Mid-West Fastener Association CELEBRATING 74 YEARS COMMITMENT TO THE FASTENER INDUSTRY . SUMMER 2020
COVID-19 & MANUFACTURING WORKERS AND EMPLOYERS Interim Guidance from CDC and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Manufacturing facilities are an integral part of the United States’ supply chain. Some facilities are part of the critical manufacturing sector identified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. CDC’s Critical Infrastructure Guidance advises that critical infrastructure workers may be permitted to continue work following potential exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), provided they remain asymptomatic, have not had a positive test result for COVID-19, and additional precautions are implemented to protect them and the community. Facilities that are not part of the critical manufacturing sector should follow the CDC Public Health Recommendations for Community-Related Exposure following a workers’ potential exposure to COVID-19. All manufacturing facilities developing plans for continuing operations in the setting of COVID-19 occurring among workers or in the surrounding community should:
[1] Work directly with appropriate state and local public health officials and occupational safety and health professionals; [2] Incorporate relevant aspects of CDC guidance, including but not limited to this document and the CDC’s Critical Infrastructure Guidance; and [3] Incorporate guidance from other authoritative sources or regulatory bodies as needed. CLOTH FACE COVERINGS IN MANUFACTURING WORK. CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings as a protective measure in addition to social distancing (i.e., staying at least 6 feet away from others). Cloth face coverings may be especially important when social distancing is not possible or feasible based on working conditions. A cloth face covering may reduce the amount of large respiratory droplets that a person spreads when talking, sneezing, or coughing. Cloth face coverings may prevent people who do not know they have the virus that causes COVID-19 from spreading it to others. Cloth face coverings are intended to protect other people—not the wearer.
TO READ MORE ABOUT HOW WORKERS & EMPLOYEES CAN PROTECT THEMSELVES AGAINST COVID-19 - TURN TO PAGE 3
NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT 2020 MWFA PRESIDENT AVANTE IMPORTS, INC. I don’t know about all of you but I am looking forward to the day when life seems “normal” again although what we consider “normal” may be very different moving forward. While COVID-19 is still around and may be for a while yet, I am encouraged by how resilient and adaptable we are as Americans. This pandemic has pushed
Paula Evitts
Mid-West Fastener Association
most of us way past our comfort zone but has also afforded us the opportunity to grow while addressing issues that companies have never faced before. Many of us are learning to work from home and have become much savvier with technology. One thing I have always loved and now miss about our industry is the variety of opportunities to get together and network. While we haven’t been able to see each other face to face, it has been great to keep in touch via Zoom or Team meetings. Thank you to all who joined in on June 25th for our first virtual MWFA Happy Hour. It was great to see everyone and discuss current topics and situations together. We are planning to have
another Happy Hour sometime in August. Please be on the lookout for an e-mail with details of the event to be sent soon. I hope you will join us. As for the rest of the year, we currently have our Scholarship Dinner (November) and Holiday Party (December) on the calendar. We will continue to monitor the situation and will make decisions on these two events as the dates draw closer. As always, please check our website (www.mwfa.net) for the most recent updates. Until next time, take care and stay healthy!
To view or share our digital newsletter, visit us online at www.mwfa.net/newsletter.htm
BOARD OF DIRECTORS SUBMIT YOUR MWFA SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS BY SEPTEMBER 15TH Be sure to pass the word, to your employees/ coworkers, to take advantage of the opportunity for students to apply for a MWFA Scholarship. Several Scholarships will be awarded with the amount of $1,500. The son or daughter (natural or step or dependent child), as well as a spouse of an employee, or employee of a dues-paid MWFA member are eligible to apply for a scholarship. This applies to all MWFA members who have been members for one calendar year or more. An application and rules for applicants may be downloaded directly from the MWFA website at https://www.mwfa.net/pdf/scholarship-application.pdf.
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President
Paula Evitts - Avante Imports Inc.
Vice President
George Hunt - Brighton Best International
Treasurer
Bob Baer - Abbott Interfast Inc.
Secretary
Pam Cicero - Delta Secondary LLC
Directors
Glen Brin - Innovative Components Inc.
Jake Davis - BTM Mfg.
Matt Delawder - SWD Inc.
David Gawlik
Bryan Wheeler - Star Stainless Screw
Alternates
Rich Cavoto - Metric & Multistandard Components
Wayne Wishnew - XL Screw Corporation
Tabitha Herbst - Burlington Graphic Systems
Executive Director
Nancy Rich
COVID-19 & MANUFACTURING WORKERS AND EMPLOYERS continued CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER
Cloth face coverings are not PPE. They are not appropriate substitutes for PPE such as respirators (like N95 respirators) or medical facemasks (like surgical masks) in workplaces where respirators or facemasks are recommended or required to protect the wearer. While wearing cloth face coverings is a public health measure intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in communities, wearing a single cloth face covering for the full duration of a work shift (e.g., eight or more hours) in a manufacturing facility may not be practical if the face covering becomes wet, soiled, or otherwise visibly contaminated during the work shift. If
cloth face coverings are worn in these facilities, employers should provide readily available clean cloth face coverings (or disposable facemask options) for workers to use when the coverings become wet, soiled, or otherwise visibly contaminated. Employers who determine that cloth face coverings should be worn in the workplace, including to comply with state or local requirements for their use, should ensure the cloth face coverings: »» fit over the nose and mouth and fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face; »» are secured with ties or ear loops; »» include multiple layers of fabric; »» allow for breathing without restriction; »» can be laundered using the warmest
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appropriate water setting and machine dried daily after the shift, without damage or change to shape (a clean cloth face covering should be used each day); »» are not used if they become wet or contaminated; »» are replaced with clean replacements, provided by the employer, as needed. »» are handled as little as possible to prevent transferring infectious materials to or from the cloth; and »» are not worn with or instead of respiratory protection when respirators are needed. Info provided by CDC-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More guidance at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019ncov/community/guidance-manufacturingworkers-employers.html.
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READER’S CORNER BRIKKSEN RECEIVES LAWSON PRODUCTS SUPPLIER EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR 2019 “Brikksen, a master distributor of imperial and metric stainless steel fasteners, received a supplier excellence award from Lawson Products for the calendar year 2019. Only fifteen such awards were presented among a field of 1000 different vendors for various products. 2019 was the first year Lawson established the awards which recognize overall quality, on-time delivery, accuracy and order fill rates. Brikksen is headquartered in Sanford, Florida with multiple distribution points throughout the United States. For more information contact Brikksen by Tel: 800-962-1614, Email: sales@brikksen. com or online at www.brikksen.com.
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JOE NAGLE OF LAWSON PRODUCTS PRESENTS A SUPPLIER EXCELLENCE AWARD TO KURT SODERHOLM OF BRIKKSEN
ADVANCE COMPONENTS ANNOUNCES BRAD BUREL PROMOTED TO VP SALES Advance is pleased to announce the promotion of Brad Burel from Director of National Sales to Vice President of Sales. Brad has been with Advance for 16 years in various roles. “Advance is excited that Brad will be leading a new initiative to merge the company’s sales and account management teams into a new single unified sales team,” says Gary Cravens, Advance’s President. “Our goal remains to be a customer-focused company, and Brad is key to continuing and expanding our mission.” Contact Advance by Tel: 800-275-7772, email: sales@advancecomponents.com or online at www.advancecomponents.com.
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THANK YOU TO OUR SCHOLARSHIP DONORS Every year we are fortunate enough to have many members add Scholarship donations to their dues check. We would like to thank those who have contributed, to date, to the 2020 Scholarship Fund. If you’d like to make a donation to the MWFA Scholarship fund, your check (note scholarship fund) can be sent to: P.O. Box 5, Lake Zurich, IL 60047. If you prefer, you can make your donatation online by visiting this link: bit.ly/ 2VN4Jcx AS ALWAYS. WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR GENEROUS SCHOLARSHIP SPONSORS 3 Q Inc. Abbott Interfast Corp.
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Addison Packaging Alper Services LLC Arlington Fastener Co. Avante Imports, Inc. Brighton-Best International BTM Mfg. Central Wire Industries Chicago Hardware and Fixture Clarcorp Industrial Sales Crown Screw and Bolt Co. CSM Fastener Products Co. Daco Precision Inc. Darling Bolt Co. Delta Secondary LLC EFC International Eurolink FSS, LLC Gateway Screw and Rivet
Mid-West Fastener Association
Greenslade and Company Foremost Fastener Co. Inland Fastener Inc. J&M Plating Jinding Fastening Piece Co. Ltd Kanebridge Corp. Ken Forging Inc. RK Precision Products LLC Rockford Fastener SWD Inc. Screws Industries Solution Industries Star Stainless Screw Vertex Fasteners Wrought Washer XL Screw Corporation * Bold print indicates a company sponsored scholarship
READER’S CORNER DISTRIBUTION ONE ANNOUNCES NEW HEAD OF GLOBAL CUSTOMER SUCCESS AND OPERATIONS Distribution One, a leading provider of ERP distribution software solutions, announced that Jim Maher has joined as Director, Global Customer Success and Operations. In this role, Mr. Maher will a member of the executive leadership team reporting to Distribution One cofounders Larry Ward and Dean Christianson, and will lead the company’s customer support, implementation, and operations organizations. He brings more than 25 years of enterprise customer success, operations, sales, and strategy experience at leading software and consulting companies such as Model N, Salesforce, Bluewolf, and Epicor. “We are very excited and fortunate to
www.mwfa.net have Jim join our team to offer fresh operational insight as we adapt to the changes impacting modern distribution,” said Larry Ward, President and co-founder at Distribution One. “With his extensive background in distributor ERP and deep commitment to customer service, Jim will further strengthen the relationships we forge with every customer.” “I am very pleased to be joining the Distribution One team,” said Maher. “The company serves the complex ERP needs of wholesale distributors, an industry in which I’ve spent a large part of my career. I’m excited to join the company to deepen our customer relationships, and to drive innovation in our customer experience and operations.” Most recently, Jim was Senior Director
of Sales Operations and Enablement at Model N, a leading provider of cloud revenue management solutions for life sciences and high-tech companies. Prior to that, he provided CRM strategy guidance in his roles as Customer Success Director at Salesforce.com and Engagement Manager at Bluewolf. His roots in the wholesale distribution industry run deep with over 20 years’ experience at distribution ERP software companies including Epicor, Activant, and Prophet 21, and at a family-run import-distribution business. He graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Science in Communication. For more information contact Distribution One by Tel: 1-856-380-0629, email: info@ distone.com or online at www.distone.com.
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REMEMBER WHEN...
REMEMBER WHEN... ...our vocabulary didn’t consist primarily of COVID-19, Social Distancing, Face Masks and Hand Sanitizer? REMEMBER WHEN... ...we could stand next to someone to hold a conversation? Dinner tables were full, a face mask wasn’t part of our wardrobe and we saw our business associates several times a year? REMEMBER WHEN... ...”let’s do Happy Hour” meant meeting at the local restaurant and not sitting at our computers on a Zoom call? While our lives have changed, it’s nice to reflect on past memories, so please enjoy the photos here from the good times we shared. We look forward to making new memories with our fastener friends soon.
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Mid-West Fastener Association
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MWFA’S FASTENER INFORMATION DIRECTORY CONTINUE TO EDUCATE YOUR EMPLOYEES Did you know the MWFA published a book for basic industry training? The book is used for our Fascination with Fasteners introductory level class and is also available for purchase in print or flash drive format. The book includes basic information on various aspects of the industry including: »» Fastener Components
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»» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »»
Standardized Specials Thread Design & Terminology Sockets Metrics Primary & Secondary Operations Materials Heat Treatment Platings & Coatings Strength Characteristics Gauging Instruments
Mid-West Fastener Association
»» Washers »» Quality »» Fastener Quality Act »» Glossary Enjoy a sample of some of the information found in the book below. If you would like to purchase your own copy, complete the order form on the following page and return with your payment.
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COVID-19 & WORKERS’ COMP PREMIUMS WHY YOU SHOULD AUDIT YOUR WORKERS’ COMP PREMIUMS IN LIGHT OF COVID-19-RELATED WORKFORCE CHANGES by Michelle Marten. Alper Services The COVID-19 Pandemic has had a dramatic effect on today’s businesses and the workforce in general. If you have had any of these occur during this pandemic, your workers’ compensation premiuma may no longer reflect your actual risk exposure. »» Closed your business, »» Furloughed employees, »» Reassigned employees into new roles »» Shifted employees to work-from-home In many cases these COVID-19 related
workforce changes could result in lower workers’ compensation premiums—and even refunds on overpayments since the crisis began. Now is the time to speak with your insurance broker to identify what costsavings you might realize from your specific COVID-19 workplace changes. Your broker must be knowledgeable of the ins and outs of workers’ compensation premium calculations, the nature of your business and how it has changed due to COVID-19 in order to identify true opportunities for cost savings. For reliable information, the National Council on Compensation Insurance has set up a FAQ page answering questions
www.mwfa.net pertaining to COVID-19 and workers’ compensation that is continually updated. You can access it by visiting the website online at https://www.ncci.com/Articles/ Pages/Insights-Coronavirus-FAQs.aspx. If you have any questions pertaining to your business and the pandemic, or would like more information on how to help your business, contact Michelle Marten of Alper Services at 410 N. Michigan Avenue, 12th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611. Tel: 312-6421000, Email: MMarten@AlperServices.com or online at www.AlperServices.com.
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COVID-19 HELPFUL LINKS
www.mwfa.net
This Virus Has Changed Our World With stay-at-home orders in place. we polled our members on
»» The Original Equipment Suppliers Association
how and where they are sourcing the information they need in order
Magna Smart Start Playbook - An Interactive Guide for COVID-19
to stay in-touch with the outside world and what’s happening with
Pandemic Preparedness and Response
regards to industry and the progression of the virus. We received
www.oesa.org/sites/default/files/page/20200414_Magna_
great suggestions, we hope they are helpful to you.
SmartStartPlaybook_V0.18_external.pdf
»» State of Illinois - The Office of the Governor JB Pritzer
»» The Original Equipment Suppliers Association
Restore Illinois - A Public Health Approach To Safely Reopen Our
Health and Safety Resources for Suppliers in a Coronavirus Environment
State
www.oesa.org/health-and-safety-resources-suppliers-coronavirus-
https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/sfc/servlet.shepherd/document/
environment
download/069t000000BadS0AAJ?operationContext=S1 »» Lear Corporation »» 1Point3Acres
Safe Work Playbook: 2nd Edition - An Interactive Guide for
Global COVID-19 Tracker & Interactive Charts
COVID-19 Pandemic Preparedness and Response
http://coronavirus.1point3acres.com/en
www.lear.com/Site/Company/Safe-Work-Playbook.aspx
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MWFA HOSTS HAPPY HOUR The format of Happy Hour has changed everywhere including with the MWFA. On June 25th, MWFA held a virtual Happy Hour to catch up with members and fastener friends. It was sad not to meet in person and catch up but at the same time it was nice to see some of our fastener friends who aren’t able to make it to local meetings. Although we’ve all been inundated with virtual meetings, it’s still obvious the fastener industry enjoys networking. We may not be meeting in person but there is still no shortage of conversation catching up on the industry, checking in with each other and enjoying the chance to network virtually.
Mid-West Mi Mid id-W Westt Fastener As A Association sociatio i i n
THE ASSOCIATION
A membership with connections that hold the world together, the Mid-West Fastener Association is one of the oldest fastener associations in the United States. For over 70 years, the association has expanded and evolved from a small local group, to the largest regional fastener association in the industry with members from coast to coast. THE MISSION
The MWFA’s primary purpose is to serve and promote the fastener industry and the ever changing needs of its membership base. The MWFA is dedicated to representing all fastener industry segments: manufacturers, distributors, importers and industry suppliers. THE BENEFIT
As a leader in the fastener industry, the MWFA continues to focus on educational programs. The association’s programs provide unsurpassed fastener industry training, utilizing industry experts with decades of industry experience, offering extensive knowledge and hands on training. THE MEMBERSHIP
For membership opportunities, contact the association below or visit us online. To view or share our digital newsletter, visit us online at www.mwfa.net/newsletter.htm
2020 EVENTS CALENDAR
PO Box 5, Lake Zurich, IL 60047 Tel: 847-438-8338 . Fax: 847-516-6728 Email: info@mwfa.net www.mwfa.net THE OPPORTUNITY
Tentatively Scheduled: November 5
Mid-West Fastener Association
Scholarship & Elections Dinner Meeting Belvedere Banquets, Elk Grove, IL
December 17 Holiday Party Medinah Banquets, Addison, IL Please refer to our website at www.mwfa.net for updates. Designed by Graphika Creative - Your ‘off-site, in-house marketing department’ Tel: 224.489.9533 . info@graphikacreative.com . www.graphikacreative.com
© 2020 Mid-West Fastener Association. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission from the copyright owner.
For advertising and press opportunities in the MWFA newsletter, contact the editor. Nancy Rich Editor Email: mwfa@ameritech.net Upcoming Newsletter Deadline
September 15, 2020