPAM NF EPO for concrete

PROPAMSA S.A.U

ETA - 21/0938

OLY RESIN EPO-I Bonded anchor

Olympus Srl

ETA - 21/0941

TCV Anchor System

ETA - 21/0981

VBM300

ETA - 21/0984

Rotho Blaas Injection System POLY-FIX, POLY-FIX TROPIC, POLY-FIX NORDIC

Rotho Blaas Srl

ETA - 21/1058

Chemická kotva Vinylester SF Standard, Vinylester SF Express, Vinylester SF Tropical

Den Braven Czech and Slovak a.s.

MESTER POLY SF Vegyl Dübel Injection anchor

Optima Forma Kft

ETA - 21/1094

Blind rivets type AP, ASO, SSO and FN

ETA - 21/0873

EJOT CROSSFIX

EJOT Baubefestigungen GmbH

Linear joint and gap seals ETA - 21/0842

GRAFT IPT Multi Sealant & Adhesive (FR IPT)

Polyseam Ltd

ETA - 21/0351

EJOT Concrete Screw J6

EJOT UK Limited

ETA - 21/0831

MASON wedge Anchor MWA, MWA-A2, MWA-A4

Fasten Enterprises (PTE) Ltd

ETA - 21/0960

A4-BZ

Scell-it

Metal injection anchors for use in masonry ETA - 21/0832

TCP Injection anchor

ABC Sistem Srl

ETA - 21/0866

ZETACARTRIDGE NO 1

ZETAPRO LTD UK

ETA - 21/0886

GMS-CHEMICAL MORTAR POLY SF Injection anchor

GMS-Bautechnik GmbH

ETA - 21/0982

Rotho Blaas Injection System Vinylester VIN-FIX, VIN-FIX SMART, VIN-FIX TROPIC and VINFIX NORDIC

Rotho Blaas Srl

ETA - 21/0983

Rotho Blaas Injection System POLY-FIX, POLY-FIX TROPIC, POLY-FIX NORDIC

Rotho Blaas Srl

ETA - 21/1021

illbruck OT120

Tremco illbruck s.r.o.

ETA - 21/1057

Chemická kotva Vinylester SF Standard, Vinylester SF Express, Vinylester SF Tropical

Den Braven Czech and Slovak a.s.

ETA - 21/1095

MESTER POLY SF Vegyl Dübel Injection anchor

Optima Forma Kft

SFS intec AG Division Construction

Agrob Buchtal KEIL undercut anchor KH

Agrob Buchtal GmbH

EJOT Concrete Screw J6

EJOT UK Limited

ELEMATIC TRIDER, TRIDER/B

ITW Construction Products Italy Srl

Fastening screws for sandwich panels

Screws and threaded rods for use in timber constructions ETA - 21/0453

KTX Hidden Decking Screws

Kwantex Research Inc

ETA - 21/0730

ASC BiTurbo

ASC & CAWI Kalt- und Umformtechnik GmbH

ETA - 21/0768

SWG Wood Construction Screws

SWG Schraubenwerk Gaisbach GmbH

SFS intec AG Division Construction

Fire stopping and fire sealing products - penetration seals Polyseam Ltd

Glass fibre joint tape for gypsum plasterboards SA51L - glass fibre joint selfadhesive tape for gypsum plasterboards /MASTERMAT glass fibre joint non-adhesive tape for gypsum plasterboards

ETA - 21/0756

BEHA GmbH

ETA - 21/0870

ETA - 21/0759

Würth International AG

ABC Sistem Srl

Concrete Rudolph GmbH

GRAFT IPT Multi Sealant & Adhesive

Joint sealing tape "VKP-Basic Plus"

Anchor Fasteners Industrial Co. Ltd

ETA - 21/0352

ETA - 21/0843

ETA - 21/0872

Anchor Fasteners Industrial anchor type AWA

KEIL undercut anchor KH for fixing in FibreCon GFC Elements facade panels made of manufactured stone

SDC5, DDC5, DDC12

Joint sealing tape on the basis of a pre-compressed flexible polyurethane foam for sealing around windows and joints in building façades

ETA - 21/0283

Fasteners for use in concrete in redundant for non-structural systems

ETA - 21/0784

COMPANY

Mechanical fasteners for use in concrete

Fastener of external wall claddings ETA - 21/0714

TRADE NAME

Kit composed by subframe and fixings for fastening cladding and external wall elements

Blind rivets for connections of metal sheets and plates ETA - 21/0951

ETA NUMBER

Systems for post-installed rebar connections with mortar ETA - 21/0704

Sika AnchorFix®-3000 for rebar connection

Sika Services AG

ETA - 21/0906

PROPAM NF EPO for post-installed rebar connections

PROPAMSA S.A.U

Masterplast YU d.o.o.

120 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE ≡ ISSUE 133: JANUARY 2022

Three dimensional nailing plates used as an EAD ETA - 21/0710

E.u.r.o.Tec T-Tec connector

E.u.r.o. Tec GmbH

ETA - 21/0711

Eurotec Hold Downs

E.u.r.o. Tec GmbH

COLLATED NAILS

HAND DRIVEN NAILS

CUSTOM PACKAGED NAILS

ISO 45001:2018 | ISO 9001:2015 | ISO 14001:2015

GLOBAL FOOTPRINT CUSTOMIZED PACKAGING PRIVATE LABELLING

www.astrotechsteels.com | marketing@astrotechsteels.com

CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS

A modern look with clever façade technology Approximately 20,000 fischer undercut anchors FZP II T PA provided a secure and concealed fastening of the SwissPearl fibre cement panels on the new Delta House of Delta Holding in Belgrade, Serbia. The fixing solution combines a high-quality look with simple installation and a permanent, firm hold. An additional 8,000 fischer FBN II bolt anchors were also used to anchor the façade substructure in concrete.

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he new headquarters of Delta Holding now includes an office building that was completed between 2019 and July 2021. Fibre cement panels provide a modern and distinguished look to the building’s rear ventilated façade.

Centroprojekt d.o.o from Belgrade was the planning and engineering office responsible for the project, with the Belgrade construction companies Energoprojekt Visokogradnja A.D. and Dma Koping d.o.o. also involved. fischer undercut anchors allowed the façade panels to be securely anchored without being visible from the exterior. The undercut anchors provide the building with a harmonious look while enabling simple and quick installation. The FZP II T PA version was used on the project.

This fischer Zykon panel anchor is particularly suitable for concealed fastenings of thin fibre cement façade panels and is therefore especially well suited. The fischer FZP II was used in versions FZP II 11 x 5 M6/T/11 PA and FZP II 11 x 5 M6/T/13 PA. “Rivets and screws tend to be visible when fastening fibre cement panels to façades. This isn’t the case with our Zykon panel anchor FZP II T PA, as the fastening points on the external façade panel are concealed,” says Alen Ilic, technical consultant at the Austrian subsidiary of the fischer Group of Companies. “This enables form-fit fastening without expansion pressure in the conical undercut drill hole. Thanks to its short geometry and additional technical features, the FZP II T PA can be used in thin panels with a thickness of 8mm and up.”

The anchor was used with an embedment depth of 5mm in fibre cement panels by SwissPearl measuring approximately 8mm. By placing the anchor on the reverse side of the panel using undercut

technology, the ideal static position can be selected, which prevents the fibre cement panels from deflecting. Together with the anchor’s optimum static fastening, the form-fit and expansion-free anchorage provides high retention forces and allows large panel formats to be used.

The fischer undercut drill FZPB 11T CNC-DIA from fischer’s all-in-one system was used to fasten the rear-ventilated façade during the drilling operation with CNC drilling machines.

They guarantee optimal cutting behaviour thanks to polycrystalline diamonds.

As a component of the fischer FZP II undercut anchor approval, they are suitable for drilling in panel materials (HPL, fibre cement, etc) using the dry drilling method.

The stainless steel fischer bolt anchor FBN II 12/10 was used in order to securely transfer the loads of the façade substructure into the concrete supporting structure. The heavy-duty anchor allows fastenings to be carried out with a high degree of economic efficiency, while its long thread and two anchoring depths allow a flexible range of applications.

Standing out from the crowd LUSAN is a manufacturer and distributor with a wide range of products including its Fixbolt sleeve anchor and best selling blister packs, which it supplies to a wide range of industries.

USAN Fijaciones y Anclajes’s flagship product is Fixbolt – a metal anchor in Grade 8.8 with CE certification and available in multiple diameters. LUSAN also has a wide range of wedge anchors in steel and stainless steel, resins of different qualities with multiple accessories, chemical capsules, nylon cable ties, standard screws, nylon plugs, blind rivets, eye nuts and snap hooks.

“In order to serve a number of industries, we have the capacity to adapt to the necessities of our clients through the export department, which is specialised in all scenarios that might arise. We also have the ISO 9001 certificate that validates our quality when it comes to products, internal processes and service,” proudly states LUSAN. With the aim of promoting products in hardware stores and the supplies industry, LUSAN has developed a range of POS board displays that help to show the product in an efficient and attractive way to the final customer. The range includes a blister pack – showing an elegant and attractive image – providing easy item identification thanks to a new label design, which identifies each type of product with different colours. LUSAN also provides a self-service dispenser and a bulk Mix Fix dispenser that enables customers to create bespoke mixtures.

“2021 was a challenging year with price rises, storage shortage, as well as demand and availability challenges. At LUSAN, we have strived to lessen the impact for all our clients with our stockholding – by providing the maximum quality in service and product,” comments the company. “We want to keep standing out, working hard, getting better day-by-day and offering our clients the best.” www.lusan.es

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THE WORLD OF

INCHFASTENERS

Y E A R S SCHRODER www.schroederschrauben.de

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CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS

Predictability for business growth in an ever-changing world TIMCO is a ‘one stop shop’ for over 4,500 independent builders merchants across the UK and Ireland, supplying essential products that trade professionals rely on every day. Despite the pandemic, the company achieved a record GB£49.7 million turnover for 2020 – a 14% increase on 2019, with a predicted GB£60 million turnover for 2021.

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or Simon Midwood, TIMCO’s managing director, the key to business success is in being predictable – for customers, suppliers and staff, so they know the company will deliver on its promise, no matter what is thrown at it. He comments: “In today’s world it is all about predictability. I hate businesses with no phone number – why make yourself so inaccessible?

And if you do provide a contact number, when a contractor calls on the phone, it needs to be answered in three rings. You need to make your company more reliable, more accessible and more predictable.”

Predictability starts with products, and TIMCO works tirelessly at providing over 7,000 quality products for the construction and industrial sectors, such as screws, fasteners and fixings, nails, adhesives and chemicals, power tool accessories, building hardware and site protection, security and ironmongery, as well as PPE. It has also formed partnerships with industry leading companies which share the same ethos and which products complement TIMCO’s, such as Jubilee® Clips, Timloc Building Products, and Energizer®.

“There’s a lot of construction going on, whether that’s government projects, housing, or DIY, so businesses need to prepare for a surge in orders. We’ve directed capital and resources to our people, to drive customer acquisition and retention, increasing our total workforce

by 40% and establishing seven new regional business consultants, bringing the total to 20. We also keep a large amount of stock – five to seven months worth typically, which acts as a buffer against shortages.

This all helps with our business predictability, enabling our customers to have faith in us continuing to deliver,” proudly states Simon.

“The key to predictability is in planning, whether that’s anticipating products that will be in demand, or investing for growth, or recruiting enough warehouse staff to process orders. We can’t predict the future, but we can plan to be in a robust place to cope with changing economic conditions. We’re looking forward to continuing our growth in 2022 when we’ll be launching new products, such as hand tools in Q1, and new work wear in Q2, with another 1,000 new product lines and more partnerships. We have enough capacity and space to enable us to double in size, in what will be a landmark 50 th year in business for TIMCO.” www.timco.co.uk

A nail, a robot, two experts, one mission BECK is taking a step towards ecological fastening technology, with its LIGNOLOC® wooden nail system, by working together with KEHRATEC Automation – a specialist in the field of camera guided robot automation – to create a robot assisted system for the fully or partially automated implementation of timber construction projects.

ECK contributes its versatile competencies in the field of fastening technology to the partnership, focusing in particular on the LIGNOLOC® wood nail technology and the associated stationary and manual nailing technology.

KEHRATEC Automation GmbH provides the comprehensive, specific, technological know-how regarding robotics and automation environment. Together the companies will create the robot assisted system especially for pre-assembling completely glue-free and metal-free wall and ceiling elements.

The first machine prototype will be completed by March 2022. For this, BECK is developing the complete front end including individual feeding of the nails, while KEHRATEC is taking care of the concept and construction of the wall mounting peripherals, robotics, PLC, programming, CAD software and final assembly. After completion of the prototype, an attractive package is to be put together for potential customers by the end of March 2022.

“Small and medium-sized timber construction companies and carpenters throughout Europe should be able to manufacture metal and glue-free mass timber wall or ceiling elements themselves,” comments Christian Beck, CEO at Raimund BECK KG. “With the expansion of the LIGNOLOC ecosystem in terms of compatibility with common processing solutions, as well as the co-engineering of the flexible, digital robot platform, the use of mass timber elements becomes more flexible and the transport distances shorter. As a final consequence, it will be cheaper for many companies to manufacture mass timber elements themselves.”

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F&F

Lindapter fire rated decking fixings To provide specifiers with additional confidence, Lindapter commissioned BRE Global to run third party fire tests in accordance with BS EN 1991-1-2 on a range of its decking fixings – installed in concrete backed composite decking profiles. The BRE test report P116310 Issue 1 verified load limits for 60 minute and 90 minute fire ratings.

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indapter’s extensive range of high-quality, cost-effective decking fixings are conveniently installed by locking inside the dovetail re-entrant channels of popular composite decking profiles. This innovative technique provides an adjustable fixing point for suspending mechanical and electrical equipment that is fast to install and does not compromise the strength of the deck.

Lindapter’s decking fixings are manufactured from steel and iron, which are listed in Commission Decision 96/603/EC as materials that make ‘no contribution to fire’ and are considered as Class A1 ‘Reaction to Fire Performance’ without the need for additional fire safety testing.

In addition to the above, Lindapter International’s range of decking fixings are also considered to satisfy the requirements of performance Class A1 non-combustible for the characteristic ‘Reaction to Fire’ in accordance with the EC decision 96/603/EC.

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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY IN-DEPTH COVERAGE OF THE FASTENER MANUFACTURING PROCESS STEEL + ALLOY WIRE ROD BAR FEATURE

voestalpine awarded certificate for sustainable steel production Accepting social and environmental responsibility is an integral part of the corporate culture at voestalpine.

The Group’s Linz-based Steel Division is now one of the first steel companies worldwide to have been officially certified as a sustainable production site by the non-profit organisation Responsible Steel.

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he pre-condition for certification was to fulfill 200 criteria, which included the responsible procurement of raw materials, reducing CO 2 emissions, and the management of labour and human rights. voestalpine implements sustainability measures throughout the Group on an ongoing basis and is regarded as an industry benchmark for environmental protection.

“Our corporate strategy prioritises corporate responsibility. We have been living up to our ecological and social responsibility for many years. greentec steel is our ambitious phased plan to reduce CO2 emissions in steel production,” explains Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO of voestalpine AG. voestalpine explains that using a hybrid technology and electric arc furnaces would allow CO 2 emissions to be reduced by around 30% in a first step to 2030. Over the long-term, the goal is to successively increase the share of green hydrogen used in steel production, arriving at carbon neutral steel by 2050.

Responsible Steel is the first global certification initiative for sustainability in the steel industry.

Certification required the entire location to be subjected to detailed examination by a third party, with the decision made by the independent certification body LRQA. “The certificate we were awarded proves that voestalpine meets strictly defined sustainability standards. This is at the same time an important signal for our customers who are also placing increasing importance on suppliers for whom sustainability is a priority,” says Hubert Zajicek, member of the management board of voestalpine and head of the Steel Division.

Condat receives EcoVadis ‘Platinum’ medal Condat, an international specialist in industrial lubricants, has obtained the ‘Platinum’ level recognition on the EcoVadis Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) platform. nitiated several decades ago, Condat’s responsible commitment is based on one of the Group’s core values – build to last. Guided by this historical value, the company has been pursuing a long-term strategy since 1854 that contributes greatly to its longevity. Condat is thus one of the precursors of the development of industrial lubricants with reduced environmental impact and, launched more than 20 years ago, its first biodegradable lubricants.

Anchored in strong human values, the family group is structured around an assertive social policy.

In 2018, Condat went further in its CSR approach by joining the international EcoVadis platform. Its CSR performance is evaluated each year by an independent body according to 21 criteria divided into 4 themes: Environment, HR and Human Rights, Business Ethics and Responsible Purchasing. These CSR assessments are based on authentic evidence and are internationally recognised. Initially silver, Condat progressed until obtaining in October 2021 the ‘Platinum’ level, the highest distinction awarded by EcoVadis.

The company’s objective is to reduce its ecological footprint and guide its organisation towards sustainable value creation that takes into account social and environmental issues. It integrates, among other things, the Sustainable Development Goals at each stage of the life of its products, as evidenced by its unique system of self-evaluation of its eco-designed offer: the Lubriscore®.

The Platinum medal was awarded by EcoVadis to all the subsidiaries of the Condat Group.

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A DUO FOR ALL CASES Sliding and fixed point screw RV4-B5 Can be used flexibly for material combinations 3 - 8 mm and as a fire protection-compliant connection system in the Rear-Ventilated-Facades thanks to the A4 stainless steel material.

4.0

Spacer screw RDS Stainless steel A4: low thermal conductivity with full fire protection.

Distance substructures quick and easy for Rear-Ventilated-Facades in new buildings and renovations.

Julian.Oppermann@reisser-screws.com

www.reisser-screws.com

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SK-go!®

the KEY for transparency and efficiency in production

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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

Ensuring product quality and cost-effectiveness Parts cleaning has become a quality critical manufacturing step in all industry sectors. Often it takes great effort to reproducibly meet particulate and film-type cleanliness specifications. At the same time, cleaning is to be done at the lowest possible cost and be highly sustainable. These contradictory requirements imperatively call for processes and machines tailored to specific needs.

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rom machine and plant engineering, electrical and power engineering to connecting elements, the so-called general industry contains a multitude of sectors. In these industry sectors, components of the most diverse materials such as metals, plastics, ceramic and composite materials are manufactured and processed using very different manufacturing technologies.

Products include, for example, cast and machined parts, stamped, bent, pressed and deep-drawn parts, hydraulic parts and, more and more, additively manufactured components. Although the parts are manifold, they have one thing in common – to ensure the quality of downstream processes such as machining, heat treatment, coating, bonding and assembly, and to guarantee lasting functionality, they necessitate cleanliness levels in-line with requirements. In many areas, ever higher requirements concerning particulate and film-type cleanliness must be met. There are also often added challenges such as high throughput rates and weights, a strongly varying range of parts to be cleaned, short delivery times and also small margins in some cases.

This means there are different requirements for part cleaning. As a supplier of complete future-oriented, flexible and energy efficient solutions for industrial parts cleaning, Ecoclean covers the complete range of wet chemical procedures. Cleaning processes and systems for batch or single part cleaning can be optimally adapted to the respective specifications. To do so, the following factors have to be taken into consideration: Material, size, geometry and weight of the part, type and quantity of contaminants, downstream process, and the resulting cleanliness specifications, and throughput requirements.

On this basis it can be determined whether the contaminants can be removed most effectively with a water-based detergent, an environment friendly solvent or a modified alcohol with lipophilic and hydrophilic properties. What is more, this information enables engineers to define the best suited process and drying technology.

A matching process technology minimises cleaning cost

In order to minimise the cost per cleaned part, it is necessary that the existing cleanliness specification is not only reliable, but also quickly reached. Therefore the systems are equipped with various

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application specific treatment technologies such as spray, high pressure, immersion, ultrasonic and plasma cleaning, vapour decreasing, injection flood washing, deburring, pulsated pressure cleaning (PPC) as well as a passivation/preservation process – as required.

By combining these cleaning procedures, the cleaning result and duration for the specific parts can be influenced in a pinpointed manner. The PPC procedure in combination with an aqueous or solvent-based immersion cleaning for example, reliably and quickly removes contaminations from small cavities. In case of complex and bulk parts, spray processes and injection flood washing with adjustable nozzles between 10 and 16 bar also deliver markedly improved cleaning results and shorter process times in solvent cleaning processes.

Quality and cost can be optimised by combining processes that formerly required several machines in one single cleaning system.

Among them are chamber machines designed for solvent-based or aqueous batch cleaning with a subsequent low pressure plasma process. Among other things, this method effectively and efficiently prepares the part surface for a subsequent coating or bonding.

Ecoclean’s extensive product range also offers the respective solutions for pinpointed deburring and cleaning of single parts, for example hydraulic and motor components in one system.

Ingenuity through simplicity Affordable and easy to implement solution for intralogistics

Autonomous Mobile Robot with advanced navigation and automation features. www.karter.nl info@karter.nl +31 70 306 7100

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

Videx dual side threaded rod lines – faster than ever Videx has adopted a new technology to allow its dual side straighten and cut machine to feed two high-speed thread rollers, one on each side of the machine, at an overall speed of 50 metres per minute.

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he straighten and cut machine feeds and cuts wire at high-speed and diverts the cut-to-length bars to the two sides of the machine, from where they are fed into two powerful thread rollers that were specially designed to accept these bars and thread them at high-speeds.

The dual side lines are ideal for the large volume production of threaded rod, both for long runs and for short batches. The production rates are 2-6 times higher than in standard lines, using less floor space and at the best quality, as well as eliminating handling or operator intervention.

Despite being dual side, each side of the machine is independently operated and controlled, enabling the machine to keep working on one side when the operator changes thread rolling dies on the other side, for example. The machines are also equipped with quick changeover features for bar diameter and length.

Furthermore, the line is highly reliable and fully mechanical and there are no clutches or hydraulic components, making it quieter and more reliable – requiring minimal maintenance. The cutting operation is performed by a rotating cam, driven by an automotive type gear through a servo drive. Wire straightening is performed by a straightener that reciprocates during cut-off, so it does not damage the wire as it never twists on the wire in one place. The machines are offered in length of 1m, 3m or 4m. Videx Machine Engineering Ltd is also offering bundling machines for galvanised threaded rods.

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COMBINED & TRANSFER MACHINES Combined Machines are used to execute secondary operations in addition to tapping. Operations like drilling, boring, facing, chamfering are performed sequentially or in overlapping by exploiting the single positioning/clamping of the part under process. That way the output rate is strongly increased. To obtain a better production yield, it is possible to install 2, 3, or 4 working units.

Transfer Machines are used to produce medium to large sized complex, precise, batches of parts. At the core of the machine there is the permanent clamping system, pneumatically or hydraulically operated, with self-centering vices, which combines precision, repeatability and rigidity. HS ASPE transfer machines are also built on an exclusive frame which guarantees very high rigidity, precision, and high-speed positioning of the Direct Drive rotary table. This technology is at the highest level to obtain the best possible customized solutions for each client.

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H.S. AUTOMAZIONI s.r.l. • Via San Maurizio 184/17 • 10073 CIRIE’ (TO) • Ph. +39 011 9221825 • sales@hsautomazioni.it

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

Sandvik launches SaaS tooling inventory management Design & Planning Automation, a division within Sandvik Machining and Manufacturing Solutions, is launching CRIBWISE™ – a new software as a service platform in the UK and Ireland.

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RIBWISE™ is a subscription-based Cloud inventory management solution that helps manufacturing businesses take control of tooling inventory and related processes. The software enables tool, spare part and equipment management, automated purchase and service orders, automated tool dispensing, manufacturer catalogue services and smart reporting.

CRIBWISE is modular, customisable and easy to integrate for all sizes of machine shops. It helps improve productivity and machine life by reducing administrative time, hours spent searching for tools, as well as production and maintenance delays. It also cuts unnecessary expenditure due to over purchasing and over-stocking.

Without an effective tool management system, machine shops can find themselves doing one of two things – rush orders of new tools when inventories are depleted unexpectedly or stocking more tools than needed so that they do not run out in the first place. Both can significantly add costs and also cause problems on the shop floor.

Head of CRIBWISE, Joakim Johansson, says: “Tooling costs can easily run into tens of thousands of pounds and much of this can be attributed to outdated and unconsolidated tooling inventories that take up space and cause frustration.”

He adds: “With a standardised and consolidated tooling inventory system such as CRIBWISE, machine shops can streamline purchasing, reduce costs and improve stock management. In fact, our ‘earlybird’ customers have reduced tooling and equipment inventory costs by as much as 20%. An effective tool management system will also generate data that owners and managers can use to make more informed strategic decisions about workforce productivity, machine optimisation, expenditure and inventory size.”

New press concept developed Schuler has introduced a new press concept for mechanical lines with and without servo drives under the name Triton, which allows for individually adapted solutions. rank Klingemann, head of the industry division at Schuler AG, explains: “Triton is intended to stand for the high-quality, performance, and technological innovation of the machines. All Triton presses are already Industry 4.0 capable and thus ready for digitisation. Thanks to many identical parts, fast and efficient service is also guaranteed.”

Customers are convinced by the modular concept, too. “Schuler has put together the perfect line for us from this modular system, which

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ideally suits our needs,” says Wolfgang Milinski, press shop manager at Isringhausen GmbH Co KG – a manufacturer of seating systems and technical springs for the automotive and commercial vehicle industries.

“Thanks to the consistent standardisation of components, Schuler is also able to offer its presses at a competitive price,” adds Dmitri Reeva, NRC production director at Autoliv Inc. “Nevertheless, the combination possibilities are huge, so we get an individually tailored line with the best Schuler quality.”

New possibilities with Tiger·tec® Gold After the launch of the WKP45G PVD grade for the Walter Xtra·tec® XT, Walter BLAXX and M4000 milling cutter families, Walter is presenting new Tiger·tec® Gold indexable inserts for milling.

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ust like the previously launched insert styles, Walter points out that the new indexable inserts stand out from the crowd due to their versatility and range of applications. This successful grade is also now available for Xtra·tec® shoulder milling cutters and helical milling cutters, slotting cutters, high-feed F2330 milling cutters and F2239 copy milling cutters.

The foundation for the high process reliability of the Tiger·tec® Gold indexable inserts is their balanced ratio between wear resistance and toughness. The world’s first PVD Al2O3 coating on the inserts ensures that the rake face is extremely smooth, thereby guaranteeing low friction and a long tool life. Depending on their needs, users can either use higher cutting data, i.e. to produce more in the same time period or make use of the insert’s tool life to reduce their machining times.

Alongside the coating technology, the layer structure of the grade also makes it unique. A tough carbide substrate is topped with an extremely wear resistant TiAlN layer, followed by a highly temperature resistant aluminium oxide layer (Al2O3) and then a gold coloured ZrN top layer. This optimises the friction behaviour and wear detection. This unique structure makes the Tiger·tec Gold PVD indexable inserts suitable for universal use in all common Walter milling cutters and for all materials in ISO groups P, M and S – such as austenitic stainless steel or titanium alloys – and even in tough situations, for instance machining large overhangs or wet machining.

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TESTING

INSIGHT INTO TESTING METHODS FOR THE FASTENER SECTOR

MECHANICAL TESTING FEATURE

The king of mechanical tests Here Cesare Certini, owner of CERMAC Srl – an Italian testing machine maunfacturer – discusses how a great deal of the structural and dimensional calculations of parts intended for mechanics and constructions are based on tensile testing, with fasteners being no exception.

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enerally, a tensile test is performed on specimens obtained from machined parts, but in some cases this type of test can be performed directly on the finished piece. Both options could be applied to fasteners, depending on the part to be tested.

In the case of the EN ISO 898-1 standard, relating to bolts, screws and studs with specified property classes, there are two categories: FF – in turn divided into four categories, FF1, FF2, FF3 and FF4 – and MP – including MP1 and MP2. FF is the category provided for the testing of finished fasteners, while MP is the category provided for testing the material properties of fasteners and/or for process development.

The subdivision into categories is due to the fact that sometimes the dimensions and the shape of fasteners do not allow the execution of tensile tests in the standard mode. The norm therefore states that tensile tests can be performed by obtaining specimens by mechanical machining or by carrying out the test directly on the fastener.

To be able to carry out the test directly on the screw, in the case of screws with important dimensions, it is however necessary to have a

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tensile test machine capable of exerting a considerable force such as the 1,000kN UTM by CERMAC Srl – capable of breaking screws or bars threaded in M32 in 10.9 – without machining the part.

This machine can also be equipped with an optical strain gauge to be able to calculate the yield strength even on fully threaded screws and threaded bars. This is a value that the standard does not require precisely due to the impossibility of calculating it with standard contact strain gauges. To perform the other tests required by EN ISO 898-1 it is also necessary to have a series of clamp devices with characteristics defined by the standard, such as minimum hardness of 45HRC, hole diameter, thread tolerance class, etc.

Among these accessories are those intended for the test with wedge support, which in addition to the special clamps, also require a wedge with angle, dimensions, and threads, depending on the screw to be tested.

In addition to testing machines, CERMAC, thanks to its specialised workshop, is capable of making all these accessories tailored even for testing machines not of its own production, ensuring compliance with the standard. www.cermacsrl.com

TESTING

ZwickRoell introduces new universal hardness testing machine The new ZwickRoell DuraScan G5 hardness tester can accommodate Vickers, Knoop and Brinell test applications within the load range 0.25g and 62.5kg. It features a high-level of efficiency, flexibility and process reliability.

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he entire test sequence, from setting the indent to displaying the hardness value, is fully automated, eliminating potential operator influence.

The ZwickRoell DuraScan models 10 G5 and 20 G5 are ideal as semi-automatic hardness testers for simple applications.

The groundbreaking standard load range of the machine is from 10g to 62.5kg, with the option to extend the range down to 0.25g. The force is continuously and precisely monitored electronically using a series of electronic force measuring sensors.

This ensures that in addition to Vickers and Knoop, the Brinell test can also be performed in accordance with internationally recognised standards.

Incorporating the new patented rapid traverse for height adjustment, the height of the test unit can be adjusted at 10x speed, saving valuable time when adjusting to accommodate different specimen heights. The scanning function ensures automatic positioning of the test unit to the perfect working distance and the camera image is immediately focused, providing the highest level of efficiency in the laboratory.

Featuring the intuitive ecos Workflow Touch, the machine provides an efficient, intelligent solution for all conventional hardness testing tasks. The user is guided step-by-step through the measuring process all the way to data back-up. The intuitive user interface shortens familiarisation time and reduces operating errors. From simple, single measurements and curve measurements to data storage and reporting, everything is possible with ecos Workflow Touch, and minimum effort guaranteed.

The 10 megapixel camera used in all devices of the ZwickRoell DuraScan G5 series, sets new standards in image quality. Intelligent use of the high-resolution camera chip allows a 4x zoom without compromising quality. This innovative solution covers a wide range of applications with very few lenses. To maximise this potential, the machine only uses lenses that offer maximum optical resolution, reducing investment and set-up costs. The proven fully automatic evaluation process reliably regulates the brightness of the image and automatically evaluates the indentation.

Setting common standards in force calibration precision Traceable reference measurement instruments used in accredited calibration laboratories must meet the highest requirements in terms of precision, reliability and quality. To this effect, FORM + TEST Seidner & Co GmbH relies on Hottinger Brüel & Kjær’s (HBK) dependable and high precision measurement technology.

ORM + TEST, the Singapore-based calibration institution, required a special solution for carrying out calibrations for static compression force tests. HBK had the necessary expertise to provide the required highly precise special solution – the ALPHA 2-5000 S compression testing machine.

The implemented measurement system guarantees precise calibration of force sensors, as well as continuous calibrations in the compressive direction. The system can also cope with the additional requirement of measuring very small force values. The measurement solution can be used with a maximum precision of up to 1% of its maximum capacity.

FORM + TEST trusted HBK’s measurement technology for implementing its compression testing machine, as HBK was the only supplier to guarantee the precision and reliability of its products and the entire measurement chain.

The central element of the measurement system is a custom-built system, BU18, with three C18 ring torsion force transfer standards from HBK with a nominal force of 1.7kN each. The capacity of the entire system is thus 5MN. In addition, three type C15 reference force transducers, with a 5kN, 100kN and 500kN measurement range, were integrated into the system for high precision force measurement.

The DMP41 reference measuring amplifier completes the measurement system. With its unique accuracy class of 0.0005, the high precision measuring instrument is the most accurate amplifier for strain gauge based measurements worldwide. As a result, HBK’s DMP41 was the first choice for implementing the ALPHA 2-5000 S.

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TESTING

Instron introduces central lab management software Instron has introduced Bluehill Central, a networked lab management solution for Bluehill Universal software, which allows lab managers to remotely manage all test systems running Bluehill Universal – regardless of the number of systems or their worldwide locations.

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he new Bluehill Central software uses a single database to manage Instron systems and data at the enterprise level, simplifying the lab management process. This platform allows lab managers to remotely manage a wide range of tasks across all the frames on the network, including all Bluehill Universal users and permissions, test method templates, results, file revision approvals and audit trail data.

“Many labs with multiple Instron systems feel the burden of localised management and have expressed a preference to centrally manage templates and data,” explains Dan Caesar, product manager for Instron’s static testing software. “Bluehill Central was developed to address that burden by offering a centralised platform to simplify file and user management, lower risks associated to testing errors and make regulatory compliance easier than ever before.”

Bluehill Central is built around the concept of teams, which are groups of users that share common files and settings. An individual operator’s permissions and access to files and approved test methods are defined by their team, giving labs the flexibility to support different workflows and settings depending on who is using the test frame.

The traceability module gives lab managers top down control over test method changes, requests, and test results, simplifying approvals and compliance while preventing accidental use of unapproved test methods. Activity from all connected test systems is automatically captured in a secure and searchable audit trail, offering a convenient way to review who did what, when and why. This can speed up the audit process and better control risk along the way.

Test results from a network of connected test frames can also be set-up to automatically upload to a central repository, allowing all test results to be analysed using the TrendTracker module in Bluehill Central. This module permits users to quickly search and analyse data, making it easier to identify and remediate inconsistencies.

Buehler relocates headquarters Buehler ITW Test & Measurement GmbH has relocated its German headquarters, including development and service workshop, from Esslingen to Leinfelden-Echterdingen, which is conveniently located near Stuttgart Airport and the trade fair centre. ust in time for the celebration of the 85th anniversary, the new premises offers employees plenty of space, on two floors, for more comfortable working in a friendly atmosphere. From there, Buehler also coordinates the cooperation with its Bremen-based partner OMNILAB. As one of the largest independent specialist laboratory dealers in Germany, the latter took over the warehousing for the diverse systems, spare parts and consumables used in materialography and material analysis, as well as customer service at the end of 2020.

The spacious laboratory is equipped with state of the art technology for the preparation of materialography samples as well as the latest generation of hardness testers and corresponding testing

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software. It is available for the solution of specific tasks and problems of national and international customers, as well as for seminars and training courses. The first test run will be at the beginning of 2022 with the start of the SumMet courses, in which Buehler will impart specialist and detailed knowledge on the preparation and evaluation of material samples.

Buehler has been a manufacturer of instruments, consumables and accessories for metallography and materials analysis since 1936 and supplies a comprehensive range of hardness testers and hardness testing systems. Buehler is part of the Test and Measurement Segment of US company Illinois Tool Works (ITW) with some 800 decentralised divisions in 52 countries and around 45,000 employees.

2021

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MANAGEMENT + SYSTEMS SYSTEM DEVELOPMENTS AFFECTING THE FASTENER SECTOR

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT FEATURE

Can technology help us get through this labour crisis?

By Jason Bader, managing partner, The Distribution Team

These are strange times, indeed. There have been so many unprecedented challenges in the last two years that I might be getting a bit jaded and reserved. Of course, I am a proud member of Generation X, so cynicism irritation at world lunacy is part of my DNA. The challenge du jour is the current labour crisis we seem to have found ourselves in.

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ou know it’s getting bad when my typically optimistic marketing group wants to discuss strategies to recruit new talent. Not that they shouldn’t participate in this effort, but it is not something that they are typically bringing to the group.

My business coach, and yes, I do have one, referred to our current situation as “the mass resignation” in North America. A bit dramatic, but we all seem to thrive on catchy expressions to help make sense of difficult situations. Let’s face facts. We have a broken supply chain that is causing undue stress on our internal associates. We have unparalleled demand from our customer base. There is a battle raging between remote and premise-based work environments. Is there any wonder why our

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associates are reexamining their career choices? In the meantime, we have a business to run and markets to serve. While I could certainly spend some time waxing on about recruitment and retentions, I would like to focus this article on how we can better utilise technology to help mitigate this labour shortage.

It is no secret that distributors underutilise the capabilities of their ERP. By some estimates, this percentage can be as little as 15% of the features and functions. This has got to stop. We paid for the ‘whole enchilada’. Let’s use the as much as we can. This lack of usage is highly prevalent in the procurement and management of inventory. Over the years, our teams have created elaborate work arounds because they are unwilling or unable to use the system as intended. No system is perfect and sometimes systems have glaring flaws in their

MANAGEMENT + SYSTEMS logic; but let me make something very clear, their odd methodology is typically the result of user influence. Hundreds and hundreds of users.

How arrogant would we be to state that our method is superior to the collective wisdom of all these users?

Learn how to make the software do the heavy lifting. Populate the fields and tweak the settings so that the suggested purchase order is in alignment with what you would have come up with had you slogged through your laborious process. These manual ‘gut feel’ methods take labour hours. Teaching the madness to a team of others will cause rampant expansion of labour hours. Coming full circle, we don’t have the luxury of wasting labour hours anymore. Take a look at the process and determine what parts should be delegated to the software and what parts can only be accomplished by a human.

As I was thinking about the functional areas of our organisations, I could have lumped sales and marketing together. That would be lazy and rocket us back to the last century. Newsflash – sales and marketing are two separate disciplines.

In the marketing arena, we have several tools to help produce touch points without having to physically push the buttons. Having spent the better part of 25 years married to a brilliant marketing professional, I have had a front row seat to the evolution of customer contact tools. I have worked with a few, but I must admit that I fall way short on utilisation. Email and social marketing tools, if set-up right, can automate campaigns designed to follow leads and get that audience to take one more peek at your company. What happens when someone clicks on a link in an email generated by your campaign? Is that click sent to a human to follow up? Or is a drip campaign created that prods that potential customer through the sales funnel? What happens to a ‘like’ on Facebook? Are we nurturing that impression? While I am a novice in this arena, I know that there are levels of automation that reduce the need for human intervention.

Here comes the meaty one – sales. There are several ways to augment our sales efforts without having to apply labour. For years, we threw bodies at lagging sales revenue. We had them to throw. If our compensation was set up favorably, it didn’t cost us much to put feet on the street. Today, we don’t have that same luxury. eCommerce has helped us add to our traditional sales force. Rather than a replacement, I see companies treating their web stores as another branch or salesperson. There will be a subset of your customer base that will never respond to an eCommerce offering. Don’t try to jam it down their throats. For those existing, or yet to be discovered buyers, we need to up our game in this arena. Many companies are doing amazing catchup work in this arena. Don’t get caught in the Field of Dreams “if I build it, they will come” trap. Before you build it, take time to ask your customers what they want in an eCommerce platform.

Survey first, spend second. If you are trying to get new customers to swim up to the boat, get educated about SEO (search engine optimisation) and SEM (search engine marketing). Paid placement works. It doesn’t do you any good to be relegated to page two.

For those of you who deploy customer VMI (vendor managed inventory) programs, there are new technologies to help you strip out the labour hours involved. Just to clarify, a VMI program typically involves a number of SKUs housed in bins on a customer site. My preference is the customer buys the initial stock, but consignment is a lessor option. The site bins have an agreed upon min/max of quantity. It is common that a distributor salesperson

visits the site and does a periodic inventory in order to build a replenishment order. While this is a nice way to stay in front of the customer, it is labour intensive. In the past, ERP connected vending machines were all the rage; but the ROI was seldom realised and someone still had to come replenish the device. When sites became restricted in 2020, these programs really suffered. Today, there is a new technology using RFID that boasts ‘contact-free VMI’. It was born out of an industrial distributor and is poised to revolutionise this labour-intensive sales strategy. If you send me a nice note, I will steer you in the right direction.

Now more than ever ‘data is king’. Distributors have been struggling with how to best use the massive amounts of data that our ERPs collect. In the early part of the century, we referred to the process as ‘data-mining’, but that really relied on examining historic data to see what happened.

Today, we have moved beyond the historical BI (Business Intelligence) arena and have access to the futuristic AI (Artificial Intelligence).

I recently did a podcast with Proton AI founder, Benj Cohen. He explained that AI doesn’t just rely on historical ERP data but takes an omni-channel approach to the collection of inputs to form predictions on sales opportunities.

Think about integrating the inputs from your marketing efforts, sales communication, ERP transactions and web analytics. Will these insights make it easier for your sales team to discover opportunities?

Before I leave the sales arena, I want to share an off the cuff comment by my younger brother. He doesn’t read any of my stuff anyway, so I can talk about his distribution intelligence. When I asked the title question about technology mitigating labour challenges, he gave me an oldy, but a goody. He reminded me that call routing can help utilise customer service associates more effectively. When you have multiple locations, think about how many customer service hours are spent waiting for a call to come in. This is a tremendous underutilisation of talent. Call routing can help mitigate associate absences or shortages.

Do customers really care where they are calling if they get the answers they need?

I’m in deep now, so I better keep going. Let’s jump over to the accounting side. I have recently been exposed to some of the automation and labour savings available to the sales completion process. Ok, for those of you not used to my verbiage, I am referring to accounts receivable. There are services out there that help automate the process of sending invoices and collecting payment. Furthermore, these service providers have options to automate the past due notification process. Many of the credit managers I meet with monthly use some form of automation to augment the receivables process.

These services often jump the fence over to the payables side. Worth exploring unless you like adding bodies to your accounting team.

In a recent post by my friend Bruce Merrifield, there are over 10 million job openings in the United States and around 9 million people unemployed. I’m no math major, but even I can see that we don’t have enough people to meet demand and this is similar around the world. As distributors of products, we are the backbone of this great economy. We need to deliver. By breaking out of our current paradigm, the one where we throw bodies at demand, we can meet this challenge head on. See what’s out there and get creative. You might even have some fun doing it. I am always here to help. www.thedistributionteam.com

Distributors have been struggling with how to best use the massive amounts of data that our ERPs collect.”

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MANAGEMENT + SYSTEMS SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT FEATURE

What’s the answer to the ongoing Ivanti provides supply chain management solutions to the European market, as well as into the fastener and fixing industry. Here, Marcus Jeffrey, territory manager UK&I at Ivanti, explains what supply chain management is and why it is vital to businesses in the current climate.

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astening and fixing items are a crucial part of any supply chain. Without them, companies can’t build the objects fundamental to keeping their businesses afloat. However, supply chains have found themselves struggling to operate comfortably throughout the pandemic. Organisations have been forced to rethink their entire supply chain models to keep up with demands and disruptions – whilst having a weakened workforce due to labour shortages.

To cope with growing demand, businesses are turning to technology. Research suggests that 84% of organisations have or intend to hasten their adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) in response to complications caused by Covid-19. With new variants continuously being discovered, uncertainty is constantly on the horizon – as well as prolonged supply chain disruption. Supply chain management solutions have never been so vital to keep enterprises above water.

What is supply chain management?

Supply chain management (SCM) refers to how the flow of products/services, including production processes, are carried out and organised. Good management of the supply chain – keeping a close eye on inventory production, and sales – can save companies both time and money, helping them deliver goods to customers at a faster pace.

Technology has continuously been innovated to help improve SCM since the latter half of the 20 th Century. The development of the personal computer in the 1980s assisted SCM through spreadsheets and map-based interfaces. As time has progressed, technology has further become a key part of increasing the agility and efficiency of supply chains. We can expect human roles to be enhanced with automated systems, allowing more responsibilities to be taken on quicker.

Supply chain management can essentially be broken up into five elements – planning, sourcing raw materials, manufacturing,

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delivery and returns. Having tight control and understanding of each of these stages ensures SCM runs without complication.

Narrowing the labour shortage gap with familiar technology

We are currently witnessing an abundance of job vacancies and a shortage of talent, also triggered by the pandemic. According to the Office for National Statistics in the UK, in August to October 2021 the number of vacancies hit a new record of over 1 million. This is affecting how smoothly supply chains can function. Ensuring productivity, especially when understaffed, is essential in SCM to keep up with market demands.

Today, consumers’ opinions of brands depend on how swiftly goods are delivered, making it hugely important to give warehouse workers the right tools to effectively carry out their responsibilities.

The mobile operating systems (OS) used must be suitable for both the supply chain and user experience. Take advantage of the devices that are already familiar to your workers, the digital devices, such as mobiles and tablets, they already use in their everyday lives.

Their familiarity helps to accelerate task-screen navigation and ultimately enables employees to enter data not only faster but also more accurately. It also makes the task a lot less stressful, refraining from forcing workers from having to get to used to how the devices operate. Time training staff how to use the devices decreases, again helping to speed up processes and ultimately helping to get the product to the customer as fast as possible.

However, one of the problems with mobile OS lies with the management side of things. It is often found that there are too many devices to keep track of, so using a system that helps manage them in one place is hugely beneficial. With mobile device management (MDM), specific devices can be targeted for check-ins or scheduled updates. This can help to decrease the amount of time spent waiting for devices to become available or working out which need to upgrade their systems.

supply chain crisis?

Save time whilst packing and picking

Picking and packing is an essential part of order fulfilment with dispatch times and customer satisfaction relying heavily on the accuracy of these tasks. Traditionally, workers have to continuously stop to check paper documents to ensure they are gathering and packing the correct items. Stopping and starting is extremely time costly and equally as frustrating for employees who can’t complete the tasks smoothly.

Productivity can be ensured by utilising voice enabled technology as its hands free nature enables workers to keep moving. Employees can remind themselves of which screws, nails or bolts need to be collected all whilst walking straight ahead to their next destination in the warehouse.

Voice technology can also be used in other areas to assist workers such as barcode scanning, key entry and more. Mobile devices already have voice processing abilities, from Siri to Cortana, therefore additional dedicated voice recognising hardware isn’t needed. The technology to aid workers in warehouses already exists in day-to-day life, it just needs to be taken advantage of.

IIoT and automated systems to collaborate with human workers

IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) and automated systems are enriching work carried out by humans. Covid-19 has sped up the development and adoption of these technologies as businesses have been

Good management of the supply chain… can save companies both time and money.”

forced to address any kinks in their supply chain management. With IIoT communicating and transferring data between devices without the need for an employee to trigger the process, humans can pay more attention to other tasks that require input to improve operations.

For instance, IIoT can manage logistics, remote production control and more, freeing time for companies to focus employee physical labour on order fulfilment and customer satisfaction.

The pandemic has taught all industries that obstacles cannot be seen from a mile away, with circumstances and government guidelines being able to change in just a few days. It’s important to expect the unexpected to ensure supply chains run as smoothly and effectively as possible.

Supply chain management solutions can help to reduce the strain on workers, whether that be by using technology to help them finish the task sooner or removing the need for them to do a task completely.

There’s no more of a perfect time than now to integrate mobile device management, voice solutions and IIoT into the supply chain.

MANAGEMENT + SYSTEMS SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT FEATURE

Helping distributors stay ahead Epicor has released Epicor Prophet 21, a Cloud-based industry productivity solution for distributors, underscoring the company’s continued commitment to help distributors stay ahead of the ever changing supply chain landscape.

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istributors have navigated an unprecedented set of challenges over the past 18 months including supply chain disruption and changing customer expectations for digital connectedness. The need for flexible, insight driven industry productivity platforms has never been greater.

The latest release of Epicor Prophet 21 helps distributors address today’s challenges while optimising for the future through new Cloud-based, industry focused capabilities that help tackle complex supply chain needs and scale operations.

Enterprise Cloud for large distributors

Epicor Prophet 21 offers a new Epicor Cloud Enterprise Services package for large distributors looking for greater control and flexibility to manage global operations on a scalable and more secure Cloud platform. New enterprise Cloud services include isolated Cloud infrastructure for greater autonomy, customisable upgrade schedule, additional processing capacity, more database access, as well as dedicated premium support expertise.

The latest release not only delivers new Cloud capabilities, it also provides a path for customer growth that can easily adapt to evolving needs. For example, the modular design enables components to be installed and scaled out independently, making it easy to personalise and configure the Epicor Prophet 21 solution.

In addition, the user experience is more productive as the flow of information between the browser and server has been optimised, retrieving information faster and making it easier to manage data. This release also reinforces the company’s commitment to global customers with enhanced functionality around regulatory requirements and tax changes.

BSS selects K8 for building future growth Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) has concluded an agreement with BSS, part of the Travis Perkins group, to implement its flagship K8 business solution across the entire BSS estate.

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perating from 53 specialist branches nationwide, together with two state of the art distribution centres, K8 will support 750 users across the entire BSS business.

From point of sale, procurement, inventory and logistics management, through to local and central dispatch to customers, BSS will implement K8 in all of its branches.

Deploying the latest K8 digital innovations in branch will enable the business to quickly and easily receive and pick goods, as well as allowing BSS to manage the delivery cycle from a single device.

Using KCS’ innovative Apps will allow BSS to ‘take the technology to the job’, delivering maximum efficiency whilst ensuring a clear customer service focus throughout the BSS network. It will also take advantage of the integrated web platform and the sophisticated web services to further develop its digital strategy.

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In addition, K8 will be deployed in the flagship distribution centres, where it will streamline the warehouse operations for the group. The K8 finance solution, with its strong focus on optimising working capital and automating processes where possible (e.g reconciliations and supplier invoice import and matching) will form the backbone of this implementation, delivering a complete business solution to the group.

“We are very proud that BSS has chosen K8 as its platform to take the business forward. We are excited to be part of the BSS future and look forward to developing our partnership over the coming years,” commented James Mitchell, managing director at Kerridge Commercial Systems Ltd. “This deal is a testament to our focus on supporting the needs of the merchant industry and we look forward to working together with the BSS team.”

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MANAGEMENT + SYSTEMS

Just In time logistics with zero tolerance for errors BMW supplier MM Technics will equip its facility in South Carolina, USA, with the Easy WMS Warehouse Management System from Mecalux. The software will supervise and optimise all warehouse processes to enable the company to supply the car maker with components and tools at just the right time.

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M Technics will go from controlling all products in its warehouse manually to doing so automatically with Easy WMS from Mecalux. With the help of the WMS, the company will have all the information it needs on the status of its stock in ‘real time’. Simultaneously, it will be able to ensure the traceability of those items.

Easy WMS will be integrated with MM Technics’ SAP ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system in order for the two systems to exchange essential data and information to manage the warehouse effectively. Through this connection, managers of the centre will know what BMW’s needs are and ensure that parts are delivered on time.

The Mecalux software will also orchestrate all warehouse operations, sending instructions to operators on how to complete each task, from product storage to order picking. As a result, MM Technics will save time in operations and eliminate any possibility of error.

“MM Technics’ priority is to meet its customers’ needs. With Easy WMS from Mecalux, our aim is to track material movement in ‘real time’ and work more efficiently throughout the facility. We want to eliminate wrong product deliveries to customers,” comments Philippe Hochadel, production planner and product manager, at MM Technics LP.

Vanderlande launches Augmented Reality App Vanderlande has launched its very own Augmented Reality (AR) App, aimed at helping customers understand how they can benefit from its next generation of scalable solutions. The App allows users to explore the most innovative warehousing technology in a ‘real life’ environment, anytime and anywhere. y simply installing the Vanderlande App on a mobile device, users can use the power of AR to ‘enter’ a virtual warehouse. They will then be able to place one of Vanderlande’s customer solutions on any surface and immerse themselves in a futuristic world of virtual facilities.

“We’re proud to present our latest innovation that puts the warehouse of the future directly in our customers’ hands,” says Terry Verkuijlen, vice-president warehouse solutions at Vanderlande. “Installing and using the Vanderlande App is simplicity itself and users can choose whether to dive straight into the AR experience or alternatively learn more about our solutions first.”

He adds: “Interactivity is key and users can easily discover lots of useful information.

This includes how to improve sorting, sequencing and storage using a pocket system and how our aisle roaming shuttle, ADAPTO, offers flexibility and a higher throughput.”

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Avanade welcomes QUANTIQ to its UKI business Avanade, a provider of innovative digital and Cloud services, business solutions and design led experiences on the Microsoft ecosystem, has completed the acquisition of QUANTIQ, a Microsoft Business applications focused systems integrator in the UK.

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ith QUANTIQ, Avanade will increase its Dynamics 365 capabilities, offering clients deeper expertise in customised, end-to-end business transformative solutions across all markets. With an emphasis on Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Azure, QUANTIQ will significantly extend Avanade’s Dynamics 365 capabilities and build on its existing Cloud-based Microsoft Business Application offerings – a key strategy for Avanade.

Through the combination of QUANTIQ’s ERP customer experience and Avanade’s offshore engineering capabilities, and broad expertise across the Microsoft platform, clients will benefit from enhanced solutions that will help accelerate digital transformation across all

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industry sectors, globally. The acquisition will see approximately 300 new professionals join Avanade’s existing business applications team.

Stuart Fenton, CEO of QUANTIQ, said: “QUANTIQ is excited to be joining Avanade, a business that shares QUANTIQ’s commitment to clients, employees and partners, as well as the belief in the power of Microsoft technologies to drive business transformation. Avanade represents an opportunity for QUANTIQ to expand its client offerings, making use of its entire range of technologies and service capabilities, as well as gain access to a global network of Dynamics professionals to help serve our international client base.”

Financial terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.

Why RFID is the future Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) provides new and profitable opportunities for increasing organisational, financial and operational performance. DENSO WAVE EUROPE, a member of the Toyota Group, has developed and deployed various RFID readers and solutions, which are used for inventory management, for warehouse management or shipping controls.

ENSO WAVE EUROPE, the experts for mobile data collection and auto-ID solutions, believes that RFID technology will continue to play a significant role in optimising processes and bringing the benefits of digitisation to physical locations. “Two of the key advantages of RFID are precision and speed,” says David Walker, RFID expert at DENSO WAVE EUROPE GmbH. “However, there are so many more benefits of the RFID technology, especially in retail and logistics with their complex structures and new challenges.”

Walker refers to the increasing demand of digitisation processes in general and during the Coronavirus pandemic in particular. “New business models are emerging quickly nowadays, hence supply chains will need to make shifts to accommodate the new demands.

RFID is the technology that can help companies, especially retailers and logisticians, meet a new future,” continues Walker.

“RFID increases sales and profit by saving time and providing greater stock accuracy. It can be stressful to scan individual items one at a time, which can also lead to human error. With RFID however, employees can quickly scan an entire area within seconds, rather than having to point at and scan each item individually. DENSO’s RFID readers impress, among other things, with their outstanding reading speed. As DENSO has developed a range of RFID devices, we can offer the right one for every purpose,” explains Walker.

RFID implementation can be flexible as supply chains can implement RFID solutions at any point in their processes. The key benefit of this concept is that when distributing RFID tagged items to different locations, these items do not need to be tagged over and over again. Instead, accurate interpretation of cases and pallets is possible along the way. Greater inventory accuracy also leads to more customer satisfaction and ultimately to more turnover and profit.

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APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY FASTENING SOLUTIONS FOR ALL INDUSTRIES

Zunum Aero’s concept of an electric airliner, which will be much smaller than current types. ©Zunum

AEROSPACE FEATURE

Electric planes will challenge fasteners

By Ian Parker, freelancer, ianfliesrussian@aol.com Airlines have had a double-whammy from the Covid-19 pandemic and environmental concerns, so they will be looking for very different planes in the future – possibly even electric planes.

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eeping many passengers close together in the airport and on the plane, breathing the same air, and then burning kerosene to the destination will both have to go. Aircraft layouts and propulsion will have to change quickly if the travel levels of recent years are to be maintained or exceeded.

Providing passengers with clean, uncontaminated air will be as important as providing the powerplants with non-polluting energy. The latter will probably come from the use of hydrogen, either directly as a fuel, or in the production of electricity in hydrogen fuel cells for powerful motors. However, hydrogen has to be kept very cold to maintain it in a liquid state and those low temperatures offer a major advantage to systems that use a large amount of electrical power – superconductivity can be employed.

To exploit such principles, Airbus has launched its ASCEND project – a major breakthrough in electric propulsion for long-range aircraft could soon be on the horizon. The presence of a cold source, in the form of liquid hydrogen, alongside superconducting technologies promises to unlock new possibilities. Today, the ASCEND demonstrator project

by Airbus UpNext aims to mature these technologies to significantly boost the performance of electric and hybrid-electric propulsion systems in future low emission aircraft.

What is superconductivity?

In 1911 Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes found himself preoccupied with one question: ‘What happens to the electrical

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conductivity of pure metals at very low temperatures?’ During an experiment, he immersed a wire made of solid mercury into liquid helium and, to his astonishment, found the wire’s electrical resistivity completely vanished at 4.2°Kelvin (-268.95°C).

He called the phenomenon ‘superconductivity’ or the ability of certain materials to generate strong magnetic fields and conduct very high electric currents with practically zero resistance when exposed to very low temperatures. The discovery was so groundbreaking, it earned Kamerlingh Onnes the 1913 Nobel Prize in physics.

Today, superconductivity has a variety of practical applications, including: Electrical power transmission cables.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) machines.

Particle accelerators and magnetic fusion devices.

Some electric motors and generators.

However, superconductivity’s applications in the aerospace industry have yet to be fully explored. Airbus UpNext is looking to change that with its latest ground-based demonstrator project called ASCEND (Advanced Superconducting & Cryogenic Experimental Powertrain Demonstrator). Sandra Bour Schaeffer, CEO at Airbus UpNext, comments: “With the ASCEND demonstrator, we’ll pave the way for a real breakthrough in electric propulsion for future aircraft.”

APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY The twin power of cryogenics and superconductivity

One of the major challenges of scaling up electric propulsion to larger aircrafts is the power-to-weight ratio. In other words, today’s electrical systems simply do not meet the necessary power requirements without adding excess weight to the aircraft. However, high-temperature superconducting technologies are emerging as a promising solution to this technical conundrum, notably by increasing power density in the propulsion chain – while significantly lowering the mass of the distribution system.

This is where ASCEND comes in. The three year demonstrator project aims to show that an electric or hybrid-electric propulsion system, complemented by cryogenic and superconducting technologies, can be more than 2 to 3 times lighter than a conventional system – through a reduction in cable weight and a limit of 30kW/kg in power electronics – without compromising a 97% powertrain efficiency.

To achieve this objective, ASCEND features a 500kW powertrain consisting of the following components: A superconducting distribution system, including cables and protection items.

Cryogenically cooled motor control unit.

A superconducting motor.

A cryogenic system.

“With the ASCEND demonstrator, we’ll adapt ground-based cryogenic and superconducting technologies to a fully electric powertrain to confirm their potential at aircraft level,” explains Ludovic Ybanez, head of the ASCEND demonstrator. “Integrating these components will not only be a world first, but also an essential step towards future full-scale tests and flying demonstrators.”

Cool hydrogen

In addition to optimising the weight of the distribution system, another objective of ASCEND is to significantly increase the power density of the propulsion chain. This is a key consideration, as increasing the power of current electrical aircraft systems from a few hundred kW to the MW required for a fully electric aircraft is no

The Airbus ASCEND demonstrator

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easy feat. Simply put, more power increases weight and installation complexity, and generates more heat.

However, if a cold source at 20°K (-253.15°C), such as liquid hydrogen, is available on board, it can be used to cool the electrical systems. The superconducting components can then work to significantly improve the power density of the electric-propulsion systems.

Airbus is already looking into how liquid hydrogen could be used as fuel for an internal combustion engine or fuel cell as part of its ZEROe pre-programme. The ASCEND demonstrator will thus complement this research by providing additional insight into how cryogenic and superconducting technologies can support an ultra-efficient electric and/or hybrid-electric propulsion system for future aircraft.

“With the ASCEND demonstrator, we’ll pave the way for a real breakthrough in electric propulsion for future aircraft,” says Sandra Bour Schaeffer. “The importance of this work can’t be overstated.

Cryogenic and superconducting technologies could be key enablers to

©

A range of conventional aerospace fasteners from JP Aero. How will they have to be developed for cryogenic/high voltage applications? ©JP Aero

Fastener covers

enhancing the performance of low emission technologies, which will be essential to achieving our ambitious decarbonisation targets.”

The fastener issues

Aerospace fasteners are already in a high spec category. How will they have to be developed to take on these new high voltage/low temperature environments?

There are tens of thousands in the average passenger jet. Aircraft fasteners are very different from commercial grade fasteners and the two should never be confused. Although the average commercial grade fasteners are high performance items in themselves, the two can’t be compared.

Aerospace bolts are made from corrosion resistant steel and are heat treated to exceed a tensile strength of 125,000 psi. Commercial grade fasteners, by contrast, are made using low carbon steel. They bend easily and have very little corrosion protection. Their tensile strength is measured somewhere between 50,000 psi – 60,000 psi.

Many aerospace standards are common with those in the military because that’s their origin. The commercial aviation industry has its roots in the technology developed during World War II, so much of the safety measurements and terminology used was first defined by the US and British military.

Bolts

The difference between an aerospace quality bolt and a commercial one is in the quality and cost of the materials. Aircraft standard bolts are made with alloy steel, stainless or corrosion resistant steel, aluminium alloys and titanium. These allow the bolts to be both lighter and stronger than their commercial counterparts.

They typically have a tensile strength of around 160,000 psi.

Nuts

The nuts found on aircraft are distinctive in two major ways.

Firstl they are all constructed from the same materials listed above.

Secondly, because of the vibration caused by flying, and the extreme pressures they can be placed under, all aerospace quality nuts have some form of locking device to keep them in place. These are commonly known as castle nuts, lock-washers, safety wire and fibre inserts.

Washers

Simply put, washers are used normally as you would expect, however like the nuts and bolts listed above they are constructed from stronger more lightweight materials.

These are widely used in the industry to cover the nuts, bolts and washers already listed. Manufacturers employ a wide range of specialist materials as they need to be resistant to the many environmental factors within our atmosphere. Such materials include cadmium, zinc, nickel, silver, phosphate and black oxide.

Even the tiniest amount of extra weight will have a huge impact on aircraft performance, so aerospace fastener design becomes a combination of engineering and physics with a strict adherence to the highest quality materials, design and manufacturing standards.

The most commonly used materials are: Aluminium: A lightweight material used widely across the aerospace industry. However, it does have certain limitations such as heat sensitivity to anything upwards of 250°F (121°C).

Super alloys: There are many different types of superalloys, all them very good at dealing with different types of extreme stress. For this reason, they are found all over aircraft, particularly in places where extreme temperatures are an issue. Some are capable of withstanding temperature extremes from -420°F to 1,200°F (-216°C to 649°C) whilst still maintaining a tensile strength of 220,000 psi.

Titanium: Sometimes used in place of aluminium for its superior properties, titanium is an incredibly strong lightweight material with similarities to alloys and steel in terms of strength. It is more resistant than steel however with a temperature spread of -350°F to 800°F (-177°C to 427°C).

Steel: Although incredibly strong steel is very heavy, making it potentially problematic. It can also be susceptible to heat damage unless dealt with properly. Mostly this involves a specialist treatment that not only makes it stronger but more resistant to corrosion too. Steel is widely found in screws, bolts and aerospace fastener covers.

So aerospace fasteners are often exposed to low temperatures, but rarely are they exposed to high voltages. In the automotive sector, new energy vehicles (NEVs) need safe energy storage and delivery to the propulsion on demand. This requires electronic control mechanisms, which cannot be disrupted by electro-magnetic waves or affected by corrosion, contamination or moisture. This is where there will be a growth in uptake of isolating coatings and non-magnetic fasteners.

Initial NEV designs used bolted-on batteries, whereas new designs are looking to integrate the battery assembly as part of the structural design of the vehicle.

Battery retention bolts and compression limiters are playing a large role in the materialisation of these designs to allow transfer of forces through the structure, whilst allowing access for repair and maintenance. Well designed cable management will secure the ever growing wiring looms for delivery of energy to all parts of the vehicle and report back any key information picked up by the multiple sensors.

Another factor of very low temperatures is embrittlement. A substance that is extremely strong at normal temperatures can be very brittle when near absolute zero. Austenitic stainless steels such as 304 (1.4301) and 316 (1.4401) are however ‘tough’ at cryogenic temperatures and can be classed as ‘cryogenic steels’. They can be considered suitable for sub-zero ambient temperatures sometimes mentioned in service specifications for sub-arctic and arctic applications and locations, typically down to -40°C. The vast majority of fasteners in airliners will remain unchanged, but those used in superconducting cryogenic power systems will face a range of stresses connected with very low temperatures and high voltages. Just what those stresses are will be part of what comes of Airbus’s development of ASCEND… and the fastener industry will be expected to respond accordingly.

Acknowledgment: The author thanks JP Aero for input to this article

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APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY AEROSPACE FEATURE

TORX® family continues to expand The TORX® family started life back in 1967 with the original TORX® patent. From this humble beginning, this revolutionary drive system has continually expanded its offerings with ongoing improvements and many new design variants to accommodate a wide range of industry needs.

Today, the main family members include TORX®, TORX Plus®, and TORX Paralobe™.

I

n the aerospace market, TORX® and TORX Plus® have been prevalent for many years on major aircraft. CAMCAR Innovations SM points out that TORX Plus was responsible for significant improvements in aerospace assembly operations by reducing injuries and repairs, as well as increasing drive strength and overall productivity. To expand upon these improvements, CAMCAR Innovations developed the internal TORX Paralob drive, which amplified all the improvements TORX Plus brought to the industry.

The first ISO aerospace standards for TORX Paralobe™ were recently published – ISO 4579 for internal drives and ISO 4580 for internal driver bits. These standards complement the already

released SAE aerospace standards AS8538 (recess) and AS3539 (bit). Of course, although these standards are created for the aerospace industry, they can guide end users to incorporate TORX Paralobe into assemblies in multiple industries.

Another example of the evolving and ever improving nature of this family is the release of the latest improvements for the TORX® TTAP® family. TORX TTAP is a jointly developed product between CAMCAR and Ttap drive AS. TORX TTAP offers significant productivity improvements on job sites utilising wood framing construction and metal roofing. This is done with the patented TTAP stability button found in the bottom of the recess.

With CAMCAR’s latest standards release, the company is continuing to improve upon the functionality and simplify the manufacturing of this product line.

AEROSPACE FEATURE

New structural epoxy with astronomical performance The new Permabond ET5422 structural epoxy is an ultra high strength two part epoxy adhesive developed for a spacecraft project and later adopted by an aircraft parts manufacturer.

P

ermabond states that the ET5422 offers high peel strength and achieves exceptionally high structural bond strength and performance. The material is fully toughened with second generation core shell rubber technology, to offer excellent impact, vibration, peel and shear strength.

ET5422 is a highly versatile adhesive, providing high strength adhesion to a wide range of engineering materials and is ideal for replacing welding. It allows greater freedom of material selection with its ability to bond dissimilar materials and creates an impervious seal against moisture and chemicals. It can also be used instead of mechanical fasteners, helping to keep assemblies lightweight and rattle free. By not having to drill and fix parts, the processing is much easier – and with no damage to the integral strength of the substrate.

“This easy to use room temperature curing epoxy adhesive consists of resin and hardener and is supplied in convenient dual cartridges for dispensing via a handgun. The adhesive is mixed and dispensed via static mixing nozzles. It can also be supplied in bulk for use with automatic dispensing equipment. Full cure can be achieved at room temperature, although cure times can be reduced with the application of heat,” explains Permabond.

Permabond believes the use of this adhesive should not be limited to aircraft and space rocket manufacturers and that other industrial users should have access to it to maximise the performance of their bonded assemblies. This includes manufacturers of sports equipment, automotive parts, marine and prosthetics to name just a few.

YOUR COMPLETE SUPPLIER FOR SPRINGS AND PRESSINGS. LE S JOFORSA B.C OM

APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY

EJOT UK provides bespoke solution for seismic application Construction fastening specialist EJOT UK has delivered an innovative LIEBIG concrete anchoring solution for a key part of the safety critical infrastructure used in the maintenance of Royal Navy submarines at Devonport Royal Dockyard.

T

he project at Babcock International’s facility within HMNB Devonport – the largest naval base in western Europe – involved the replacement of corroded anchors that were securing a large cast iron brow hanger to the dock side. These hangers enable the secure attachment of the naval brow – a linking structure between the dock wall and the vessel – which accommodates the high pressure hoses and pipes used to test the propulsion systems of vessels in dock.

The brow hanger requiring refurbishment was located in a dry dock used for the maintenance and refit of HM Navy’s submarine fleet, including its nuclear powered Trafalgar and Vanguard-Class submarines. All eight of the hanger’s existing anchors, which were installed to an embedment depth of up to 550mm, had become corroded through long-term exposure to the atmospheric conditions, but the process of replacing them had to navigate a number of complexities.

Most significantly, it was vital for the anchors to be extracted without damaging

the rebar within the dock wall. Any interference with the existing rebar would affect the structural and seismic integrity of the dock side and in doing so lead to extensive and potentially costly remedial work. This could, in turn, disrupt the vital work undertaken 24/7 to keep the UK’s naval submarines operational.

But this was only part of the challenge. It was also crucial that the proposed solution could be fully assessed in a reliable test environment to give Babcock International’s team complete confidence in its integrity throughout its service life.

The solution provided by EJOT UK utilised the SE800 epoxy resin in combination with specially made resin studs. These 8 x M36 large diameter HCR (high corrosion steel) studs were manufactured in 1.4529 steel in order to meet life expectancy in this harsh environment, as well as the load capacity of the application. They were selected based on the need to reduce the possibility of contacting or cutting the rebar during insertion – which surrounded the existing installed anchors.

SE800 is a two component injection resin based on pure epoxy resin for high performance and structural applications.

Designed for anchoring threaded studs into cracked and non-cracked concrete, it was the ideal solution for the Devonport project because it is suitable for use in wet and flooded areas.

Vossloh wins major order for rail fastening systems Vossloh has been awarded with a contract for the supply of rail fastening systems required for the construction of a high-speed railway line in southern China. ossloh’s rail fastening systems are largely scheduled for delivery in 2022 and are thus an important driver for organic growth. The order has a volume of more than €30 million and is proof of the company’s continued strong position in one of the world’s most important railway markets.

“China already has the largest high-speed network in the world and plans to expand it significantly over the coming years. The need for fast and sustainable mobility to connect the numerous metropolitan areas in this huge country is constantly increasing,” says Oliver Schuster, CEO of Vossloh AG. “For 15 years now, our products in China have stood for innovation, maximum reliability and excellent quality. We are honoured that we can continue our unique success story in China with this order,” adds Oliver.

The Chinese high-speed network currently covers almost 40,000km and is growing rapidly. By 2030 the existing network is to be expanded to over 70,000km. The Vossloh Group has been represented in China since 2006. The subsidiary Vossloh Fastening Systems China Co Ltd based in Kunshan employs around 120 people and is one of the leading local suppliers of rail fastening systems, particularly for use on high-speed lines.

V

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AUTORIV press-in nut washer combination Setting high strength connections in closed profiles requires special solutions, which is why MDS AUTORIV offers a patented setting process for such applications. Its combination of press-in nut and washer was specially developed for series production.

O

ften used in practice in the field of eMobility, for example in the battery trays of electric vehicles, this connection is also of great benefit for crash elements, module carriers and in commercial and agricultural machinery construction. Furthermore, the combination is often used as a stop surface and is also suitable as a chemical insulator.

“Basically, this combination offers advantages when used in hard-to-reach places and with limited installation space, for example in closed profiles and extruded profiles,” points out MDS AUTORIV. The connection can be set with the AUTORIV procedure without having to open the profiles. The combination is also ideal for components with undercuts or overlaps.

The establishment of such a connection usually requires several work steps and is therefore quite cost intensive. With the automated use of the press-in nut washer combination, the

setting process can be carried out in a single work step. In addition, several connections can be set at the same time. The streamlining of the manufacturing process therefore offers some potential for cost savings – such as shorter lead times and lower logistics costs.

“The press-in nut washer combination offers many advantages compared to a conventional blind rivet nut: Strength of the connection, high pulling force, higher torque and larger contact surface. The high strength connection is independent of the screw connection,” explains MDS AUTORIV. The press-in nut washer combination also shows no setting behaviour. It is preferably used in aluminium profiles with a wall thickness of 4.5mm or more. The press-in nut can also be used as a single part without spacers for sheet metal thicknesses from 2mm.

The advantages here are the low overall height and a flush surface.

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APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY

How to select the proper pin for your application

By Jeff Greenwood, product sales engineer, SPIROL International Corporation Fasteners are some of the most important parts of an assembly as they hold the entire assembly together and facilitate the interaction between the individual components. Ideally, the selected fasteners are simple to assemble, provide a quality product for the intended lifetime of the assembly and yield the overall lowest cost taking into account the entire manufacturing process.

T

his article focuses on how to select the proper pin for an application. Specifically, press fit pins are discussed as they are the most common types of pins used in modern manufacturing.

Press fit pin types

Among press fit pins, there are two general categories – solid pins and spring pins. Solid pins can have a smooth, uninterrupted surface (such as dowels) or they may be designed with retention features such as knurls and barbs. All solid pins are retained by displacing/deforming the host material. Conversely, spring pins retain themselves by exerting a radial force (tension) against the hole wall after installation.

There are two different types of spring pins – slotted pins and coiled pins. Slotted spring pins are general purpose, low cost pins typically recommended for non critical assemblies. In many instances, slotted pins are used in applications where they are manually installed into mild to hardened steel components. Slotted pins have a gap designed for the pin to flex during installation allowing the pin to absorb varying hole tolerance. Coiled spring pins are available in light, standard and heavy-duty to enable the designer to choose the optimum combination of strength, flexibility, and diameter, suited for varying host materials and performance requirements. Coiled pins have 2 ¼ coils of material that enable the pin to flex both during installation, to accommodate varying hole tolerance, as well as after installation to dampen shock and vibration to prevent hole damage.

fastener size, material, duty, etc. Unfortunately, many designers wait until the end of the design to select a fastener. This can constrict the fastener selection process, limit performance and force suppliers to use high cost manufacturing processes to meet overly complicated specifications. It is recommended that manufacturers consult with pinning technical experts during the early stages of a new design so that the proper pin is selected and the appropriate specifications are applied to the mating components for the application.

Common pin functions

While there are many different ways to use pins, the most common are shown below in Table 1. These guidelines apply the majority of the time, but each specific application should be evaluated for final determination of which pin type is most appropriate.

Table 1: Typical pin functions

Hinge (free fit) Hinge (friction fit) Hub/shaft

Application evaluation

The first step in selecting a pin is evaluating the application.

These are some of the many considerations when determining the proper pin for a specific application: What is the pin’s function? What are the strength requirements of the pin? What is the material of the component in which the pin will be used? What environment will the pin be exposed to? What is the intended product lifetime and number of cycles? How will the pin be installed? What is the expected volume?

Designers should thoroughly examine the application and performance requirements early in the design stage. Not only will this guide facilitate decisions about the design of the host components, but it will also cover the topics of fastener selection,

158 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE ≡ ISSUE 133: JANUARY 2022

Alignment Stop Joining Serviceable

Hinge

Coiled pin

Slotted pin

Solid pin

• • • • • • •

•

•

• • • • •

• • • •

There are two primary types of hinges (Figure 1). A free fit hinge has little to no friction or drag when the latch or handle is rotated. Hinge components are ‘free’ to rotate independent of one another. Secondly,

a friction fit hinge requires interference to prevent free rotation of components relative to one another. Depending on design intent, resistance can vary from a slight drag to a value sufficient to maintain the fixed position of components anywhere in their full range of rotation.

All types of press fit pins should be considered when designing a free fit hinge. Solid pins are often preferred when the pin must travel through multiple clearance holes or when there is limited engagement area in the host component.

Coiled pins are preferred when Figure 1 there is no axial load on the pin and for applications with shock and vibration. Slotted pins are preferred when cost is paramount – typically at the expense of quality – and performance is sufficient. In general, coiled pins are preferred for friction fit hinges because they provide uniform radial tension that creates a ‘resistance’ feel in the hinge. Additionally, coiled pins are far more flexible than slotted pins or solid pins, thereby reducing the risk of damage to the holes during installation and normal product usage.

Hub and shaft

One of the primary benefits of using a coiled pin to affix a collar or hub to a shaft is its ability to prevent hole damage. The coiled pin’s flexibility and ability to effectively absorb forces make it the ideal pin for most hub and shaft applications. While all three types of pins can be used to affix a hub/gear to a shaft, the coiled pin provides superior performance and extends the lifetime of the assembly compared to the other pins.

required, the tighter the hole tolerances need to be controlled in each component and in relation to each other.

Ground dowels are preferred for highly critical alignment applications. Unlike spring pins, solid dowels rely on material displacement between the pin and the host components for the press fit. This requires a considerably higher installation force than either spring pin and requires the holes to be precision machined, which increases cycle time and manufacturing costs.

Stop

Coiled pins, slotted pins, and solid pins are all commonly used to stop the movement of one component relative to another. For example, coiled pins are often used to prevent over rotation of an actuator.

When slotted pins are used for this purpose, it is recommended that the pin’s slot is oriented opposite from the component interacting with the pin. Conversely, coiled pins and solid pins do not need to be oriented. Additionally, when spring pins are used as a stop pin, at least 60% of the pin’s length must be retained in the static component to ensure retention (as shown in Figure 2).

Figure 2

Locating/alignment

The desired level of precision dictates which pin is appropriate.

Coiled pins are preferred for the vast majority of alignment applications because they conform to the holes in which they are installed and remain flexible. Therefore, maximum accuracy in alignment can be achieved with a ‘light’ press to seat mating components. Light-duty coiled pins are especially advantageous for low insertion forces.

Wider hole tolerances can be used with coiled pins, which reduces the total manufacturing cost of the product. However, the more precision

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APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY Table 2: Common features, advantages and benefits Flexes to prevent hole damage during installation Allows for wide hole tolerances Superior combination of strength and flexibility Superior performance in static applications Superior performance in dynamic applications (absorbs shock loads)

Coiled pin

Slotted pin

• • • • •

• • •

•

•

• • • •

Superior resistance to axial load (push out/pull out) Tamper resistant Performance in soft materials under static loading (aluminium, plastic etc) Provides positive stop/location Lowest insertion force Conducive to automatic feeding Serviceable Appropriate for critical applications

preferred over ground solid dowels because they often provide cost savings.

Features, advantages, benefits

Each type of press fit pin serves a purpose for manufacturers. Table 2 (above) compares the common features, advantages and benefits for each type of pin.

Figure 3: Radial tension in coiled pins and slotted pins

Figure 4: Barbs retain this solid pin within plastic component

Joining/retention

Coiled pins, slotted pins and solid pins are also commonly used to join components together. Coiled pins and slotted pins hold components together with the frictional force generated from the radial tension of the pin, and are serviceable in the same hole (Figure 3).

Solid pins provide superior retention when an axial load is applied and are not removable/serviceable (Figure 4). This is advantageous when designers do not want users to disassemble their product. For the vast majority of retention applications, external features like knurls or barbs are

General considerations for pin selection

Spring pins are typically preferred over solid pins because of their flexibility, lower insertion forces, and their ability to accommodate wider hole tolerances. Here are several common exceptions where solid pins are preferred: When a head is required for a positive stop or to retain a thin member to a thicker member of the assembly.

When a smooth, uninterrupted surface is required such as when used in conjunction with a pawl or other angular component.

When a hollow pin is not suitable such as when the designer is looking to plug a hole (i.e. restrict passage of liquids).

When there is a need to manually align several clearance holes.

When increased bending or shear strength is required.

When precise hole locations need to be maintained.

Coiled spring pins are undoubtedly superior when it comes to assemblies subject to dynamic loading. Coiled spring pins have a unique combination of strength

• • • • • •

Solid pin

• •

• •

and flexibility, which allows them to dampen forces and vibration that prevents hole damage and prolongs assembly life.

While slotted spring pins are used in similar applications as coiled spring pins, slotted pins are typically preferred in non-critical, static applications where cost is prioritised over product lifetime.

Reevaluate product design

The final step in selecting the proper pin is to reevaluate the overall product design.

Often, the pin evaluation process identifies new information about the assembly. Many manufacturers see significant benefits when they stay flexible with their product design while the fastener is finalised. Sometimes design changes that are implemented after the fastener evaluation process can lead to performance improvements, cost savings and/or improved quality. This includes new host material, hole size, hole tolerance, boss thickness, as well as hinge design change.

Conclusion

Designers can optimise the performance and total manufactured cost of a product by selecting the proper pin for their product. In order to do this, it’s critical that fastener options are considered early in the design stages. The most important step in selecting the proper pin is to evaluate the application in detail and establish performance requirements. Finally, the design team should test and validate the fasteners in prototype assemblies before final approval is given. www.spirol.co.uk

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APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY

The significance of fasteners

in electric vehicles

With the automotive industry focused on the electrification of the drive system in vehicles, corresponding threaded fasteners have an important role to play. Here Annedore Bose-Munde, qualified engineer and business and technical journalist, looks at how Arnold Umformtechnik is extending its multi-faceted expertise into the electromobility sector.

T

he objective of fastening solutions in the electric vehicle sector is to produce contact points with low transition resistances, which will give stable operation over a long period. Arnold Umformtechnik has many years of experience in developing and manufacturing complex fasteners and fastening solutions.

“Our principal is that we want to become partners and service providers to our customers. In that way, we get to know all about the

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challenges that they need to overcome against the backdrop of the changing mobility market,” said Florian Lutz, product and systems developer at Arnold Umformtechnik.

“We want to provide our customers with expertise and skills.

Ultimately, customers expect us to understand their problems and concepts. From the investigative laboratory services and reports that they commission from us, they want to understand the practical effects on their components and component assembles.”

One thing for sure is that Arnold wants to know what its customers require of the fasteners to be used in electric vehicles.

It is only in that way that the company can then develop expert solutions at an early stage and with precision. So, along with its normal business, the company has built up skills and expertise aligned in particular to the electromobility sector. Thus, for example, Arnold offers its customers resistance measurements – on the component itself and also on the test model.

An energisation test rig is currently in operation, which is used, in the first step, to impinge the test piece with up to 1,000 A. It is then possible to check where heating occurs and where components are thermally destroyed. Thus, the effects of the current flow are shown clearly and meaningfully.

Understanding the legalities of electromobility

Arnold offers its clients who work in the electrification sector all the standard services provided by the company, in other words, it manufactures fasteners. In addition, it provides the laboratory services already referred to, along with expertise and consultation services for individual applications. As a result of increasing electrification in the industry, Arnold is also looking at copper as well as steel, the standard material currently in use. Demand for copper has risen strongly because it scores well in conductivity tests.

“Our customers expect a high-level of understanding of their particular task, as well as, naturally enough, rapid and expert reactions to their requests,” continued the development engineer, who is responsible for the processes involved. This means that to be able to react quickly to customers’ requirements, it is also i mpor ta nt for manufacturers of fastening solutions to fully understand the legalities of electromobility.

There are many cogs set in motion here – starting with expert advice given by the field sales staff, followed by producing a quotation, and then fulfilling the project.

Solutions for current conducting elements in areas of high voltage

of pure copper or copper alloys. “Arnold Umformtechnik has already included connectors for chargers in its range,” said Florian Lutz, who has worked at the company for eight years. “But we are now working on double threaded bolts, to which cables can be connected externally to the left and right, so that they can create a through connection through a housing. Welded or press fit bolts are also feasible. When such components are made of a special copper alloy, they can conduct current and also join the components together,” he continued.

“We are receiving a host of enquiries focussing on the electromobility sector. These have increased greatly over the past few years,” he said. And the work emanating from the enquiries is correspondingly extensive – technical research and development, tests and advice, and ultimately of course, the production process. This is why, for customer specific developments, and to maintain close contact with the customer, the company nominates a contact partner who will work on the customer’s project – attending the tests, tracking the development process for the fasteners, and monitoring production.

Arnold wants to know what its customers require of the fasteners to be used in electric vehicles.”

Fasteners have been reliably implemented in electrical settings for a long time. For example, for conducting steel parts, standard screws such as Taptite or metric screws fasten the equipotential bonding or the earth terminals of a circuit board. Press fit fasteners, and sometimes customer specific fasteners may also be used. The aim is to ensure a safe resistance and a defined clamping force. And for high voltage fastenings, traditional fasteners are used as energy store mechanisms. In a cable lug for example, attached to a power rail, thus ensuring a supply to the power electronics. Here, the screw has nothing to do directly with the current flow, because that flows from the cable lug via the contact surface. It has the function of applying the clamping force, making contact with the component and maintaining that contact throughout its service life. Here too, suitable standard fasteners are used depending on the application in question.

In recent years, current conducting elements for use in areas of high voltage have come increasingly into focus within the electromobility sector. These are fasteners that firstly create the fastening and secondly carry the current. Many of Arnold’s customers are already very preoccupied with this issue. That is why at the fastening manufacturer’s premises in Forchtenberg, south-west Germany, complex develoment work is already underway – with a view both to design and to the use

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APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY

stamping out the impact of theft globally

ARaymond wedge clips to be used on solar racking systems Full Tilt by BCI is integrating PowAR™ Cinch and PowAR™ wedge clips from ARaymond Energies into upcoming solar projects including its fixed tilt solar racking systems.

F

ull Tilt was built with the installer in mind and is the latest advancement in fixed tilt solar racking technology. With over 30GW of solar racking delivered as a contract manufacturer and backed by decades of engineering and global supply chain experience, Full Tilt represents an optimum fixed tilt racking solution – which boasts an innovative yet straightforward design with fewer parts and rapid installation features along with manufacturer direct pricing.

Chris Bartley, vice-president business development at Full Tilt, explains: “Full Tilt has been working closely with ARaymond and we are excited to be the first fixed tilt solar racking system to integrate ARaymond’s PowAR™ Cinch and PowAR™ wedge clips. The PowAR Cinch is a great product with a proven ability to reduce installation time. When used in conjunction with the Longhorn panel rail, we are seeing an unprecedented reduction in module loading and fastening times. The PowAR wedge system for First Solar Series 6 modules is even faster with 50% fewer clamps. These product combinations will deliver tremendous value to EPCs and developers alike, and we are thrilled to bring them to the market.”

“ARaymond is excited to be working with the Full Tilt team,” adds Jean-Baptiste Chevrier, vicepresident, sales and marketing for ARaymond Energies. “ARaymond module clamps establish a strong but flexible mechanical attachment that saves time not only during installation but also throughout the project lifetime, as they do not require periodic torque checking.”

Bostik provides vital repair solutions in international yacht race Bostik adhesives, including solutions from its Born2Bond™ engineering adhesives range, were an integral part of a vital repair kit or ‘Kit à partir’ that was offered by Arkema to all 79 teams in the Transat Jacques Vabre (TJV) multi-day yacht race. hosen for their fast curing, high strength, and optimum moisture, humidity and chemical resistance qualities, these characteristics are crucial for the rigours of a global sea challenge. The repair kit is used in the event of any equipment failure, delivering a more sustainable maintenance approach than replacing entire parts. The kit provides the required range of fast, instant and primer-free structural adhesives, sealants and lubricants, with anti-corrosive and hydrophobic qualities suitable for underwater and minute size applications.

Bostik, an Arkema company, is using this international platform to launch its Born2Bond™ maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) range to showcase how its high performance and sustainable anaerobic and instant adhesives can be utilised in even the toughest environments.

In addition to the yacht itself, Bostik Born2Bond™ high performance HMPUR adhesives and UV-CIPG gasketing solutions can also be used for the manufacturing and assembly of onboard marine instrumentation, such as onboard navigation and electronics.

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Commercial body shop chooses Kommerling adhesive Lincoln Commercial Bodies (LCB) has selected Kommerling’s Korapop 225 adhesive for use in the construction of several of its key vehicle bodies. The company is currently producing approximately 120 vehicles a month, ranging from 3.5 tonne Luton box vans to 26ft curtain siders.

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hris Donohue, HR and general manager at Lincoln Commercial Bodies, explained: “Previously we have used GRP panels for the Luton box vans but in the past 18 months, availability, price and lead times for these have been uncertain. We had to look for an alternative, readily available solution and Omnia panels were that product.”

Omina panels are lightweight, composite, sandwich panels but Lincoln knew they would require a different solution for the construction process.

Working with Albert Jagger, a specialist supplier of products for the automotive market, Chris and his team tested a number of alternatives on the market before selecting Korapop 225. “Not only does the Korapop 225 deliver a strong body but the product is elastic and caters for any movement between parts while retaining seal against water ingress.”

“Korapop 225 is a one component silane modified polymer, which has excellent resistance to hot and cold temperatures, an essential requirement for any vehicle in use in the UK,” explained Ian Little, engineering adhesives sales at Kommerling UK. Another key performance criteria, especially when being used on vehicle panels, is the polymer’s excellent resistance to moisture. In addition to supplying the adhesive, Kommerling, has also given full training to several members of the LCB team. This ensures that correct preparation and application procedures are followed during the vehicle build process. This not only ensures a robust finished body but eliminates product waste and bond failures. LCB also uses Korapop 235 and 135 on other vehicle components and bodies.

PRODUCTS + tools THE LAtest product and technology developments

Precise, secure, evenly tightened bolts from HYTORC HYTORC reduces leaks in emission-prone systems with technological expertise that ensures efficient, reliable and safe bolted joints for a variety of industries. The bolting manufacturer has identified and implemented ‘real time’ monitoring, washer systems, as well as hydraulic wrenches to provide bolted joint integrity – while also reducing repair times.

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YTORC introduced ‘real time’ monitoring and data reporting to ensure systems are working at their optimal performance. This is particularly useful in the oil and gas industry to deal with fugitive emissions, a rising concern due to its negative environmental impacts.

In an effort to minimise the widespread pollutants caused by fugitive emissions, regulators across the globe have placed increased pressure on oil and gas companies to reduce their environmental impact. Public pressure from governments, as well as health, safety, and environmental programmes, are leading key players in the industry to develop more detailed, science-based plans for reducing carbon emissions.

Methane is a primary concern in emissions and optimising for leak detection and repair has become a major focus for the industry. HYTORC’s state of the art techniques seal leaks more quickly and effectively with calibrated tools, while preventing future leaks through improved flange alignment, bolt load control, as well as uniform sealing.

“Oil companies can reduce their impact by ensuring the oil and gas extraction that continues is done so in the cleanest, safest and most efficient way possible. HYTORC’s washers, bolting equipment, Apps and other products can be part of an oil giant’s solution with products that are designed to minimise leaks and reduce the environmental impact,” said Eric P Junkers, president at HYTORC. “By sourcing products through HYTORC, leaders in the oil and gas sectors can increase efficiency while helping combat climate change.”

The range of products designed to provide these industries with environmental solutions include the HYTORC washer systems and HYTORC hydraulic wrenches, which utilise the effectiveness of parallel joint closure, tightening bolts four or more at a time, spaced evenly around a flange for uniform pattern tightness to prevent leaks. The company’s Reaction Washer systems create a truer axial alignment in bolts, reducing side load and scatter, which improves the tool’s accuracy and repeatability. Additionally, the HYTORC nut provides a uniform seal in critical applications, delivering accurate bolt loads with no side-load.

HYTORC has also been recognised at the 2021 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) for its J-Washer. The product received OTC’s Spotlight on New Technology™ Small Business Award, which celebrates new, innovative technology that is making a major impact on the oil and gas industry.

The HYTORC J-Washer introduced unmatched technology for anti-loosening, safety and efficiency.

The J-Washer improves upon the HYTORC Reaction Washer by adding a locking feature – a second knurled ridge – that minimises loosening to keep bolts tight under dynamic loads.

The unique design locks the fastener assembly during tightening. It is ideal for use in applications with high vibrations where bolt loosening is a concern, including rotating machinery, rolling machinery, transportation, wind towers, cranes, bridges and roads.

HYTORC also provides digitalisation for managing and tracking bolting through its series of monitoring and data reporting Apps. The Apps enable wireless data exchange between tool and computer or tablet using Bluetooth Wireless Technology®.

Bolting parameters inputted on the device can be transferred to the tool to speed the set-up of bolting operations. The App manages all detailed bolting results on the computer or tablet where the documentation can then be organised, reviewed and saved.

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PRODUCTS + TOOLS TORQUE WRENCHES FEATURE

Crane launches the WrenchStar Multi-e Crane Electronics has launched a new electrically safe version of the WrenchStar Multi digital torque wrench series, designed and manufactured specifically for use in environments that require insulated tooling, such as electric vehicle and electric battery manufacturing applications.

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atisfying the need for safety, the WrenchStar Multi-e is manufactured with isolated metal components and finished in an insulative coating – making it ideal for use in electrically-live situations. The non-conductive design ensures the WrenchStar Multi-e gives complete protection for the user in high voltage applications, as well as security against product failure due to electrical damage. Compliance with the international quality standard IEC 60900:2018 is pending.

Also incorporated into the WrenchStar Multi-e is an inductive battery charging system. This makes charging the torque wrench easier and more efficient by simply placing the wrench onto the charging cradle. The system complies to WPC/Qi standards and, with no external charging contacts, it provides further peace of mind in challenging environments.

Crane Electronics Ltd works alongside some of the world’s biggest brands within key industries including automotive, aerospace, construction, marine and rail.

Its aim is to deliver complete torque management, measurement and control solutions to satisfy the needs of the manufacturing industry for improved quality and safety, complete traceability and increased productivity.

Throughout the automotive industry in particular, manufacturers are developing and producing electric vehicles – including new battery technology. This means there is a growing demand for insulated tooling. The WrenchStar Multi-e is therefore a next natural step in this development.

Adrian Duffin, managing director at Crane Electronics, said: “The development and launch of the electrically safe WrenchStar Multi-e is another demonstration of Crane Electronics’ commitment to developing innovative and advanced products that meet the demands and requirements of the many industries we serve.”

He adds: “In ever-changing industries such as in the production of electric vehicles and electric batteries, it is important to deliver a product that gives manufacturers and operators assurance the tools they use are safe.”

TORQUE WRENCHES FEATURE

Customising a torque tool for CN Rail With only eight inches of space in which to fit a torque wrench to tighten the traction motor bolts on train cars, CN Rail was forced to use a variety of cumbersome tools to get the job done – including an offset gearbox and a hydraulic wrench to apply the torque. After years of making this work, the company knew it was time to find a better solution.

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N Rail had been using the E-RAD BLU torque wrench from New World Technologies Inc on its locomotives and had grown to like the tool, so the company wanted to find a way to use the E-RAD on traction motors. CN Rail therefore approached the RAD Torque Systems team to figure out if there was a better solution to the problem.

In order to gain a better understanding of the issue, the RAD engineering team went to the CN site to take measurements of the traction motors, the total space, and the bolts. With the specific requirements of the job in mind, the RAD team designed a customised version of the E-RAD 3000 Offset that would fit the traction motors.

The initial drawings were sent to the CN team for approval and then a prototype of the new torque wrench was created. Next, the RAD engineering team went to the CN site to test the prototype. Three months after that initial visit, the CN Rail team had a new tool.

Today, CN Rail has a more efficient way of tightening the traction motor bolts, with a torque of 2,250lbf.ft. Plus, the E-RAD 3000 Offset is capable of data collection, which means every bolt that is torqued is recorded and can be downloaded to ensure it was done properly.

By working with RAD Torque to create a customised tool, CN Rail has now reduced the number of tools it needs on the job, as well as reducing the number of employees needed, from two down to one. The company is also able to tighten traction motor bolts three times faster. More importantly, the company is very happy with the outcome.

“If your bolts are in awkward spaces and your team is using old or multiple tools to get the job done, consider speaking to the RAD Torque team about how we can customise a solution to fix your challenge.”

PRODUCTS + TOOLS TORQUE WRENCHES FEATURE

Industrial torque wrench with split design The new generation industrial torque wrench from Sykes-Pickavant can be split into two parts for easy and economic storage and transportation. This recent addition has an innovative space saving design, with separate parts that are easy to assemble as one piece with a press-in button feature.

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s featured on Sykes-Pickavant’s heavy-duty Motorq range, an unmistakeable torque signal system is also utilised for the new models, offering a clearer indication when torque is met to reduce the possibility of over torquing. The push-through ratchet provides two directional torquing, doubling the torque wrench’s possible applications.

Operation is comfortable due to the ergonomic handle which guides the user’s hand into place, thus improving ease of use.

Torque control is increased with an accurate scale, which can be easily adjusted using the setting tool included with the wrench. This scale is shielded from dust, dirt and spray, allowing for easy reading. The robust construction of the tool gives accurate results to ±4% even in arduous working conditions, supported by the Declaration of Conformance that meets the requirements of ISO 6789-1:2017, which is included with the torque wrench.

The new generation torque wrench is available in three options; the 80240000 – covering 200Nm – 800Nm/150lbf.ft – 600lbf.ft and the 80250000 – covering 300 – 1,000Nm/200 – 750lbf.ft, both with a ¾ inch square drive. The 80250500 covers 300Nm – 1,000Nm/200lbf.ft – 750lbf.ft and features a stepped ¾ inch to 1 inch square drive.

TORQUE WRENCHES FEATURE

Norbar torque tool for London Underground Norbar has developed a unique torque tool for the London Underground to help with the removal and refit of the inter-car coupler mounting bolts on the fleet of 47 Bombardier 09 Stock trains used on the Victoria Line.

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he inter-car coupler mounting bolts are accessed from the underside of the train, either from the pit road or with the train jacked up. The coupler mounting has four bolts with a significant boss in the middle that houses the Absolute Position Reader (APR). Of the four bolts, the upper two were particularly difficult to access due to them being deeper up into the train and surrounded by other hardware. However, the bolts are required to be tightened to a torque of 1,050Nm. London Underground’s tool supplier, Hayley Group, contacted Norbar Torque Tools Ltd

with the remit of providing one tool to reach all of the bolts on the coupler.

The Norbar solution was to use a Pneutorque® PTS tool with a specially developed drive that is slim, long and offset from the PTS square drive, with a series of gears arranged in-line and driving each other. This enables all of the bolts to be reached during maintenance.

In addition, the gearbox of the tool is supplied with quickchange reaction arms in order to reach all of the bolts and safely take torque reaction from the tool. The aluminium bodied gearbox can also be positioned on the bolt before the driving tool is coupled. This significantly reduces

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the total weight that has to be lifted and makes the location of the offset gearbox and its reaction plate much easier.

Philip Brodey, head of new product development at Norbar, commented: “We chose the pneumatic Pneutorque PTS tool as the basis for the specialist torque wrench due to its quiet and smooth power source allied to its accurate torque delivery.

The development was a complex process that involved the use of a 3D printed model to ensure the tool could reach the bolts required. We were able to develop one tool that reaches all of the bolts whilst retaining power, accuracy and safety for the operator.”

SPECIALISTS IN PAINTED RIVETS

Polígono Industrial Las Labradas C/ Cantabria, Naves 14.8 y 14.9 Apartado de correos, 31 31500 Tudela (Navarra) Spain Tel.: 0034 948 82 71 21 Fax: 0034 948 41 46 18 ventas@remachestudela.com www.remachestudela.com

PRODUCTS + TOOLS TORQUE WRENCHES FEATURE

Manual fastener tightening with electronic logging With a workforce of around 500, Rosenbauer, in Karlsruhe, Germany, builds more than 190 vehicles every year – used for firefighting and disaster relief. This requires the highest levels of quality and uncompromising dependability, which is why the company uses electromechanical radio-linked torque wrenches from STAHLWILLE.

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n order to be able to meet the ever-increasing challenges of the future, these electromechanical radio linked torque wrenches from STAHLWILLE are used during production. “At the facility in Karlsruhe, Germany, a large number of bolted connections have to be carried out in a specified sequence and with a precisely defined torque,” explains Torsten Schuster, production planner international/head of work preparation at Rosenbauer Karlsruhe GmbH & Co KG. In this context, each individual employee has a high degree of responsibility for self-monitoring. An incorrectly tightened fastener can have an effect on the functioning of the entire system – with consequences in terms of the costs of warranty services and complaints.

This deficit can be counteracted by the use of digitally defined fastener tightening processes, because this makes the learning curve manageable and guides the worker accurately through the specified procedures.

“With Industry 4.0 solutions from STAHLWILLE Eduard Wille GmbH & Co KG, we are making fastener tightening operations during assembly safer and more dependable. The tools also enable workers to

log data quickly and easily at the same time. This enables us to offer our customers verifiable quality at a consistently high-level,” says Torsten.

There are now three workstations at Rosenbauer’s Karlsruhe site and another in Italy that are equipped with the Manoskop 766 Daptiq torque wrench. STAHLWILLE points out that this tool is the only one on the market that works electromechanically – it measures digitally, can be integrated wirelessly by WiFi and can both receive and transmit data.

At Rosenbauer, the torque wrenches are directly integrated in the ProTight worker guidance system. When a fastener tightening process is initiated, the tool receives its data from the worker guidance system via radio transmission and the required torque is set automatically. In the specific case of Rosenbauer in Karlsruhe, the processing sequence and the assembly points are displayed on a large format monitor beside the workstation. The wrench signals three times whether the tightening operation has been carried out correctly and the specified target torque has been reached – by means of an LED traffic light system, the digital display and the familiar click. The system also detects whether fasteners have been overlooked or tightened twice.

Error messages cannot be ignored.

TORQUE WRENCHES FEATURE

GEDORE torque wrenches for vehicles The right tightening torque is essential when changing wheels on commercial and motor vehicles, which is why professionals need torque wrenches for screw connections that always achieve the highest precision even with enormous stress and constant use. GEDORE offers professional tools that meet the high requirements for controlled tightening and provide a safe screw connection.

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EDORE’s torque wrench DREMOMETER DR 8563-01 ¾ inch is particularly suitable for wheel changes on commercial vehicles, while the TORCOFLEX UK set ½ inch 3550 – UK-LS4 is ideal for classic changes on a motor vehicle.

The robust yet lightweight DREMOMETER DR 8563-01 ¾ inch comes in a set with an aluminium extension tube and ensures safe and fast torque tightening over a range of 155Nm to 760Nm. The length independence of the torque wrench ensures error-free use.

Regardless of whether the force is applied in the middle of the handle of the DREMOMETER or outside it, whether it is used with both hands or with the extension tube, the set torque is always achieved with absolute precision – without any change in values. The construction with an integrated forged lever reduces wear by reducing the load on the measuring mechanism, which ensures long-term accuracy and a long service life.

The single square with pin protection enables controlled clockwise tightening. Both the drive square and the pivot point are located on one axis, which means that the DREMOMETER can be used regardless of length, and a high-level of application reliability is assured. The DREMOMETER can also be used with an aluminium extension tube, which facilitates the application of the required torque and so makes life easier for the user.

The five piece TORCOFLEX UK set ½ inch 3550-UK-LS4 by GEDORE is ideal for wheel changes on motor vehicles. It offers controlled tightening over a range from 40Nm to 200Nm and is the optimum drive tool for socket inserts with a ½ inch square holder. Thanks to the integrated clockwise and anti-clockwise rotation, the tool facilitates rapid working and controlled and repeatable clockwise tightening with ½ inch drive.

The set scale value is easy to read from the scale (Nm) that is inserted above the handle.

172 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE ≡ ISSUE 133: JANUARY 2022

Upgraded torque tool design Based on customer feedback, Depro’s torque tools for subsea operations have been improved with more accurate torque measurements, improved deep water performance and increased in-sea operational time.

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ccurate torque measurements are achieved by adding more instrumentation to the tools, as well as an optimised anode placement and a better compensator design.

The torque tools provide full control on torque and turns, which allows the operator to set correct torque and turns to avoid overloading the object.

A clear display shows users the exact torque and turn with an accuracy of +/-5%, with the display data easily transferred visually through the ROV camera or electronically through the control system to the operator.

“We are one of the leading companies in torque tool development for subsea use, and our torque tools are designed to provide the highest level of performance,” comments Depro AS. “Depro is an expert in delivering tools and equipment for remote operations. We use high-level competence within the organisation to deliver customised equipment in accordance with project/ equipment specifications.”

Standard Listed – you know who’s best!

But contact us for all the rest . . .

STANDARD LISTED - YOU KNOW WHO’S BEST BUT CONTACT US FOR ALL THE REST...

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

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PRODUCTS + TOOLS STAINLESS STEEL FASTENERS FEATURE

High strength BUMAX® screws used in catamaran Swiss ship builder Scheurer Bootswerft AG has opted for screws from BUMAX® to fix its high performance catamaran rudders – where standard fasteners would simply fail.

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igh strength BUMAX® 109 screws are being used to fasten the A-Cat catamaran rudders constructed by Scheurer Bootswerft.

BUMAX 109 fasteners have a high molybdenum content which, coupled with unique BUMAX manufacturing processes and sourcing of the highest quality European raw material, makes them the strongest A4 fasteners on the market. The fasteners offer high corrosion resistance and strength in demanding applications.

The BUMAX 109 fasteners are used for water jets, subsea equipment, pumps, valves, wind turbines, high pressure equipment, nuclear plants, submarines, particle accelerators and many other applications where commodity A4 fasteners are inadequate. BUMAX highlights that they provide greater safety and will last significantly longer than standard fasteners.

“We originally used standard stainless steel A4 screws to fasten the rudders, but as the rudders come under very high tension when turning through the water at speed, we found that these screws were bending and eventually breaking,” said Aron Steinmann, CEO at Scheurer Bootswerft.

“Even a small bend in these fasteners can alter the angle of the rudder, which reduces performance. Importantly, the high strength BUMAX screws can cope with this high tension to keep the rudder at the correct angle while maintaining corrosion resistance in saltwater environments.”

Scheurer Bootswerft has also found that BUMAX fasteners can cope with sudden impacts, for example when the rudder hits debris in the water. “The screws fastening the rudder are a simple but essential part of the catamaran as their failure can be the difference between winning or losing a race,” said Steinmann. “They simply cannot be allowed to fail.”

Self-locking alternative to the hex nut

The CONU counter nut, distributed by REYHER Nchfg GmbH & Co KG, is a new and patent-pending fastener locking device. Compared to conventional hex nuts this counter nut offers a wide variety of advantages depending on the application, such as reduced space requirements and flow resistance, as well as a lower risk of injury.

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ue to its self-locking effect, CONU does not require any additional safety and prevents self-loosening. Thanks to its unique shape the counter nut fits into the countersink without any protrusion. The result – an almost flat surface.

The key to CONU’s strength and versatility is its design. Due to the angle difference between nut and countersunk, plus due to the added serrations on the conical surface, the self-locking mechanism starts and then gets stronger the further the nut is pulled into the countersunk hole. This prevents the joints self-loosening. In addition, the joint can be tightened and locked without needing a spanner to

hold the nut. In the Junker test (DIN 65151), the constant pre-load force was confirmed despite strong vibrations.

CONU was developed by Fürstenberg Fittings in Hamburg. The counter nut is manufactured by HEWI G. Winker, an automotive supplier and manufacturer of lock nuts and formed parts from Spaichingen in Baden-Württemberg. For the launch phase CONU will be available in sizes M6 to M16 and in two different versions.

This means the counter nut can be used with Grade 8.8 and 10.9 high-tensile screws and bolts. www.reyher.de

The advantages of cable ties Nylon cable ties and their accessories are some of the most in demand products in the world of professional installation. That’s why INDEX – A Perfect Fixing makes sure its range complies with the strictest quality standards, guaranteeing a perfect and safe installation, even in the most extreme conditions. able ties are part of everyday life for any installer, but sometimes users can be unaware of the wide use and characteristics of nylon cable ties. Made of polyamide 6.6 and available in a wide variety of colours and sizes, the INDEX range is made up of different approved, detectable cable ties and accessories for their installation.

The flexible tail of the cable tie and its ergonomic design allow for easy and smooth threading. Its internal teeth ensure an optimal fit for the cable tie without damaging the object to be held and the head guarantees high-tensile strength, ensuring strong tightening.

The coloured cable ties, available in brown, yellow, blue, red, green and grey, make it quick and easy to identify cables, pipes and/or hoses and to visually organise the work space. Polyamide, the material used to make the

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cable ties, absorbs and loses water depending on external conditions, such as humidity and temperature, so it is important to use and preserve them correctly. For this reason, it is recommended to open the bag at the time of use or store them in airtight plastic bags.

Also available, metal cable ties have magnetic properties throughout their body that allow detection with a metal detector and Xray inspection equipment. They are specially designed for use in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, where compliance with HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) methodology is mandatory.

Black and white cable ties also have UNE-EN 62275 approval, CE Marking and UL approval, guaranteeing greater quality and safety. www.indexfix.com

174 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE ≡ ISSUE 133: JANUARY 2022

TIMC

Rivit’s structural Flooriv Rivit has added the Flooriv structural rivet to the latest edition of its blind rivets 9/1 catalogue, further enriching its wide range of fasteners for professionals. ivit points out that Flooriv is an ideal blind rivet for all wood-to-metal applications, especially plywood and metal plywood. Its auto shrinking head eliminates the counter punching process in plywood and dimpling in metals.

Unlike screws that can be over or undertightened, Rivit states Flooriv ensures reliable installation every time.

The Flooriv rivets are available in galvanised steel with a large countersunk head, diameter 8mm, and are largely used for car floors in the auto body industry and in the transport sector.

For the installation of Flooriv, Rivit proposes the RIV511B tool, a hydropneumatic riveter with booster designed for the installation of structural rivets. RIV511B consists of a lightweight aluminium handle, connected, through a hose, to the control unit where the intensifier and the oil tank are housed – there is no nail aspiration. RIV511B is sold without the front head kit, which must be chosen based on the application needs; for the application of Flooriv rivets KIT511B/98 kit is recommended. www.rivit.it

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PRODUCTS + TOOLS

Thread stripping T case study Thread stripping or shearing of threads is a common problem. Here Dr Bill Eccles – from Bolt Science – explains how thread stripping occurs and how the BOLTCALC program was recently used in a case study to solve a thread stripping problem.

hread stripping is gradual in nature and hence is not necessarily detectable at the time of assembly. For the threads to be fully sheared, a displacement of at least half a thread pitch is needed. If the threads fully shear on tightening, the bolt will detach from the nut.

This is likely to be noticed before the product goes into service. If however the thread is only partially sheared, the nut will be retained on the bolt thread and the potential for failure may not be noticed. When subsequently a significant load is applied to the joint, the partially failed threads could shear, and the nut become detached from the bolt with potentially catastrophic results. Thread stripping can affect both internal and external threads, which thread will shear first depends upon their relative strengths.

Nuts, if appropriately selected to match the bolt, are designed so that the bolt can be expected to fail by tensile fracture before thread stripping occurs. In the case of bolt tensile fracture, the nut is detached from the bolt and is readily noticeable at the time of assembly. The problem for the engineer is selecting the correct length of thread engagement when the bolt is secured into a tapped hole. Too short an engaged thread length and thread stripping could occur, too long, and thread pitch differences between the bolt and nut can arise causing thread binding to occur.

The thread binding issue is due to small differences in pitch between the internal and external threads.

Too long an engaged length and the clearance between the threads is used up accommodating the thread pitch differences. In extreme cases, such binding can result in galling and complete seizure of the bolt in the tapped hole. Many engineers do not appreciate that the standard thread tolerance classes, often specified as defaults on drawings, are not recommended for long lengths of thread engagement.

In a recent case study, the BOLTCALC program was used to determine thread stripping strengths of tapped holes in two different materials. A bracket was secured into a blind tapped hole using M12 property Class 10.9 bolts. The tapped hole was in a part made from spheroidal graphite cast iron with a thread engagement length of 15mm. As part of weight reduction proposals, aluminium instead of cast iron was being considered for the tapped hole material. The question the engineer was considering was whether 15mm was a sufficient thread engagement length to prevent thread stripping from occurring.

To find out what happened visit: https://www.boltscience.com/pages/ BOLTCALC _ThreadStripping_Case_ Study_Metric.htm

Transporting data quickly and wirelessly The Anybus® Wireless Bolt™ has provided thousands of industrial applications with wireless Ethernet access. With a rugged and unique form factor for bolt-on-machine mounting, it is proven and trusted in the most demanding industrial applications. Building on the success, HMS has now launched the Anybus Wireless Bolt CAN, featuring CAN-based communication to the host equipment. he new Anybus® Wireless Bolt™ CAN, from HMS Technology Center Ravensburg GmbH, enables CAN-based, heavy-duty machinery and applications to transfer CAN data over a robust wireless link. Wireless communication is established either over a fast WiFi connection or a reliable Bluetooth link. The CAN data is transported over a TCP/IP link, which enables other standard WiFi infrastructure to also connect to the wireless link if desired.

A typical use case is wireless access to CAN data from an industrial vehicle, such as a bulk material transport truck. For example, with the Anybus Wireless Bolt CAN, J1939 CAN data is easily communicated to a handheld tablet, which gives the operator full control and visibility of the ongoing bulk material filling process.

Anybus Wireless Bolt CAN is fully transparent when it comes to transporting CAN data, meaning that it works with any CAN-based protocol, including CANopen. This opens the possibility to create mobile automation islands in any manufacturing process – the Anybus Wireless Bolt CAN will bridge the CANopen line wirelessly.

In addition to the new Anybus Wireless Bolt CAN, the Wireless Bolt product family includes other versions that can connect to the host equipment using serial and industrial Ethernet connectivity. On the wireless side of the Wireless Bolt, the WiFi and Bluetooth options were recently complemented with a version that supports the new LTE standards NB-IoT and CAT-M1, targeting IoT applications.

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Fabory.................................................................... 43

Lesjöfors AB...................................................... 154

Sacma.................................................................... 45

Advance Spares................................................177

Fastbolt....................................................................2

Load Control Technologies ........................ 137

Saspi Talleres.................................................... 129

Albert Pasvahl......................................................9

Fastener + Fixing Magazine...................... 109

Lusan Fijaciones y Anclajes, SL................ 123

Scell It ................................................................. 125

Alloy & Stainless Fasteners........................ 178

FastFixSearch.com...........................................85

Manassero & C. Srl............................................47

Schaefer+Peters................................................. 11

Ambrovit...............................................................13

FastFixTechnology.com................................167

Marcopol Producent Srub Sp. z.o.o........... 99

Schnorr............................................................... 107

Anchor Fasteners Industrial......................119

Fixi Srl...................................................................121

Mayes & Warwick........................................... 127

Schroeder Schrauben................................... 123

Apex...................................................................... 101

Fong Prean Industrial Co Ltd.................... 125

Mecavit...................................................................31

Schwer+Kopka................................................. 127

APM Hexseal....................................................... 79

G & B Fissaggi Srl.............................................119

Merlin Business Software Ltd....................141

SD Products........................................................141

Aramfix................................................................. 83

Gala Precision Engineering..........................37

Nakashimada......................................................61

Shanghai Fast-Fix Rivet Corporation........143

ARK..........................................................................71

Gecko Fasetner GmbH.................................. 149

National Machinery........................................ 25

Sheh Kai Precision Co................................... 155

Astrotech Steels Private Limited..............121

Grand Metal ..................................................... 157

ND Industries............................................ 4, 5, 27

Sipa..........................................................................87

Atotech.................................................................. 63

Hafren Fasteners Ltd.................................... 164

Ningbo Londex....................................................35

Smith Bullough.................................................. 79

Avon Stainless Fasteners Ltd.................... 173

Hang Zhou RET Trade Co Ltd........... 169, 176

Nord Lock.......................................................1, 180

Spirol Ind.............................................................161

Bendfast.............................................................. 178

Harrison Silverdale....................................... 143

Norm Civata.........................................................19

Tecfi........................................................................117

Berardi Fasteners............................................. 59

Heico..................................................................... 105

Owlett-Jaton........................................................17

Teknoform.......................................................... 139 The Insert Company.......................................161

Berdan Bolt........................................................ 105

HS Automazioni...............................................131

pgb-Polska sp. z.o.o. .........................................55

Birlik Baglanti Elemanlari San................... 93

Index..........................................................................3

Pinstructure........................................................15

Timco.....................................................................175

Bossong................................................................ 111

Industrial Recense........................................... 93

Puehl........................................................................77

titibi...................................................................... 123

Bralo........................................................................15

IVOSTUD................................................................53

Ray Fu.................................................................. 173

UBK..........................................................................57

Brighton Best International..........................47

Jianngsu Yongyi Fastener Co...................... 33

Reisser Schrauben......................................... 127

Valenta ZT s.r.o................................................ 139

Bülte...................................................................... 105

Jiaxing Kinfast Hardware Co Ltd............ 145

Remaches Factory Srl......................................21

VIPA........................................................................ 69

Carlo Salvi.............................................................67

Johan Smit..........................................................171

Remaches Tudela.............................................171

Wan Iuan Enterprise Co Ltd....................... 133

CEIA...................................................................... 130

Joker Industrial Co. Ltd............................... 157

Rexlen Corp......................................................... 29

WT WINTECH A.S............................................ 107

Cetin Civata........................................................ 23

Jubliee Clips (L Robinson & Co)................... 79

Reyher.....................................................................75

WTI.........................................................................161

Chavesboa.............................................................21

Kaleliler Baglanti...............................................91

RFKS........................................................................51

Yuyao Alfirste Hardware Co Ltd...............147

Colombo Special Fasteners............................. 7

Karter.................................................................. 129

Rivit...................................................................... 179

Zago.......................................................................151

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