China Fastener World Magazine No.57_Global Version

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Doug Ruggles of Martin Fastening Solutions (Florence, Alabama) has been elected as the 20192020 president of the National Fastener Distributors Association. Adam Derry of Field (Machesney Park, Illinois) will serve as vice president, Kelly Charles of Sems & Specials (Rockford, Illinois) as associate chair, and Kelly Cole of Hayes Bolt & Supply (San Diego, California) will remain on the Board as immediate past president.

Three new Board members have been elected to serve on the NFDA Board: Don Haggerty of Lindstrom/Stelfast (Edison, New Jersey), Craig Penland of Eurolink FSS (Greer, South Carolina), and Jodie Thinnes of Copper State Bolt & Nut (Phoenix, Arizona).

Continuing on the NFDA Board are Keven Simmer of Wurth DMB Supply (Des Moines, Iowa), Scott Somers of MidStates Bolt & Screw Company (Flint, Michigan), and Bryan Wheeler of Star Stainless Screw (Wood Dale, Illinois).

The new Board was introduced at the NFDA 2019 Annual Meeting, held June 10-11, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The annual meeting also included programs on data analytics by Brian Friedle of MITS, supply chain transparency by Heather Stewart of Wurth Industry North America, industrial marketing by Matt Johnson of Spinstak Growth Agency, and an economic update presented by Alan Beaulieu of ITR Economics.

Doug Ruggles (left)

Tribute was paid during the NFDA annual meeting to retiring Board members Rich Megliola of Vertex Distribution (Saint Charles, Illinois), Kevin Miller of Bamal Corporation (Charlotte, North Carolina), Dan Zehnder of Trinity Logistics Corporation (Waukehsa, Wisconsin), and Jun Xu of Brighton-Best International (Santa Fe Springs, California).

Doug Ruggles Elected NFDA President for 2019-2020 Upcoming NFDA events include: •

Executive Summit November 3-5, 2019 Ritz-Carlton Beach Resort, Naples, Florida

• Joint Conference and Tabletop Show with the PacificWest Fastener Association March 4-7, 2020 Westin Hotel, Long Beach, California • Executive Sales Planning Sessions ® June 23-24, 2020 Embassy Suites Downtown, Minneapolis, Minnesota For more information about NFDA and its activities, visit www.nfda-fastener.org or contact Vickie Lester, vlester@nfdafastener.org , telephone 562-799-5519.

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Fastener World News

Fastener World News

China’s Fastener Export to Europe in First 4 Months of 2019 Shows Growth in Volume and Decline in Price

compiled by Fastener World

Industry Updates China’s Fastener Export to the U.S. Shows a 26% Drop in First 4 Months In the first 4 months of 2019, China exported 225,480 tons of fasteners to the U.S., which is a significant drop of 26% compared to its record last year. The avg. fastener export value of China was USD 1.86 per kg (+6.29% from last year).

Influenced by the additional 25% tariff (which was originally 10% before Jan. 2019) the U.S. Government imposed against China, China’s fastener export to the U.S. last Nov. shows a short-term skyrocketing rise, which has resulted in an excessive inventory level in the U.S. fastener industry. However, China’s fastener export to the U.S. started to decline after Dec. 2018 and still shows no sign of turnaround at the moment.

China’s Fastener Export Drops in H1 2019 China’s fastener export in the first half of 2019 reached 2,094,346 tons, down 2.4% from the same period last year and the average export price per KG was US$ 1.91, up 2.34% from the same period last year. The cumulative export volume in the first half of 2019 was less than 2.1 million tons. Till 2018, China’s fastener export had demonstrated an increase in volume for 3 consecutive years and an increase in price for 2 consecutive years; however, in the first half of 2019, China’s fastener export already showed a decline in its export volume. In Jan. 2019 China’s fastener export amounted to 417,918 tons (the highest volume in a single month of the year); in Feb. 2019 it shrank to 218,447 tons; in Mar. 2019 it started to increase again and this growth continued till May. The export volume in May reached 410,235 tons. In June 2019, the volume dropped again to 370,156 tons. It is estimated that China will suffer a d if f icult t i me i n increasing its fastener export again in 2019.

Inf luenced by the U.S./China trade war, China is currently suffering from its fastener export to the U.S., so lots of Chinese suppliers have switched their focus to the European market. However, the existence of too many competitors on the market has also resulted in the drop of the avg. price despite the increase in the total export volume. In April 2019, China exported more than 70,000 tons of fasteners to Europe, a significant increase of 20.5% from March this year, but the avg. price was USD 1.84 per kg, down 4.46% from March this year and down 7.21% from the same period last year. In the first 4 months of 2019, China exported 0.257 million tons of fasteners to the EU, up 16% from the same period last year and the avg. price was USD 1.91 per kg, down 1.65% from the same period last year.

Changshu Standard Parts Factory's Anti-loosening Screws for China High Speed Rail Changshu Standard Parts Factory is China's largest production base of high-strength fasteners. It was on the brink of bankruptcy in 2017 and was purchased by a private company. It changed the management and invested a great deal in R&D. Within 3 months after the purchase it successfully turned a loss into a profit and last year it achieved a production value of RMB 780 million.

Through years of technical development, the company passed the acceptance check this July titled "high-performing fasteners for high-speed locomotive power system". It became the only fastener company in China selected into "The Industrial Infrastructure Project" proposed by Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China.

Yong-Feng Jiang, president of the company, said that China's demands for this type of screws were mostly satisfied by imports.

However, after passing the acceptance check on July 6th the Company is now able to fully replace those imported products commonly used on railroads in China.

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Fastener World News

Auto Screw Fastening Machines Drive the Innovation of China Manufacturing Auto screw fastening machines are a new drive for conventional companies in the manufacturing sector to modernize and innovate their production. The annual amount of auto screw fastening machine supply to the manufacturing sector in China will exceed 20 thousand sets. The amount of the machine in possession by this sector will exceed 130 thousand sets. China has been rolling out supportive policies to propel the domestic industry of auto screw fastening machines. Ministry of Industry and Information Technology sets to form a well-established auto screw fastening machines industry by 2020 to meet the demands in national defense, national economy and social development.

Auto screw fastening machines play an important part in the manufacturing and processing industries, and they will be widely applied in the future.

China is Developing Sensor-embedded Bolts Priced at Only RMB 300 China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP) showcased its smart bolts which can inspect prevailing t o r q u e. I n t e r m s of p r e c isio n instruments, airplanes and critical buildings, the existence of yield point in fasteners like bolts affects the running state of machines, stability of buildings and people's safety and properties. Therefore, bolts capable of detecting prevailing torque are becoming widespread in fields such as aerospace, radar and heavy engineering.

Smart bolts used by China are mostly imported and their prices can get as high as USD300. It is not the bolt that is expensive but the sensor and the ancillary test system that come with the bolt. Currently, the smart bolts on the market indicate prevailing torque by color change, misaligned mark on bolt head with the mark on the fastened material, or by means of inspection rings and mark-engraved rings. Unlike other brands that "patch" sensors to smart bolts, CAEP developed a PVDF (polyvinylidene difluoride) sensor film which utilizes materials technology to enable the sensor to directly "form" on the surface of the bolt.

The formed sensor sends ultra-sound waves to measure the length change of the shank of the fastened bolt. It calculates the prevailing torque of the bolt by comparing parameters such as the speed of sound in different stress states. While the vibration of high-end equipment running on aircraft and space crafts may cause the patched sensor to come off, the sensor film made by CAEP is a natural part of the bolt and can effectively prevent this problem from happening.

Some high-end equipment makers including Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group and Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation have made contact with CAEP. CAEP is looking to lower its smart bolt price to RMB300 to expand market share.

Haiyan County of China to Take on Technical Transformation and Smart Manufacturing In recent yea rs, Haiyan County has been optim izing and transforming the local fastener sector. Last year, the county eliminated capacity-incapable companies and cut off low-end companies from the supply chain, shutting down 333 fastener companies. On the other hand, the county is bringing in high-end companies, including the renowned fastener company WĂźrth, to the supply chain in Haiyan.

As leaders in the Haiyan fastener industry, Haiyan Yuxing Nuts and Zhejiang Dingsheng Automotive Fastener actively improve their digital management. Haiyan Yuxing Nuts utilizes big data in production and has gained positive results. Zhejiang Dingsheng Automotive Fastener invested RMB 70 million and built the County's first fastener smart factory integrating R&D, production, logistics and sales.

The future of the Internet era is Data Cloud. Since last year, the County paced up developing an Internet platform for the fastener industry in a form of "Haiyan Fastener Cloud" to facilitate digital transformation of the industry players. Statistically, there were 198 Haiyan fastener companies up in the fastener cloud last year. The County is set to upgrade the local companies from low to high end via cloud management.

Vietnam’s Car Import Volume Hikes by 6 Times in H1 2019 Ac cor d i ng t o t h e st a t ist ics of Vietnamese Customs, in the first 6 months of 2019, 75,437 units of cars were imported to Vietnam. This figure is around 6 times the record in the same period last year. In terms of the import value, the figure also increased by at least 5 times, reaching USD 1.63 bn.

To view the data by car type, 5,427 units are vehicles for 9 or less passengers (increasing by 6 times from the same period last year) and 17,879 units for trucks (also increasing by more than 6 times from the same period last year).

If to calculate one single month in June, 10,540 units (valued at USD around 0.254 bn) were imported to Vietnam (up 26.5% from the same month in 2018). Amongst the figure, 7,145 units (valued at USD 0.137 bn) are vehicles for 9 or less passengers, representing around 67.8% of its total car import. 2,731 units (valued at USD 77.10 million) are trucks. 654 units (valued at USD 40.30 million) are vehicles for special purposes.

In addition, in June 2019 Vietnam imported around USD 0.291 bn worth of auto parts, down 18.4% from the same period last year.

Its main auto parts import origins are South Korea, Japan, Thailand, China, Indonesia and Germany.

Thailand is the largest car import origin of Vietnam. In June, Vietnam imported 7,575 units from Thailand, followed by Indonesia (1,468 units), China (653 units), S. Korea (274 units) and Japan (150 units). These 6 largest import origins represented 96% of the total car import of Vietnam in June.

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Fastener World News U.S. DoC Announces Three Affirmative Preliminary Circumvention Rulings on Exports of Steel Products from Vietnam Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced three preliminary affirmative circumvention rulings involving exports of steel products from Vietnam. The circumvention rulings cover certain steel products that are first produced in Korea and Taiwan, which are then shipped to Vietnam for minor processing, and finally exported to the United States as corrosion-resistant steel products (CORE) and cold-rolled steel (CRS).

As a result of today’s affirmative circumvention determinations, Commerce will instruct Customs and Border Protection to begin collecting cash deposits on imports of corrosion-resistant steel products and cold-rolled steel produced in Vietnam using Korean- or Taiwanese-origin substrate. These duties will be imposed on future imports, and also on any unliquidated entries since August 2, 2018 (the date on which Commerce initiated these circumvention inquiries). The applicable cash deposit rates will be as high as 456.23 percent, depending on the origin of the substrate and the type of steel product exported to the United States.

U.S. law provides that Commerce may find circumvention of antidumping duty (AD) or countervailing duty (CVD) orders when merchandise that is the same class or kind as merchandise subject to existing orders is completed or assembled in a third country prior to importation into the United States.

Shipments of CORE from Vietnam to the United States increased from $22 million (in the 40-month period of September 2012 until preliminary duties imposed on South Korean and Taiwanese products in December 2015) to $933 million (40-month period from imposition of preliminary duties in January 2016 until April 2019), which is an increase of 4,076 percent. Additionally, shipments of CRS from Vietnam to the United States increased from $49 million (in the 38-month period of January 2013 until preliminary duties imposed on South Korean and Taiwanese products in February 2016) to $498 million (38-month period from imposition of preliminary duties in March 2016 until April 2019), which is an increase of 922 percent.

These inquiries were conducted pursuant to requests from U.S. domestic producers of CORE and CRS: Steel Dynamics, Inc. (IN), California Steel Industries (CA), AK Steel Corporation (OH), ArcelorMittal USA LLC (IN), Nucor Corporation (NC), and United States Steel Corporation (PA).

The strict enforcement of U.S. trade law is a primary focus on the Trump Administration. To date, the Trump Administration has issued 31 preliminary and/or final anti-circumvention determinations – this is a 417 percent increase from the number of preliminary and/or final circumvention determinations made during the comparable period in the previous administration.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Enforcement and Compliance unit within the International Trade Administration is responsible for vigorously enforcing U.S. trade law and does so through an impartial, transparent process that abides by international law and is based on factual evidence provided on the record.

Japan's Fastener Production Value Sets Historical Record In a general assembly held on May 16, The Fasteners Institute of Japan reported Japan's fastener production value of 2018 at a historical record of JPY 916.1 billion, up 2.6% from the previous period. The volume of production grew 2.4% to 3.285 million tons. This means Japan's fastener production and production value grew simultaneously last year and that the production value broke the past records.

Company Focus Zhejiang Mingtai Standard Component (China) Plans to Go Public Zhejiang Mingtai Standard Component Co., Ltd. has had 30 years of history since its inception. It is the top fastener company in Wenzhou City of China, awarded as "one of top ten quality fastener brands" and "an exemplary fastener enterprise recognized for specialty and precision". It went from the manufacture of standard bike parts to scooter parts and then automotive parts. In the course of the past 3 decades, it undertook the "manufacture of high-strength automotive aluminum alloy bolts" as part of the national technical upgrade project.

Mingtai makes immense investments in product development. In recent years it used 8% of its annual revenues on product development to ensure its product advantage. At present, it is a supplier to many automakers such as local joint ventures between China and Volkswagen, Cummins, Toyota, and Honda. These automakers use Mingtai's fasteners in replacement of their imports.

2019 is a critical year for Mingtai. As a Wenzhou enterprise planning to go public, Mingtai is planning to optimize its equity structure and strengthen R&D capability. To help Mingtai go public, the taxation office put up a team of experts to help the company solve problems in the process and provide instructions on acquiring preferential tax benefits.

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Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz in China Recall a Portion of Defective Cars for Using Disqualified Rivets and Nuts FAW-Volkswagen Automotive and Mercedes-Benz (China) filed a defected car recall plan recently. FAW-Volkswagen decided to announce a recall of a portion of imported Audi A8L models manufactured between September 26, 2018 to February 13, 2019, immediately effective. A total of 200 cars are involved. The cars within the range of recall are involved because of suppliers' incorrect production parameters and erroneous craft that cause the rivets on the rails of front passenger seat to have a head size incompatible to the requirement of Audi.

Mercedes-Benz (China) announced a recall of a portion of imported C class and CLS class cars manufactured on December 6 to 18, 2018, immediately effective. The cars within the range of recall are involved because of possible mixed installation with bolts on the oil tube and air tubes.

Shanghai Prime Machinery's 2019 Mid-term Profits Drop 38% Sha ng ha i P r i m e Ma ch i ne r y Com pa ny Limited reported 6-month profits attributable to shareholders at RMB 114.7 million ended on June 30 this year, down 38.4% and therefore there would be no dividend payout.

In the first half of 2019, the European and Chinese automotive market weakened, the demand from China's thermal power plants declined, the trade condition between the U.S. and China was unclear, and the overall industrial production was slowing down. In this backdrop, the Company's income in the first half of 2019 dropped 4.9% to RMB 4,485 million from the previous period mainly due to the decreased income from the fastener business. The overall gross profit margin was relatively stable between the first halves of 2019 (at 19.3%) and 2018. The total operating expense was RMB 711 million. Compared to the first half of 2018, sales and distribution expense were down 10.8% and administrative expense was up 8.0%.

EBITDA in the first half of 2019 was RMB 318 million. Compared to the first half of 2018, the profits attributable to the owners of the Company dropped 38.4% to RMB 115 million in the same period of 2019.

German WĂźrth Group Celebrates 25 Years in China The China branch of WĂźrth Group held a 5th anniversary celebration event at its second-phase distribution center in Haiyan County of Zhejiang Province, China. Currently the group has deployed businesses in China. To provide modern logistics service for clients, the group set the distribution center in Haiyan County. Spanning an area of 80 thousand square meters, the center is on a 3-phase construction. "We have a great future ahead of us with Haiyan," said CEO Larry Stevens.

The group has been with China's industrial market and seen its rapid growth since the group's founding.

Japanese Nitto Seiko's New Base in Guangzhou (China) to Expand Screw Sales Nitto Seiko set up a new base in Guangzhou City of China this June to boost sales in south China where the automotive industry converges.

The new base is a spin-off of Nitto Seiko's subsidiary "Nitto Precision Screw Industrial (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd." in Zhejiang Province of China. The new base focuses on increasing order intake of industrial screws and automatic screw fastening device which is used for automobiles.

Fastenal's Lower-Than-Expected H1 Revenues as the Negative Outcome of Tariff Battle Fastenal, an industrial and construction materials distributor valued at USD 17 billion, reported lowerthan-expected revenues and profits for the second quarter which underscores the impact of tariff costs and inflation caused by the U.S./China trade war.

Fastenal is the largest industrial fastener distributor in North America. In a press release, Fastenal stated that it raised product price to mitigate the tariff of China's products, but that higher product pricing was not enough to mitigate the general inflation on the market.

Fastenal reported the second-quarter revenue at USD 1.37 billion which was lower than what analysts had expected. Peter Boockvar, Chief Investment Officer of Bleakley Advisory Group, said, "The global manufacturing sector is now in contraction.

Definitely more companies will sound alarms on China tariffs heading into this earnings season."

In May, the U.S. raised the tariff rate from 10% to 25% on USD 200 billion worth of China's products, and China retaliated with a tariff on USD 60 billion worth of American products. Although the U.S. and China agreed on a truce in G20, a long-term trade protocol does not seem to be coming true anytime soon. According to Washington Post, China's negotiation team has a few new members including China's Commerce Minister Zhong Shan who is a hardliner in the eyes of White House officials.

In the re-opened trade talk which is to come, the new development further undermines the hopes for China's concession.

Tr ump said multiple times that the U.S. is imposing a tariff of billions of US dollars on China, but many economists and institutions, including the IMF, have pointed out that the American companies will pay the price. Research by IMF finds that the tariff on China's products are almost absorbed by the American importers.

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Fastener World News Atotech Appoints Josh M. McMorrow as Vice President and Group General Counsel Atotech announced that effective June 1, 2019, Josh McMorrow has joined the company as Vice President and Group General Counsel. Mr. McMorrow is part of the company’s senior management team and reports to the CEO, Geoff Wild.

In his role, Mr. McMorrow oversees Atotech’s legal, compliance and intellectual property teams. In addition, he manages the company’s HSEQ matters. Atotech is a company dedicated to the absolute safety of those who manufacture its products, those who use them, and their impact on the environment. As such, Mr. McMorrow will facilitate a systematic approach to ensure the utmost safety while providing the highest quality products and equipment to Atotech’s customers.

Prior to joining Atotech, Mr. McMorrow served as Vice President, Chief Commercial Counsel and Global Head of Litigation at Weatherford International’s global headquarters near Zurich, Switzerland. He began his career as a trial attorney and has worked as a General Counsel for such varied industrial businesses as Air Liquide and PSC (an industrial and environmental services company).

Mr. McMorrow succeeds Mr. Gregor Frank, who is retiring this year.

Vossloh: Another Major Order Won for Rail Fastening Systems in China Vossloh Fastening Systems has won another important order for the delivery of rail fastening systems for high-speed lines in China. This new order encompasses an equivalent volume of more than €40 million. The fastening systems are produced for the new-built high speed line connecting the cities Hangzhou and Taizhou, located south of Shanghai. The deliveries are to be started already in 2019, but are mainly expected from 2020 onwards. This order won confirms Vossloh’s expectation that sales in China in 2020 will substantially increase compared to the current year. In 2018, Vossloh had already received three major orders in China with a cumulated volume of about €85 million. Most of these deliveries will also occur after 2019.

Andreas Busemann, Chief Executive Officer of Vossloh AG: “The Vossloh Group has started the fiscal year 2019 with high order intakes.

This new order from China continues this trend and underscores again strongly our continued good market positioning in the high-speed segment for fastening systems in the Chinese market. Since the first major order in fiscal year 2018, the order backlog in the Chinese company of the business unit has more than tripled.”

Vossloh has been present in China since 2006. Kunshan-based Vossloh Fastening Systems China Co. Ltd. is one of the locally leading providers of rail fastening systems for use on high-speed lines. At about 25,000 kilometers, China possesses the largest and most modern highspeed network in the world. Additional high-speed projects are under construction or in the planning stage, and should expand the rail network to 38,000 kilometers by 2025.

Association News 2019 IFE Hall of Fame and Young Fastener Professional of the Year Awards NFDA would like to congratulate the winners of this years prestigious fastener industry awards! Ed McIlhon and Marty Nolan will be inducted into the 2019 Fastener Hall of Fame, and Baron Yarborough has been named Young Fastener Professional of the Year. All three will be honored in Las Vegas on Wednesday, September 18 at the Sessions Corner on the show floor.

• Ed McIlhon, Assembled Products Inc. - 2019 Fastener Hall of Fame Inductee Ed McIlhon

Ed McIlhon got his start in the industry at his father’s Iowa Industrial Products (IIP), where he served as president, developing IIP into a $60 million company in 1998. IIP was sold to Bossard International in 1999, and McIlhon served as president until 2005 when he purchased their kitting and bundling unit and created API, a key supplier to John Deere. McIlhon played an integral role in negotiating the Fastener Quality Act, serving as co-chairman of the Public Law Task Force and testifying before Congress on behalf of the industry.

• Marty Nolan, R.L. English Co. - 2019 Fastener Hall of Fame Inductee

Marty Nolan

Marty Nolan has been a manufacturer’s representative with R.L. English Co. in Cleveland, Ohio for 34 years. He is currently the vice president of the North Coast Fastener Association (NCFA), previously serving as president for four years where he was instrumental in the development of many initiatives, including the NCFA annual Distributor Social. He also served as chairman on the Fastener Industry Coalition (FIC), and has tirelessly promoted the fastener industry through www.fastenerblog.net and social media.

• Baron Yarborough, Spring Bolt and Nut Manufacturing - 2019 Young Fastener Professional of the Year

Baron Yarborough

Baron Yarborough is a third-generation fastener professional holding a BBA degree in management from Texas Wesleyan University. In 2014, Yarborough started a hands-on training program at Spring Bolt and Nut Manufacturing, and currently is director of sales where he leads the sales force, new business development, and marketing functions. He remains active as chairman of the Young Fastener Professionals, previously serving as president, and as a member of the Board of Directors at the Southwestern Fastener Association.

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Company Focus

Debut of Chun Kai New Machines R

Round pipes straightening machine and plate flattening machine to advance market applications

epresenting more than 50% of the share in Taiwanese straightening machine market and generating overseas sales more than the double its domestic sales, Chun Kai

by Nai-Wen Chang, Fastener World Machinery Co., Ltd. has released this year the all-new CK230 steel pipe straightening machine and CK-900 plate flattening machine. Chun Kai is one of the leading straightening machines providers in Taiwan and has over 20 years of experience in this field. It cares about customers’ demands for straightening machines to help complete their tasks and offers superior quality and a complete range of service.

The previous straightening machine model functions with the mechanism of “hammering” and the curves of parts are inspected with naked eyes, which prolongs the interval of processing and which cannot be considered cost-effective in terms of the quick pace of modern industries. As a result, through the use of the modern high-speed and highly precision straightening machine, the inconveniences and disadvantages found on the previous straightening model can be solved.

Two New Models on the Market

The Classic CE Certified Straightening Machine by Chun Kai

CK-230 Steel P ipe St ra ighten i ng Machine can be used to straighten various steel and stainless steel round pipes. It can process pipes in lengths of 400mm6,000mm, in outer diameters of 10mm40mm and in thicknesses of over 0.2mm.

Straightening is fast completed without damaging the appearance.

Another bestseller of Chun Kai is the CK-601 step-type auto-feeding oil pressure straightening machine, which has been certified by CE and patented in Taiwan and China.

This specific-purpose straightening machine is applicable to various large-size screws and headed spindles. If used with a step-style auto-feeding machine, it can process longer materials, a larger amount and a wider range. The feeding machine can accommodate 200-300 pcs and is able to straighten parts in lengths of 100mm-600mm and in outer diameters of M8-M24.

The straightening accuracy can reach around 0.02mm (speed: 6-7secs per pcs) and can be customized according to CE requirements.

I n a d d it ion t o t h e st r a ig ht en i ng machine, Chun Kai also developed the new CK-900 plate f lattening machine, which can be used to flatten plates, control thicknesses, press flat and recover the flat appearance. Its applications range from various f lat parts, optical components of cameras, stamped electronics parts, blades of ice skates, scissors, automobiles & motorbikes, to bike gears. The machine is controlled by a stepless frequency converter.

The 1st Choice Among All Straightening Machines Providers

Contact: Mr. Chin Chang Huang E-mail: ck23356525@chunkai.com.tw

The team of Chun Kai continues to develop new models and dedicates to the R&D of new technology and equipment other manufacturers cannot compete with. Chun Kai’s machines can be flexibly adjusted to process various parts as per customer’s request. In order to create straightening machines that completely fit customers’ requirements, both the inspection of materials from suppliers and repeated tests of assembled machines must be seriously conducted before shipments. Such a strict quality control ensures at least one decade of service life of Chun Kai’s machines and clearly shows the durability and high quality of Chun Kai’s products.

In addition to focusing on the R&D of straightening machines, Chun Kai has also developed a series of models, such as oil-pressure straightening machines, “run-through” straightening machines and press-type straightening machines. Chun Kai has been always putting its focus on the R&D of highly automated machines and will also continue the improvement of products and develop more competitive straightening products.

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European News

European News Provided by Fastener + Fixing Magazine www.fastenerandfixing.com compiled by Fastener World

Böllhoff Increases Sales for Ninth Consecutive Year Böllhoff Group reported 2018 consolidated sales of €651.6 million, a 5.15% increase over 2017 and its ninth year of consecutive growth. The Group also reported record levels of investment, increasing more than 50% to €65.1 million.

Recording its 142nd year in business, independence has always been the cornerstone for the Böllhoff company, now in its fourth generation of family ownership and management.

Wilhelm A. Böllhoff is responsible for fastener service supply, human resources and quality management. His managing partner, Michael W. Böllhoff, is in charge of fastening and assembly technology as well as production. Of the two other members of the management, Dr. Jens Bunte is responsible for research and development, application technology and intellectual property worldwide. Finance, controlling, legal affairs and IT are managed by Dr. Carsten Löffler.

The Group comprises 45 companies, with 39 locations in 24 countries – including 13 production facilities. At the end of 2018 the Group employed 3,046 people, 254 more than at the end of 2017. Some 1,500 are employed in Germany.

Sales of €312.5 million - close to 48% of the Group total – were generated in Germany, reflecting a 4.8% year-on-year growth. A further €203.8 million (31%) came from the remainder of Europe, increasing 2.6%. Sales in the Americas were €75.5 million, increasing 4.1% - benefiting, Böllhoff notes “from the gentle tailwind behind the South American economy”. Sales in Asia totalled €59.9 million, contributing just over 9% of the Group total, but increasing year-on-year by more than 17%.

By sector, 58.4% of Böllhoff sales emanated f rom the automotive sector, 39.4% from other industries and 1.2% from the aerospace sector.

Noting that the Group had achieved nine consecutive years of sales growth, the Böllhoff management, said “we are now seeing signs of a consolidation phase for the first time”. They attributed this, less to the economic cycles of Germany, “but rather to influencing factors involving geopolitics and European policy”.

Despite such imponderables the management says it remains optimistic as regards the years to come. The full 2018 report highlights investments into the infrastructure of buildings, machinery and IT, totalling €65 million in 2018. These address bottlenecks throughout the Böllhoff value-added chain, the consequence of nine years of steady growth. Many of the projects are scheduled for completion in 2019 or 2020.

The Böllhoff management concludes: “We feel confident that we are perfectly equipped to deal with the requirements of the market, both now and in the future.”

Trifast: “Growth Story Set to Continue” In preliminary results published on 11th June, Trifast confirmed total group revenue for the year ending 31st March 2019 at GB£209.1 million (€233.7 million), a year-on-year increase of 5.8% at constant exchange rate.

Trifast’s European operations had a strong year, with revenues growing 5.8%, driven by double-digit revenue increases across six of eight entities, including Holland (automotive), Hungary (electronics) and Germany (general industrial).

Reduced domestic appliances volumes, as the result of trading conditions in Trifast’s Italian operations, offset some of these increases. Trifast’s Spanish greenfield site successfully secured its first GB£1 million of annual sales in the year.

Asia achieved year-on-year growth of 2.6% to GB£58.7million with strong domestic appliances sector increases in Singapore offset to some extent by the local factory closure of a multinational OEM electronics customers in China, as well as the knock-on effect of additional US tariffs to a small number of multinational customers operating in the region.

Overall, Trifast’s UK business showed very strong total revenue growth of 8.4% to GB£79.1 million reflecting the successful acquisition of Precision Technology Supplies (PTS) in April 2018. Organic trading levels, however, reduced slightly (-1.4%) due to the downturn in UK automotive manufacturing volumes. Outside of this, the Trifast reported another solid year in its most mature market – mainly driven by high ongoing demand in both general industrial and distributor business.

In the USA, a successful site move at the beginning of the year has been rewarded by exceptional revenue growth, increasing by 38.3% to GB£8.9 million.

This reflects ongoing gains in both the automotive and electronics sector, plus good use of existing mu lt i n a t ion a l Tie r 1 a n d OE M cu st ome r relationships.

Underlying profit before tax increased 5.9% (CER) to GB£23.6 million. Organic growth stood at 2% (AER), with PTS contributing a further 3.6% of growth to the topline.

Gross margins remained on target at 30% despite the impact of anticipated purchase price inflation in the UK and upfront costs of ongoing investments in European manufacturing capacity.

Underlying operating margins increased to an historic high of 11.6%.

CEO Mark Belton and CFO Claire Foster noted: "Trifast has delivered a solid performance and the directors remain optimistic about the progress the business will make over the coming financial year. Our highly experienced teams are dedicated to researching, developing, marketing and selling in novative products that meet today's high expectations that all our customers demand in terms of quality, value and price. Despite the potential implications of BREXIT and the continuing trade tensions between the US and China, the board remains confident in its strategy, its people and the Group's flexibility to adapt to change."

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Hilti FourMonth Sales up 6.2% Hilti has repor ted Group sales increased 6.2% over the first four months of 2019 to CHF1.931 billion. In local currency the growth factor was 7.6%.

Hilti CEO Christoph Loos explained: “Overall, we had a positive start to 2019 in the first four months and sales are within our expectations. For the entire year, we continue to expect growth in the mid-to-high single digits, even though the dynamics in the construction industry have slowed somewhat in several regions.�

In Europe and North America, the Hilti Group was able to maintain strong growth amid an ongoing positive market environment, growing sales in local currencies by 9.6% and 8.1% percent, respectively. Sales in Latin America grew 5.6% while the Asia/Pacific region saw a rise of 3.2%. The EMEA region grew 3% in the face of economic tensions in Russia, Turkey and the Gulf States.

Sundram Fasteners Reports Record Revenue and Profits Sundram Fasteners, part of the TVS Group, reported standalone revenue for its year ending 31st March 2019 at INR 4,034 crore; a 16.3% increase from INR 3,419 crore for the previous fiscal year.

Domestic sa les g rew 15% to INR 2,469.15 crore, on the back of increased production for commercial vehicles. Sundram also said it had expanded its domestic dealer network in order to increase sales penetration to industrial segments, which contributed to growth.

Export sales increased 18.4% to INR 1,382.99 crore, which Sundram said was partially due to volume growth, partially to a greater contribution from favourable exchange rates. Fourth quarter sales, however, increased by only 4.8%, although net profit increased 15%. Full year net profit after tax was INR 437.12 crore, up 18.9% on the previous fiscal year.

The company announced that its new plant, at Mahindra World City, commenced commercial production of forged and machined parts for cross-overs and mini-trucks on 16th January 2019. Sundram is in the process of setting up a new SEZ unit at Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, to manufacture high precision engineering components. This will be used as a hub to consolidate its foray into the non-automotive segment including off-road vehicles for export.

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NORMA Q1 Sales Increase Moderately NORMA Group reported sales at €275.6 million in the first quarter of 2019, 1.1% up on same period 2018.

Lower organic growth, eroded by automotive sector issues, was compensated by contributions from 2018 acquisitions and currency exchange gains.

Organic sales fell 4.2%. 2018 acquisitions, Kimplas and Statek, “contributed 2.3% and €6.2 million respectively”. Currency effects contributed 3.1% to sales growth. Adjusted EBITA for the quarter fell 13.3% to €39.6 million (Q1 2018: €45.7 million). The adjusted EBITA margin was 14.4% (Q1 2018: 16.8%). Net operating cash flow increased by €13.5 million to -€0.3 million.

NORMA explained: “The business development in the first quarter of 2019 is mainly attributable to the lower production and sales figures in the automotive sector in all three regions. Above all, the EMEA and Asia-Pacific regions were characterised by a very volatile market environment: Lower production volumes in the European automobile industry due to the difficulties encountered in the summer of 2018 in implementing the standardised, stricter test procedure for emission values (WLTP) and a sharp decline in demand from the Chinese automotive industry.”

Sales in the EMEA region fell 2.8% to €128.4 million (Q1 2018: €132.2 million) impacted particularly by the continued W LT P issu es a n d lowe r a ut omot ive production.

A mer icas’ sa les “rose solid ly” by 4% to €111.6 million (Q1 2018: €107.3 million). NORMA identified the water management segment as posting strong growth at the beginning of 2019; business with commercial vehicles and agricultural machinery also continued to develop solidly.

However, production figures in the North American automotive sector were negative.

NORMA increased Asia-Pacific sales 7.5% to €35.6 million (Q1 2018: €33.1 million). While the Chinese automotive sector experienced significant production declines, the acquisition of Kimplas in India contributed to additional sales revenues.

Group CEO Ber nd Klein hens commented: “In view of the uncertain market situation worldwide and the more volatile than expected market environment, particularly in the EMEA and Asia-Pacific regions, we have substantiated our forecast for the adjusted EBITA margin in 2019.

We are confident that the situation on the markets will improve in the coming quarters and that we are well positioned for the future with our broad product range and commitment to key markets such as electromobility and water management.”

NORMA Group confirmed its exp e ct e d mo d e r a t e orga n ic g r ow t h , between 1% and 3%, for the full year.

Sa les f r om K i m pla s a n d St a t ek a r e expected to total around €13 million.

The company confirmed it was sticking to its adjusted EBITA margin forecast of between 15% and 17% but expected to achieve the lower end of the range.

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European News Former UK Fastener Manufacturer Owner Admits Bribery

The United Kingdom Serious Fraud Office has revealed that the former managing director and majority owner of ALCA Fasteners Ltd, pleaded guilty to bribery at the end of May. Carole Ann Hodson pleaded guilty at Walsall Magistrates’ Court, on 30th May 2019, to bribery in relation to a scheme to secure GB£12 million worth of contracts for ALCA Fasteners Ltd, a company she owned at the time.

The scheme, which operated between 2011 and 2016 whilst Hodson was the managing director and majority owner, saw nearly GB£300,000 of bribes paid to Terje Moe, a purchasing manager employed by the Würth Group, an ALCA customer.

Under the scheme, which continued until his retirement, Moe would receive 2.5% of the total of every order made by his company to ALCA Fasteners. The bribes were paid in 64 monthly cash payments.

Terje Moe pleaded guilty to two charges relating to the receipt of bribes, contrary to the Norwegian Criminal Code, on 6th July 2018.

False invoices were created to justify the cash transfers, recorded in ALCA Fasteners’ accounts as ‘sales commission payments’ or other payments not related to genuine transactions, with Hodson later lying to her company’s auditors to disguise the true nature of the payments. To maintain the value of her company prior to selling it in 2017,

Hodson then lied to the purchasers by claiming that the company had not been involved in any unlawful conduct.

Lisa Osofsk y, di rector of t he Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said: “Ms Hodson has admitted her part in this crime and pleaded guilty to her misconduct. Bribery has no place in British business. This sort of corruption corrodes trust and distorts ma rket s, ma k i ng it i mp ossible for compa n ies to f u nction a nd undermining the UK’s reputation as a rule of law country and a safe place to do business.”

The SFO began investigating the affairs of the company in December 2017 following a refer ral by the Compa ny’s cu r rent owners a nd directors. The SFO investigation is ongoing with the company and its new di rectors conti nui ng to cooperate.

Bulten Sales Set Back by Automotive Headwinds Bulten Scores Gold for Sustainability Bulten AB has achieved gold-medal status in the EcoVadis sustainability ranking and is rated in the top 1% of companies in its industry.

E c oVa d i s i s a n i n d e p e n d e n t i n t e r n a t io n a l orga nisation t hat evaluates, scores, a nd ra n ks companies’ integration of sustainability issues in their business activities. The assessment is based on 21 criteria in four areas: Environment, fair working conditions, business ethics, and the supply chain. The method used is based on international Corporate Social Responsibility standards such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the UN Global Compact, and ISO 26000.

“Bulten’s ambition and sustainability strategy is that the entire business should be permeated by a sustainability-oriented way of thinking. We are hugely proud of this recognition, which consolidates our position as one of the best in our industry when it comes to sustainability,” says Marlene Dybeck, Bulten’s senior vice-president HR and sustainability.

An overview of Bulten’s sustainability efforts is reported as part of the company’s annual report, which can be found online.

Bulten Group reported first quarter 2019 net sales at SEK 810 million, down 5.1% on a strong first quarter in 2018. Adjusted operating earnings (EBIT) fell to SEK 59 million (2018 Q1: SEK 67 million). Adjusted operating margin was 7.3%, down from 7.8% in the same quarter 2018. Earnings after tax stood at SEK 44 million (2018 Q1: SEK 48 million). Bulten also reported a 5.9% decrease in its order book value to SEK 733 million (€59.77 million).

New President and CEO Anders Nyström noted that lower global sales of new cars in the second half 2018 had continued into 2019, with the most marked slowdown in China. He attributed the slowdown in Europe’s car industry to “consumer concerns about the effects of a possible hard BREXIT, as well as new environmental regulations, rather than a general economic downturn. The fact that the market for economically sensitive heavy vehicles remained strong substantiates this view.”

Nyström emphasised that investments being made to increase capacity and productivity would increase longer term earning potential. The new heat treatment line in Hallstahammar went into production at the end of March, promising efficiency enhancements during the second quarter. He noted that increased capital had been tied for six months due to the relocation of operations in China, which was proceeding as planned; preparedness for BREXIT; the ramping up of new projects and a slowdown in demand. “Activities are ongoing to normalise and improve control at inventory levels” he said.

Referring to operating earnings Nyström explained that raw material costs that had increased dramatically in 2018 had now stabilised, although at a high level. Bulten has signed a Full Service Provider contract for delivery of fasteners to a new vehicle program, worth approximately €13 million a year at full production in 2021, starting in late 2019.

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European News New Generation Takes Over at KEIL

Cooper & Turner and Beck Industries Plan to Combine Andaray (Holdings) Limited and its subsidiaries (Cooper & Turner) have entered into an agreement with Beck Industries (Beck) for potential combination of the two groups.

The planned combined entity aims to be the first truly global manufacturer of safety critical fasteners, together supporting a broader range of industries – including renewable energy, tunnelling, construction, rail, heavy equipment, downstream oil & gas, power generation and nuclear, among others.

Cooper & Turner serves a global customer base with manufacturing and distribution operations across the European Union, China and North America. This worldwide network enables Cooper & Turner to offer a seamless, one-stop-shop solution for industrial fasteners that meet the highest levels of quality. Beck, a France-based manufacturer and distributor of fully certified, high-security bolting components, has built a global operation that complements and expands that of Cooper & Turner.

The proposed combination of Cooper & Turner and Beck will broaden the geographic reach of both companies, enabling the supply of world-class products and services from 17 strategically positioned facilities throughout Europe, North America, Asia and North Africa.

“It’s an exciting time at Beck,” stated Hugues Charbonnier, president of Beck Industries. “Business is strong, our order book is growing, and we have an opportunity with Cooper & Turner to potentially combine our complementary geographic footprint, technologies, and product portfolios to create an unequalled platform to serve our local and international clients.”

“We are energised by the possibility of joining forces with the Beck team to create a new global leader in high quality, mission-critical fasteners,” stated Tony Brown, Group CEO at Cooper & Turner. “Supported by our partners at the Watermill Group, which is a family owned investment company, we see tremendous opportunity to further serve the energy market worldwide.”

The potential combination of Cooper & Turner and Beck is subject to customary conditions, including consultation of the relevant works councils and obtaining required regulatory approvals.

A new generation of managing di rectors is set to ta ke over at KEIL Befestigungstechnik GmbH. The company will also move into new company headquarters.

Fastening specialist KEIL has stood for quality and reliability for more than fifty years. The KEIL undercut anchor has developed into a global brand since its beginnings in the 1980s.

Cou nt less a r ch it e ct s, pla n n e r s, fa br ica t or s and clients trust the technical solutions of KEIL Befestigungstechnik. Thousands of facades worldwide have been permanently and securely fastened with the KEIL Hinterschittanker.

The family business has been successfully run by owners Petra and Jürgen Bergfelder for many years. On 1st May 2019, the management was expanded to include new managing directors, Gerda Söhngen and Christian Schmidt.

Gerda Söhngen is daughter of the owner and has known the company since childhood, closely following its development over the years. Ms. Söhngen now manages the company in the third generation and is responsible for technology and production.

Ch ristia n Sch midt, responsible for sales a nd marketing, has extensive global experience in sales of technical products. After 13 years in various positions at Akzo Nobel, Mr. Schmidt was most recently sales manager at SFS intec GmbH in Oberursel for seven years.

At the end of June 2019, KEIL Befestigungstechnik GmbH relocates to new company headquarters within Engelskirchen.

Petra and Jürgen Bergfelder will hand over to the new managing directors in a timely manner. They will continue to support KEIL Befestigungstechnik GmbH in an advisory capacity and ensure a smooth transition.

British Steel Placed into Receivership On 22nd May a UK court appointed EY as official receiver for British Steel, following the failure of its owners, Greybull Capital, to secure emergency funding from the British Government.

On the previous day, Sky News broke the story that British Steel was in imminent jeopardy of collapse with Greybull seeking an additional emergency funding from the UK Government, which had already provided a GB£120 million loan to cover environmental compliance costs. Greybull was reported to have initially been seeking as much as GB£75 million additional funding, but subsequently reduced the figure to GB£30 million.

UK Business Secretary Greg Clark issued a statement saying: “The government has worked tirelessly with British Steel, its owner Greybull Capital, and lenders to explore all potential options to secure a solution for British Steel. We have shown our willingness to act, having already provided the company with a GB£120 million bridging facility to enable it to meet its emissions trading compliance costs.

“The government can only act within the law, which requires any financial support to a steel company to be on a commercial basis. I have been advised that it would be unlawful to provide a guarantee or loan on the terms of any proposals

that the company or any other party has made.”

He went on to add: “I will be working with the Official Receiver and a British Steel support group of management, trade unions, companies in the supply chain and local communities, to pursue remorselessly every possible step to secure the future of the valuable operations in sites at Scunthorpe, Skinningrove and on Teesside.”

British Steel employs around 5,000 people, primarily in Scunthorpe and Teeside, but various estimates suggest five times this number of people are reliant on its operations for their livelihoods.

UK Steel, the industry’s trade body, said: “This news is significant blow for the company, its employees, and the communities across the UK that it supports. British Steel does not sit in isolation but is a critical part of the UK’s wider steel sector, a strategic British industry underpinning a myriad of supply chains.” The statement continued: “Receivership does at least leave options on the table including providing a time to secure a new buyer. We have every confidence that the government is investigating every available opportunity and pulling out all the stops to ensure a viable solution is found.”

UK Steel believes that despite the challenges faced by the sector currently, the outlook for steel demand in the UK remained positive. Richard Warren, head of policy and representation at UK Steel, commented: “Of course, many of our challenges are far from unique to steel – the whole manufacturing sector is crying out for certainty over BREXIT. Unable to decipher the trading relationship the UK will have with its biggest market in just five months’ time, planning and decision making has become nightmarish in its complexity. I must again state in no uncertain terms the critical need for the UK to reach agreement with Europe as soon as possible, avoiding a no-deal BREXIT at all costs. Those that claim otherwise are breathtakingly callous in their attitude towards manufacturing in this country.”

“Beyond the cloud of BREXIT, long standing domestic issues such as uncompetitive electricity prices and business rates also continue to chisel away at investment and action on these issues, as part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy, must also be a top priority for the government now.”

British Steel’s Wire Rod Mill at Scunthorpe supplies cold heading quality wire, amongst a range of other wire products for construction and automotive applications. At the end of last year, the Wire Rod business announced it had secured investment in order to commence a major upgrade, including the installation of a new modern highspeed wire rod line, aimed at substantially increasing its the range and production quality capabilities.

In September 2017 British Steel acquired FN Steel, based in the Netherlands, which is also a significant supplier of materials to the fastener manufacturing sector.

Bossard Reports Growth Despite More Challenging Conditions Bossard Group reports that 2019 first quarter sales grew 5.4% to CHF 232.2 million (€203.4 million), despite "markedly more challenging business conditions" and a comparatively high baseline.

The Group says its first quarter’s overall solid performance was all the more remarkable because it was achieved in a weakening economic environment as well as the comparative baseline from the previous year being very high.

Activities in Europe and Asia contributed substantially to the Group's positive sales development, while business in America stagnated. European sales increased 5.1% to CHF 138.9 million (+7.3% in local currency), boosting market share in spite of lack-lustre economic conditions. After enjoying dynamic business development in America 2017 and 2018, Bossard says it was unable to realise further sales growth at the start of 2019. American sales were CHF 58.1 million, down 4.9% in local currency. Bossard identifies two reasons for the decline. For the beginning of this year Bossard experienced subdued sales development with several major customers, which could not be compensated by “encouraging growth in new business”.

In Asia, Bossard benefited from preliminary work and capacity expansion in previous years, with first quarter 2019 sales growth of 16.6% to CHF 35.2 million (+17.7% in local currency). The main contributing regions were China and India.

Bossard is targeting full year sales of CHF 900 to CHF 920 million, with first quarter sales on track. However, the Group says the weakening economic momentum, evident from falling Purchasing Managers’ Indices published recently, makes achieving the goal more challenging.

Bossard Further Expands into 3D Printing The Bossard Group has taken a 30% share in Ecoparts AG in Hinwil, Switzerland, continuing expansion of its expertise in additive manufacturing.

Ecoparts has many years of experience in 3D printing services for the metal segment of this innovative technology and is the leading Swiss company in this sector. Bossard’s stake in the company is of strategic importance, intended to secure a leading position in the future market of additive manufacturing. The investment broadens the Group’s expertise and enables it to help customers in the early planning phase of new projects.

Ecoparts is a pioneer in additive manufacturing. Since 2006, the company has offered services in the generative design of metal components, as well as custom and series parts, such as prototypes, toolmaking, lightweight components, hybrid construction and additive manufacturing engineering. As the largest and leading additive manufacturing service provider in Switzerland the company has a wealth of experience in this future market, including in the technologies and materials used.

Bossard has acquired a 30% stake from the two founders, who until now jointly controlled a 50% share of the capital. As a development partner and contract manufacturer, Bossard gains even greater expertise in additive manufacturing through its investment in Ecoparts. In 2018, Bossard acquired 49% of 3d-prototyp GmbH, an expert in the additive manufacturing of complex plastic parts and models. Bossard also announced partnerships with three renowned manufacturers of 3D printers after having handled representation and sales of their products for the Swiss market.

This bolsters Bossard’s proven expertise in supporting customers from the design phase all the way to the production of complex metal and plastic parts. In addition, Bossard is an innovative partner when it comes to selecting the most suitable 3D printers and associated manufacturing technologies. Bossard believes 3D printing will shape the future of a number of manufacturing areas, such as the production of prototypes, complex tools, and lightweight industrial components – all products that do not lend themselves to mass production. New materials are increasingly being used in additive manufacturing.

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Bufab Reports 15% Growth in Q1 2019 Bufab Group started off 2019 with a strong first quarter result for the overall Group, repor ting continued healthy growth and increased profit. The International segment delivered but Sweden turned in a poorer performance. Net Group sales increased 15% to SEK 1.091 billion (€88.96 million), driven by acquisitions, increased market share and stable demand. Organic growth was 6%. Operating profit (EBITA) rose to SEK 119 million (2018 Q1: SEK 106 million) and the operating margin was 10.9 percent (2018 Q1: 11.2%).

Bu f a b’s l a r ge s t o p e r a t i n g s e g m e n t , International, enjoyed a particularly strong performance. It continued to take market share, capturing new contracts with many customers. Segment organic was 8%. Growth was particularly strong in central Europe, the UK, northern Europe and southern Europe, but somewhat weaker in eastern Europe.

President and CEO Jörgen Rosengren noted: “Price increases secured a stable gross margin.

Through an effective cost control and increased efficiency, it was possible to translate this into an operating margin that was the segment’s best ever. Accordingly, operating profit rose by a full 20%.”

The qua r terly result f rom Sweden, in contrast, was “poorer than last year”, attributed to a significant weakening of gross margin.

Price increases implemented in 2018 and early 2019 were insufficient in light of the continued weakening of the Swedish krona. For the second consecutive quarter, organic growth was “limited”. Despite effective cost control, operating profit and operating margin were therefore considerably lower than in 2018.

Rosengren emphasised: “This development is entirely unsatisfactory” and committed to further price increases for end customers, combined with purchasing savings, aimed at restoring gross margin during the year.

Despite the Swedish result, Rosengren expressed satisfaction wit h t he Group’s earnings for the quarter. “Our newly acquired companies are contributing to increased sales and profits, while also significantly strengthening our customer offering. It is part of our strategy to make additional value-adding acquisitions also in the future.” The CEO concluded: “We are satisfied with the start to the year. The macroeconomic uncertainty has not diminished, but we are optimistic about the remainder of 2019.”

NORMA Group Increases Sales 1.1 Billion NORMA Group has increased its group sales by 6.6% compared to the previous year to €1.08 billion in fiscal year 2018 (2017: €1.01 billion).

Organic sales growth was strong at 7.7 percent. This growth was mainly driven by the strong recovery of the US commercial vehicles and agricultural machinery markets, a resurgent US water business and high demand for quality joining solutions in China in the first half of 2018.

The acquisitions of Fengfan, Kimplas and Statek contributed an additional €16.5 million to its sales growth in 2018. Negative currency effects reduced growth by 2.8% on the other hand. At €124.4 million, net operating cash flow, including the effects of the acquisitions of Statek and Kimplas, and increased capital expenditure from operating activities, was €8.5 million lower in fiscal year 2018 than the year before (2017: €132.9 million). Due to the volatile environment on the raw materials markets, inventories of finished goods and work in progress were built up.

“We grew strongly in organic terms in fiscal year 2018,” said Bernd Kleinhens, CEO of NORMA Group. “In 2019, we will continue to focus our business model on the future markets of electromobility and water management. In addition, our rightsizing program will enable us to further harmonise our organisation and processes worldwide so we can continue our profitable growth.”

SFS Projects 3% - 5% Growth Despite Market Volatility SFS Group expects the 2019 market to be volatile given trade tensions between the US and China and the recent slowdown in global economic activity. A healthy project pipeline means it still expects top-line growth of 3-5% in 2019. Taking into consideration the uncertain economic situation, SFS expects the adjusted EBIT margin for financial 2019 to be in a range from 13% - 15%. The Group will incur one-off costs for the commissioning of a new manufacturing platform in Nantong, China, but also expects accounting gains on the disposal of real estate.

SFS Group achieved solid sales growth of 6.5% in the 2018 financial year, lifting its consolidated sales to CHF 1.739 billion. Growth for the period was broadly based and the Fastening Systems segment showed the strongest development. Growth in the second half was slower than in the first half, partially due to a strong comparison base and partially due to an unexpected decline in demand during the fourth quarter, especially from customers in the automotive and electronics industries.

Group operating profit increased by 4.2% to CHF 243.1 million. Profitability improved considerably during the second half (EBIT margin of 14.4%) compared to the first half (EBIT margin of 13.6%). The EBIT margin for the year stood at 14%, slightly below the comparable year-ago margin of 14.3%. This contraction is primarily attributed to sales mix effects arising, for example, from the stronger growth rates of the Fastening Systems and Distribution & Logistics segments and the strong decline in demand during the final quarter of the year. Net profit for the year rose by 21.9% to CHF 193.9 million, which corresponds to 11.2% of net sales.

SFS Buys US Construction Fastener Distributor SFS Group has recently acquired Triangle Fastener Corporation (TFC), a leading provider of fasteners and other products for the US commercial construction industry, headquartered in Pittsburgh. TFC produced sales of more than US$70 million (€62.5 million) in 2018 and has approximately 200 employees. The acquisition means SFS will be able to expand access to the market and its customers in the American building sector.

TFC was founded in 1977 and supplies end-users in the commercial construction industry with a comprehensive assortment of customerspecific fasteners, as well as other application solutions. TFC sells its products to roughly 6,000 active customers through 23 separate branch locations in 15 states and is one of the leading suppliers in the eastern United States. TFC will operate as a part of the Construction division within the SFS Fastening Systems segment. The company will be led by the existing management, ensuring continuity.

Würth Builds Innovation Centre Adolf Würth GmbH & Co KG, parent company of the globally operating Würth Group, is building a research and development centre in Künzelsau, Germany – with the groundbreaking ceremony celebrated at the end of March 2019. The investment volume amounts to the tune of €70 million and will include the state-of-the-art laboratories and workshops which will be built on an area of around 15,000m2. A climate chamber, the latest 3D printers and seismic test rigs for anchor technology will also offer a wide range of options to strengthen and advance internal research in the long run.

Approximately 250 people will be working in the innovation centre. This will include employees from the research and development department of Adolf Würth GmbH & Co KG, from the Group companies active in the manufacturing sector, as well as external researchers.

The cooperation with Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT and the universities of Innsbruck and Stuttgart will create a cluster of knowledge and know-how. “These university cooperations allow us to take a scientific approach, thus opening up entirely new opportunities.

We want to develop even more from a trading company to a manufacturer,” says Thomas Klenk, managing director for product, purchasing and export at Adolf Würth GmbH & Co KG. “We aim to significantly shorten our innovation cycles in order to bring our new and further developments to the market even faster and to be able to offer our customers solutions with genuine added value.”

The innovation centre helps Würth to be more attractive as an employer and counteract the shortage of skilled workers. “A challenge that we also face here in rural areas,” says Norbert Heckmann, chairman of the management of Adolf Würth GmbH & Co KG. “The innovation centre significantly increases the appeal of Würth as an innovative and outward-looking company for technicians and engineers.”

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Russian News

Russian News Alexander Ostashov, editor of “Fasteners, Adhesives, Tools and...” Magazine Marina Valiakhmetova, editor of “Metiz” Magazine Compiled by Fastener World

Technical Committee 375 for Standardization of "Metal Products Made from Ferrous Metals and Alloys" is Reorganized By the order of Rosstandart No. 655 of March 27, 2019, a new Technical Committee 375 for standardization “Metal Products from Ferrous Metals and Alloys” was created. At the same time, according to the order, the Technical Committees “Methods of control of metal products”, “Hardware”, “Fasteners” are liquidated. The lists of standards related to the competence of the liquidated committees are assigned to the newly created Technical Committee.

The Technical Committee includes the following subcommittees: • PK1 “Terminology, classification, designations" • PK2 “Rolled products from alloyed and unalloyed steels” • PK3 “Rolled products from high alloy steels and alloys. Rolled products from electrical steel” • PK4 “Reinforcing rolled products for reinforced concrete structures” • PK5 “Powder materials” • PK6 “Methods of control of metal products” • PK7 “Hardware and fasteners”

Round Table "E-commerce in the B2B Market of Fasteners"

SOUDAL Has Invested € 20 Million in Plant Construction SOUDAL, the Belgian manufacturer of mounting foam and sealants, invested € 20 million into the construction of a plant in Bogorodsk. The first SOUDAL plant in Russia will be open in 2020 at the territory of the Bogorodsk industrial park. “The total area of the new factory will be 40 thousand square meters”, said the press service of the Ministry of Investment and Innovation of the Moscow region.

The plan ned production capacity of lines for the manufacture of foam will be 50 million gas cylinders per year. In addition at the plant there will be organized its own laboratory on quality control as well as a department for developing and testing new product formulas. In the future, the company plans to expand its production by launching a line of sealants and adhesives. At full capacity, the plant will provide jobs for about 350 people.

The Ministry of Economy of Tatarstan Sponsored the Modernization of the Plant “Tekhnotron-Metiz” The plant “Tekhnotron-Metiz” received a subsidy of 4.5 million rubles from the Ministry of Economy of Tatarstan.

The money was allocated to modernize the production capacity of the plant. “Residents and companies of the industrial sites and parks of Tatarstan also can count on similar support”, the press service of the Ministry of Economy of the Tatarstan Republic informs. “The main objective of the implementation of this program is to stimulate the modernization of production and expansion of the technical and technological capacities of small and medium businesses. In this case, we take all the interest on loans for the purchase of equipment or the construction of infrastructure on ourselves, thereby helping entrepreneurs to develop their potential in a shorter time” said Farid Abdulganiev, the Minister of Economy of Tatarstan.

Wit h i n t h e f r a m ewor k of the business program of t he Moscow inter national ex h i bit ion M I T E X 2 019, a n expa nde d rou nd t a ble "E -com merce i n t he B2B fastener market" will be held.

The purpose of the round table is to gather representatives of the leading Russian fastener companies-suppliers and to discuss the way that they managed to go in the field of electronic commerce. The format of the meeting includes interviews with the leading participants on a number of key issues and subsequent joint discussion with the audience. The participants with experience in e-commerce will be pre-selected. The organizer of the round table is the Editorial Board of the magazine "Fasteners, adhesives, tools and...".

The Moscow International Exhibition of Tools, Equipment and Technologies MITEX, the central instrumental event in Russia, will be held in November, 2019 from November 5 to 8 at the EXPOCENTRE Fairgrounds in Pavilions No. 2 and No. 8.

Fastener Businessmen Day in St. Petersburg An important part of conferences, business seminars is informal communication, as a result of which new information, new contacts help business development. The participants of the Petersburg club of fastener suppliers decided to hold an extended meeting of fastener businessmen without unnecessary formalities.

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Such meeting took place on June 19 in the center of St. Petersburg in a cozy Czech brewery.

It was organized by Vyacheslav Tarasov (CKI group of companies) and Alexander Ostashov.

They marked this event as "Fastener Businessmen Day". The leaders of 35 St. Petersburg companies, involved in the production and sale of fasteners, met for free communication and tasted branded beer. If the vacation time had not begun, there would have been more participants - this was shown by the responses to the invitations (about a hundred invitations to participants were sent before the meeting).

The meeting was filled with communication.

It was indicative and "evidence" that in the hall, where the beer was brewed, people, passionate about their fastener business, gathered together. A blitz survey, conducted by the meeting organizers, fully confirmed this. All participants said that they were interested in such format of meetings. Some of the participants formulated their wishes on a list of the topics, actual for fastener businessmen, for future meetings and voiced their readiness to provide a meeting room.

Severstal-metiz Produced the Record Amount of Screws The Company produced 872 tons of various types of screws. The previous record of 788 tons was set in October 2018. Railway screws are widely used for the construction and repair of all types of railways and the underground.

“We achieved this record thanks to coordinated work of operators, mechanics and electricians. They constantly monitored the efficiency of the equipment, timely eliminated the causes of breakdowns and carried out work to prevent downtime. The teams for project development of the product area contributed to the record. They proposed measures that increased productivity, ”commented Sergey Kovryakov, CEO of Severstalmetiz.

Also, this year the Company celebrates its 15th anniversary. Severstalmetiz was established on July 1, 2004 as a management company for three plants: Cherepovets Steel Rolling Plant OJSC (Cherepovets), Orel Steel Rolling Plant OJSC (Orel), and VolgoMetiz LLC (Volgograd).

“Now Severstal-metiz is among the largest hardware companies in Russia. Our share in the domestic market is about 21%. And the product portfolio has over 100 thousand items. All these successes are due to a large team of Severstal-metiz employees, our partners and customers,” says Sergey Kovryakov, Severstal-metiz CEO.

Metinvest Joins Dutch Association of the Metallurgical Industry (VNMI) Metinvest B.V. (Netherlands), the parent company of Metinvest Group, the international vertically integrated group of steel and mining companies, has joined the Dutch Association of the Metallurgical Industry (VNMI).

The Dutch trade association of producers of raw materials, semi-finished products and finished metallurgical products was established in 2000. VNMI unites more than 80% of the players in the metallurgical industry of the Netherlands. The association represents Dutch steelmakers in European business associations in The Hague and Brussels. VNMI focuses on four areas: health and safety; energy and climate; sustainability and CSR; and trade and innovation.

Metinvest Group has been developing these areas since its inception. The Group supports global initiatives and participates in international environmental projects. In 2010, Metinvest joined the UN Global Compact.

Metinvest is also the first and only Ukrainian member of the World Steel Association (worldsteel), whose members represent around 85% of global steel production.

Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of Metinvest Group: For Metinvest, Europe is a key market. We have four re-rolling plants there. We sell more than a third of our products in European countries. Joining VNMI is evidence that the Group operates in accordance with the best European business practices. Membership in the association will allow us to share our experience with other market players, as well as to participate in the development of new rules and requirements for metallurgy in EU countries.

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Belarus Steel Work Has a New CEO The new CEO of BSW is Dmitry Korchik.

His appointment to this position was agreed by the President of the Republic of Belarus.

Dmitry Korchik has rich experience in the structure of the Ministry of Industry.

He began his career as an apprentice turner.

From 2002 to 2012 he worked in the central office of the Ministry of Industry, where at different times he had to deal with energy resources, foreign economic activity, and investment. Since 2012, Dmitry Korchik was a director for industrial and technical policy and development of OJSC “Borisov plant of automotive and tractor electrical equipment”.

Since March 2015, he was Deputy Minister of Industry of the Republic of Belarus.

“Dear colleagues,” said Dmitry Korchik, “In any work, the most valuable thing for me is people. BSW has a professional and wellcoordinated team. I believe that through dialogue we will make decisions that will allow the company to go forward and develop.

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Brazilian News

Brazilian News

by Sergio Milatias, Editor Revista do Parafuso (The Fastener Brazil Magazine) milatias@revistadoparafuso.com.br www.revistadoparafuso.com

Jomarca: 50 Years In 1969, the same year that American astronaut Neil Armstrong walked on the moon for the first time, a young fastener sales agent began his career as an industrial businessman. So, João Marques Castelhano, a Portuguese immigrant, founded the Jomarca Industrial de Parafusos, at that time just a modest company to produce some few kinds of fasteners. Since then, Jomarca has been expanding, having currently more than 700 employees, capable of producing more than 3.1 thousand tons per month, and created subsidiaries consolidated as Jomarca Group.

The Jomarca President - João, as everybody ever calls him - is a person attentive to all company activities. In addition, currently, the Vice-President, Ricardo Marques Castelhano, the João’s son, is leading the company for a new era. Under Ricardo’s administration the Company has been introduced modern concepts and shown great expansion on the market.

Located in São Paulo state, Guarulhos City, less than 5 km away from the largest South America airport, the Jomarca industrial plant and headquarters, is the center of production and main warehouse of a wide product line of bolts, screws, nuts, washers, pins, rivets, threaded bars and other fasteners, items present in the industrial sectors of furniture, electrical and electronic materials, auto parts, shoes, toys, civil construction and others.

Brazilian GDP Fell in Q1, but the Automotive Sector Keeps Growing Vale S.A. is the second-largest mining company in the world and leader in iron ore production, with operations in over 30 countries. Some economic analyses attribute the disaster involving the Company last November as the main cause for a 0.2% fall in GDP - Gross Domestic Product, in Brazil, compared with Q4 2018. However, compared with Q1 2018, the result is a positive 0.5%.

However, scenarios still show sectors in better situations, such as the automotive industry that produced more than 1.241 million units between January and May 2019, against the 1.178 million from the same period in 2018, an increase of 5.3%.

From the total above, in the first five months around 45.5 thousand units of trucks were produced (10.9%) against 41.0 thousand units in 2018. However, the agricultural and road machinery fell, producing just 20.7 thousand units (-4.2%) against 21.6 thousand units in 2018.

About “two wheelers”, between January and April, the motorcycle production accumulated to 368,055 units (5.76%), against the 348,009 units during the same period last year.

Peugeot Faces a Recall Due to Inadequate Torque At the end of May 2019, the unit of Peugeot in Brazil began a recall involving 1,078 units of the Expert version, produced b e t we e n 2 017 a n d 2018 due to inadequate torque application.

Poorly fastened, there may be displacement of the wheels, causing risk of loss of control of the vehicle.

The maintenance involves inspection and reinforcement or replacement of the assembly, whose process can last for 1 hour.

Recall: Porsche Has Problems with Rivets According to t he site Garagem360.com.br, the models Porsche 718 Boxster, 718 Cayman and 911 were recalled for maintenance involving rivets used in the trunk. There is a defect in the connection between the longitudinal part and the crossbar of the luggage compartment, which in the event of a frontal collision, failure can compromise the fuel system, cause leaks and lead to serious accidents. The recall involves the models from 2012-2019 , manufactured between February 23, 2016 and February 14, 2019. The repair consists of installing blind rivets, a service that takes about 15 minutes.

Ejot-Fey, 5 Years In October 2014 an agreement was made between the Metalúrgica Fey (Brazil) and Ejot (Germany), which later resulted in the formation of a joint venture, based in Indaial Town, Santa Catarina State, Brazil. Since then, the Ejot-Fey Fastening Systems has been operating and providing innovative products to the most demanding sectors in Brazil, such as the automotive and construction industries.

“Our aims are not limited to delivering bolts. We also provide customers with engineering advice as part of the package provided”, said Mr. Yalçin Cihan.

Yalçin Cihan and Ricardo Fey, in Ejot-Fey production unit

BTW: Fey and Ejot are part of the GFA Global Fastener Alliance, a global network of eight high-performance fasteners suppliers, including Richard Bergner and Böllhoff (Germany), Jinhap (South Korea), ATF and the MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions (both USA) and Kato Rashi (Japan).

Fasteners Manufacturers in Argentina and Brazil Join to Provide for European and North American Markets During the last Brazil Windpower, the trade fair for the wind energy sector, a partnership between the Metaltork (Brazil) and Taller Baigorria (Argentina) was announced. Together, these two fastener manufacturers will produce bolts, nuts, and other items for fixing in towers and wind turbines, and will also provide for the automotive sector.

Taller Baigorria was founded in 1960 and is a manufacturer of fasteners certified to ISO-9001 and ISO/TS 16949. It provides for automotive lines, machinery, agricultural implements and road transport.

Ivan Reszecki (Metaltork) and Aldo Héctor Lo Russo (Taller Baigorria)

Founded in 1968 by brothers João and Pedro Reszecki, Russian immigrants, the Metaltork produces a complete line of bolts, nuts, and special parts. The company is certified to IATF 16949:2016 and its manufacturing capacity is around 2,000 tons per month, making it one of the most important Brazilian suppliers in the automotive, oil & gas, wind energy and other sectors.

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Indian News

Indian News

provided by Abhijat Sanghvi (Fastener Association of India)

Sundram Fasteners Opens Subsidiary for Aero-Def Sundram Fasteners Ltd has now set up a f ully-owned subsidiary firm to foray into the aerospace and defense space.

The TVS Group, in a press release, confirmed that the subsidiary unit Sunfast TVS Ltd will focus on emerging opportunities in aerospace and defense sectors.

According to the release, the company has bagged orders for manufacturing forged, cast and machined parts for all terrain and land systems vehicles used in the defense sector. A top executive of the company said that in addition to tapping terrain and land systems, the company will also look to bag deals for the manufacture of armored vehicles and trucks.

T he of f icial also pointed out t hat t he subsidia r y f i r m wi ll suppla nt Su nd ra m Fasteners business in space vehicles and helicopter components. He further said that the union government’s new Defense Procurement Policy gave a window of opportunity for manufacturing firms to explore this. Union minister for Finance Arun Jaitley in the 2018 budget had announced the setting up of two defense industrial production corridors to boost domestic manufacturing. Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh were shortlisted. While the Uttar Pradesh Defense Industrial Corridor was launched at Aligarh in August 2018 at an investment of 3,732 crore, the defense corridor in Tamil Nadu was inaugurated by Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in January 2019 at an announced investment of 3,038 crore.

Sundram Fasteners to Step Up Investments Suresh Krishna, Chairman, Sundram Fasteners Ltd (SFL), has revealed that the company will move ahead with fresh investments despite the current economic downturn that the automotive sector is going through. Recently while addressing the company’s shareholders in Chennai, Krishna said that auto industry is cyclical in nature.

Downturn was bound to happen at some point of time and businesses should be able to manage both good and bad returns.

He elaborated that Sundram Fasteners wouldn’t shy away from investments. The company invested ₹440 crore in 2018-19 and plans to invest ₹350 crore in 2019-20. The investments will pay rich dividends when the economy and the auto sector get back on track, he added.

Arathi Krishna, Managing Director, Sundram Fasteners, said that her company was able to tide over such situations as it has diversified its business ventures through retail and exports which together account for around 45 percent of the company’s sales.

Domestic sales fell to ₹557.22 crore in the first quarter ending 30 June (Q1) from ₹614.29 crore in the corresponding period a year ago. Interestingly, exports in the first quarter this year grew to ₹348.28 crore from ₹321.71 crore in 2018.

SFL has also floated a subsidiary named Sunfast TVS to tap opportunities in defence and aerospace sectors. Arathi was confident that the new company would clock ₹100 crore within the next two years.

Sundram Fasteners is not just a fastener company any more, but a broad-based engineering company capable of undertaking manufacturing of various components and assembly systems for automotive and other engineering applications in India and abroad, she added. Today, of its around ₹4,002 crore revenue, only 30-35 percent comes from fasteners.

Businessmen Protest Delay in GST Refunds Ludhiana businessmen are unhappy with the delay in getting GST refunds and have blamed state and central GST departments.

With inordinate delay in getting refunds affecting their working capital, they are desperately seeking a solution.

Raj Kumar Singla, President, Fasteners’ Suppliers’ Association, said that whether it is state GST (SGST) or central GST (CGST) department, refunds are not happening on time. He further added that years old VAT refunds were still pending with the tax department even after VAT was scrapped. In addition, GST refunds worth crores of rupees have been piled up.

Pointing out that GST refunds served no benefits when situation of refunds were same as earlier, Singla said that his association has decided to approach Punjab finance minister Manpreet Badal to apprise him of the problem and seek a solution.

Harish Kairpal, Finance Secretary, Knitwear Club, said that if the trend continues then the industry wouldn’t be able to survive for long. Munish Sachdeva, a fastener manufacturer said, “We are conforming to all the rules and regulations of the GST law, but still are unable to get refunds on time. The biggest problem is that it is part of our working capital and any kind of delay means that amount is blocked with the government. As a result, we face fund shortage and our businesses suffer.”

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Auto Sector Waits to Gather Steam Automotive sector has been witnessing headwinds with the sale of passenger vehicles plummeting by over 30 percent. Automobile and auto component sectors see the road to recovery getting difficult by the day.

Lumax Industries, a market leader in automobile lighting solutions has recently laid off around 500 contractual workers in its manufacturing units in Haryana citing poor demand from automakers. With a 20 percent drop in its revenue, Lumax has joined the growing list of component manufacturers that have downsized workforce and trimmed production.

Makers of springs used in vehicle suspensions, Jamna Auto Industries, revealed that it may close down its plants due to stagnating demand. Bosch Ltd has decided to restructure its business with decelerating production. Vineet Sahni, CEO and Senior Executive Director, Lumax, said that the slowdown was significantly high and the drop in the revenue is forcing companies to shut their plants. Small businesses are highly impacted by the sales slowdown. The share of SMEs in auto components is around 30 percent of the turnover and many of them are in fastener production business. Expansion and modernization have been kept on hold. As per Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), almost 15,000 workers have lost their jobs in automobile manufacturing companies.

The slowdown in the auto sector has had a cascading effect on the economy, causing hardships to small businesses which are in the business of providing logistics and raw materials to the manufacturing sector. Truck business has been hit with many not getting orders for ferrying raw materials.

Vedanta Eyes Top Slot Vedanta Ltd., a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Ltd., after having forayed into the steel business, now aims to be among the top four steel makers in India. The company is planning to expand its steel capacity to 10 MTPA from the present 1.5 MTPA in the next five to six years.

In June 2018, Vedenta acquired Electrosteel Steels Ltd (ESL), a primary producer of steel and downstream value-added products for ₹5,320 crore. ESL has a greenfield steel plant with a capacity of 1.5 MTPA near Bokaro in Jharkhand state.

Soon after ESL acquisition, Vedanta, with an investment of $3-4 billion, announced capacity expansion of the Bokaro plant in phases. However, ESL wanted a turnaround before any capacity expansion, which was achieved through operational and commercial initiatives and rebranding of products. At the end of the last fiscal, the company posted an EBITDA of $130-140 per tonne, as against $65 per tonne at the time of the acquisition.

Production stood at around 1.2 MT at the end of FY2018-19, posting 17 percent year-on-year growth. Aiming for a profitable portfolio, the steel maker has now launched a rebranded steel product mix comprising TMT bars, wire rods, ductile iron pipes, billets and pig irons.

LPS Bossard Launches Assembly Technology Expert The Swiss-based Bossard Group is a leading international supplier of product solutions and services in industrial fastener and assembly technology. With a global network of companies in 77 locations and 2,500 employees, it has joined hands with LPS in India and the joint venture is known as LPS Bossard India Pvt Ltd. The company has now launched an Assembly Technology Expert in Gurugram which comes into play when a company develops a new product. According to LPS Bossard, its Assembly Technology Expert Services deliver the smartest solutions for all possible fastening challenges. It uses three-stage methodology that helps in reducing production time and significantly cut costs. Rajesh Jain, Managing Director, LPS Bossard, said, “Our Assembly Technology Expert Services bundle over 185 years of experience in fastening technology with a holistic view of process costs for fastening elements and assembly procedures. By reducing complexity in the relevant areas, we put companies in a position to be more agile, thus ensuring their ability to compete.”

Opportunities in International Trade In a recently held ‘Annual Management Conclave 2019’ in Ludhiana by the Department of Business Management of Punjab College of Technical Education (PCTE), veterans of the Indian manufacturing industry gathered together to reflect on the challenges and the opportunities for Indian businesses in the international trade.

Sudhanshu Pandey, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, GOI, was the chief guest for the event. SC Ralhan, Managing Director, Sri Tools Pvt Ltd and Kamna Raj Aggarwalla, Managing Director, GDPA Fasteners, shared the dais.

Speaking on the occasion, Pandey said, “We are passing through a challenging but an opportune time. Indian exports were around 330 billion last year. Out of this, `210 billion were from the service sector and were considered to be the highest of all times.”

Aggarwalla stressed upon the importance of capitalizing the in-built strength rather than following the Western concept of innovations.

Ralhan spoke on the challenges India faces from the rules and regulations in exports as against other nations. He said that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) was India’s biggest hindrance at the global level.

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Innovation Alley

compiled by Fastener World

No Compromise Panel Fastener For the most demanding applications such as firesensitive environments, Buttonfix has designed an allmetal version of their award-winning panel fixings. The Type 1 Metal Button-Fix retains all the benefits of the polymer versions – quick and easy installation, accessibility of services, and amazing strength – but is manufactured in materials that are compliant for use with fire-retardant panels.

Producers of fire-retardant panels have been quick to see the advantages of this new product. With a stainlesssteel spring to grip the Button within the Fix, Type 1 Metal Button-Fix is also ideal for marine applications where vibration may be an issue. The reassuring ‘click’ as the

Button-fix locks home has been tested over 10,000 times, to ensure reliable performance no matter how many times the panel is removed.

Ava i la ble f r om M ay t h is year, Type 1 Metal Button-Fix meets the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Standards: Annex 2.1 for non-combustible materials, making it ideal for all types of interior panelling on yachts and ships.

GO-300 Cordless Lithium-Ion Battery Tool for Threaded Inserts The new GO-300 addition to the GOEBEL cordless tool family offers modern features that provide advantageous benefits to the operator in all job-site applications. It is ergonomically designed for speed, efficiency, and versatility when setting threaded inserts. The cordless battery system allows the user to take the tool to any job-site and have free range of motion.

Performance is what the company strived to provide with this tool ; therefore it added a pulling force adjustment which the user can set to L = low and H = high. The multi-functional switch panel indicates the battery level as well as gives the user the option to adjust the stroke range easily depending on the size and grip range of the threaded insert. The tool set comes complete with battery, charger, interchangeable mandrel & anvils, wrench and operating manual; all stored together in a rugged carrying-case. The easy to identify colored mandrels allows the user to quickly reach for the correct threaded mandrel needed for the application.

WELTAC Resistance Element Welding ®

WELTAC® resistance element welding enables the joining of lightweight materials with steel of all qualities.

For the joining of materials in car lightweight design, especially aluminium and steel, Böllhoff has added another technology to its product portfolio: the resistance element welding.

Resistance element welding is a further development of resistance spot welding.

At WELTAC ®, a rivet-like resistance element ensures, that materials which are not thermally compatible, or only to a limited

extent, are joined. The resistance spot welding systems, existing at the customers’ premises, can still be used for modern body construction architectures.

"invisMX" Invisible Magnetic Screws Screws are a common component. Fastening screws onto an object will inevitably leave the screw head on the connecting part of the surfaces and undermine visual appearance. In light of this, a Swiss company invented an invisible magnetic screw which leaves no screw marks when used to fasten objects. This screw is named invisMX magnetic invisible screw, and it has a strong bearing

capability at a maximum of 400 kilograms.

The screw was invented by Lamello AG Joining Technology from Switzerland. It can stay hidden and fasten the internal part of objects. It is somewhat similar to the mortise and tenon in Chinese building structures but simpler and more convenient.

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All that is needed is to punch a small hole on the wood, install the screw into the hole on one end of the wood, and drive in the nut on the other end, utilizing connection of two pieces of wood and a magnetic tool to fasten the screw and nut. This is all done by utilizing unique magnetic attraction repulsion. The removal of the screw is very convenient, and all that takes is to use related magnetic tools which will remove the screw within seconds. The screw can make wood connection very firm and has a strong grip with the torsion force reaching 160 kilograms. It is currently applied to the process of furniture production.

60-Volt Cordless Nutrunner STANLEY Assembly Technologies, a brand of STANLEY Engineered Fastening, is extending its B-Series cordless tool line to include the B44L angle-lever cordless nutrunner. Thanks to its 60-volt DEWALT ® FLEXVOLT™ battery, the B44L is the most powerful cordless nutrunner available to the assembly market.

For added convenience, the B44L can store data for up to 500 fastening cycles and two trace sequences. It also has a built-in controller with wireless capability. This allows seamless integration with the plant’s existing communications system.

The B44L is available in four models with speed ratings from 243 to 573 rpm and maximum torque ranges of 55 to 120 Nm. The ½" drive is also offered in square, double-ended and flush socket configurations.

ProSeries™ “WSTS Truss/Stud Screw” MiTek USA announced that it has released a new ProSeries™ fastener. The new ProSeries™ “WSTS Truss/Stud Screw” provides uplift resistance and lateral load resistance for the following connections: Truss-to-top-plate; rafter-to-top-plate; top-plate-tostud; stud-to-bottom-plate.

The WSTS Truss/Stud Screw is tested in accordance with ICCES AC233 and AC13, and meets 2015 and 2018 IRC and IBC code requirements. The WSTS Truss/Stud Screw offers a “reverse thread angle” on opposite ends of the screw for greater resistance to withdrawal.

The WSTS Truss/Stud Screw is fully threaded along its length for installation flexibility. The head of the screw is designed to countersink when driven, so the screw is taken out of the way of finishing materials like drywall and trim. A Type-17 screw point

“The Better Bit” The dynamic Australian owned and operated construction supplies wholesaler dedicated to supporting the independent distribution channel with an extensive range of products, ICCONS, has recently introduced a new product called” The Better Bit.” This is a decking bit that can cover 8, 10, and 12 gauge decking screws and whose control collet can be simply adjusted to set the countersink depth. According to ICCONS, this new bit is perfectly suited for applications in carpentry, woodworking, furniture making, deck building, DIY construction, and etc.

engages the wood quickly for easier starting and driving of the screw.

T he WSTS Tr uss/St ud Screw package i ncludes a n installation angle tool that makes proper installations easier.

The installation angle tool is also removable so the bit can be used with or without the device.

The screw comes in two lengths: 4½ inch length for studto-bottom plate connections, and 6 inch length for connections through the double top plate.

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Improved Anchor Design Software V2.1.2 The most easy-to-use anchor design software has been improved to also be the most powerful. The MKT Anchor Design software V2.1.2 has just been released and allows the designer to calculate seismic loads, including applying the Ω0 factor for your application. All seismic calculations are according to ACI 318-14 and allow the designer to evaluate every load factor and load combination possible.

Test Device Analyzing Self-drilling Screw Performance Kamiyama Tekkosho developed the self-drilling screw fastening test device called "SCR-19S" with an aim to reduce the required time to fasten self-drilling screws by 50%. The company is currently using the device for trial tests and it expects to develop a new type of self-drilling screws by 2020.

acquired data to improve drill tip design.

Kamiyama Tekkosho's "Uni-point" construction self-drilling screws drills into iron plates without the need for pre-drilling holes. The new screw design is expected to further improve Uni-point.

The common way to test self-drilling screws is to improve the drilling tip and then measure the time required for the self-drilling screw to fasten onto test materials. The way that the new device takes is to use sensors to measure the number of rotation of the screw as well as the force applied to the screw's axial and perpendicular direction, and then use the new

TRIBO 3-in-1 Bolt Tr ib o Bolt c ombi n es mu lt iple patented designs into a n original branded product integrating a special head shape, special materials and special threads. It achieves three major functions: lightweighting, high strength and anti-loosening. The head height is 60%-70% of a hexagonal bolt, the head diameter is 80%, and the total volume is 50% of a hexagonal bolt.

• Zero driving angle. Great torque transmission.

• Increases socket durability.

• Makes the socket lighter, thinner, shorter and smaller.

• Special outer shape requiring specified tools. Anti-theft.

• Miniaturized grain structure. Reduced material impurity.

Enhanced delayed fracture resistance. High strength.

• MotionTite asymmetrical thread design increasing fatigue strength by 1.2 times. Resisting impact and vibration.

"MISTOL F" for Inspecting and Sorting Parts of Ultra-small Objects ®

Nitto Seiko launched sales of "MISTOL®F" on June 3 which can inspect the appearance and size of ultra-small screws with diameters from 0.6mm to 3mm. The device can perform an inspection of appearance (damage, color, etc.), size, and mixed materials at a speed of 100 to 500 pieces per minute and can be applied by the automotive parts and household appliances industries. It can check the upper and lower side of an object simultaneously without worrying about clogging objects.

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Angled Tip Long-Nose Pliers T he Japa nese well-k nown ha nd tool manufacturer, Lobtex Co., Ltd. has recently developed its new J-CRAFT series angled tip long-nose pliers. Thanks to the direction and angle (30°) of the tip, this tool can easily grip target objects even in cramped spaces where conventional pliers cannot be laterally opened.

Gripping

Cutting

Mistake-proofing Torque Wrench Preventing Repeated Fastening • Repeated tightening on an already tightened bolt or nut would The CSPFHW series wireless torque wrench can detect if the user forgets he or she has tightened a fastener and is trying to re-tighten it. This product comes with no torque sensor but instead comes with the unique ability to check for repeated tightening.

be regarded by the wrench as a repetition and the red NG lamp would turn on.

• This wireless wrench operates in conjunction with a signal receptor, configuration box, and multi-port box.

• 7-digit English and numeric characters and a 3-digit ID can be set for the wrench to trace its usage data.

• The battery can sustain through over 150 thousand times of use. In the case of fastening 3600 pieces of fastener per day, the battery can be used for over two months.

• The wrench head can be exchanged for a ratchet head and other head types for compatibility with various fastening operations.

Small Parts Counting Machine The counting device from Tokyo Electron Device can precisely count the number of small and lightweight parts, and can be used for counting, stock management and subdivision of screws, washers and electronic parts. It can recognize the type and number of parts, preventing human errors such as miscounting and mixing with wrong parts. The company sells it to parts manufacturers and logistics centers.

The device consists of a workbench to which the parts are placed, a counting camera, and a monitor display to show the counting result. The user has to select from the monitor the parts to be counted, and then place the parts onto the workbench for counting. Placing different parts will make the monitor report an error marked in red, thereby preventing the user from taking the wrong parts.

By using this device, parts manufacturers and logistics centers can reduce operating time, facilitate standardized operation and make it easier to record operations.

System Monitoring Wind Turbine Screws The rupture and deterioration of screws are the most critical task of wind turbine maintenance BACS embarked on developing a system monitoring screws used on wind turbine for signs of deterioration. This smart maintenance system collects data through sensors installed on the screws and is expected to be in service by 2021.

The system is being co-developed by the University of Tokyo, a screw maker from Fukushima Prefecture, and a wind power maintenance company. It is expected to cut substantial maintenance costs from wind turbines deployed for 20 years of use.

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Special Feature

The system requires sensors to be embedded into screws and wireless transmission devices to be installed on the outside of the screws to form a structure consisting of mother devices and child devices. In phase 1, 64 child devices which connect wirelessly to 2 mother devices are installed on a wind turbine to execute simultaneous detection. If a sensor exceeds a certain amount of numeric values, it will shift to the non-simultaneous state while other child devices continue transmission to the mother devices, thereby knowing the state of screws in advance.

"Beans Anchor" Japan Power Fastening (JPF) developed "Beans Anchor" used on concrete.

It is a female-thread post-installed anchor utilizing fastening torque to control the expansion of the anchor. This patented anchor has internal steel balls that slide to expand the anchor body. It has excellent performance, high endurance and greatly reduces construction noise and impact. JPF is preparing to massproduce it and expects to roll it out to the market in the second half of this year.

Bolt and Nut Automated Spot Welding Device Koyo Giken Inc. developed a bolt/nut automated spot welding device that combines a 3-dimensionaltranslation NC device and a par ts feeder to automatically place bolts and nuts onto a processed object and spot weld them. The device uses a servo motor and disassembling it is easy, and therefore it is convenient for changing between manual or automatic operations. It is connected to a computer panel and can automatically place bolts and nuts onto a specified spot on a metal plate and weld

them, making itself suitable for small batch production of diversified products.

It is supported by Koyo Giken's IoT service to have its status under check and save the trouble of maintenance for users. Koyo Giken will promote it to small and medium enterprises in the automotive and other industries and expects to sell 1,200 sets per year.

SPILEAD Self-tapping Screw Tailored to fasten thin plates, SPILEAD Selftapping Screw gains great disparity in torque by low fastening torque and and high rupture strength.

This disparity ensures secure screw fastening and make SPILEAD suitable for thin plates in 0.1T-0.2T thickness, variable bottom holes and screwdrivers with inconsistent torque. Its front end is a triplethread design to prevent inclined screw insertion

and inclined screw fastening, improving operability. A M4Ă—6 SPILEAD screw, for instance, fastens up in just one and a half turns, reducing fastening time. Furthermore, it is short in length to prevent the threaded portion from coming up from inside the fastened object after the screw is fastened.

'Dios' Thread Rolling Dies High-hardness screws for their reduced weight are increasingly used on car engines and other safety critical components. Therefore, wear of dies has become a task to tackle with. To cope with that, Sanmei Works developed "Dios", a thread rolling die widely adopted by carmakers. The sales of this product in the latest 12-month period grew 50% year on year. "Dios" is for forming threads of highhardness screws which are made of stainless steel or other materials or have been heat treated. Its forming capacity reaches 50-90 thousand pieces and its service life is more than 200% longer.

Sanmei Works is a thread rolling machine maker representing 50% of market shares in Japan. Its revenues in the latest 12-month period reached JPY 2 billion. As a product under the company's diversified business, Dios represents 10% of the total revenues. In the future the company will raise the proportion of the dies business.

High-speed 8mm Threading Rolling Machine THI-8R Evolution" developed by Sanmei Works Co., Ltd is an 8mm (diameter) thread rolling machine with a speed of 400 rotations per minute, 30% faster than old models.

The machine will launch sales within this year and is applicable to automotive screws production. It comes with a cooling device to resist frictional heat. Its panel shows the temperature change of die rams, and if the rams reach a specific temperature, the machine would stop to prevent die galling. Operation is simple because the user can adjust the rams via the rotatable control device and determine the position of dies via the touch panel.

Precise Pickup System for Screws and Parts Professor Harada Kensuke from Osaka University developed a system for robots to accurately determine pickup locations in each operation. When the robot picks up a part, the camera measures the actual pickup location and its margin of error to the target location. The margin of error will be reflected on the next determination of pickup location. After a few times of confirmation, the margin of error will be rectified.

The rectification can be done just by simple mathematic determinants, and therefore, creates less burden. When picking up and placing a certain part, the robot only has to show the part to camera once for measurement and then it is done. In the professor's lab, he set an initial 10mm margin of error to the pickup operation of screws, and the margin was reduced to less

than 5mm after several times of confirmation. This system is simple without requiring additional equipment, and therefore, its implementation is easy.

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M

iddle East Fastener Markets: UAE and Saudi Arabia

Globalisation has allowed transfer of knowledge and technology across borders, enabling manufacturers to access new markets. Industries are in the midst of the revolution t h rough Indust r y 4.0 suppor ted by high technologies and digital transformations. By looking at the lively, developing demographics and economies of the GCC which includes the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and even wider Middle East specifically Iran and Lebanon, high technologies are expected to expand and advance manufacturing industry in this region. UAE and precisely Dubai are well known regionally and internationally as one of the pioneer in having Hi Tech infrastructure and Digital Transformation applications.

Ot her cou nt ries li ke Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iran also have achieved significant technological advancement in their industries with their own focuses.

The manufacturing sector in the Middle East is continuing its growth, as it is known as the second largest industry, after oil and gas, for most of the countries in the region. There are a number of new industries such as metal, building material, machinery,

by Shervin Shahidi Hamedani

automotive and electrical equipment which have been set up in countries in the Middle East.

The growth of the manufacturing sector plays an essential role in the region for Middle East countries’ non-oil economy. For instance, in Abu Dhabi by itself, within last five years, manufacturing has contributed more than 12 percent in their non-oil GDP as reported by the Industrial Development Bureau in Abu Dhabi.

Basically, the gigantic oil and gas market in the Middle East has improved extremely the region's economic growth and consequently brings excessive opportunities and considerable capital for the countries in the region to invest in various sectors other than oil and gas. Additionally, a majority of countries in the region, such as UAE and Saudi Arabia never had to go through the theoretical phases of development, lacking of capital, which most of the developed countries had to.

Industrial activity is on the rise in the region and a majority of Middle East countries are aggressively diversifying economic and their investment to reduce their dependence on the oil and gas industry. The UAE government, for instance, is planning to grow and expand the contribution of the manufacturing sector to the country’s overall GDP to 25% by 2025. Currently, the manufacturing sector in UAE is ranked as the second largest market after oil and gas, in terms of revenue.

In last couple of years, many new manufacturing units have been set up and foreign direct investments have also been welcomed into UAE, and recently to KSA and other key players in the region. For instance, if we look into UAE industries, we will find out, Abu Dhabi is focusing more on heavy industries, as they have low-cost energy sources; while Dubai and Sharjah are emphasized mainly on light industries and service sectors.

The fastener industry is not considered and ranked as major industries in the region, but several fastener manufacturing firms are established and currently operating in the region. Those fastener manufacturers are mainly looking into

specific target markets, by producing specialized fasteners for oil and gas, construction and automotive industries. However, there are many other manufacturers selling and exporting their standard fasteners and tools into local and regional markets.

in the region. Construction in the region, mainly in UAE and KSA, is expected to increase fastener demand in the market, mainly due to increasing government funding for large scale infrastructure and residential construction.

Import of a variety of machinery, tools, and materials for fastener manufacturing and many other industries, has slowed down innovation amongst a majority of countries in the region.

UAE and KSA, do not have sufficient historical background of manufacturing and therefore it causes lack of availability of adequate machinery in these countries. Both countries, are very advanced in the construction sector, but innovations in most of manufacturing sectors, in the fastener sector, for instance, are not at par with the levels set in the construction sector. That makes their fastener industry excessively dependent on imported technology, material and machinery.

While UAE is the largest fastener exporter in the region, this country has recorded the highest value of imports in the region, too. Last year, more than USD 356 million of fasteners, imported

by UAE, were mainly from China, India, USA, Germany, UK and Taiwan. Saudi Arabia, as the second largest market in the region, imported about USD 276 million of fasteners last year.

The key exporters to KSA market are China, USA, India, Japan, UK, Germany and Taiwan.

In terms of final products, UAE, exported more than USD 217 million of fasteners (HS Code: 7318) to the global market.

Last year, about 70 percent of UAE fasteners were shipped to the neighbouring countries which include KSA, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq and Iran. That makes UAE, the largest exporter of fastener products in the region and other countries are significantly lagged behind. In 2018, KSA, exported less than USD 12 million of fasteners which is about 5% of the total exports registered by UAE. This could be a good evidence to show that UAE is one of the major export hub in the region. In 2018, more than 20 percent of the UAE fastener exports were delivered to KSA. Economic growth, increasing construction spending and industrialization together are growing demand for fasteners

Looking at the fastener machinery trade statistics, KSA has recorded the higher imports value last year, compared with the UAE. Saudi Arabia imported more than USD 30 million worth of machinery (HS CODE: 8463) in 2018, while UAE registered less than USD 16 million imports in the same year. The export value registered by UAE was only USD 2.5 million and USD 1.7 million by KSA. In summary, physical capital investment, greater exposure to trade, competition in the manufacturing sector, and aggressive advertising through various channels are factors affecting the growth of this market in the Middle East. The setting up of large industrial parks in the region specifically in UAE and Saudi Arabia is on the rise and it is boosting countries’ manufacturing development.

All these factors could bring good opportunities for investors and manufacturers who are planning to start their business in this region or move their operations to the Middle East to reach this lucrative market.

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National Machinery LLC Strengthens Presence in China Via High Quality Forming Machine, Technology and Support National Machinery stands as one of the largest leaders in advanced cold and warm forming machinery.

145 years up to this date, its formers are used in more than 130 countries worldwide. Its footprints are worldwide for clients’ contact via its service centers and sales offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia. National Machinery is also a tech-driven innovator with nearly 800 patents in 18 countries, thanks to its “Met-MAX Innovations” division positioned to develop innovative metal net-shape forming processes.

Specifically for the Chinese readers, Fastener World Magazine takes the opportunity to interview Mike Burkes (SVP Customer Support) and Jerry Bupp (VP Sales & Marketing) [herein referred to as “National”] on the company’s development in China and signature products for the Chinese market.

Celebrating 145th Anniversary This September marks National’s 145th anniversary. It has been fortunate to expand in both customer support and machinery technology in recent years. On its achievements during the past years, National said: “An example is the FORMAX® XXV, 25mm cutoff machine with its ground-breaking robot tool changer that was introduced to the market and has been very successful.” FORMAX® XXV is a new version of FORMAX. It combines the best features including servo controlled adjustments, expanded die-space and high production speeds.

Competitive Edge in China Market National’s wholly owned subsidiary in Suzhou City of China (NMGT) has developed into a very key part of the National family. NMGT has approximately 130 employees, many of whom have been with the company more than 10 years – something which is not so common in China. “NMGT has been focused on serving the Chinese market. Many have come to China in search of low production costs. While we certainly do recognize some lower costs there, that was never the driving factor for us in China – rather to provide high quality machines and excellent local technical support,” said National.

While being proud of the quality and performance of the machines it builds in China, National said its biggest advantage for Chinese customers is breadth and depth of technical support in local language.

“If there is no support for machine operators, tool designers, and toolmakers, the chances of success decrease substantially. Our colleagues in China are well-trained, and highly service-oriented. They support our customers not only at installation and startup, but also on an ongoing basis as they have questions or encounter any issues.”

Signature Products: “PumaFX” & “LeanFX” PumaFX and LeanFX produced in China by National are tailored to the high volume production of precision parts and fasteners. They have the same precision, quality, and high speeds as National’s U.S.-built machines, but they contain comparatively less automation. Nonetheless, the precision and repeatability of the punch-to-die registration allow them to be reliably changed over to the next job in 45 minutes. This is still faster than most machines which boast automated “quick change”. “Our Chinese customers appreciate the simplicity and lower cost of the machine, which still has the heart of a National Formax.”

PumaFX is matched exactly to the needs of the local market in China. LeanFX meets the European requirements for noise control and electrical components, and has been installed in 12 different countries.

At International Fastener Show China this June, National demonstrated PumaFX10M5 (5-die 10mm cold former) and Mectron MI8500 (eddy current inspection machine), both built in NMGT facility. The MI8500 can detect crack or material defects.

“Technology and Support” with a Foresight on “Industry 4.0” National’s machines are known for their technology to help customers run parts faster and better and produce net-shape parts. Its support means providing customers with everything from spare parts and rebuilds, to training and assistance to be more productive. Furthermore, National has been improving cold forming efficiency with Industry 4.0. “We identified additional useful

process data from the machine that is then shared with a MES or Load monitor system. In some cases we took existing data, but we’ve also added condition monitoring sensors to gain new information, that can be uploaded. We are exploring even more condition-based sensors to help predict future maintenance.”

Looking ahead, National will continue to expand service footprint. “We have added local service capability in Brazil, China, Italy, Taiwan, and in California (center of the U.S. aerospace fastener industry) in recent years.

Next in our plan is further strengthening in China, as well as establishing local service in Mexico.”

National Machinery’s contacts: Mike Burkes – SVP Customer Support Jerry Bupp – VP Sales & Marketing E-mail: jbupp@nationalmachinery.com

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082 China Fastener World no.57/2019

CONTENTS A B

2 AN CHEN FA MACHINERY CO., LTD.

安全發 Straight Line Wire Drawing Machines with Computer Control...

J

71 JIAXING GOODWAY CO., LTD.

嘉興固威 Cold Forming Parts, Hot Forging Parts, Turning Parts, Stamping Parts...

13 JINGLE FASTENERS CO., LTD.

63 BEIJING JINZHAOBO HIGH STRENGTH FASTENER 北京金兆博

75 K&H AUTO PARTS CO., LTD.

10 CHIEN TSAI MACHINERY ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. 鍵財 45 CHUN KAI MACHINERY CO., LTD.

K

駿凱 Straightening Machines, Straightness Measuring Instruments...

60 KINFAST HARDWARE CO., LTD.

Bi-metal Screws, Stainless Steel Fasteners...

Specialty Chemicals for Surface Finishing

24 DONGGUAN SANHEWLETT METAL PRODUCTS 東莞三合利 Nuts, Bicycle Parts, Auto Parts...

15 FASTEN FIX CO., LIMITED

F

L

12 LEDA METAL COMPANY 18 MICROGLEIT TECHNOLOGY COMPANY

嘉興捷固

Blind Rivets, Rivet Nuts, Weld Studs, Self-Clinching...

82 FOSHAN CITY GUANGQINGCHANG METAL PLASTIC 佛山廣慶昌 124 HAIYAN WEISHI FASTENER CO., LTD.

M

19 MING TANG MACHINERY CO., LTD. (WEN YANG ) 玟暘 Screw Head Making Machines...

77 NINGBO ECHO FASTENER FACTORY

67 HAIYAN SANHUAN FASTENERS CO., LTD.

寶歐 Brass, Nuts, Bolts, Washers, Screws, Anchors, Threaded Rods...

N

26 HAIYAN YUANYANG STANDARD PIECE CO., LTD. 海鹽遠洋

寧波愛扣 Bolts, Screws, Nuts, Washers, Special Fasteners, Stamping Parts...

81 NINGBO HUASHEN YULU SET SCREWS CO., LTD. 華申羽路 Socket Set Screws, Torx Set Screws and Cross Set Screws...

Wood Screws, Special Bolts, Coach Bolts, Carriage Bolts...

37 NINGBO ZHISHANG SPECIAL FASTENERS CO., LTD. 寧波至上

22 HEBEI XINYU METAL PRODUCTS CO., LTD.

河北鑫宇 T-Nuts, Stamped Wing Nuts, Toggle Wings, Doggie Tooth Washers...

Open End Blind Rivets, Closed End Blind Rivets, Multi-grip Rivets...

R

海寧海迅

Wood Construction Screws, Chipboard Screws, Drywall Screws...

50 RUIAN DOUBLE-GOLD MACHINERY ACCESSORY 瑞安雙金 Standard Fasteners, Retaining Rings, E-Rings, Wave Washers...

1 SACMA MACHINERY (WUXI) CO., LTD.

鴻富

Net-Shape Parts Former

Heading Machine, Thread Rolling Machine, Nut Former, Bolt Former...

47 HUNAN LIANGANG FASTENERS CO., LTD.

87 SAILUK RIVET CO., LTD.

湖南蓮港

43 INDUSTBOX (JIAXING) CO., LTD.

工盒

J

S

The Largest Stock Fasteners Provider in China

32 JENN TAI MACHINE ENTERPRISE CO., LTD.

西河

All Kinds of Rivet

Rivet Nuts (Insert Nuts), Blind Rivet Nuts, Threaded Inserts...

I

穩得

Inert / Reactive Thread Locking, Masking & Lubricating...

Hex Nuts, Flanged Nuts, Nylon Insert Nuts, Square Nuts...

41 HONG FU METAL INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.

摩特立

Water-based Lubricant, Rust Preventative Oil...

16 ND ELECTRONICS (KUNSHAN) CO., LTD.

海鹽衛士

28 HISENER INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.

利達

Washers, Rings, SEMs Screws, Multistation Screws...

Blind Rivets, Screws, Nuts, Springs, Hardware Parts & Lathed Pieces...

H

嘉興海德

Screws, Fasteners, Anchors...

51 KUABIAO STAINLESS STEEL FASTENER CO., LTD. 跨標

65 COVENTYA ENVIRONMENTAL PLATING TECHNOLOGY 科文特亞

D

坤厚

Rivet Nuts, Self-clinching Nuts, Tee Nuts...

Thread Rolling Machines

C

寧波鈞固

Bolts, Wood Screws, Hex Nuts, Washers, Anchors...

Heavy Hex Bolts, Shear Connectors, Tension Control Bolts...

25 SAN YUNG ELECTRIC HEAT MACHINE CO., LTD. 三永 Aluminum & Low Alloy Melting Furnaces, Annealing Furnaces...

8 SHANGHAI CHUN ZU MACHINERY INDUSTRY

振太

上海春日

Multi-Stage Bolt Parts Formers, Multi-Stage Nut Formers...

Screw Sorting Machines...

23 SHANGHAI DELON SPECIAL RIVET MANUFACTURE 上海狄龍

126 JERN YAO MACHINERY (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD.

正侑 Bolt Formers, Nut Formers, Part Formers, Thread Rolling Machines...

Open Type Blind Rivets, Closed End Type Blind Rivets...

｜專業雜誌發行｜國際展覽會｜採購網宣傳｜全面佈局｜ ◆

發行大中國及海外地區 2, 6,10月 出刊

◆

全球五金、零組件、螺絲 三大組合專業採購年刊 2, 8月 出刊

I

螺絲世界雙月刊

五金、零組件、螺絲雜誌 ◆

發行全球新興國家地區

8月 出刊

◆

發行全球

單數月 出刊

CONTENTS 46 SHANGHAI QIANGYI FASTENER CO., LTD.

上海強毅

Weld Nuts, Retaining Nuts, Nylon Nuts, Hexagon Nuts...

6 SHANGHAI RIVET MANUFACTURE CO., LTD.

上海銳拓 Stainless Steel Rivet Nuts, Carbon Steel Rivet Nuts, Copper Rivet Nuts...

14 SHANGHAI TONE MACHINE CO., LTD.

上海托恩

Battery Tool, Hydraulic Riveters, Rivnut Tools, Automatic Riveting System...

S

61 SHANGHAI YUANMAO FASTENER CO., LTD.

上海元卯

Blind Rivets, Bolts & Nuts & Washers, Self-Clinching Fasteners...

30 SHEEN TZAR CO., LTD.

新讚

Self-Drilling Screw Machines & Dies

4 SRC METAL (JIASHAN) CO., LTD.

73 SUZHOU XINLING ELECTRIC FURNACE CO., LTD. 蘇州新凌 Industrial Furnaces, Heat Treatment Equipment, Hardening Furnaces... 尚嘉

Screws, Bolts, Nuts, Stamping Parts...

49 TAINAN CHIN CHANG ELECTRICAL CO., LTD.

台南振昌

Continuous Type Bright Heat Treatment Furnaces...

T

7 TAIWAN SELF-LOCKING FASTENERS IND. CO., LTD. 台灣耐落 NylokⓇ, PrecoteⓇ, NycoteⓇ, NyplasⓇ, LoctiteⓇ...

86 TONG MING ENTERPRISE CO., LTD.

浙江東明

Stainless Steel Fasteners, Wire Rods...

35 TZE PING PRECISION MACHINERY CO., LTD.

智品

Open Die Machines, Cold Headers, Cold Forming Machines...

39 WENZHOU JUNHAO INDUSTRY CO., LTD.

溫州君浩

Hex Bolts, Socket Cap Screws, Flange Bolts, Silo Screws, Carriage Bolts...

W

27 WUXI ANSHIDA HARDWARE CO., LTD.

無錫安士達

Rivets, Rivet Nuts, Tripple Claw Blind Rivets...

20 WUXI ZHENGYAO MACHINERY CO., LTD. 59 YUSHUNG METAL PRODUCTS CO., LTD.

佛山宇聲 Brass Fasteners, Wood Screws, Machine Screws, Nails, Bolts, Studs...

57 YUYAO BIAOER TRADING CO., LTD.

余姚標二

Eye Bolts and Hinges...

Rivet Nuts-Hex Body Flat Head, Stainless Steel Rivet Nuts...

69 ZHEJIANG HYSTRON AUTO PARTS CO., LTD. Auto Parts, T-Nuts, Weld Nuts, Barrel Nuts, Propeller Nuts...

95 automechanika 2019 (Vietnam) 99 The 2nd Guangzhou International Fastener Expo 2020 101 International Fastener Show China 2020 105 Mactech Egypt 2019 109 SIAF Guangzhou 2020 111 Machine Tools & Hardware Trade Fair (Pakistan) 113 Inafastener 2020 (Indonesia) 125 Korea Metal Week 2020

Machines & Equipment: 2 AN CHEN FA MACHINERY CO., LTD.

安全發

10 CHIEN TSAI MACHINERY ENTERPRISE CO., LTD.

鍵財

45 CHUN KAI MACHINERY CO., LTD.

駿凱

41 HONG FU METAL INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.

鴻富

32 JENN TAI MACHINE ENTERPRISE CO., LTD.

振太

126 JERN YAO MACHINERY (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD.

正侑

19 MING TANG MACHINERY CO., LTD. (WEN YANG) 25 SAN YUNG ELECTRIC HEAT MACHINE CO., LTD.

玟暘

浙江洪揚

三永

8 SHANGHAI CHUN ZU MACHINERY INDUSTRY 上海春日 30 SHEEN TZAR CO., LTD.

新讚

73 SUZHOU XINLING ELECTRIC FURNACE CO., LTD. 蘇州新凌 49 TAINAN CHIN CHANG ELECTRICAL CO., LTD.

53 ZHEJIANG FANGQUAN AUTOMOTIVE FASTENERS 浙江方泉

Z

92 Fastener Expo Shanghai 2020

1 SACMA MACHINERY (WUXI) CO., LTD. 無錫正耀

5 & 6 Stations Bearing Type Nut Formers, Multi-Station Parts Formers...

Y

91 Metalex 2019 (Thailand)

107 Wire Düsseldorf 2020 (Germany) 恆昭

Blind Nuts / Rivet Nuts, Blind Rivets, Air Riveters...

128 T & C FASTENER CO., LTD.

Exhibitions:

35 TZE PING PRECISION MACHINERY CO., LTD. 20 WUXI ZHENGYAO MACHINERY CO., LTD.

台南振昌 智品 無錫正耀

086 China Fastener World no.57/2019

087 China Fastener World no.57/2019

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9 1 0 2 i a h g n o n i t a n h e t S t A o p x uch E M r w e a r n D e Fast latforms

P e c r e m m New e-Co

er World , Fasten g n a h C Wen

by Nai-

Fastener Expo Shanghai 2019 attracted more than 800 fastener producers and equipment suppliers and was visited by over 30,000 decision makers, purchasers and engineers from fastener distributing/trading, automotive, auto parts, construction, machinery, furniture, aerospace, railway, and shipbuilding industries. This year, more new e-commerce platforms came to exhibit during the show, which seems to create a trend in the domestic fastener sales market of China.

Celebrating the 10th Anniversary, Fastener Expo Shanghai 2019 held a “Fastener Gala Night” on the opening day, in which the “Most Loyal Exhibitor Award” and the “Largest Contributing Exhibitor Award” were presented. The theme of the Expo this year was focused on “Strengthening Export and Sales of High Value Added Products in the Domestic Market” while several sessions on topics like fastener markets, business models, technology and AI manufacturing were also held.

The booths of Taiwanese exhibitors represented by Fastener World were right on the intersection of major aisles. All visitors to Fastener World’s booth were of high interest in the latest issue of “China Fastener World Magazine” and recognized it as the best and effective approach to locating suppliers best suited to their needs. During the event, many high-ranking purchasers also expressed their will to subscribe to Fastener World publications and asked for free copies disseminated at the Expo.

Fastener World’s cor respondent onsite visited 10 Chinese leading fastener brands and asked them about the quality of visitors, their viewpoints on the current Chinese market and countermeasures to survive trade disputes. Most companies responded that the visitor flow was kind of influenced by the too-close dates of two similar fastener shows in Shanghai in the same month. In terms of international trade disputes, most exhibitors responded that companies must maintain a certain level of product quality in order to pass a ll possible challenges.

Short interviews with exhibitors

SHANGHAI FAST-FIX RIVET: Up to 80% of our products are exported to European and U.S. regions and N. America particularly represents around 25% of our total export. The share of high strength structural parts in our product portfolio is also increasing year after year. This year, the visitor flow is acceptable as it was last year. Perhaps we’ll still register for participation next year.

FOSHAN CITY GUANGQINGCHANG METAL PLASTIC: The dates of similar shows held over the past two years are too close to each other, which seems to have influenced the participation in each show. The total number of visitors coming this year was quite normal and most of the visitors were domestic Chinese. In the future we hope to expand our international sales, and this is also why we established a foreign sales unit this year with a clear aim to penetrate into more different markets.

TONG MING ENTERPRISE: We noticed that there is a declining trend in the number of exhibitors who are manufacturers or focus on face-to-face sales.

Instead, we noticed that the number of exhibitors who focus on sales through their own business-to-business e-commerce platforms is increasing and most of these companies are factories. The B2B platforms are like a 24/7 online exhibition, which have become more and more popular these days.

NINGBO ABC FASTENERS: The visitor flow is basically satisfying to us and most visitors coming to our booth are from the Middle East, Italy and other European countries. Visitors show high interest in our anchoring products and said that they will come to this show next year.

FOSHAN NANHAI SAILUK RIVET: We feel quite satisfied with the visitor flow, which, we think, is not so much different from the record last year. Visitors comprise 50% foreigners and 50% local Chinese. Foreign visitors are mostly from Europe. Facing the current economic challenges, we should be active to optimize our internal structure and keep high product quality in order to get through any difficulties and keep our brand to continuously shine bright.

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Exhibition DONGGUAN HONGHUI METAL: At this moment we feel focusing on the development in China is really important, as China is the world’s biggest market. Accordingly, we need to strengthen our presence, offer more competitive prices, maintain the required quality and will increase the added value of our products in the future.

SRC METAL (SHANGHAI): Our plan to set up a new factory in Thailand is mainly resulted from the concern over China-USA trade dispute, which is likely to influence our sales to the U.S., as we are an exportoriented company. Foreign visitors coming to our booth this year are mostly from India. We’ve participated in this show for the 10th consecutive year and are considering a change maybe next year.

ZHEJIANG HYSTRON AUTO PARTS: Visitors coming to our booth this year are mostly from trading companies and we are very pleased to meet these old friends on-site.

The U.S. market represents around 10% of our turnover and most of the products sold to the U.S. are non-standard parts, which cannot be replaced easily. As a result, we are not influenced a lot by the trade war this time.

KINFAST HARDWARE: The main purpose of our exhibiting at the show is for meeting our loyal clients, such as some from Italy and Bulgaria. In addition, we also noticed that the number of exhibitors having their own e-commerce platforms is much higher than it was before and more young generations began their careers in this industry. The trade war between China and USA has forced some exhibitors previously focusing on the U.S. market to turn to Europe, so we do feel increasing pressu re f rom t he pr ice cut t ing competition.

HAIYAN WEISHI FASTENER: We met many visitors from different countries at this show and exchanged a lot of info with them. Next year we definitely will come to exhibit, as the entire industry is going into the period of adjustment, as well as the trade war, less market options and high inventory. If we’d like to survive the period, we have to keep stable order intake for sure.

Taiwan Hardware Show Taichung International Exhibition Center

Compiled by Fastener World

Booth No. B11

THS provides exclusive opportunities for foreign companies to meet Taiwanese manufacturers with unique competencies to manufacture complex hardware. International buyers will experience robust sourcing at THS and can later explore the manufacturing facilities of prospective partners directly in Taichung, the heart of Taiwan’s hardware manufacturing hub. Taiwan’s top hardware OEM, ODM and OBM as well as international brands and suppliers continue to showcase new high-competitive value products to global buyers at the country’s biggest hardware exhibition. THS frontlines Taiwan’s valued capabilities in producing hardware that are top-grade, high-value, competitive prices, diversely customized and rapid demand from worldwide buyers. With

proven quality excellence record, international buyers can establish mutually beneficial business relationships with local companies to have their hardware products manufactured in Taiwan.

Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific

10/22-24,2019

Singapore EXPO

Industrial Transformation ASIA-PACIFIC, a HANNOVER MESSE is the Asia-Pacific’s leading trade event for Industry 4.0! The event brings together an ecosystem of manufacturers, government agencies & businesses ranging from multinational corporations (MNC) to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to shape and support their transformation initiatives.

Our inspired vision is to create a strategic platform that evolves with the industry and is shaped by leaders and experts in support of their transformative initiatives. It emerged from deep community discussions among players who are keen to discover insights ranging from Industry 4.0, advanced manufacturing and smart supply chain management to R&D, technology transfer and workforce development. The event serves industry sectors such as aerospace, automotive, biomedical sciences, chemicals, consumer goods manufacturing, electronics, marine and offshore, oil and gas, and precision engineering amongst others.

As manufacturers in the Asia-Pacific region begin to understand that their current business models are no longer sustainable, economies and businesses have to embark on their own transformational roadmaps.

However, the pace of each journey is different and uneven, with players at varying stages of adoption. The event is thus designed and curated to help companies in Asia-Pacific START, SCALE and SUSTAIN their adoption of Industry 4.0 processes and solutions. To that end, the event’s unique “Learning Journey” approach engages the community based on where they are in their current journey – new entrants, early adopters or trailblazers. The event will be held at Singapore EXPO.

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Fastener Trade Show Suzhou

10/23-25,2019

Suzhou International Expo Center As one of the most specialized fastener exhibitions in the world and a widely expected fastener event, the 19th Fastener Trade Show Suzhou is dedicated to connecting the upstream and downstream of fastener manufacturing industry. Focusing on end users and building a global fastener trade platform are the highlights of the show.

Suzhou, one of the central cities in Yangtze River Delta, is the most developed and modern cities in Jiangsu Province. In addition, Suzhou enjoys a very convenient transportation, only 80 km away from Shanghai, and less than 200 km away from Jiaxing, Wuxi, Ningbo, Hangzhou and many other fastener manufacturing bases.

Therefore, the Suzhou show can not only help visitors easily connect with most of the fastener manufacturers in China, but also provide them with a good chance to visit the fastener factories.

In recent years, the Suzhou show has expanded into two halls, respectively the Fastener Hall and the Equipment Hall, with total exhibition space of 12,000 sqm. The 19th Fastener Trade Show Suzhou will continue strong momentum with expected more than 400 fastener and supporting manufacturers worldwide. Therefore, the show will offer a great opportunity for professional buyers to do one-stop purchasing of fastener products, production equipment and auxiliary products, as well as raw materials.

According to the statistics of previous Suzhou shows, visitors came from 40 countries and regions around the world. It is expected that the 19th Fastener Trade Show Suzhou will attract over 12,000 local and overseas buyers.

Moscow International Tool Expo Expocentre Fairgrounds 11/05-08,2019

MITEX Moscow provides an excellent platform for all the leading players from the hardware and tools industry to showcase their products with latest innovations under one roof to all the Russia and CIS regional markets.

Since many years MITEX has different sections at the fair like MITEX 3D & Smart, MITEX Barbecue, MITEX Cleaning, MITEX Fastener, MITEX Garden, MITEX Measuring & Testing, MITEX Painting, MITEX Storage & Safety & MITEX Welding.

At the fair you can get an insight into new professional tools and equipment of domestic and foreign manufacturers and compare their offers to choose the best ones.

Finally you can say: MITEX – YOUR TOOL TO GROW INTO NEW MARKETS.

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M-TECH NAGOYA

Portmesse Nagoya

04/15-17, 2020

M-Tech Nagoya 2020 is Asia's leading exhibition gathering all kinds of mechanical components and processing technologies. It is held in the middle of Japan’s Manufacturing Cluster- Nagoya. Nagoya is also the area with the largest number of factories in Japan. Heavy industries such as aviation, automobile and machine tools are also flourishing here. Many world-famous Japanese enterprise headquarters are also set up here.

You can see many "Made in Japan" precision products and processing technologies at “M-Tech Nagoya” that cannot be seen elsewhere. One eye-witness is better than hundred hearsays! Come and feel the manufacturing industry’s forefront.

=== Concurrent shows - Held inside Manufacturing World Nagoya 2020 === - 5th Design Engineering & Manufacturing Solutions Expo [DMS Nagoya] - 4th Factory Facilities & Equipment Expo [FacTex Nagoya] - 4th Aerospace Technology & Components Expo [AeroTech Nagoya] - 2nd Advanced 3D Printing Expo - 1st Industrial AI/IoT Expo[Newly Launching]

MACTECH will be held at the prestigious venue Egypt International Exhibition center during the period 14-17 November 2019; as a distinctive trade happening; where steady stream of consistent amazing arrays of metalworking, CNC machinery industrial tools, welding and cutting equipment are obtainable in a prevailing mood; escalating the industrial community’s awareness of trends and tendencies in a market that is poised to be the world’s next foremost industrial hub.

MACTECH

11/14-17,2019

Egypt International Exhibition Center

Gathering the world’s brightest minds in metalworking, CNC machinery industrial tools, welding and cutting equipment; whilst adding new pulse and overwhelming insights to the markets it served; MACTECH acts as the most comprehensive tightly focused trade exhibition serving thousands of Egypt’s most vigorous well-off industrialists, representing Millions of Dollars in investment chattels; in search of a stepping-stone towards sourcing the most advanced machinery and equipment.

For 18 consecutive editions; “MACTECH”; indeed; has shown power to reach, target and attract thousands of qualified trade buyers; structuring the most influential compact trading alliances in industrial markets; the show is targeting 18,000 visitors in 2019.

ENGIMACH-COMFAST

12/04-08,2019

The Exhibition Centre, Gandhinagar, Gujarat The Indian industrial fastener market can be segmented into high tensile fasteners and mild steel fasteners. Growing automotive a nd auto a nci lla r y se ctor, i nc r easi ng infrastructure and construction activities, developing heavy engineering industry comprise some of the key factors propelling the industrial fastener market in India.

The market has huge opportunities with an increase in upcoming manufacturing activities in the defense and automotive sectors. Indian industrial fastener market is poised to grow over the coming years along with the steady economic growth of the country.

Over the years, ENGIMACH has been one of the prime contributors to the development of the machine tools industry, that enables its participants and visitors with cutting edge and power house technology that stands for engineering excellence, innovation, quality and reliability. ENGIMACH is not just a trade show but a platform to see, understand and learn where the industry is heading to. The showcase at ENGIMACH shall offer a quintessential launch pad for new ideas, products and services, a conducive environment for forging joint ventures, collaborations and an open marketplace to source ideal solutions with an anticipated 1,00,000 visitors and beneficiaries.

FASTENERS WORLD MIDDLE EAST 01/13-16, 2020 Expo Centre Sharjah Expo Centre Sharjah is all set to stage SteelFab 2020, a successful milestone of 16th edition, from 13th to 16th of January, 2020. As in previous years, the upcoming 16th SteelFab is expected to showcase 250 plus exhibitors displaying close to 800 brands from categories such as Welding & Cutting, Machine Tools, Pipe & Tube Machinery, Grinding & Cutting, Surface Preparation & Finishing, Tools & ancillaries. The fifth edition of a dedicated vertical for the fastener and fixing industry -- Fasteners World Middle East – will also be held alongside SteelFab 2020.

Besides pavilions from Italy, German and Taiwan, SteelFab enjoys support from leading industry associations. SteelFab 2020 will feature a national pavilion from the UK for the second time.

Technical Seminars will be organized along the show on a variety of topics. “We have seen a trend towards automation and integration being of increased interest to the regional audience and this is reflected in the topics presented at the show, added Mr. Saif Al Midfa.

It has been 16 years since the region’s steel fabrication and metal working industry changed the way how it did business.

It’s 16 years ago that SteelFab made its debut! A lot has changed since then, and the event continues to steer the industry through the ups and downs of the economy and the market.

SteelFab has been proving in every edition that there is no match to it when it comes to providing the latest technology and industry know-how for this region. SteelFab 2020 is expected to attract and better equip the visitors.

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M-TECH TOKYO

02/26-28,2020

Makuhari Messe, Japan Mechanical Components & Materials Technology Expo [M-Tech] is an exhibition gathering all kinds of mechanical parts such as bearings, fasteners, mechanical springs, metal and plastic processing technology. M-Tech attracts a significant number of professionals every year from design, development, manufacturing, production engineering, purchasing and quality control departments, to conduct lively business discussions with exhibitors.

2020 show is expected to bring together 2,300 exhibitors and 80,000 professional visitors!

04/13-15,2020 CHINA GUANGZHOU INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE EXPO

Pazhou International Sourcing Centre, Guangzhou, China To promote the huge demand of hardware application market, actively respond to the state's initiative to accelerate the transformation of economic development pattern, help Chinese manufacturing enterprises achieve transformation and upgrade and improve enterprise competitiveness, and preferably meet the peoples’ needs for better life, under the leadership of competent authorities at all levels, Guangzhou Zhongqi Exhibition Co., Ltd, together with industry authorities, will hold the “China Guangzhou International Hardware Expo 2020” (CIHE 2020) in Guangzhou Pazhou International Sourcing Center on April 13th to 15th, 2020. With our geographic advantages, we will help the enterprises expand export channels more efficiently and focus on the huge market with trillions of domestic demands, which will surely bring exports and domestic sales booming. We will provide domestic and foreign Expo participants with an international trade platform for expanding business, exchanging technologies, showing strength,

acquiring information, developing relations with customers, promoting new products and seeking business partners, with new ideas. We will provide more cooperation opportunities for the global hardware industry and vigorously promote the Chinese hardware products into the global sourcing system, to coordinate and cooperate with the hardware industry of various countries in the world for mutual benefit, win-win result, common development and progress. ※ Exhibition Categories- Tools: Hand Tools, Power Tools, Pneumatic Tools, Mechanical Tools, Grinding Abrasives, Welding Tools, Tool Accessories; Lock, Work Safety and Accessories: Locks & Keys, Security Equipment & Systems, Work Safety & Protection, Lock Accessories; Processing Equipment: Metal Processing Equipment, Testing Equipment, Surface Treatment Equipment, Pump & Valve; DIY And Building Hardware: Building Materials & Components, Furniture Hardware, Decorative Metalware, Fasteners, Nails, Wire & Mesh; Garden Tools; Bathroom.

CHINA GUANGZHOU 04/13-15,2020 INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO Pazhou International Sourcing Centre, Guangzhou, China To meet the huge market demand of fasteners, Guangzhou Zhongqi Exhibitions Company will cooperate with authoritative institutions of the industry to hold “ The 2nd China Guangzhou International Fastener Expo 2020 ” (CIFE 2020) in Guangzhou Pazhou International Sourcing Center on April 13 to 15, 2020 under the leadership of competent departments at all levels.

It will fully take geographic advantages to assist enterprises to expand export channels efficiently on one hand, and focus on huge domestic market with billions of demands on the other hand, thus driving the expansion of export and domestic demand. In addition, we will provide all Chinese and foreign exhibitors with an international trade platform where you can expand business, perform technical exchange, show your strength, obtain information, develop relations with customers, popularize products and seek cooperative partners

by virtue of our unique creativity; Moreover, we will also provide more cooperation opportunities for global fastener industry, and effectively promote Chinese fastener products to comprehensively enter global procurement system so as to cooperate with the fastener industry of all countries all over the world, thus achieving all-win result and joint development.. ※ Exhibition Categories- Machinery, Fastener Materials, Molds and Consumption Goods; Fastener Manufacturing Machinery; Auxilia r y Equipment; Inspection Equipment / Measuring Devices; Installation / Measurement And Maintenance; Molds / Consumption Goods; Fastener Technology / Services; Fasteners; Standard Fasteners; Non- Standard Fasteners; Aerospace Fasteners / Military Fastener; Construction Fasteners; Other Related Fasteners and Parts.

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Fastener Expo Shanghai National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai)

Fastener Expo Shanghai 2020, has been deeply rooted in the industry for 11 years, and has always been developing and expanding with the purpose of being professional, efficient, open and innovative. It can be called the benchmark event in the global fastener industry. The exhibition brings together well-known fastener manufacturers both at home and abroad, and also exhibits fastener supporting equipment, molds, wires and other products, providing a onestop purchasing platform for fastener industry personnel.

Fastener Expo Shanghai 2020 will dig in fastener end market and expand ca r a nd high st rengt h fasteners, const r uction fastener, i ndust rial machinery and other industries of high-end visitors, It is expected to grow 47% of high-end visitors in 2020, The organizer will use 10 years of experience industry accumulation in exhibition to create one-stop trading platform for fastener high-end buyers.

E x h ibit ion sca le - E x h ibit or s: 800+; Professional visitors: 42,000+; Exhibition area: 50,000 ㎥.

Exhibiting product range: Fastener production equipment, fastener materials, fastener molds and consumables, testing instruments, packaging equipment, other related production technology and equipment, standard fasteners, non-standard fasteners, automobile and high strength fastener exhibition area, construction fastener exhibition area, stamping parts and lathe parts, fastener products of various professional application fields.

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Exhibitions Review arranged by Fastener World

Fastener Fair USA After the successful event held at Huntington Convention Center (Cleveland, OH) that drew much attention of American buyers in 2018, Fastener Fair USA 2019 was held on May 22-23 at the Cobo Center in Detroit and attracted many different semi-finished/finished products & related equipment purchasers, distributors, retailers to seek collaboration opportunities. In addition to the latest new products and very competitive service provided by exhibitors this year, the organizer also arranged more than 15 technical and processing sessions, allowing more industrial interaction and market intelligence exchange. Fastener World Inc. was also present to act as a bridge closely connecting the fastener industry in the East and the West.

With a new eye-catching stand construction this year, Fastener World was visited by lots of local manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and end-users interested in buying semi-finished/finished fasteners, machines, tooling, wire & materials. Our newly released publications (incl.

Fastener World Magazine, China Fastener World Magazine, and Hardware & Fastener Components Magazine, etc) displayed onsite were also considered by several buyers to be the best way to having their demand fully satisfied. Some buyers also stated that the online B2B System of Fastener World at www.fastener-world.com.tw did help them find out suppliers throughout the world that best fit their real demand.

According to the observation of Fastener World correspondent, though there exist challenges and uncertainties in American/European/ Asian markets, many exhibitors from local America and other European or Asian countries still booked their stands this year, in order to enhance their exposure on the market with fierce competition and outpace other competitors to win the entry ticket to the “Winners’ Club�.

The next edition of Fastener Fair USA, according to the organizer, will move to Charlotte Convention Center (Charlotte, NC) in May 19-20 2020, with an aim at creating more diverse collaboration approaches and business opportunities for the fastener industry.

IFS China International Fastener Show China (IFS China) brought to a successful close in Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center on June 13th this year. With an exhibition area of 42,000 square meters, there were breakthroughs of the scale and level for International Fastener Show China 2019 whose exhibition area was increased by 24% compared with that in 2018. IFS China gathered 725 renowned enterprises, attracting 36,080 visitors (including 4,212 overseas visitors from 53 countries and regions) in 2019. A great number of purchasers, dealers, traders, end users, manufacturers and other industrial peers went to seek new opportunities. Well-known fastener enterprises appeared collectively and presented competitive technologies and products during the show. Equipment, wire, mold and consumables suppliers were located in Hall 2, while fasteners, standard fasteners and non-standard fasteners exhibitors were located in Hall 1.

IFS China 2019 boasted an active participation of overseas mainstream equipment manufacturers from South Korea, Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Germany, the United States, Taiwan, etc. The show built a bridge for Chinese and global fastener industry to communicate, cooperate and enhance exchange and understanding, creating opportunities for fastener companies from home and abroad.

Mr. Olaf Daebler, Global Director of Industrial Supply, Research & Technology of Deutsche Messe AG said, " International Fastener Show China 2019 has seen a significant increase in both the exhibition area and the number of exhibitors, reflecting a very high level of internationalization and great international influence."

The next edition of IFS will again take place June 22-24 in 2020 in Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center with 42,000 square meters and 800 exhibitors.

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Fastener Fair Mexico The 5th edition of Fastener Fair Mexico opened at World Trade Center Mexico City on June 19 to 20. The show had 104 local and overseas exhibitors from Mexico, the U.S., Taiwan, China, etc. The visitors to this show scattered evenly across the venue. They included the local Mexicans, the American businesspersons with local operations in Mexico, and the Guatemalan industry professionals. The visitors were mainly local Mexican importers and distributors, followed by manufacturers.

Most of them were looking for industrial fasteners.

Taiwanese exhibitors included Chirek, Jern Yao, UniProtech, Home Soon, Ko Ying, Shyang Sheng, Easylink, Chien Tsai, Yeswin, Ony Co., and King Yuan Dar, some of which arranged a visit to local Mexican clients after the show. The American and European exhibitors were major companies including Fastenal, Brighton-Best, Atotech, Accument, Bralo, Conventya, MacDermid, and Nylok.

Chinese exhibitors included Hisener and Hunan Liangang Fasteners. While handing out magazines there, Fastener World utilized its own developed buyers/sellers exchange platform to find suited target of purchase for the show visitors.

The show organizer arranged 12 seminars and a VIP meeting program for exhibitors. An exhibitor welcome gala was also held in the evening of the first day with live bands amping up the atmosphere for exhibitors.

This annual show is held alternately between Mexico City and Guadalajara. Follow the latest show updates on our official website for the next open dates in 2020 and location of this show!

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Chirek

Home Soon

Easylink

Shyang Sheng

King Yuan Dar

Uni Protech

Jern Yao

Ko Ying

ONY

JINZHAOBO

Exhibition

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Korea Metal Week Korea Metal Week 2019 was held at KINTEX on June 19 to 21. The Fastener & Wire Zone covered the following categories: •

Bolt / Nut Products & Equipment

•

Automobile Parts / Fastening Products & Subsidiary Materials

•

Wire Production & Manufacturing

Additionally, the show was concurrently held with Press & Forging, Tools, Automobile & Machine Parts, Tube & Pipe, 3D Technology, Foundry & Die Casting, Fundamental Manufacturing Industry, Aluminum, Metal Surface Treatment & Painting, Laser & Welding, Pump Technology, Composite, Control, Measurement and Automation. This time, experts from Nord-Lock (South Korea) were invited to the show for a seminar speech on the cause of bolt loosening.

The show had the attendance of 350 exhibitors, most of which were local companies including Hyodong Machinery. The overseas exhibitors included Dörken.

Fastener World's correspondent at the show observed that India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) put up an India Pavilion there consisting of Indian industrial companies.

Fastener World as an exhibitor was there as well promoting competitive Taiwanese fastener companies to the Korean market and building up a bridge between the Taiwanese and Korean markets. The annual Korean Metal Week is going to open its door again on June 17 to 20 in 2020.

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Expo Nacional Ferretera Expo Nacional Ferretera was held for the 31st time at Expo Guadalajara on September 5-7. The show boasted more than 1,400 exhibitors in the hardware, construction, industrial safety, electrical and lighting industries from 35 countries. It had an average of 85,000 visitors from 62 countries, covering manufacturers, distributors, developers, engineers, and store owners.

Our correspondent was handing out our latest publications there. She reported that a large portion of visitors were end users and owners with one or more hardware stores. Other visitors included construction company representatives seeking construction materials suppliers. She exchanged business cards with representatives of large distribution companies mostly importing products directly from China to Mexico.

The organizer has announced to hold the next edition of the show on September 10-12, 2020. For other shows of the fastener industry, check out www.fastener-world.com.tw/new/exhibitions.php for upcoming updates.

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The Fastener Exhibition and Conference The Fastener Exhibition & Conference taking place annually was held on September 11-12 in 2019 at the NEC, Birmingham and was co-located with four other thematic exhibitions for flood, contamination, recycling & waste management, and energy & water efficiency. In addition to fastener professionals joining the event, many a visitor from the other four co-located exhibitions was also present to seek possible business collaboration.

Fastener World made its first debut at the Fastener Exhibition & Conference this year, in order to help clients expand their business reach to the local UK market, provide local suppliers interested in developing overseas markets with a faster and more effective approach to getting orders, as well as collecting latest UK industrial intelligence for companies and buyers unable to visit the event.

The thematic zone specifically for fasteners this years was participated by around 80 companies from the UK, India, Belorussia, Taiwan, Austria, Turkey, Italy and China, which showcased their finished/semi-finished fasteners, instruments & equipment, and service. Visitors to the Fastener Exhibition & Conference were mostly local fastener related manufacturers, traders and importers, almost all of whom were looking for certain types of fasteners. One visitor told Fastener World that he had been searching for one certain fastener for more than two years and still couldn’t find any, so he hoped to successfully find one through visiting this annually held event gathering domestic and overseas professionals together. Many other visitors also told Fastener World that due to the influence from US-China trade war and considering that Taiwan is not subjected to high antidumping rates while exporting to the EU, they are very interested in considering Taiwanese suppliers to be a priority in their future outsourcing plans.

On the other hand, some UK suppliers specialized in high-quality fastener machinery (e.g., feeding systems and painting & coating systems) also told Fastener World that they are interested in developing emerging markets with increasing demand for these machines, such as Taiwan, China and Southeast Asian countries and hope to promote their efficient machine models to these fastener manufacturing heartlands.

In addition to the easy-to-distinguish thematic zones, the organizer also invited prominent figures to give their speeches on fastener market trends analyses and manufacturing technologies and arranged participants face-to-face discussions with these speakers.

According to the organizer, the Fastener Exhibition & Conference is not only a specialized platform for showcasing innovations, exchanging expertise and establishing business partnerships, but also offers valuable insights into future technologies and market trends. Next year, the show is scheduled again to take place September 16-17 at the NEC (Gate 3).

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Hand Tools and Fastener Expo 2019 Following the last edition in New Delhi, Hand Tools and Fastener Expo took place September 20-22 this year at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India. The 3-day event was participated by around 290 professional fasteners, hardware, hand tools and power tools exhibitors from Taiwan, Italy, Russia, USA, Japan, Vietnam and China.

The largest exhibitors group was China, with 196 exhibiting companies, followed by 72 from India and 16 from Taiwan. In addition to Hand Tools and Fastener Expo, four other industrial trade shows were also co-located at the venue, which included “WOM” for metal processing, “TECHINDIA” for engineered manufacturing, “CWE/IMEX” for cutting, welding materials & equipment, laser technology, machine tools and applied products, and “UMEX” for used machinery. Such a large event with different relevant shows boosted the enthusiastic participation of a diverse range of visitors.

According to an economic outlook report submitted by Indian Ministry of Finance to its Parliament, India’s GDP growth rate is estimated to grow more than 7% in the next couple of months. On the other hand, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to promote his tax concessions, which are for increasing consumers’ demands and facilitating investments in the domestic market, and which are expected to enlarge the demands of local Indian industries as well for hardware, hand tools, power tools and fasteners. In an World Economic Outlook Report IMF released this July, India’s economic growth rate is estimated to reach 7% and is estimated to increase further to 7.2% in 2020. India is currently the country with the highest GDP growth rate in the world, even outperforming China. The show organizer also said that in recent years the Indian market has been gradually moving from being price sensitive to being more quality conscious, and there also show clear signs of increasing demands for hand tools, hardware and fasteners from Indian aerospace, car manufacturing, infrastructure industry sectors. Many a favorable market condition helped increase the incoming flow of visitors to the show this year.

Having been an exhibitor of this show for years, Fastener World was also visited by lots of professional buyers asking for our free supplier directories. According to the onsite observation of our staff, buyers visiting Hand Tools and Fastener Expo 2019 were mostly local Indian manufacturers and importers, who not only came to seek opportunities for collaboration with local product suppliers (especially those from the Greater Mumbai Area), but also for establishing future supply routes with foreign suppliers (especially exhibitors from Taiwan). According to the organizer’s preliminary estimation, the 3-day event already attracted more than 10,000 visitors in total.

The next show will take place in New Delhi on August 27-29, 2020 and is expected to attract several visitors different from those in Mumbai to seek business collaboration opportunities.

Fastener Grades:

Many times, we ta ke products for granted. We know one type of fastener should have so much strength, but how does an engineer know if the properties will provide suitable performance for some of the applications they require? As a guide, this article will provide what the steel chemistry numbers mean to users.

All fasteners, regardless of standard or specification, are identified by a unique marking on the head, in addition to the manufacturer’s unique registered marking. The following is a typical list of the common inch and Metric fasteners used in commerce. See SAE J429 and SAE J1199.

Carbon steels are called such as they contain a certain amount of carbon. The amount of carbon present determines the steels ability to be heat treatable. The addition of certain alloying elements will provide the performance characteristics desired of the finished product.

The base steel or alloy composition type is identified by a series of digits in the steel number, as developed cooperatively by the AISI (American Iron and Steel Institute) and the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). For example; the first digit of a four or five digit steel number indicates a category, such as ① carbon steel, ② nickel steel, ③ nickel-chromium steel, etc. The second number indicates the approximate percentage of the alloying element, while the last two or three digits indicate the approximate 1/100ths weight percentage of carbon content.

Typica l A ISI /SA E steels, but not limited to, used for fastener products are as follows:

SAE Grade 2 (Metric Property Class 5.8): Hex Head Cap Screws are produced from low carbon steels, ranging from AISI/SAE types 1010 to 1022 and are not heat treated.

What’s In Your Fasteners?

by Guy Avellon

• 10xx—Plain Carbon Steel • 15xx—Manganese Steel • 40xx—Molybdenum Steel (0.25%) • 41xx—Chromium-Molybdenum Steel (1.0% Cr, 0.20% Mo) • 43xx---Chromium-Manganese-Molybdenum Steel • 50xx---Nickel Steel (50B46) • 51xx—Chromium Steel (51B60) (0.80% Cr) • 86xx---Chromium-Nickel-Molybdenum Steel • 87xx—Chromium-Nickel-Molybdenum Steel (0.55% Ni, 0.50% Cr, 0.25% Mo) • 94xx---Nickel-Chromium-Molybdenum Steel (94B40) To be considered an alloy steel, one or more alloying elements must be added to the steel. The American Iron and Steel Institute has defined that a steel is considered to be an alloy when the maximum of the range given for the content of alloying elements exceeds one or more of the following limits: manganese, 1.65%; silicon, 0.60%; copper, 0.60%; or in which a definite minimum quantity of any of the following elements is specified or required within the limits of the recognized field of constructional alloy steels: aluminum, chromium up to 3.99%, cobalt, columbium, molybdenum 0.30%, nickel 0.30%, titanium, tungsten, vanadium 0.10%, zirconium, or any other alloying elements added to obtain a desired alloying effect. Where elements are specified in combinations of two, three or more and have alloy contents less than described above, the limit value to be applied for steel class determination is 70% of the sum of the individual values of the concerned elements.

SAE Grade 5 (Metric Property Class 8.8): Hex Head Cap Screws are produced from several different steel types, ranging from, but not limited to, 1032 to 1038, and are classified as medium carbon steels or high manganese steels, such as 1541 or 1335. The ASTM equivalent is the A449.

SAE Grade 5.2: SEMS bolts, flanged head cap screws and studs, made for specific automotive applications, made from low carbon boron steel.

SAE Grade 8 (Metric Property Class 10.9): Hex Head Cap Screws are also produced using many different steel types depending upon their final use. SAE J429 allows the use of non-alloy steels by some manufacturers for their special applications. The similar ASTM product requires that all A354, Grade BD cap screws be manufactured from alloy steels and have documented proof-load testing performed on the products. All Grade 8 and A354 cap screws are heat treated and oil quenched and tempered.

SAE Grade 8.2: Typical of f langed head cap screws, used for specific automotive and truck applications, is usually made from low carbon boron steels, due to easier formability for the flanged head.

Socket Head Cap Screws: Metric Socket Head products come in different grades, or Property Classes, from 8.8, 10.9 and 12.9; therefore these products will use a variety of steels for each Property Class, as listed above, for their mechanical properties.

Inch series standard socket head products are all the same strength grade depending upon diameter; 180 ksi for sizes up through ½” and 170 ksi for larger diameters. Typically, socket head cap screws use 4140-4145 alloy steels for their products. Exceptions for high tensile strengths are the button and flat head products, which produce tensile strengths between 145 to 135 ksi. The ASTM product standards are found under Standard A574 and A574M.

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Steel Chemistry: So, what part do all of these chemical and metal elements play in the development of a steel fastener? The most common alloying elements are listed below, along with their effects. It must be noted that when some elements are combined, a synergistic effect may occur that further enhances the quality and performance of the steel.

Alu minu m: W h ile not a lways intentionally added, it is usually present in steels. It serves as a deoxidizer or to produce a fine grain size, increases notch toughness in medium carbon steels but may also lower creep strength.

Boron Steels: The strength of some steels can be enhanced with the addition of a small amount (0.0005 to 0.003%) of the element boron. It is normally used with low carbon steels (10B20) that have complex geometries to save die life; such as with flange head cap screws and drive screws. However, some alloy steels with large cross-sections, large diameters or complex head geometries will also benefit with the addition of boron; such as 41B37 or 51B60.

When used with a low carbon steel, such as a 1030 or lower, the new boron alloy steel can now be heat treated to produce a hardness and tensile strength equivalent to that of a Grade 8 bolt. This is permissible if used in a shear or static load and is used properly by the purchaser. However, this alloy combination appeared as a critical problem in the mid-1980s when low carbon boron steel was used on hex head cap screws with SAE Grade 8 markings.

Obviously, this was quite a cost savings and garnered huge profits when sold as a Grade 8 product. This sparked a problem with failures from counterfeit fasteners since the presence of a boron steel was virtually undetectable by standard test methods. Hence, the fastener industry and US Government created the Fastener Quality Act (FQA) in the early 1990s.

Aside from not being able to withstand dynamic or cyclic loading, low carbon boron steels have a maximum operating temperature limit. The low carbon boron steels are quenched and tempered to 650° F (340° C), compared with a Grade 8 whose tempering temperature is 800° F (425°C). If the user did not know of the lower operating t emperat u res of t he boron st e el a nd subjected the fasteners to conditions that a full alloy grade 8 could withstand, then a very dangerous condition would exist.

These steels were very susceptible to stress corrosion cracking.

C arbon Content: For fast eners, the last two digits in the steel number indicate the carbon content in 1/100ths of weight percent. For example, a 1541 steel has 41/100 (0.41) percent carbon in its analysis. The amount of carbon and trace elements in the steel will determine its hardenability or ability to respond to heat treatment; too hard and the steel becomes brittle, too soft and there is no strength. Alloying elements are added to the steels to enhance their ability for through-hardening, while the carbon content determines the maximum hardness achievable in a steel.

Carburization: Machine screws and sheet metal screws are typically made from low carbon steels, such as 1010 or 1022. However, there is insufficient carbon present to make the steel any harder by heat treating. Therefore, these products do not have great strength but do possess rather high ductility. They are considered as a Grade 2 fastener.

Thread cutting or self-drilling screws, also made from low carbon steels, are surface hardened by the process of carburization, which is the addition by diffusion of carbon at the surface of the part. Carbon is artificially added to the surface to form a carbon-rich mixture of the furnace gas to produce a much harder surface. The depth of hardness is known as ‘case depth’ or ‘case hardness’ and is typically a few thousandths of an inch in depth, while the core remains relatively soft.

Chromium: Chromium is essentially a ha rdening agent. It will increase corrosion and oxidation resistance. When alloyed with nickel, the combination produces superior mechanical properties of toughness and hardness. It is also used to form austenitic stainless steels.

Manganese: Also cont r ibutes to strength and enhances hardenability during quenching. These properties increase proportionately with an increase in carbon with manganese. Surface quality is also improved with manganese steels.

M ol y b d e n u m: A not h e r elem ent that promotes hardenability but with a m in ima l ef fect on cold for m ing characteristics and provides greater c o nt r ol of it s h a r d e n a bi l it y. T h e t e m p e r i ng t e m p e r a t u r e is h ig h e r to obtain ductility, but alloy steels containing 0.15 to 0.30% molybdenum exhibit a minimized susceptibility to temper embrittlement.

Nickel: A ferrite strengthener, nickel does not form any carbide compounds in the steel, thereby creating a toughness in the ferrite phase. Nickel lowers the critical cooling rate and is therefore very heat treatable. Alloyed with chromium, the resultant alloys have greater fatigue resistance, higher impact strength with higher hardenability than is possible with ordinary carbon steels.

Phosphorus: A high phosphorus content is beneficial in low carbon steels for improved machinability but is detrimental in quenched and tempered steels as it decreases fatigue resistance and ductility. Therefore, in these steels, the phosphorous is kept at a specified maximum amount of 0.025%.

Silicon: One of the primary deoxidizers in the refinement of steel in amounts of up to 0.30%. Silicon aides in promoting notch toughness and provides for a more uniform ferrite grain.

Sul f ur: Wi l l i mprove mach i nabi l it y in some steels, sulfur will also produce a detrimental effect on surface quality with manganese steels and lowers the toughness and ductility in the transverse direction as the content increases. For these reasons, there are maximum limits for most steels.

Vanadium: Used to inhibit austenitic grain growth to promote a fine grain structure.

A fine grain structure will enhance tensile strength and toughness to steels. Vanadium has also been used with Boron in steels, such as 41BV37, etc.

Many steel specifications will explicitly state t hat t here sha ll be no intentional additions of bismuth, selenium, tellurium or lead to the steel. All of these elements are used to enhance machinability, which is not a desirable trait in a quenched and tempered alloy steel fastener. In fact, selenium can form with manganese to form inclusions of manganese selenides.

Next, we will explore heat treating the steels.

Stainless Steel Fasteners

by Laurence Claus

In the United States, if I were to survey a number of average individuals regarding their knowledge of Stainless Steel, I would likely receive very similar answers. It is likely that they would tell me that these materials do not rust, are attractive in appearance, and are not magnetic. If I were to press them further and ask how they intersected with Stainless Steel on an everyday basis, I would be likely to hear a common response that their large kitchen appliances are made of Stainless Steel. In fact, the trend for the last couple of years in United States kitchen design is to showcase a suite of gleaming Stainless Steel appliances (refrigerator, range, and dishwasher). In addition to the appliances, they might tell you that the sink, pots and pans, and silverware are all made of Stainless Steel.

The fact of the matter is, the average American encounters many things, including fasteners, which are made of Stainless Steel. As I explained in an earlier volume of this magazine, in my article, “The Basics of Stainless Steel”, there are five different categories of Stainless Steel. These different varieties, although all being classified as stainless steel and sharing some common traits, are, generally speaking, quite different in performance, behavior, and properties. This makes it important to realize that not all Stainless Steel fasteners are the same, and like any other fastener, require the designer to make intentional and educated choices depending on the design criteria they are trying to fulfill.

In review, Stainless Steels fall into one of five different varieties. They are: Austenitic Stainless Steels: When the average person is asked about Stainless Steel, this is the variety they most likely associate their answer to. Austenitic Stainless Steel provides excellent corrosion protection, is non-magnetic, and the most commonly used variety in everyday kitchen appliances and implements. In the United States, these are designated with 200 and 300 series numbers to distinguish them from other varieties. In Europe they are designated with the letter “A” and a number, such as A2 or A4.

Ferritic Stainless Steels: Ferritic Stainless Steel is much less commonly used than Austenitic Stainless Steel. It has only moderate corrosion protection but is less expensive and easier to form. In the United States it is designated with a 400 series number. (Note: One must be very cautious here, Ferritic Stainless Steels share their 400 series designation number with Martensitic Stainless Steels, so that you cannot determine which variety you are working with unless you either know or look it up in a reference book.)

Martensitic Stainless Steel: Also much less common than Austenitic Stainless Steel is Martensitic Stainless Steel. This has the poorest corrosion protection of the different Stainless Steel varieties, but can be strengthened and forms easily. Like the Ferritic Stainless Steels, it goes by a 400 series number.

Precipitation Hardening Stainless Steel: These are Stainless Steels that can be strengthened through solution hardening. They approach the Austenitic Stainless Steels in their corrosion protection qualities. Unfortunately, these materials have reputations for being very difficult to form.

Duplex Stainless Steel: The final variety of Stainless Steels is Duplex Stainless Steel. These are an approximate 50/50 mix of Austenitic and Ferritic Stainless Steel. Although they possess improvements in certain properties or physical qualities over both Austenitic and Ferritic Stainless Steel, on the whole, they do not rise to the same level of performance as Austenitic Stainless Steels.

Selecting the Right Stainless Steel: With so many variations of these five varieties of Stainless Steel available, how does one choose one over the other? The answer to this question, of course, simply depends on what properties and characteristics are most needed by the application.

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Technology Corrosion Protection: As this is the primary property that leads a designer to seek out Stainless Steel, it is probably appropriate to start the conversation with this topic. Stainless Steel achieves its corrosion protection in its ability to form a protective chromium oxide on its surface. This chromium oxide is a passive film that is resistant to further oxidation or other forms of chemical attack.

The designer must evaluate what kind of environment and corrosive conditions the fasteners are going to be exposed to. If the exposure conditions are extreme, like constant wet, turbulent water, or industrial harsh (such as mildly acidic) conditions, the designer must choose an Austenitic or Precipitation Hardening variety. If the exposure conditions are moderate the choices are Austenitic or, perhaps, Ferritic Stainless Steel. If the exposure conditions are mild then Ferritic or Martensitic Stainless Steel may be an appropriate choice.

Although there are specialty metals which exhibit far superior corrosion and oxidation protection, the best corrosion

protection from materials commonly considered Stainless Steel and most often used for fasteners are 316, 304, 302HQ, 17-4PH, and 13-8Mo. The use of these materials, however, does not preclude a designer from choosing a Ferritic Stainless Steel, such as 430, or a Martensitic Stainless Steel, such as 410, when the severity of the environment is only moderate or mild. In fact, many designers may choose one of these grades of Stainless Steel to take advantage of other properties while still outperforming the corrosion protection of a carbon steel part with a protective plating or coating.

Some common applications where Stainless Steel fasteners are used include applications where fasteners are exposed to periodic wet conditions, such as any fastener used on a product exposed to the elements or construction fasteners. Many construction fasteners used on roofs, exterior cladding or siding, and to mount solar panels are made of Stainless Steel. One unique construction application is as a deck screw for cedar decking. The Stainless Steel fasteners not only resist corrosion in the outdoor environment but do not react with the Tannin in the cedar wood which causes staining (a common problem when using galvanized steel screws).

Strength: One of the more serious disadvantages of the Austenitic and Ferritic Stainless Steels is that they cannot be strengthened through heat treatment. This means that the only strengthening opportunity is through work hardening. If strength is a strong design criterion then a heat treatable Martensitic Stainless Steel or Precipitation Hardening Stainless Steel must be chosen.

Formability (Ability to Cold Head): Once again, the variation in formability between the different varieties of Stainless Steel can be extreme. As a general rule, the Martensitic and Ferritic Stainless Steels are relatively easy to cold head. In fact, many a seasoned cold header operator will tell you that there is little difference in forming 410 (Martensitic) or 430 (Ferritic) Stainless Steels from an alloy steel. However, their tune quickly changes when speaking about Austenitic and Precipitation Hardening Stainless Steels, such as 304, 316, and 17-4PH. In fact, they might have many a story about difficulty in forming parts made of these materials.

Occasionally when a manufacturer has a particularly

challenging part to form from Austenitic Stainless Steel they may attempt to add some additional heat, usually by drawing the wire through an induction coil right before going into the machine.

Additionally, sufficient and effective wire coating is extremely important. Stainless Steel is prone to galling. If the wire coating is not sufficiently effective to prevent galling, the tools will break down very quickly. For this reason, much of the Stainless Steel wire that you will see in a cold heading plant is copper coated. The copper provides an exceptional lubricating surface and is certainly favored by almost any header operator that has ever tried it on Stainless Steel material.

Cost: The final factor we will look at here is cost. Stainless Steel commands a significant premium when compared with carbon and alloy steel. Austenitic Stainless Steel is more costly than Ferritic or Martensitic Stainless Steel. It is for this reason that a designer might chose a Ferritic or Martensitic Stainless Steel over an Austenitic Stainless Steel. They have decided that they need a Stainless Steel for their application, as it provides

superior performance to a plated or coated Carbon Steel part, but they do not need as much performance as they would get from an Austenitic Stainless Steel. It is similar in theory why a resident of Kansas (a very flat state) may not choose to purchase a car with All Wheel Drive. The added cost of All Wheel Drive is simply not worth paying for as they do not need the added performance.

Summary: There are many factors that a designer must consider when choosing the right Stainless Steel variety for their project or application.

Stainless Steels are very versatile and often perform at extremely high levels, which make them attractive to users. The primary advantage is corrosion protection but there are other advantages to Stainless Steel as well. Understanding and having knowledge of all these things is very important to avoid costly blunders and procure the best fastener for the intended job.

American News John Wolz, Editor of FIN (globalfastenernews.com) Mike McNulty, FTI VP & Editor (www.fastenertech.com) Compiled by Fastener World Inc.

USDOC Issues Preliminary Determination on Imports of Threaded Rod from China & India The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has announced the affirmative preliminary determinations in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of imports of carbon and alloy steel threaded rod from China and India, finding that exporters received countervailable subsidies ranging from 23.41% to 24.89% and 6.07% to 155.03%, respectively. Based on these preliminary determinations, the DOC will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits from importers of carbon and alloy steel threaded rod from China and India based on these preliminary rates. In 2018, carbon and alloy steel threaded rod imported from China and India were valued at approximately US$104.7 million and some US$35.8 million, respectively. The petitioner was Vulcan Threaded Products Inc., Pelham, AL, USA.

FINdex Keeps Accelerating The FIN Fastener Stock Index climbed in the second quarter of 2019, boosted by a stock performance that produced the strongest June in decades. The FINdex rose 13% in Q2, outperforming an index of related industrial stocks that increased 6.2%. Arconic achieved the largest percentage gain of the period, rising 35% in the second quarter of 2019. Other fastener companies with gains of 10% or more during Q2 included Simpson Mfg. (up 12.1%); Tree Island Steel (up 13.3%); and Wesco Aircraft (up 21%).

During the first half of 2019, the FINdex rose 13.7%, bested by a 15.3% rise in an index of related industrial stocks. Arconic achieved the largest percentage gain in the first six months of 2019, climbing 53.1% during the period. Other fastener companies with gains of 10% or more during the first half included Carpenter Technology (up 34.7%); Bisco Industries (up 39.3%); ITW (up 19%); Lawson Products (up 16.2%); Simpson Mfg. (up 22.8%); Stanley Black & Decker (up 20.8%); TriMas (up 13.5%); and Wesco Aircraft (up 40.5%).

In the opening quarter of 2019, the FINdex recouped the losses it suffered in 2018, gaining 7.2%, compared to an 8.6% increase by an index of related industrial stocks.

The FINdex contracted in 2018, hampered by volatility that dominated the markets, making 2018 the worst year for stocks in a decade. The FINdex declined 7.1% during the year, compared to a 7% drop by an index of related industrial stocks. The loss followed two consecutive years of double-digit growth.

Mowins: More Counterfeit Fasteners Being Marketed Counterfeit fasteners are on the rise again, Mike Mowins told a 2019 Fastener Fair USA conference. Fastener problems led to the U.S. Fastener Quality Act, which after more than a decade of legislation and amendments was implemented on December 6, 1999.

Mowins spoke as president of Global Licensing for Phillips Screw Company. He has subsequently retired.

Government agencies such as the Department of Defense and Department of Energy are “looking hard again at the fastener industry due to questions about counterfeit fasteners,” Mowins said. The FQA led to registered head marks with the U.S. PTO, which gave “some level of assurance” on fasteners greater than one quarter inch, Mowins said. Mowins noted there are FQA exemptions – including parts of assemblies, orders for spares in quantities of 75 or less, ISO / QS9000 registered and aircraft which have their own standards.

Changing Marketplace The larger role of VMI, the stock-to-dock pricing per piece rather than quality and the global supply chain are changes since the U.S. FQA. The B2B online marketplace didn’t exist at the time of FQA, Mowins noted.

Fasteners “once came from a source you knew,” he observed. Today China “recycles” electronic parts and resells them as ” new supplies which confuses the sourcing and lacks traceability. Mowins cited the Coast Guard issuing a safety alert after finding counterfeit fasteners in 2017. An investigation of a ferry propulsion failure led to evidence of falsely-identified fasteners being used as part of the drivetrain system. Several installed bolt heads separated from their shanks, resulting in disconnection from transmission and water leaking into the engine room.

Mowins also cited the SAE G-21 counterfeit materials committee as a factor in trying to assure fastener quality.

• “If you deal with the DoD and DoE, requirements are coming, which “will flow down” in the supply chain.

• “Know your supply chain” to reduce risk of counterfeits, Mowins advised.

• “If the price seems too good, it probably is,” he said.

• “Train your people,” Mowins emphasized as part of your staff understanding quality and supply.

• Trademarks provide an extra level of quality assurance.

Trademarks ID the source.

Mowins said one of the best defenses against imported counterfeit fasteners is the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s regulation of registered trademarks at the U.S. borders. Customs Enforcement seizes and often destroys counterfeit bolts it finds, Mowins said.

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American News Touhy: Robots Simplify Access to Information “Robots are coming,” John Tou hy of Fa nuc America declared in a Fastener Fair USA presentation entitled “Automate or Evaporate.”

Since 2012, robots have been increasing 20% to 30% annually, Touhy said.

“Fear mongers” have been claiming robots “eliminate jobs,” Touhy acknowledged. But those are “dirty, dangerous jobs.”

Touhy countered that robots “create careers” and robots “turned Chrysler around.”

Fa nuc is a group of global compa nies providing automation products and services, including robotics and computer numerical control wireless systems.

• Robots offer a “predictive future,” such as giving 663 issues to avoid with a machine. Robots can “calculate failures three or four months out,” Touhy said. “We got an alert to check the grease, resulting in no lost production time.”

• Could you produce more work if you had more skilled employees? Touhy asked. “How much work do you get done when a machine operator is on break or absent?”

Robots can have zero down time and just one robot can operate multiple machines, Touhy pointed out.

• Robots are “consistently repeatable and reliable” as long as maintained, Touhy said.

• Robots “simplify access to information.”

• South Korea, Japan and Germany lead in use of robots.

Italy, Sweden and Denmark are next – ahead of the U.S. which is #7 and Taiwan #10.

Touhy finished his list of advantages of robots by observing that “robots never talk back.”

Innovative Components Adds New Automated Assembly Machine to Increase Thumb Screw Capacity Schaumburg, IL, USA-based supplier of plastic knobs, quickrelease pins, wire rope lanyards and thread identifiers, Innovative Components, Inc. has recently invested in a new automated assembly machine that drastically increases the company’s capacity in assembling press-on thumb screws. In addition, the new automated assembly machine will free up resources that can be utilized to fulfil the company’s other manual light assembly work orders.

Fastenal Celebrates 1000th Onsite Milestone In early June, Fastenal, Winona, MN, USA, announced that it reached a vending machine milestone of 100,000 active units, and in July it reached another milestone of 1,000 active Onsite locations, each providing a customized local supply chain within (or very near) a customer’s facility. The 1,000th Onsite was set up within the Rocanville, Saskatchewan facility of Nutrien, a Canadian fertilizer company with operations in 14 countries. This Fastenal Onsite location was Nutrien’s third dedicated service/stocking location.

Fastenal’s Onsite concept came in response to a specific customer need in 1992, when a large manufacturing plant required more product inventory than the local Fastenal branch could fit on its shelves. The firm also wanted Fastenal to be in its facility on a daily basis to assess its needs and replenish inventory. So it proposed the idea to bring the inventory and the Fastenal rep within the company’s four walls to support the operation on a full-time basis. Fastenal went on to open more of these “branches within a facility” at a moderate pace to 200 locations at the end of 2014 and at accelerated pace to reach 900 by the end of 2018. Thanks to the efforts of Fastenal’s sales and implementation teams, there are now over 1,000 Onsites generating over 25% of Fastenal’s total revenue.

MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions & RIBE® Announce Joint Venture – Aluform USA LLC Duncan MacLean, President/CEO of MacLean-Fogg has announced the joint venture formation of Aluform USA LLC between Richard Bergner Verbindungstechnik GmbH & Co. KG (RIBE®) of Schwabach, Germany, and MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions (MFCS) of Mundelein, IL USA. The RIBE-Aluform® product is the market leader in the automotive industry for high-strength aluminum bolt, screw and stud fasteners for lightweight, corrosion-sensitive automotive applications. Aluform USA combines RIBE and MFCS strengths to bring Aluform products to the North American market, with application engineering, customer support and USA manufacturing. MacLean said, “The RIBE-Aluform product line sets the global standard for high-strength automotive aluminum fasteners. Vehicle lightweighting will continue to be a major industry trend as OEMs work to improve fuel economy and battery range. We’re excited to further help our North American customers in their lightweight efforts by including Aluform high-strength aluminum bolts in our range of leading fastener solutions.” Frank Bergner, RIBE Managing Partner said, “MacLean-Fogg’s excellent manufacturing capabilities, application engineering and customer service make it an ideal partner to support and grow Aluform in North America.” Aluform USA LLC will be headquartered in the existing MacLean Maynard division of MFCS in Chesterfield, MI, USA.

ParkOhio Chairman/ CEO Resigns to Become U.S. Ambassador to Republic of Ireland ParkOhio, Cleveland, OH, USA, a leading provider of supply chain management services and highly engineered manufactured products, has announced that after 26 years as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Park-Ohio Holdings Corp., Edward F. Crawford has resigned as an Officer and Board Member, effective June 17, 2019, to assume the responsibility as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland. President Donald J. Trump nominated Edward F. Crawford to be United States Ambassador to Ireland on October 23, 2018. The United States Senate confirmed Ambassador-designate Crawford by 90-4 in favor on June 13, 2019. He was sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence on June 26, 2019, and presented his credentials to Irish President Michael D. Higgins on July 1, 2019. ParkOhio will continue to advance in numerous channels led by the current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Matthew V. Crawford. Edward F. Crawford stated, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the stakeholders for supporting a vision resulting in the evolution of a great company.”

Enduralock Wins NASA iTech Competition Fastener manufacturer Enduralock was one of the three winners at the NASA iTech Cycle I competition that took place on July 10-11 in Mountain View, CA. The competition brought in finalists from around the world.

Based in Lenexa, KS, Enduralock designs fasteners that are highly vibration resistant and provide a permanent lock, yet they are able to be fully reversed and reused with standard tooling.

The company describes its proprietary fasteners as “positive locking, highly vibration resistant, easy to remove and install, reusable, easily utilized in harsh environments, able to be reapplied from a blind approach, and vibration resistant when there is a loss of pre-load,” according to the company’s website.

Enduralock claims its fasteners have “survived 300,000 cycles of vibration, 10X the aerospace industry requirement.” Products include the Radial Lock Fastener, Radial Lock Bolt, and Nut Plate panel fastening system.

“We have dedicated tremendous time and effort to develop unique fastener solutions aimed to address the harsh environments experienced in space,” said Enduralock CEO and co-founder Harold Hess. “I could not be prouder of what our team has accomplished, and we are tremendously excited to pursue future projects with NASA.” The company's fasteners are now space certified after an evaluation by engineers at NASA's Marshall Flight Center.

NASA iTech is an initiative to find and foster innovative solutions to challenges faced on Earth and in space.

Bossard Opens New Facility In Boston Bossard opened a new office and design center in the Boston area.

Bossard held a grand opening event on June 5 with a crowd of over 30 manufacturers and engineers from across New England in attendance.

The move to the new 100,000 sq. ft. facility, located at 2 Kay Way in Stoughton, MA, took place in February.

“The space was designed with education, hands-on experience with fastening solutions, Industry 4.0 driven supply chain management and cutting-edge testing services in mind,” the company stated.

“It will provide a collaborative environment for Bossard customers to engage firsthand with Bossard’s Assembly Technology Expert and Smart Factory Logistics services and solutions for application into their own assemblies and manufacturing process.”

T he fa ci lit y i nclud es a n ISO Cla ss 5 Clea n Room. Clean Room applications include medical devices, robotics and vacuum environments where machining and particle contamination need to be controlled.

Arnold Industries, which Bossard acquired in 2016, moved its main office and warehousing to the facility in February.

Bossard North America operates facilities in the Midwest (Iowa, Illinois), Southeast (Georgia, Tennessee), Southwest (Texas, Arizona), and West Coast (California, Washington); Canada; and Mexico.

Switzerland-based Bossard posted record results for 2018, with sales rising 10.8% to CHF 871.1 million (US$884.7 million) and “all market regions contributing.”

In the U.S., sales increased 9.4% to CHF 240.9 million.

US$350,000 Paid As Cable Tie Manufacturers Settle Lawsuits American Elite Molding issued two apologies and paid Advanced Cable Ties US$350,000 to settle lawsuits.

AEM’s statement on its company letterhead and signed by owner / president Robert Sires: “On May 11, 2018, American Elite Molding issued a media statement, which was emailed to the marketplace, concerning what AEM believed to be unfair labor practices at Advanced Cable Ties, one of its competitors.

In that statement, AEM made misstatements of fact regarding ACT’s employment of undocumented workers, including the statement that the workers were brought in from other countries and paid under the table. AEM made similar incorrect statements to members of the press.”

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American News U.S. Fastener Importers Raise Prices to Counter Tariffs

“AEM’s statement were incorrect, as later evidence produced in a lawsuit between the parties has established. AEM unconditionally retreats the statements concerning allegedly undocumented workers at ACT. AEM regrets any damage these statements may have caused ACT. AEM and ACT have resolved their differences over this matter. We wish ACT nothing but success in the future.”

And second statement: “Advanced Cable Ties, Inc. sued its competitors, American Elite Molding, LLC and BuyCableTies.com, LLC in Federal Court alleging that from 2011 to present, Defendants imported various sizes of cable ties and accessories from China and Taiwan but improperly represented to their customers that all of their ties were manufactured in the USA at a facility in Florida. Defendants disputed the claim and the case has now been settled. Had the case gone to trial there was sufficient evidence to support a finding that prior to 2016, certain products that were not actually manufactured in the United States, were not clearly labeled as such on the website or in catalogue listings.”

The agreement between the competitors was signed by ACT president and co-founder Ken Tomasetti and Sires.

In 2016, ACT filed litigation in U.S. District Court as Advance Cable Ties, Inc. vs. American Elite Molding, LLC for violations of the Lanham Act, fraud and negligent misrepresentation.

The parties reached the agreement following “the exchange of substantial amounts of discovery.”

The agreement requires the parties not advertise or promote products including cable ties, clamps and mounting pads as “Made in the U.S.A.” unless manufactured in the U.S. Products sourced elsewhere will be accurately labeled with country of origin.

News of the suits was published in the May 29, 2018, issue of Fastener Industry News.

At the time Tomasetti termed the AEM lawsuit as a “retaliatory claim” by a direct competitor.

ACT earlier had sued AEM – known then as Bay State Cable Ties, in U.S. Federal Court “as a result of Bay State’s misappropriation of ACT’s trade secrets,” Tomasetti told FIN. The new lawsuit by AEM also alleges ACT made false representations in the market and the U.S. government.

American Elite Molding had alleged that around 60% of ACT's workforce is undocumented and provided by Twin City Temporaries Inc., “which brings workers in from other countries and pays them under the table to avoid taxes and payroll costs,” according to American Elite.

AEM is seeking unspecified monetary damages for ACT’s alleged use of workers who are not eligible to work in the U.S. (See FIN, May 29, 2019)

U.S. fastener importers are raising prices in response to a tariff hike on fasteners from China.

Brighton-Best International president Jun Xu said that his company has taken a “hybrid” approach to address tariffs. “We’ve had to increase our prices to compensate for the added cost of tariffs, and we’ve been looking to diversify our countries of origin,” Xu said.

Ohio-based Stelfast president Don Haggerty said that his company is also raising prices. “As we start to incur the additional cost on incoming product we will be adjusting our selling price,” Haggerty stated. “These price increases will be rolled out over the next couple of months.”

Xu said Brighton-Best was surprised by the tariff hike. “All indications have been that the negotiations were going well,” Xu stated. “At this point however, we believe the tariffs are a long-term issue as both China and the USA have entrenched themselves further into their corners.” In addition to price increases, both importers said they’re looking at sourcing fasteners from countries other than China to offset the tariffs.

Stelfast has reviewed pricing from China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, Italy, Croatia, India and Mexico, Haggerty said. In addition, both importers are looking to source fasteners from other countries. “We have begun moving production of several products to countries other than China to minimize the impact,” Haggerty said. Haggerty noted that resourcing fasteners comes with an increased cost on virtually all products. Fastener tariff hikes aren’t the only issue importers are trying to solve, according to Haggerty.

Xu said he does not expect a quick resolution to the U.S. tariffs. “The USA wants structural change in China’s economy and introduce new laws / enforcements around intellectual property protection among other issues,” Xu said. “China has made it clear it will not enforce any structural changes to its laws to placate the USA. “China is probably playing to wait out the Trump administration. So we do not believe this will go away anytime soon.”

Aerospace Fastener Stocks Outperform Industrials

Gardner, MA-based Advanced Cable Ties was founded in 1994 and its website proclaims the company as “A rock solid U.S. manufacturing company.”

The FIN Review of Fastener Stocks covers the fastener portion of 19 public companies. In the most recent quarter, aerospace fastener stocks replaced industrials as the dominant performer. Highlights include:

Founded in 1998 as Bay State Cable Ties, the name was changed to American Elite Molding in 1996. Crestview, FL-based American Elite manufactures nylon cable ties.

Arconic reported Engineered Products and Solutions (EP&S) revenue, primarily aerospace fasteners, increased 5% to US$1.5 billion in the opening quarter

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American News 123 of 2019. Organic revenue grew 7%, driven by aero engine and defense growth. Segment operating margin was 16.8%, up 210 basis points year over year.

Bossard Group reports 2019 first quarter sales grew 5.4% to CHF 232.2 million (US$230.1 million) d espit e “m a r ke d ly mor e ch a l le ngi ng busi n ess conditions,” Fastener + Fixing Magazine reports.

European sales increased 5.1% to CHF 138.9 million (+7.3% in local currency). U.S. sales dropped 4.9% to CHF 58.1 million due to subdued sales development with several major customers. Sales in Asia rose 16.6% to CHF 35.2 million (+17.7% in local currency).

Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. reported fastener segment revenues fell 15.1% to US$7.6 million in the first quarter of 2019. Q1 sales to U.S. automotive customers declined 21.5% to US$1.06 million. Production costs rose due to higher material costs related to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum instituted in 2018.

Fastenal reported sales of its fastener products grew 11.8% on a daily basis to US$455.6 million in the first quarter of 2019, representing 34.8% of overall sales.

Daily sales of fastener products increased to 13.5% in March, compared to a 12.4% rate of growth in March 2018. Q1 sales of non-fastener products rose 12.7% on a daily basis to US$853.7 million in Q1, representing 65.2% of sales.

Grainger reported sales, including fasteners, increased 3% to US$2.8 billion in the opening quarter of 2019, driven by a 3 percentage point increase in volume and a 1.5 percentage point increase from price. Operating earnings rose 8% to US$363 million, with a margin of 13%.

Gross profit margin was 39.1 percent versus 39.5 percent in the 2018 first quarter. Q1 net earnings gained 9% to US$253 million.

ITW reported revenue at its Automotive OEM segment, including fasteners, dropped 10.5% in the opening quarter of 2019. Segment operating income declined 23% to US$167 million. During the same period, Construction Products revenue, including fasteners, dipped 6.3% to US$401 million, with segment operating income down 8.4% to US$87 million.

Stanley Black & Decker reported Engineered Fastening organic revenues during the first quarter of 2019 fell 4% “as automotive light vehicle production declines and lower system shipments more than offset continued fastener penetration gains.” Sales at the company’s Industrial segment, including fasteners, increased 10% to US$555 million, despite a 3% decline in volume. Segment profit dropped 12% to US$71 million.

TriMas reported first quarter sales at its Aerospace segment, which includes the Monogram Aerospace Fasteners, Allfast Fastening Systems and Mac Fasteners brands, increased 1.4% to US$38.3 million due to steady demand levels for fasteners. Segment operating profit rose 25% to US$5.7 million.

G.L. Huyett Opens New Tech Center G.L. Huyett, headquartered in Minneapolis, KS, USA, opened a Technology Center in Sidney, NB, USA, to support the company’s belief in the future of B2B commerce in the industrial space as well as the increasing relevance of e-commerce. The new Technology Center is headed

by Sarah Sinnett, VP of Technology and Marketing. She also sits on G.L. Huyett’s Executive Committee. And to lead the continued development of its e-commerce site, G.L. Huyett has also hired Alan Beard to the newly created role of E-Commerce Manager. The company has also hired Charles “Chuck” Hoffman as Special Projects Administrator to initiate a data analytics function.

Semblex Introduces Fastener for Light Metal Alloys The newly introduced FastFlow™ FDS® from Semblex Corp., Elm-hurst IL, USA, has solved the cycle time challenge. The multihelix thread design has reduced the thread forming and tightening stages by over 65%. When this is coupled with an aggressive programming strategy and the FastStart™ finding feature on the head, cycle times of 0.4 to 0.6 seconds can be achieved. FDS is a registered trademark of EJOT Verbindungstechnik GmbH.

Kevin Menke Honored with Top Annual Award from ASTM International Fastener Committee ASTM International’s committee on fasteners (F16) presented its top annual award – the Award of Merit – to Kevin Menke, director of engineering, Fastenal, in Winona, Minnesota, USA. The prestigious award, is ASTM’s highest recognition for individual contributions to developing standards. The committee honored Menke for meritorious and dedicated service to the committee and in recognition of his strong commitment to ASTM International standards development, his respected technical expertise, exemplary professionalism, and tireless efforts towards consensus building.

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SPIROL Completes Major Expansion at Connecticut World Headquarters SPIROL employees, company executives, board members, state representatives, and other honored guests gathered to celebrate the completion of the major expansion to SPIROL’s world headquarters and largest global manufacturing facility located in Danielson, CT, USA. The expansion that began in early 2016 includes significant additional manufacturing space, new state-of-the-art warehouses for raw material and finished goods, a new quality lab and office space, new flooring, updated lighting and significant investments in new production technology. Overall this effort expanded the manufacturing area by approximately 40%. Jeff Koehl, CEO and grandson of founder Herman Koehl, took to the podium to address all in attendance and express pride in the accomplishments of a small company that started 71 years ago with the invention of the Coiled Spring Pin. Today, SPIROL has grown to be an internationally recognized leading brand in the fastening, joining, and assembly industry with locations on 4 continents and 13 countries. In total, there are 13 manufacturing, sales and full service distribution facilities across North America, South America, Europe and Asia giving SPIROL a unique vertical position in today's dynamic market place.

Motor City Industrial Acquires Quality Fastener and Supply Co. Motor City Industrial, LLC, Hazel Park, MI, USA, has announced the acquisition of Quality Fastener and Supply Co., Oxford, MI, USA. This represents the third acquisition by Motor City Industrial and further expands product and service offerings available to customers from diversified sectors and geographies. Quality Fastener and Supply Co. is a distributor of industrial consumables and ancillaries. Founded in 1982, Quality Fastener offers supply chain solutions for over 15,000 SKUs, serving a mix of blue-chip customers and local businesses through vendor managed inventory programs and maintaining an inventory of mission-critical components for just-in-time delivery. “We are excited to have the Quality Fastener team joining Motor City Industrial and look forward to our future together," Joe Stephens, CEO of Motor City Industrial added, "Jim Hiatt and John Shepard have built a tremendous company and we are thankful they have trusted us to continue this legacy.” Motor City Industrial is a value-added distributor of fasteners and related consumable industrial products.

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