Fastener + Fixing Magazine #94

In this July issue‌ High vibration applications Tooling, dies + punches Tapes + adhesives

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11.06.15 12:49 Issue 94 July 2015

SPECIALISED CATCH FOR DISTRIBUTORS ONLY Self Tapping Screws Self Drilling Screws Chipboard Screws

Threadforming Screws PLASFAST速 Threadforming Screws TRITAP速

Machine Screws Hexagon Socket Screws Hi Tensile Bolts and Setscrews Nuts

Threaded Rod

Mainland Europe Germany Phone: +49 (0)2565 93 25 0 Fax: +49 (0)2565 93 25 93

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Asia China Phone: +86 (0) 21-5836 2280 Fax: +86 (0) 21-5836 2279

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CONTENTS

40-41 Part of the Mack Brooks Group Romeland House, Romeland Hill, St Albans, Herts, AL3 4ET, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1727 814 400 Fax: +44 (0) 1727 831 033 www.fastenerandfixing.com Publishing Director Jamie Mitchell jamie.mitchell@fastenerandfixing.com

Eurotec is evolving

56-58

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Executive Editor Phil Matten phil.matten@fastenerandfixing.com Editor Will Lowry will.lowry@fastenerandfixing.com Deputy Editor Claire Edwards claire.edwards@fastenerandfixing.com Senior Advertising Executive Harry Whyte harry.whyte@fastenerandfixing.com Advertising Executive Emiliano Pagliaroli emiliano.pagliaroli@fastenerandfixing.com Advertising Executive Ilana Bernstein ilana.bernstein@fastenerandfixing.com

A decade of the Polish market

NIFMSE preview

114-118

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Production Assistant Jo Lightfoot jo.lightfoot@fastenerandfixing.com Fastener + Fixing Magazine is a dedicated, trade-only publication which is circulated freely throughout the European trade.

Disclaimer The Publisher cannot be held responsible or, in any way, liable for errors or omissions, during input or printing of any material supplied or contained herein although the utmost care is taken to ensure that information contained is accurate and up to date.

The Publisher also cannot be held liable for any claims made by advertisers or in contributions from individuals or companies submitted for inclusion within this publication. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Editor or Fastener Fairs Ltd. Copyright Entire contents copyright © Fastener Fairs Limited 2015. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the publisher.

64-66 Face2Face with CELO

Production Manager Andy Clow andy.clow@fastenerandfixing.com

High vibration technology

Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

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E D I TO R I A L Will Lowry, editor, Fastener + Fixing Magazine

Presenting the fastener spectrum At Fastener + Fixing Magazine we pride ourselves on getting into the market and visiting companies – gathering information to provide the latest news and information on the wide variety of fastener products across the global fastener and fixing industry. And this issue is no exception.

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or the Cover Story I had the pleasure of visiting Hagen, Germany, and speaking to Markus Rensburg, managing director and founder of Eurotec GmbH. After initially establishing the company as a distributor of innovative fastening products, Markus took the strategic decision to add a production department for its most popular wood construction screws – with exceptional results.

Also during my travels around Germany I had an invitation to visit Peter Schröder GmbH, and see first-hand its new purpose built warehouse. Better known as schröderschrauben, the company is a wholesaler that is solely focused on supplying Inch products.

Executive Editor Phil Matten visited CELO’s Spanish headquarters in Castellar del Vallès, outside Barcelona, to speak to CEO Ramón Ceravalls about a wide range of topics including the Spanish economy; manufacturing in China; as well as the 50th anniversary of the family owned company.

Other articles include a report from our Polish media partner – ‘Fastener. Rynek elementów złacznych’ – which focuses on ‘a decade of the Polish fastener market’; a preview and agenda for the upcoming FASTENERS MEETALY 2015: ‘Challenge the future’ conference in Milan, Italy; as well as an insight into the recent Fastener Forming Seminar and Plant Tour by the British & Irish Association of Fastener Distributors, which took place in Barton Coldform’s UK fastener manufacturing facility in Droitwich Spa. To add to this there is also a preview of the upcoming National Industrial Fastener & Mill Supply Expo in Las Vegas, USA, as well as technical articles from Bossard Group – concentrating on the causes of loosening of fasteners and how it can be prevented; as well as Nord-Lock Group looking at friction in bolted joints, and how it can be part of the problem or part of the solution.

CONTENTS INDUSTRY NEWS Europe and World ................................................................... 10-22 Perspective....................................................................................24 North America ........................................................................ 26-28 Russia + CIS ..................................................................................30 Asia .......................................................................................... 32-36 Brazil .............................................................................................38 COVER STORY Eurotec is evolving ...................................................................40-41 EXHIBITIONS Events Calendar ............................................................................42 FERROFORMA report ....................................................................44 Fastener Fair India report .............................................................46 FASTENERS MEETALY 2015 preview ............................................48 NIFMSE preview ............................................................................50 News ............................................................................................. 51 ASSOCIATIONS BIAFD demonstrates commitment to training ....................... 52-54 INSIGHT A decade of the Polish fastener market ................................. 56-58 Peter Schroder – built on solid foundations.................................60 BFC: New name, new global hub .................................................62 Face2Face with Ramón Cervallas........................................... 64-66

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Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS Traditional fixing methods a thing of the past ..............................68 News ....................................................................................... 70-76 FOCUS ON Construction fixings ......................................................................78 MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY When quality is critical ........................................................... 80-82 News ....................................................................................... 84-93 TECHNICAL Stop loosening of fasteners .................................................... 94-99 Friction: A force of nature ....................................................110-112 MANAGEMENT + SYSTEMS From screw dealer to innovative industry service provider........100 News ................................................................................... 102-104 CATALOGUE RACK UK + Ireland .........................................................................106-109 PRODUCT NEWS Application Technology news ...............................................114-122 Tools news ............................................................................124-126 Products news .....................................................................128-137 INDEX ..........................................................................................138

NEWS

Trifast announces record sales year and new CEO Reporting record full year results Trifast Plc also announced that Jim Barker will step down as CEO from 30th September and will be succeeded by current group financial officer, Mark Belton.

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ull year results to 31st March show revenue grew by 19.2% to GB£154.74 million.

Underlying pre-tax profits were up 56% to GB£14.31 million.

Trifast noted: “The impressive results in 2015 are stronger than originally expected.

They reflect the operational improvements implemented by management over recent years, which are now delivering growth in both revenue and profitability, together with the upturn in confidence as we progressed through the year.”

Writing to shareholders, Chairman Malcolm Diamond, said: “I am delighted to confirm another year of outstanding performance, which firmly consolidates our transition from what was once considered a recovery situation to one of delivering consistent improvement and growth.”

He also commented on a key acquisition during the financial year. “Our ‘selective acquisition’ strategy was rewarded on 30th May 2014 when we added Viterie Italia Centrale SpA (VIC) to our Group. VIC, based in Italy, is the European market leader in the design and manufacture of specialist fastener assemblies for the domestic appliances sector. As a direct result of the acquisition, this market sector has grown to become a major contributor to our business representing 19% of Group revenue in 2015 (2014: 8%).”

Trifast said the forward order book was solid and trading performance continued to benefit from positive momentum experienced in the second half of the last year.

New CEO to start 2016 Jim Barker (pictured top right) will remain available to the Group in a consultancy role until 30th June 2016. He has completed more than 32 years service with Trifast. Having retired in 2007 after five years as CEO, he was re-appointed in 2009, when Malcolm Diamond also returned to the business.

Mark Belton (pictured bottom right) will take up the CEO position effective 1st October 2015.

He has been with Trifast for 15 years and was promoted to the main board in 2010. Clare Foster will be promoted to chief financial officer and will join the main board.

Malcolm Diamond emphasised the importance the Trifast board places on progression and succession at the top level of the Group, noting that over the past two years it had carefully “examined and refined future plans and requirements so as to ensure we continue to drive performance.” He added: “I would like to wish Jim and his family a long and enjoyable impending retirement and congratulate Mark and Clare on their respective promotions.”

Hilti reports continued growth in first four months In the first four months of 2015, the Hilti Group continued its growth path with sales in local currencies up by 4.5%.

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ales in Swiss Francs were slightly negative at -2.3% due to the strong appreciation of the Swiss currency. Expressed in local currencies, sales continued to climb in all market regions. In Europe, sales grew by 2.2%, with main contributions coming from northern European markets and parts of southern Europe. Fueled by the sustainable upward trend of the US construction sector, North America posted strong growth (+6.3%). In Asia Pacific, sales were up 4.9%. Despite the continued severe difficulties in Russia, the Group managed to increase sales in eastern Europe/Middle East/Africa by 11%.

Sales in Latin America grew by 6.4%.

Following the significant appreciation of the Swiss currency since mid-January, overall sales in Swiss Francs amounted to CHF 1.4 billion (1.35 billion euros), which corresponds to a 2.3% reduction compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.

“We are pleased to see that all our regions continued to steer a growth course and by doing so helped offset part of the negative exchange rate effect for the Group as a whole,” said CEO Christoph Loos, commenting on sales for the first four months of 2015.

“For the time being, nothing seems to indicate any significant change in terms of exchange rates and the global market situation.

Hence, we continue to expect solid single digit growth in local currencies and slightly negative sales figures in Swiss Francs.”

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Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

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NEWS

NORMA sales up in first Quarter Cheesegrater bolt replacements to cost GB£6 million Severfield PLC, the structural steel contractor for the Leadenhall Building project, has included a GB£6 million non-underlying cost in its annual accounts to cover the replacement of all bolts at risk of failure at the iconic building.

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n its report for the financial year to 31st March 2015 the company says the remedial programme at the Leadenhall Building in the City of London is expected to take until the end of 2015 to complete. Bolt replacement had already cost GB£1 million during the financial year. The replacement programme follows an investigation by Laing O’Rourke, which identified that three bolts had failed as a result of hydrogen embrittlement. Remaining suspect bolts were ‘tethered’ to prevent debris falling in the event of further failures.

Severfield also noted that: “The liability of the Group and the other parties for the programme costs has not yet been determined.”

NORMA Group SE has started the 2015 financial year with positive momentum – increasing sales and earnings in Q1.

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ORMA increased group sales in the first Quarter of 2015 by 24.6% to 221.5 million euros compared to the first three months of the previous year (Q1 2014: 177.8 million euros).

This was primarily driven by strong acquisitive growth.

Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes and amortisation (adjusted EBITA) improved by 20.2% to 39.2 million euros in the first Quarter of 2015 (Q1 2014: 32.6 million euros). The adjusted EBITA margin was 17.7% (Q1 2014: 18.4%).

“We continued on our successful course in the first Quarter of financial year 2015,” says Werner Deggim, CEO of NORMA Group.

“The Americas and Asia-Pacific posted strong dynamic growth.

Overall, we are optimistic for the remainder of financial year 2015 and stick with our forecast.”

Sales in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region amounted to 105.6 million euros in the first Quarter of 2015 and thus declined by 2.6% (Q1 2014: 108.4 million euros). This is due to the high basis for comparison and the very strong growth NORMA Group experienced in the same Quarter of the previous year (Q1 2014: 8.1%), but also a slow economic recovery in Europe.

In the Asia-Pacific region, Group sales grew 23% to 18.2 million euros (Q1 2014: 14.8 million euros). Besides strong organic growth, positive currency effects were also reflected in sales.

NORMA Group expects group sales in financial year 2015 to grow organically by between 4% and 7%. In addition, NORMA Group expects to generate around 110 million euros in sales from its acquisitions – National Diversified Sales Inc and Five Star Clamps Inc in the USA. www.normagroup.com

New concerns over Bay Bridge rods The San Francisco Chronicle reports that microscopic cracks have been discovered on some of the rods on the new Bay Bridge tower and quotes an official from California’s department of transport as saying the discovery suggested the problem could be widespread and require repair or replacement of further rods.

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he report (see link at end) also says Caltrans confirmed that one of four high strength tower anchor roads they examined appeared to have suffered embrittlement failure after it was exposed to sea water. Brian Maroney, chief engineer at Caltrans, told an oversight panel the brittle fracture was similar to the failures found in some of the 32 anchor rods at the eastern end of the new bridge.

Full story at http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Ominous-new-cracks-found-on-Bay-Bridge-rods-6345359.php

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Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

Carpentry screws the widest range ready to ship in the European market

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Hex lag screws | Chipboard screws | Carpentry screws Drywall screws | Dome screws and Euro screws Machine screws | Nuts, Washers, Bolts, Threaded rods Self Tapping screws | Concrete screws Self Drilling screws | PVC screws | S.S. A2 screws

NEWS

Growermetal enters into partnership with Nord-Lock Group Growermetal Srl and Nord-Lock Group have entered into a strategic production and technical development agreement for the manufacture of wedge-locking washers.

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ord-Lock has seen the global demand for its wedge–locking washers continue to grow strongly. The objective of this strategic cooperation is to ensure a high-quality production capacity and technical development for the future.

Growermetal has developed and manufactured safety washers for more than 60 years and has a global reputation for high-quality and manufacturing excellence. Nord-Lock has been manufacturing and supplying its original wedge-locking safety washers for more than 30 years and is widely recognised as the market leader in this sector.

As a result of this agreement, Nord-Lock Group has acquired the Grower Twin-Lock® brand and Growermetal has agreed to supply wedge-locking washers exclusively to Nord-Lock Group. With this strategic partnership, Growermetal shall further increase its expertise and production volumes in the wedge-locking washers business.

Paolo Cattaneo, managing director at Growermetal, commented: “We are very pleased with this partnership. Nord-Lock Group has an extensive global sales network and has shown a strong ability to grow through technical sales. Together we will provide the world with wedge-locking products of the highest quality.”

Ola Ringdahl, CEO of Nord-Lock Group, added: “We are very excited to enter into this long-term relationship because Growermetal has world-class manufacturing capabilities. With its production of Grower Twin-Lock in its premises in Italy, in combination with Nord-Lock’s expertise in wedge-locking in the existing Nord-Lock factory in Sweden, we can continue to supply our customers with the high-quality market leading products they expect.” www.growermetal.com www.nord-lock.com

AIP completes acquisition of Anixter OEM Supply Fasteners American Industrial Partners completed the acquisition of Anixter International Inc’s OEM Supply Fasteners division for US$380 million (approximately 342 million euros) in cash. The business has been renamed Optimas OE Solutions LLC.

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IP is a middle market private equity firm focused on acquiring and improving North American headquartered industrial businesses.

Optimas has around 1,950 employees worldwide and is a leading global distributor and manufacturer of engineered fasteners and C-Class components for the commercial vehicle, luxury automotive, agricultural equipment, power generation equipment, construction, and general industrial markets.

Optimas serves over 4,000 customers in 15 countries through a network of 74 distribution and service centres located across North America, Europe, and Asia. As Anixter OEM Supply Fasteners it reported sales of US$ 938.5 million and an operating profit of US$39.1 million.

“We are extremely excited to partner with AIP, which brings deep operating and industry expertise,” said Ian Clarke, CEO of Optimas. “As a stand-alone company, we look forward to implementing a strategic growth plan focused on serving our blue-chip customer base and enhancing our leadership position.”

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AIP has a long history of successfully buying industrial businesses, such as Optimas, and partnering with management to drive growth. “Optimas provides value added supply chain and engineering solutions, and its seamless integration within its customers’ operations is a critical element of the company’s and its customers’ success,” said Joel Stanwood of AIP. “With a global market leadership position driven by deep, long-standing relationships, combined with a highly customised product portfolio, Optimas is well positioned for growth worldwide,” added Eric Baroyan of AIP. “We look forward to supporting management to execute identified growth initiatives and to drive operational efficiencies at the company.”

Wimborne UK-based Anixter Component Solutions was part of the acquisition and is now Optimas OE Solutions Ltd – components division. The components division of Optimas will continue to specialise in the supply of C-Class components and sub-assembly and kitting services.

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08/07/2015 11:56

NEWS

Modern data centre for the Würth Group On 10th June 2015, the Würth Group inaugurated the Group’s new data centre in Niedernhall, Germany.

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he 5,220m2 building complex accommodates a 1,000m2 state of the art, energy-efficient data centre as well as 125 workplaces for software development, IT infrastructure, network technology, virtualisation, server technology and storage of both the Würth Group and the Würth Elektronik Group.

Prof. Dr. h. c. mult. Reinhold Würth, chairman of the supervisory board of the Würth Group’s Family Trusts, district administrator Dr Matthias Neth, and Achim Beck, mayor of the town of Niedernhall, participated in the inauguration ceremony.

The IT technology centre will be the new ‘digital heart’ of the Würth Group. The new data centre with its forward-looking architecture forms part of the so-called ‘Hohenlohe ring’, which also comprises the existing data centers in Gaisbach and Waldenburg. Würth considers this real time backup network a milestone of IT availability and IT security for the entire group of companies. Employing modern air conditioning including the use of waste heat thanks to heat exchangers, the new data centre requires 70% less energy than comparable facilities.

Whitesell returns assets to administrator Saarbrücker Zeitung reports that US equity investor Whitesell has agreed to transfer the ownership of the real estate of four German fastener plants, their equipment, and patents and licenses, to the insolvency administrator.

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t the time of the insolvency of the long troubled business, previously Acument Germany and then Ruia Global Fasteners, it became clear Whitesell had transferred the assets to a Luxembourg holding company making it virtually impossible for the administrator to find a buyer for all or part of the businesses as a going concern. According to the report the agreement has been formally notarised and Whitesell has also waived any claims for rent since the insolvency proceedings commenced. The insolvency administrator has already laid off half the work force of the plants in Beckingen, Neuss, Schrozberg and Neuwied.

Nedschroef plants obtain aerospace certification Six Nedschroef plants, along with Nedschroef Aviation Fasteners GmbH, have passed audit and received certification to EN 9100:2008 – the aviation quality management standard.

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he list of plants now certified to produce and supply aviation and aerospace parts includes five in Germany, one in Denmark and one in China.

SFS unimarket recognised by Georg Fischer Georg Fischer Machining Solutions has named SFS unimarket AG as one of its best supplier partners worldwide, when it named it as one of the ‘Top 10 Suppliers 2015’ out of the approximately 1,100 suppliers that were evaluated by the company.

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FS is a long-standing partner of Georg Fischer Machining Solutions (GF) offering supply chain solutions for C-Class items. The distribution and logistics segment (SFS unimarket) has implemented innovative logistics concepts at GF’s main manufacturing sites in Luterbach, Nidau, Langnau in Emmental, Losone and Meyrin, all located in Switzerland. These logistics solutions have reduced process costs, optimised inventory levels and increased process reliability.

The ‘GF MS Top 10 Suppliers 2015’ award was conferred at the GF Group level for the first time. SFS unimarket was recognised in particular for its “excellent support during implementation of C-Parts management with flexible and non-bureaucratic assistance”.

Six criteria were evaluated during this assessment of suppliers: Flexibility, delivery, reliability and punctuality, quality, loyalty, innovation and competitiveness. GF specifically thanked SFS unimarket employees for their commitment and performance.

Josef Zünd, head of the distribution and logistics segment at SFS Group, said: “It is an honour to receive this award from Georg Fischer Machining Solutions, which goes to show the high-quality and value that SFS unimarket offers its customers. Our objective over the coming year is to achieve even higher marks with regard to the six quality metrics and create more value for our customers.”

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NEWS

bigHead® invests in the future bigHead® Bonding Fasteners Ltd has moved to a new, state of the art, factory in Verwood, UK, which is double the size of its previous facility, and has enabled bigHead to strategically position itself for future growth.

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eaving nothing to chance, bigHead® has even had its own electricity substation installed to ensure consistent high-level power supply. Serious about the environment, bigHead has also put in a heat recovery system to minimise gas consumption in the winter.

“We thought it was important to invest in our long-term future now, particularly as so many of our customers are focusing on the reduction of polluting emissions through the adoption of lightweight composite materials,” explains Matthew Stevens, managing director at bigHead. “We are seeing strong growth across a number of industrial sectors and our new facility will help us support our customers with good design, the highest production standards and excellent service.”

Matthew continues: “It was also important to us that we stayed

ATP opens new production facility In June ATP Graphics, part of the ATP Group, held an opening ceremony for its new production plant in Germany.

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n the presence of local councillors from the village of Mihla, the owning family, employees and their families, and the executive general, contractor company Vollack Management + Beteiligungen GmbH & Co KG handed ATP a ‘Poseidon’ statue, to ‘protect the good fortunes of the new company’. The ceremony was followed by a summer festival for more than 500 guests, and regular guided tours of the new facility were offered throughout the day.

With an overall investment of approximately 20 million euros, the new site includes a production and warehousing facility with a 12,000m² floor area, together with an 860m² office complex. The central focus point of the new factory is a new 70m long, state of the art coating line with clean-air manufacturing allowing ATP to offer adhesive tapes with exceptionally high-quality optical appearance.

The new production facility will create up to 50 new jobs for highly trained staff. In addition ATP will be offering more training places for new job starters. Every year the company offers school leavers training places in various departments including the laboratory, engineering, warehousing, logistics and customer service.

The ATP Group manufactures single and double-sided adhesive tapes from a wide range of adhesives and backing materials, including self-adhesive and thermally-activated adhesive products for a wide range of customers.

The manufacturing processes used by ATP comply with the very latest technological and environmental standards with adhesives being developed exclusively in-house. Its products are used across a variety of industries including automotive, building, construction and graphics.

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Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

as close as possible to our original home in Bournemouth so as not to lose any of our excellent team or disrupt the network of first class suppliers that we have worked with for many years. The team did a great job of moving, with only two days’ production lost.” bigHead provides innovative fastening solutions to some of the world’s leading manufacturers, many of whom are migrating their products from traditional materials to modern composite alternatives. A year ago, bigHead became part of the Bossard Group. Bossard, a global company headquartered in Switzerland, is a leading provider of intelligent solutions for industrial fastening technology. With a 180 year history and employing over 1,800 employees at over 60 locations worldwide, in 2013 the Bossard Group achieved a turnover of GB£400 million.

Hilgers joins Bossard executive committee Bossard Group recently announced that Frank Hilgers has joined its executive committee – taking on group wide responsibility of category management for brand products and engineered fastening solutions.

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ilgers joined Bossard with the acquisition of KVT-Fastening, and has headed these business units since 1st December 2012. He has been appointed to join the Group executive committee and will be responsible, in addition to his current managerial functions, for global category management.

Before joining Bossard, Frank Hilgers was a member of the KVT-Koenig management team in charge of sales, product management and the fastening systems division.

From 2007 to 2009 he was in charge of Continental’s spare parts business and key account management in the commercial and special vehicle segment. From 2004 to 2007, he headed group strategy and business development at Siemens VDO Automotive and was in this capacity instrumental in the turnaround and sale of this Siemens segment. As senior manager for strategy, Frank Hilgers was in charge of major international projects at Accenture from 1997 until 2004, and was responsible for automotive suppliers and the shareholder value initiative in the German-speaking countries.

FIXING your WORLD

C125 BIS

Hall 8

w w w. i n d e x f i x . c o m

NEWS

New MD and restructuring at FSL Aerospace FSL Aerospace Ltd has announced that Carly Prickett has taken over as managing director from her father Tim Halliday, the founder of the business.

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arly is taking over day-to-day running while Tim steps back and retires, taking the role of chairman and retaining ownership. Tim now feels that the supplier of aerospace fasteners needs the drive of a younger person to build on the strong foundations that have been laid. “I haven’t grown this business on my own. I’ve been the glue in the organisation and I have been surrounded by a fantastic team,” comments Tim. “Carly fills me with an overwhelming level of trust and I see a strength and passion for the business in her. She is the best person for the job and is fully committed to the FSL way of doing things. She will steer the company for the coming decades and beyond, and I have no doubt that she will build on the high

growth the company has experienced in recent years.”

Carly added: “I’m very fortunate; I love my job. This is an extremely well-run company and there are no grand plans to change direction. However, this is a time of change so I’ll be carefully managing the transition. I just want to get on with driving the business forward and focusing on continuous improvement to ensure we provide our clients with an even better level of service. I also aim for us to secure SC21 silver.”

Carly and Tim are in the process of completing a full restructure of the company. Working closely with Carly will be Richard Woodward who is promoted to general manager. Richard has been with the company for 27 years and has worked in most functions.

Rapid expansion for GWR GWR Fasteners Limited, a UK manufacturer of special fasteners and distributor of precision components and standard fasteners, has taken delivery of its third CNC machine in just 16 months.

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lthough it still distributes standard fasteners all over the world, the manufacturing arm of GWR has grown so quickly and to such an extent, the company took delivery of a third CNC machine to cope with the sheer workload.

GWR supplies special fasteners and precision components to a wide and varied customer base including to other fastener companies, precision engineering companies, the defence industry and model steam engine designers.

The company took delivery of its first machine in January 2014 but very quickly realised that the workload required a second machine, which it ordered in March 2014 and took delivery of in September of the same year. All machines have been financed with the help of Close Brothers Asset Finance and, as with the first machine, this third machine has been supported by the UK Government’s ‘regional growth fund’ thereby securing further employment for the region.

Gary Robinson, managing director, said: “When we took delivery of the first machine, we thought we would have just the one machine for quite a while. We soon realised that the demand was far greater than we could ever have imagined so we have taken decisions along the way to grow the company in-line with the demand for our expertise. We know we have yet to realise our potential and this is a very exciting time for us.”

Onwards for Victory UK-based Victory Fasteners Ltd has doubled its headquarters after just two and a half years in business.

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ounded by Vic Waddison and Allan Stennant, the UK manufacturer of high grade alloy and stainless steel fasteners has agreed a five year lease on a 5,027 square foot premises, which adjoins its current premises of the same size.

The expansion enables Victory Fasteners to install its own in-house machine shop, which has created two additional positions for Capstan machine operators. The expansion also means that it can take on a goods inwards operative, a quality inspector and a purchasing assistant, to complement its existing employees.

Vic Waddison, managing director at Victory, said: “An increase in demand for high-quality industrial fasteners both in the UK and overseas has led to us needing to double our stockholding space. By expanding the business, we are now in a stronger position to have a wider and deeper stock range that will service our existing customers and will also help us to attract new business.”

Victory Fasteners exports to 65 countries and uses 95% European manufactured stock from quality assured sources. Its wide range of products includes finished and semi-finished components.

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Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

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NEWS

Great day for golf!

The 8th Heinz Storch Memorial Fastbolt Golf Day, taking place at the stunning Mentmore Golf and Country Club, once again saw the fastener and fixing industry turn out in force to support a great cause.

D

espite forecasts of thunderstorms, the sun came out and stayed out for over 80 players, who had the treat of playing Mentmore’s tricky Rothschild course.

After enjoying 18 holes of golf, there was a dinner, award ceremony, and auction, which saw an outstanding GB£12,500 raised for Willen Hospice in Milton Keynes.

Here are a few of the pictures taken from what was once again a thoroughly worthwhile and enjoyable day.

Next year’s Heinz Storch Golf Day will take place at Aspley Guise and Woburn Sands Golf Club on Friday 17th June. www.fastbolt.com

The yellow ball competition, sponsored

by Fastener + Fixing Search, led to lots of searching in the long grass…

Winners: 1st Place in the team competition – Tom Kirk, Alan Gillespie, Tristan Gilbody and Andrew Hewitt from Francis Kirk Ltd/Philidas

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P E R S P E CT I V E

by Phil Matten, executive editor, Fastener + Fixing Magazine

Phil Matten reflects on some of the key topics currently involving the fastener industry Richard Hagan’s review of fastener company acquisitions (page 26) illustrates the consolidation the global fastener industry has been undergoing for some time. I would have added to the tally, Bossard’s growth through strategic acquisition and similarly well thought out acquisitions by Trifast Plc.

N

ow Optimas OE Solutions, previously Anixter’s fastener division, has been acquired

by AIP, an equity investor that will surely expect, and presumably be keen to facilitate, rapid growth over the coming five years. Difficult in today’s market to meet such levels of expectation through organic growth alone, so it seems realistic to expect strategic acquisitions before very long.

The obvious question is who will be the targets for acquisition by these expanding groups? Certainly in Europe many of the ripest targets are in stable family ownership and it is significant that several of the family companies purchased in recent years were facing some form of succession challenge.

Nevertheless, as Anders Karlsson commented at the recent EFDA Conference in Berlin ‘the big are getting and will continue to get bigger’.

This trend, surely, will only add to the challenges facing the many family owned businesses at the very heart of the European fastener industry.

Karlsson argued that these businesses

would need to specialise more and more. Clearly sound advice but the consolidation trend will also present greater challenges to businesses already coping with increased complexity; whether the technical and contractual demands of major customers, the burdens of regulation, or the sheer unpredictability of currency exchange.

In this context a recent discussion with Ramón Ceravalls, at the Grupo CELO headquarters near Barcelona, proved fascinating. Here is a family owned company, in business for more than fifty years, with a significant proportion of its revenue generated from one of the countries hardest hit by the 2008/9 crisis. A company, also, that has grown through both opportunist and strategic acquisitions.

The US Marines have the informal motto of ‘Improvise, adapt and overcome’. CELO demonstrates a strategic and pragmatic attitude to adaptation. Recognition of the need for change is combined with consistency to core values that have proven crucial

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in previous years and a clear vision of what the business should represent to all its stakeholders. The capability to improvise, not at first sight something that translates easily into the business world, is coming from a carefully thought-through development programme for all the people in the business, which should empower them to make knowledgeable day-to-day decisions consistent with the Group’s strategic needs.

The consolidation trend will inevitably continue. Will it accelerate and will all the acquisitions prove successful?

Many family owned fastener businesses look to be doing well right now and, as long as the succession path is there, may see little incentive to sell.

For acquirers success is clearly about ensuring a fit with their strategic objectives. It is also, though, about the ‘chemistry’ of the businesses, and it would not be the first time I have seen acquisitions turn rapidly into black holes, sucking so much management resource from the acquirer as to jeopardise its overall business.

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NORTH AMERICAN NEWS

by John Wolz, editor, GlobalFastenerNews.com

Hagan: Fastener company acquisitions jump during 2014 There were 41 fastener company acquisitions completed worldwide during 2014, making it the most active deal making year in the past seven years according to analyst Richard P. Hagan.

H

agan, president of Pinnacle Capital Corporation, told GlobalFastenerNews: “With so many sizeable and significant fastener deals completed during 2014, it was not easy selecting the ‘Top Ten’. The principal criteria we used for inclusion in this year’s list was the level of impact each deal is expected to have on the industry and marketplace. For example, we would typically consider a US$25 million (transaction value) deal involving the combination of two industry players to be more ‘significant’ than a US$100 million deal in which one private equity firm sold a fastener company to another private equity firm.”

Hagan counted 29 fastener company acquisitions in 2013; 31 during 2012; and 29 in 2011. He has compiled the Top Ten list since 1995.

2014 – Top ten deals of the year (Arranged in chronological order) 1. Jinhap Co Ltd of South Korea purchased Illinois-based Semblex Corp.

2. Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing LLC, a holding company for four manufacturers, acquired California-based Bristol Industries Inc. 3. Two French companies: LISI S.A purchased Manoir Aerospace SAS. 4. Italy’s Fontana Luigi SpA purchased Illinois-based worldwide Acument Global Technologies Inc. 5. New York City-based Monomoy Capital Management LP purchased Continental/Midland Group LLC, which operates plants in four US states.

6. Taiwan’s Boltun/QST Group purchased Germany’s ESKA Automotive GmbH. 7. China’s Shanghai Prime Machinery Co Ltd acquired Koninklijke Nedschroef Holding B.V of the Netherlands.

8. Ontario-based Acklands-Grainger Inc acquired WFS Enterprises Inc of Ontario.

9. First New York-based private equity firm Tenex Capital Management LP acquired Carlson Systems Holdings Inc of Nebraska and then Southern Fastening Systems Inc of Alabama.

10. Michigan-based TriMas Corp purchased Allfast Fastening Systems Inc of Southern California.

Additional information on all these deals is held in the Article Store at GlobalFastenerNews.com Richard P. Hagan can be contacted at: rphagan@Pinnaclecapitalcorp.com

US West Coast ports ‘slowly improving’ Fastener importers report US West Coast ports are receiving and moving goods, but are not yet fully recovered from the nine month slowdown which ended in late February 2015.

B

righton-Best International received more than 100 containers during the second week of April when it normally would process 40. “One hundred is not easy,” Peggy Hsieh said of the workload. “It is still not normal,” she observed, predicting it would be the end of summer before the ports are fully back on schedule.

Shipping companies and the 20,000 dockworkers for the 29 US West Coast ports reached a tentative labor deal in February, after negotiations since the dockworker contract expired in July 2014.

The International Longshore & Warehouse Union and the shippers’ bargaining agent, the Pacific Maritime Association, agreed to “fully restore all port operations” after US Labor Secretary Thomas Perez arrived in San Francisco to broker a compromise.

Brighton-Best President Jun Xu told GlobalFastenerNews that ports in Texas, Georgia and New Jersey helped pick up a portion

26

Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

of the slack. Xu noted the port slowdown affected the “entire US economy. Everyone got delays.”

“Slowly improving,” Chuck Smith of AZ Lifting Hardware told a Pac-West Fastener Association conference session. Craig Harper of WCL Company found the biggest problem during the slowdown to be the “uncertainty”. Inventory was sitting on ships with no schedule to get to the docks. “We had no idea whether it would be one week or three weeks,” Harper said during the Pac-West session. Suzanne Dukes of Hayes Bolt found the port slowdown to be an opportunity to communicate with customers. “Hopefully customers don’t often have need to talk to us,” Dukes said.

“This was an opportunity to go in to the customer and act as a consultant on sourcing.”

The bottom line is that the port slowdown never got bad enough to create “an emergency situation,” Peggy Hsieh summarized.

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NORTH AMERICAN NEWS

IFI picks Brahimi to succeed Greenslade as technology director After 45 years in the fastener industry, Joe Greenslade will retire at the end of 2015.

Salim Brahimi of IBECA Technologies Corp will succeed Greenslade as the Industrial Fasteners Institute director of engineering technology.

G

reenslade told the Southwestern Fastener Association he originally planned to work two more years, but decided he wants to spend more time with volunteer work. As a high school student he was not oriented toward going to college. The father of another student became a mentor and encouraged him to go. As Greenslade completed his degree at Texas A&M in 1970 he went to thank his mentor, who said helping someone else was the best way to say thanks.

Greenslade entered the fastener industry with Camcar-Textron and Rockford Headed Products and established his own dimensional calibration company, Greenslade & Co. He authored many articles and served on ASME B1 and B18, ASTM F16, as well as SAE and ISO fastener committees. Greenslade also helped with the US Fastener Quality Act and the Aerospace Screw Thread Conformity Task Forces and has been an A2LA board member.

In 2007 Greenslade sold his company and became the Industrial Fastener Institute’s director of technology. He led the process of converting traditional IFI Fastener Standards texts to online and developing the IFI Technology Connection, which provides fastener technical tools and support.

Greenslade expanded his volunteer mentoring work helping low socioeconomic students at his alma mater high school in Texas to apply to college and for financial aid. Now he is getting involved in setting up mentoring programs at other high schools.

Assisting high school students improve their circumstances through higher education “is the most rewarding thing I have ever done,” Greenslade told GlobalFastenerNews.

Brahimi, from Quebec-based IBECA, has been in the industry for 25 years. He is a licensed member of the Quebec Order of Profession Engineers and holds a master of materials engineering and a graduate diploma in management from McGill University – where he is completing a doctorate in fastener hydrogen embrittlement.

Brahimi is chair of the ASTM Committee F16 on Fasteners and received the Fred F. Weingruber Award from the F16 committee for “outstanding contributions to the development of fastener standards, especially in the field of hydrogen embrittlement”. He authored the first ASTM standard dealing specifically with electrodeposited coatings on fasteners and was chair of an ASTM task group on hydrogen embrittlement.

Brahimi also serves as head of the Canadian delegation to ISO Committee TC2 on Fasteners and vice chair of the Research Council on Structural Connections. He is a member of the SAE Fastener Committee and an instructor with the Fastener Training Institute. This year the IFI presented Brahimi with its ‘Soaring Eagle Technology Award’ for significant contributions to technological advancement of the industry.

The Industrial Fasteners Institute is an association of North American manufacturers of bolts, nuts, screws, rivets, pins, washers and custom formed parts. Suppliers of materials, machinery, equipment and engineering services are associate members of the IFI. There currently are 72 manufacturer members and 48 associate members.

World’s largest nut?

Packer Fasteners & Supply Inc has commissioned a 3.5 tonne, 10-foot tall hex nut for outside of its new Wisconsin headquarters: The nut may be the world’s largest.

P

acker founder, Terry Albrecht said the Guinness Book of World Records™ does not currently have a category for the world’s largest nut. “But they’re willing to open one up for us. It is indeed the world’s largest, but we don’t have the official Guinness stamp yet.”

The nut, fabricated by Robinson Metals Inc, will be mounted at South Ashland Avenue and Lombardi Avenue in Green Bay. Albrecht founded Packer Fasteners in 1998 and the distributorship has grown from 10 employees to 40 plus with locations in Green Bay, Appleton, Milwaukee and Wausau.

Neil VanLanen, operation Manager at Robinson, told the Press-Gazette Media he has done business with Packer Fasteners for years, so Albrecht’s idea didn’t really surprise them. “It came together really well,” VanLanen said. “It’s really what we do. And Terry, he’s an outgoing, charismatic guy who has been great to work with as both a customer and vendor throughout this process.”

It took Robinson five weeks to fabricate the 10-plus-foot, threaded hex nut from 3.5 tonnes of steel. “It’s hollow and mounted on a standard steel platform. That, in turn, will be mounted on a concrete pad in such a way that one can see Lambeau Field when standing in the center of it.’

Editor’s Note: GlobalFastenerNews published this as part of its Media Spotlight section, which includes excerpts from other publications and shows what the public is reading about the fastener industry.

28

Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

FDI dips in May as sales decline The Fastener Distributor Index remained above the 50 baseline point in May, dipping slightly to a seasonally adjusted reading of 51, down from 52.1 in April.

T

he sales index dropped 15.3% to 53.7, while employment edged down 1.1% to 53.7. After rising in April, pricing month-to-month in May declined 4.8% to 50, while year-to-year pricing fell 14.8% to 68.5. In April, the FDI grew 3.8%, with the sales index up 15.3% to 69, while employment gained 1.1% to 54.8.

About 44% of distributors reported a “higher” outlook for the next six months, while 37% anticipate the “same” results and 19% predict “lower” returns.

The FDI and Pricing are diffusion indexes based on data supplied by FCH Sourcing Network. The monthly FDI is a joint production of FCH Sourcing Network and the National Fastener Distributors Association.

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Innovative SNAKE plug Europartner has launched a patented non-metallic nail plug, marketed in two forms, under the SNAKE brand – which is manufactured in its plant in St. Petersburg.

S

NAKE SG is made from glass-filled polypropylene and is suitable for interior applications within a temperature range of -5ºC to +30ºC. SNAKE SB is produced from glass-filled DuPont nylon and is for external work, capable of withstanding temperatures ranging from -40ºC to +100ºC. The products can be hammered into a pre-drilled hole in concrete, brick or natural stone replacing a stud with a metal nail. For dismantling, the head of the SNAKE is simply cut off. Europartner sees the main advantages of SNAKE as simplifying installation, with its 3D bending profile increasing bonding and a wide flange providing effective pressure.

Europartner was established in 2001 as SORMAT OST, with product licensed from SORMAT OY in Finland. Within ten years the plant was producing 370 million pieces of nylon fixing hardware on technically advanced Engel moulding machinery. By 2010 the company had also resourced to DUPONT and BASF polyamide raw materials. In 2011 the company was renamed Europartner and in 2013 it began selling products manufactured in a Europartner plant in France.

BelZAN starts producing aviation fasteners At Fastener Fair Russia 2015 the BelZAN Company presented new types of fasteners from stainless steel and titanium alloy at its booth.

T

imur Galiakhmetov, director for technical development of BelZAN, presented a detailed report on the development of fastener production from stainless steel, titanium and heat resistant alloys at the ‘Fasteners. Quality and responsibility’ conference staged within the framework of the Fastener Fair Russia exhibition.

BelZAN is now licensed to carry out all the necessary production stages for aviation fasteners, including development of engineering and production documentation for aviation equipment, production and testing of components for aviation.

For 2015 BelZAN is projecting sales of RUB 4 billion (approximately 64 million euros), increased from RUB 3.3 billion in 2014 and is aiming to almost double its net profit to RUB 29.44 million. BelZAN reckons to hold a 50% market share of the Russian automotive fastener sector with about 60% of its production going to AvtoVAZ and KAMAZ. In its annual report it confirmed it had signed a contract to supply a Japanese manufacturer of braking and fuel systems, as well as engine parts for Federal Mogul. It is reportedly in negotiations to supply the Tikhvin Rail Carriage Plant and Nissan/Renault operations in Russia.

30

Hilti launches educational programmes in Russia This year Hilti has offered Russian specialists various forms of educational programmes, providing information on innovative solutions in the construction industry.

T

he most widespread form is a webinar. Engineering support, provided to customers and prospective customers, notably emphasises Hilti among other providers of fasteners and tools operating in the Russian market. Hilti experts also take an active part in the updating of the Russian normative base for construction.

National standard for anchors being developed A national standard ‘Anchors for fastening in concrete.

Testing methods’ is currently being developed.

T

he project was introduced by the Technical Committee for Standardisation TK 465 ‘Construction’ of Rosstandard.

The developer of the standard is the open joint-stock company ‘Science and Research Center Construction’ – the science and research institute of reinforced concrete named after A.A. Gvozdev.

The document is interrelated with an international analogue: ETAG 001 – metallic anchors for concrete. Part 1 – Part 4.

Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

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ASIAN NEWS

Sumeeko gains strong profits Publicly quoted Sumeeko Industries Co Ltd expects to perform well after the capacity expansion in its Pingtung plant in Southern Taiwan.

S

umeeko expects compound annual growth at 20.7% from 2014 to 2016. In April Sumeeko’s stock rose to TW$132, the highest recorded since October 2014.

Specialised in automotive fasteners, Sumeeko’s revenue in the month of March reached TW$120 million (3.5 million euros), representing year-on-year growth of 35%.

Sumeeko’s further benefited from Tesla Motors Inc’s report of a new record level of car delivery in the first Quarter. In 2014 Sumeeko delivered around 70 types of fasteners to Tesla, which accounted for 4% of Sumeeko’s total revenue. Telsa’s proportion

in Sumeeko’s revenue is expected to increase again to an estimated 10% for the year 2015.

Sumeeko was also reported to have won new orders from General Motors North America for weld nuts used for chassis.

Sumeeko delivered the nuts in small lots during last December and this February. The delivery in the second Quarter is expected to grow and turn even stronger in the second half of the year.

Although succeeding in acquiring certification to supply, Sumeeko says early stage order values are quite small but it is optimistic for longer-term growth.

Source: Fastener World Magazine

Boltun seeks higher added value and enters aerospace market To avoid over concentration on the development of automotive products Boltun Corporation has, with the guidance of Taiwan’s Industrial Development Bureau, initiated a project to build up manufacturing of superalloy fasteners and gain certification to NADCAP, in order to enter the field of aerospace fastener development.

I

n addition, supported by a Taiwan Industrial Development Bureau project promoting the renewable energy industry, Boltun has won another opportunity to supply fasteners installed on large wind power generators.

It has also been planning to enter the market for small wind power generators aimed at creating more green energy businesses.

Source: Fastener World Magazine

Oriental Bluesky helps China-made aircrafts fly high Oriental Bluesky Titanium Technology Co Ltd says it is the first Chinese fastener company approved to supply fasteners used on C919, a new aircraft developed by a Chinese company.

O

riental Bluesky has been registered into the supplier list for commercial flight and can thus provide products and service to various large sized aircrafts.

C919 is the first large sized aircraft for commercial service 100% designed and produced in China. Flight tests are expected this year with the first batch of aircraft going into service in 2018.

The assembly of a C919 needs over 1.8 million fasteners including over 200,000 Ti-alloy fasteners. When the capacity of Oriental Bluesky for manufacturing Ti-alloy fasteners is fully utilised, approximately 4 million high-end fasteners will be produced every year, satisfying around 30% of the total demand of Chinese market for aviation and aerospace fasteners.

“At the inception of the company, Oriental Bluesky focused on the development of products used for C919. Now it has been able to produce 70% of all the fasteners used on C919,” said Xin Wang. “Such a result is not only favourable to the acceleration of the development programme of big planes made in China but also helps promote Chinese brands through providing service to the development of satellites and rockets, as well as project cooperation with domestic Chinese leading universities.”

Source: Fastener World Magazine

32

Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

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ASIAN NEWS

China’s fastener import and export in 2014 According to China’s customs statistics, China exported 2.778 billion tonnes (US$5.07 billion) of fasteners in the 12 months of 2014. The ‘Top 5’ export destinations were the USA, Japan, Russia, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

Statistics of China’s fastener export in 2014 Country/Region

Volume (kg)

Value (US$)

USA

660,119,935

1,059,124,872

Japan

145,808,632

309,843,515

Russia

207,015,039

270,495,746

Hong Kong

35,199,606

185,606,382

South Korea

107,191,848

169,643,070

Germany

76,149,329

147,936,300

Australia

73,065,304

145,851,180

United Arab Emirates

86,273,515

134,137,033

Vietnam

35,672,424

132,629,612

Singapore

47,254,140

115,493,996

2,778,854,892

5,070,198,998

Total export

In 2014, China imported 309.4 million tonnes (US$3.298 billion) of fasteners. The ‘Top 5’ import origins were Japan, Germany, South Korea, the USA, and Hong Kong.

Statistics of China’s fastener import in 2014 Country/Region

Volume (kg)

Value (US$)

Japan

91,717,244

883,389,055

Germany

64,156,733

681,046,901

South Korea

48,404,916

347,664,355

USA

14,563,636

272,643,481

9,036,859

235,236,717

Taiwan

25,016,530

192,877,848

France

10,947,756

149,913,786

Italy

13,321,072

103,283,418

Other countries

5,478,916

60,973,487

Malaysia

1,013,742

50,989,806

309,392,780

3,297,788,226

Hong Kong

Total import

Source: Fastener World Magazine

34

Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

TIFI warns on anti-dumping circumvention Commenting on the EU’s decision to extend anti-dumping measures on certain iron and steel fasteners originating in China, the chairman of the Taiwanese Industrial Fastener Institute called on its members to ensure they avoided involvement in transhipment of Chinese-made fasteners.

F

astener World magazine reported an April statement from TIFI chairman, T. H. Chang, calling on industrial peers and traders not to get involved in the transhipment of China-made products and not to illegally label products made in China as ‘Made in Taiwan’ when they are in fact semi-finished products imported to be treated with secondary processing. Fastener World says: “Such illegal behaviour may trap the Taiwanese fastener industry in the mud of anti-dumping measures.”

TIFI immediately notified over 600 companies and traders of the EU’s determination in order to protect members’ interests. TIFI also reminded Taiwanese companies to ensure they have documents regarding origins of products in hand at all times when they export fasteners, in case they face investigation regarding fastener dumping and circumvention.

Fastener World does, however, note that the announcement of the anti-dumping measures is favourable to the business expansion of Taiwanese companies such as Chun Yu Group and TYCOONS Corporation into the European market. These companies amongst many others consider Europe to be one of their most important sales markets.

About 30% of Chun Yu current sales were generated from Europe and Germany is TYCOONS most important market.

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ASIAN NEWS

Shanghai Prime Machinery acquires 70% of Shanghai Tianhong Following the signature of an investment agreement by the company, its main stakeholders, and Shanghai Tianhong, Shanghai Prime Machinery Co Ltd (PMC) announced it had acquired 70% of Tianhong’s shares from seven stakeholders for CNY 20.37 million (approximately 3 million euros).

S

hanghai Tianhong specialises in the R&D, production, and sales of aerospace bearings. PMC said that Tianhong has technical and market resources in the aerospace and medical sectors, which the acquisition will allow PMC to share and which can help it swiftly enter the medical machine market, widen its market range, advance the techniques and after-sale service, and strengthen its profitability.

Source: Fastener World Magazine

Quintain Steel to start fastener production At a shareholder meeting in June, Quintain Steel Co Ltd reached a unanimous decision to cut investment capital by 15% and to enter the field of fastener production in order to expand its business.

Q

uintain Steel Co Ltd plans to produce 4,000 – 5,000 tonnes of fasteners per month, equating to TW$2 billion – TW$3 billion annual revenue. The president told shareholders: “Because of excessive supply in wire rod, galvanised steel wire, and spheroidised materials, and long-term weak steel prices, the company reported a deficit for three consecutive years.

The company will recover business by reducing investment capital.”

For 2014 the company reported a deficit of TW$677 million (19.7 million euros). Investment capital following the 15% reduction will be around TW$3.27 billion (95.18 million euros). The shareholders agreed the proposal and decided to invest in a fastener factory to tap into the success of the fastener market.

Source: Fastener World Magazine

CEO Fastener Summit attracts 200 attendees As part of the 2015 Fastener Expo Shanghai, Chinafastener.com presented its second CEO Fastener Summit at the Honta Luxury Collection Hotel, in Shanghai on 26th June.

F

eng Jin Yao, president of the China Fastener Industry Association and CEO of Shanghai SQB Automotive Fasteners Ltd, focused his presentation on ‘Made in China 2025 – opportunities for the Chinese fastener industry’.

Lee Youlong, CEO of Seoul Metal Co Ltd, spoke about his ‘Smart Factory’, which specialises in precision electronic screws.

Li Jiansheng, e-coat engineering director of PPG Coatings (Tianjin) Co Ltd, spoke on: ‘Guidelines for fastener surface treatment under strict environmental protection policy’.

Anton Schwer, CEO of Schwer + Kopka GmbH, Germany, focused on how the traditional fastener industry needs to look forward to the era of intellectualisation.

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Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

Jun Xu, CEO of Brighton-Best International (BBI) in the United States, reflected on BBIs last five years of development, the company’s core products and the possible future footprint for the fastener industry.

Two hundred senior delegates attended the CEO Summit, from America, Brazil, Belgium, the UK, India, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, as well as China and Taiwan. Yang Junfeng, CEO of Chinafastener.com acted as the special host for the summit.

The sixth Fastener Expo Shanghai ran for three days in Halls 1 and 2 of the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre. 750 exhibiting companies occupied exhibition space of 42,000 square metres.

Source: Chinafastener.com

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

Back to the fastener game?

Despite the positive image in the last few years, as an emergent nation and member of the BRICS economies, and with a promising future ahead, in Brazil many local industries have lost local market share, mainly due to the high production costs seen as the result of low US dollar rates.

T

his weakening of production, though, has other origins: The infrastructure deficit, as well as high taxation rates and expensive finance amongst others. However, after more than a decade the dollar has practically doubled in value since the end of last year, giving a new breath to national fasteners players, and bringing them ‘back to the game’.

During the previous decade fastener imports increased dramatically but this did have a very good side, forcing many companies to ‘awaken’ in the face of this unfair competition. Imports will continue to be widespread but local products can at least retrieve some market share. On the other side the supply chain can increase sales, for automatic machines, tooling and equipment, since local production of these products is almost non-existant.

New SINPA president takes up post As was previously reported in this column, after fourteen years the presidency of SINPA, the Brazilian syndicate of fastener manufacturers, has changed.

L

ong serving president, Mr José Gianesi Sobrinho (Nylok Brazil) passed the post to Mr Paulo Roberto Solimeo (Fontana Group/Acument), during a ceremony in São Paulo, on 19th April 2015 (pictured).

Solimeo will have a great challenge going forward, mainly because manufacturing production in Brazil is weakening, with many local industries, including fasteners, affected. Mr Solimeo outlined some of his goals: To increase the number of companies associated with the institution and to improve relations with the supply chain, especially the steel companies. He also spoke about bringing Brazilian fastener companies closer together, seeking to strengthen SINPA through the promotion of meetings, workshop and courses. He also recognised the importance of Mr Gianesi’s period of presidency and recognised the many achievements during it.

Surface treatment forum and show

Mercedes-Benz recalls Smart cars

Despite a few being shaken by the fall in automotive sector sale, EBRATS staged its 2015 edition in April.

From the end of May, Mercedes-Benz started a recall programme involving 195 units of Smart models – MHD Coupé, Turbo and Cabrio – produced between January and August last year.

O

rganised by ABTS (the local association of surface treatment) the event had many visitors, divided among representatives agents of several sectors, especially automakers and auto parts, fastener manufacturers, and other businesses closely involved in the development and usage of anti-corrosive protection and decorative coatings.

The opening ceremony included presentations from Antônio C. Sobrinho and Wilma Ayako (ABTS), as well as Brazilian speaker Luiz Marins. They spoke about the market size and the many opportunities that existed in the country. The speakers also emphasised that market oscillations were natural and that the way to get out of the troubles rested with Brazilian companies and not by waiting for solutions from the government.

38

Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

T

he recall was reported to be due to the potential for a fastener related defect to generate a failure in the steering box.

The Mercedes-Benz announcement referred to the possibility of loosening of fasteners that secure the steering box, causing misalignment and loss of driveability.

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C O V E R S TO R Y

Eurotec is evolving Since its foundation in 1999, Eurotec GmbH has gone through a vast transformation that has seen it not only establish itself as a distributor of innovative fastening products, but also become a manufacturer for its most popular wood construction screws.

N

ow the company is looking to further expand its manufacturing capabilities and firmly establish itself as a manufacturer and distributor that can supply the complete service.

“We initially thought about adding a production capability to the company in 2012,” explains Markus Rensburg, managing director and founder of Eurotec GmbH. “By introducing production at our headquarters in Hagen, Germany, we could increase the quality of our wood construction screw range, as well as improve the delivery times to our customers.”

By 2013 Eurotec had added a production hall to its current site and its first machine was up and running. The

40

company focused on wood construction screws between 6mm and 10mm, with lengths greater than 160mm. Its remaining products are still sourced globally – with 50% – 60% of its products coming from Europe – due to the quality of products demanded by the company.

After two years of successful production, the company is already planning on adding further machinery to increase production, as well as looking to develop the range that it can produce. “We have recently installed another machine and we are already considering additional machines for the future,” mentions Markus. “We needed a new machine because the time required to change machine set-ups for each diameter was too long and would

Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

stop production whilst the necessary changes were being made. By introducing an extra machine we can have one focused on wood constructions screws with a diameter of 6mm – 8mm and another focused on 8mm – 10mm, as well as larger sizes if requested.”

The machines that Eurotec has introduced are no ordinary machines.

They are custom-made in Germany to the company’s demanding requirements and combine the processes of three or four machines into one. Operations carried out by the customised machines include cutting of the wire; the head being punched; the recess being punched; and the threads being added. The newly introduced machine even offers the option of two separate thread areas on one piece – helping to increase production, as there is no need for any secondary operations.

Markus is clear that the production aspect of the business is an area he plans to develop further. “As a company we have always been known for innovation and we are always researching methods that will enable us to continue to improve and evolve as a company. We currently produce wood screws with a length above 160mm, but for our next machine we

are researching the options available for shorter length screws from 50mm up to 120mm. In the future we will also look to develop new ranges and products that we can produce in Hagen, which will require more machinery.”

To accommodate the new machinery, as well as the other elements involved in the production process, Eurotec is already looking at expanding its production facilities. “Due to the success of the production department and the introduction of the new machinery, we are running out of space,” says Markus.

“Because of this we have started discussions about acquiring new land next to our current location to build a second production hall.”

In addition to the development of its production department, which has been a resounding success, Eurotec has also had to evolve its distribution capabilities.

“We currently have two stock halls with 11,000 pallet spaces,” points out Markus.

“However, in Q2 of 2014 we had our busiest ever Quarter, which resulted in us reaching the absolute capacity limit in our dispatch department. It was only for a few days and did not affect any orders, but it gave us an insight into the future and what steps we need to take to ensure that our stock system is able to handle the increasing order volume.”

Eurotec analysed its warehouse procedures and completely restructured the stock halls. This involved streamlining the entire process and relocating approximately 2,500 pallets – which resulted in a more effective flow of products from incoming goods to outgoing. “We optimised every process,” says Markus. “We changed the structure and layout of the stock halls to create

more space and to also make the operating procedures more efficient.

We also enlarged the area of picking; introduced new picking trucks – which enabled picking up to the seventh level of racking; as well as introduced the ABC classification process, which we used in tandem with our barcode system for better storage of products and an improved picking process.”

Whilst this reorganisation has led to an improvement in its logistics process, Eurotec is planning to introduce a third stock hall in the coming years, so that the storage capacity can continue to expand alongside the production capabilities.

“With logistics you have to be fast and get the products to the customers as soon as possible. In the next 2 or 3 years we will have further demand for new pallet places and it is vital that we anticipate those needs now,” states Markus.

A key part in the stock growth will be the introduction of Eurotec’s new range of concrete fixing products. “Today we are a specialist for wood screws, but our target over the next 3 to 4 years is to increase our market for concrete fixings,” mentions Markus. “We are working on introducing 5 or 6 concrete fixing products and have been working on a ETA. It has been a very

long process, but we are getting closer and closer.”

He adds: “We want to supply products that are the very highest quality and conform to the relevant regulations and accreditations. However, it is also important that we only develop products where there is a demand.”

To ensure that it is supplying the products that its different markets need, Eurotec has systematically introduced new sales people to target key countries. “Our plan is to have sales people in as many countries as possible,” explains Markus.

“It is essential that you understand what each market needs and that you are providing the right products at a competitive price. It is only by having experienced and knowledgeable sales staff that you can provide the products and services that customers are demanding.”

It is clear from speaking to Markus that there is a determination and focus in optimising and constantly evolving the service Eurotec can provide its customers.

The success of its production department, as well as the continued commitment to answering the needs of the market with innovative fastening technology, has seen a meteoric rise for the company, which shows no signs of stopping.

Markus concludes: “We look to provide a complete service to our customers.

We are always searching for new opportunities in the market and how we can improve our service. It is a competitive market but you need that competition as it focuses the mind and ensures that you are always looking to optimise.” www.e-u-r-o-tec.de

www.fastenerandfixing.com

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EVENTS CALENDAR

National Industrial Fastener & Mill Supply Expo Where: Las Vegas, USA When: 21 Oct – 23 Oct 2015 Web: www.fastenershows.com What: Fasteners, machinery formed parts, tooling and packaging.

Taiwan Hardware Show

STAFDA’s Annual Convention & Trade Show

Where: Taichung, Taiwan When: 12 Oct – 14 Oct 2015 Web: www.hardwareshow.com.tw What: Tools, building materials/DIY and houseware products.

Where: Phoenix, USA When: 8 Nov – 10 Nov 2015 Web: www.stafda.org What: Speciality tools and fasteners.

SAIE 2015

Elmia Subcontractor

Where: Bologna, Italy When: 14 Oct – 17 Oct 2015 Web: www.saie.bolognafiere.it What: Building technology, systems and machines.

China International Hardware Show Where: Shanghai, China When: 21 Oct – 23 Oct 2015 Web: www.hardwareshow-china.com What: Tools, security systems, locks, DIY and

building hardware fair.

PTC – Asia Where: Shanghai, China When: 27 Oct – 30 Oct 2015 Web: www.ptc-asia.com What: Trade fair for power transmission and control.

BATIMAT Where: Paris, France When: 2 Nov – 6 Nov 2015 Web: www.batimat.com What: Building exhibition.

Where: Jönköping, Sweden When: 10 Nov – 13 Nov 2015 Web: www.elmia.se/en/subcontractor/ What: For subcontractors and suppliers within the

engineering industry.

MIDEST Where: Paris, France When: 17 Nov – 20 Nov 2015 Web: www.midest.com What: Subcontracting and services for the processing

of metals, plastics, electronics and electricity.

Intersolar India Where: Mumbai, India When: 18 Nov – 20 Nov 2015 Web: www.intersolar.in What: Exhibition for the Indian solar industry.

The Big 5 Where: Dubai, UAE When: 23 Nov – 26 Nov 2015 Web: www.thebig5.ae What: International building and construction show.

AAPEX 2015

Construct Canada

Where: Las Vegas, USA When: 3 Nov – 5 Nov 2015 Web: www.aapexshow.com What: Automotive aftermarket products exhibition.

Where: Toronto, Canada When: 2 Dec – 4 Dec 2015 Web: www.constructcanada.com What: Building and construction exhibition.

42

Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

EXHIBITIONS

Success for new look FERROFORMA More than 18,500 trade specialists visited the new look FERROFORMA and co-located industrial trade shows SUBCONTRATACIÓN, FITMAQ, PUMPS & VALVES and MAINTENANCE – which were brought together to provide new opportunities and enable exhibitors to reach new customers, identify needs in new markets, and interact with leading players in their industries.

H

eld simultaneously, spanning across four halls, the five shows were held at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre, Spain, on 26th – 29th May. FERROFORMA – the international hardware, DIY and industrial supplies fair – occupied two halls and was divided into two sections: Industry and Home.

The Industry section featured industrial supplies, hand and portable power tools, locksmithery, woodworking machinery, protective equipment and construction supplies. The Home section featured locksmithery, lighting and small-scale electrical material, bathroom and plumbing, hardware, and automotive DIY products.

Participation of foreign exhibitors at FERROFORMA increased this year, with 355 exhibitors from 25 countries including Germany, Denmark, France, Sweden, Portugal, Turkey, and the UK. Fastener exhibitors showcasing their products included Ambrovit SpA, BRALO S.A, Chavesbao – Chaves Bilbao S.A, Fabory Spain, Ferruxe Zeltia International Inemer Spain, Fijaciones NORMA S.A.U, Remaches Tudela S.L, Rosmil Industrial S.A, VIPA Hispania S.L, and WEICON GmbH & Co KG. Also exhibiting, for the second time, was HEICO Fasteners S.A showcasing its HEICO-LOCK® Wedge Lock Nut – a user-friendly bolt securing system for the most demanding of applications.

Eduardo Cuadrado, commercial director at HEICO, commented: “This year we had a very positive show. There was more activity and business taking place and we recorded some quality visitors and leads who we are confident will become new customers.”

Returning exhibitor BRALO also noted a change in visitors.

Raquel Rincón, marketing manager at BRALO, explained: “BRALO has participated at FERROFORMA for the last 22 years, and we are satisfied with the results of this year’s fair. We also noticed that there was an improvement in the relationships

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Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

between exhibitors and final users due to the B2B meetings and seminars. The Spanish market is recovering slowly from the recession and sales are improving.”

The B2B meetings and seminars were introduced for the first time this year, which saw interested exhibitors hold private meetings with foreign purchasers and VIP visitors. At the end of the show, a total of 1,200 meetings had taken place. Arrate Tellaetxe Riaño, director of FERROFORMA, explained: “Until this year, FERROFORMA was very much focused on the hardware industry and was purely a distribution fair. We found there were many exhibitors who were open to meeting industrial producers across many of the key industries in Spain, including aerospace, automotive, and rail. Holding the five shows together, along with the programme of B2B meetings, has enabled FERROFORMA to attract new visitors.”

Visitors to the show came from a range of countries including Cyprus, Mexico, Egypt, Turkey, Portugal, Argentina, France, the USA, Brazil, Canada, Thailand, Chile, and New Zealand.

During the show, two official receptions were held featuring addresses by Cristina Campo, head of visitors at the BEC, and Elene Cepeda, head of Eskuin – the Hardware and Industrial Supplies Cluster. Elene Cepeda presented facts and figures on the trade show and an update on the Spanish DIY and hardware sector. Elene announced that the 31 member firms of the cluster, which includes BRALO S.A, invoiced a total of 318 million euros in 2014, and are expected to increase their turnover by approximately 5% this year.

The next edition of FERROFORMA will once again take place at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre alongside the four other industrial shows on 23rd – 26th May 2017.

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Positive results from Fastener Fair India The third edition of Fastener Fair India, held from 23rd – 24th April 2015 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai, attracted 4,181 visitors; an increase of 17.5% from the previous show.

F

astener Fair India showcased a comprehensive range of industrial fasteners and fixings, assembly and installation systems, storage and logistics services, fastener manufacturing technology and construction fixings.

The two day event included 128 exhibitors, covering a net exhibition space of 1,500m2, with the majority of exhibitors Indian-based companies. Other exhibiting countries included Germany, Italy, Malaysia, China, the USA and Taiwan.

Organiser Inter-Ads Brooks Exhibitions (India) Pvt Ltd reported that the overall impression and feedback from the visitors and exhibitors was extremely positive. 89% of the visitors to the exhibition were company owners or had buying and specifying responsibilities. The show also attracted visitors from many key industry sectors: 21% of the visitors were distributors, wholesalers or resellers. Visitors from mechanical engineering (18%), automotive industry (13%), hardware/DIY retailing (9%), electrical products/domestic appliances (6%), were also in attendance.

“Visitors echoed what many economic forecasters have said in recent years – that India, as a growing economy, has huge potential for businesses from around the world.

The top-level management visitors left the trade show with a better understanding of the global fastener and fixing market and knowledge of the latest industry offerings.”

2016 Fastener Fair India in Delhi Inter-Ads Brooks Exhibitions (India) Pvt Ltd has announced that it will now hold Fastener Fair India as a yearly event in various industrial hubs within the country.

The next Fastener Fair India will take place from 19th – 20th May 2016 at the Pragati Maidan Exhibition Centre in New Delhi, with the intention of returning to Mumbai in 2017.

“The overwhelming number of visitors to Fastener Fair India 2015, ensured that exhibitors were delighted with the business they did from start to finish. A face-to-face survey was held on the show floor, with 97% of exhibitors expressing high-levels of satisfaction, with the business they had conducted during the show. Furthermore, there was significant interest in establishing an annual event for the industry in India.” www.fastenerfair.com

EXHIBITIONS

FASTENERS MEETALY 2015: Challenge the future UPIVEB (Italian Association of Fastener Manufacturers), in cooperation with the main sponsors – Banca Mediolanum SpA, Carlo Salvi SpA, Editoriale U.P.I.V.E.B. Srl, NOF Metal Coatings Group, Ori Martin SpA, Sacma SpA and Voestalpine AG – has launched FASTENERS MEETALY 2015: Challenge the future – the first World Congress fully dedicated to analysing the future of the fastener world.

F

ASTENER MEETALY 2015 is planned for 14th September 2015 in Milan, during EXPO 2015: The biggest universal exhibition in Italy from the 1st May until st 31 October 2015.

For six months Milan is going to become a showcase where all countries will show the best of technologies created to give a real answer to the future. The event has been intentionally planned in this atmosphere, where Italy will be under the world’s spotlight to emphasise the concept of ‘Made in Italy’ and ‘Italian Talent’.

Challenge the future: New trends and possible impact on the fastener market Several outstanding speakers of an international standing will alternate during the conference, giving their thoughts and opinions on not only the fastener industry, but also on topical themes that influence a variety of industries, such as the building industry and the automotive industry.

FASTENERS MEETALY will focus on key topics such as: What does the future hold for the fastener industry in a world that is quickly changing? What will the companies of the future be? And based on the theme of EXPO 2015, where will the increasing development of ‘vertical cities’ lead?

500 guests from all over the world will come together at the conference. Industries covered will include manufacturers, distributors and satellite activities from the fastener sector and the bolt sector, as well as the automotive industry and major public works industry.

Attendance to the conference is free of charge, but numbers will be restricted. To record your interest visit the pre-registration section of the FASTENERS MEETALY website. www.fastenersmeetaly.com

48

FASTENERS MEETALY Agenda Date: Monday 14th September 2015 Venue: Atahotel Expo Fiera, Milan Moderator: Silvia Vianello – Marketing Professor Sda Bocconi 8:30 – 9:00

Registration and welcome coffee

9:00 – 9:10

Opening speech by UPIVEB Sergio Pirovano – president of UPIVEB

9:15 – 9:35

World of fastener analysis Enio Fontana – vice president of EIFI • Market size.

• Demand/supply by regions/industry/products.

• Supplier structure.

9:35 – 10:00

Future automotive supply chain challenges Andrea Marinoni – Roland Berger Strategy Consultants • Overview.

• Short-term challenge.

• Long-term challenge.

• Key actions for automotive suppliers.

10:00 – 10:25

Engines downsizing Andrew Brumley – Ford Engineering • Short-term challenge.

• Long-term challenge.

10:25 – 11:00

The banking system in support of future industry Cav. Lav. Ennio Doris – president of Banca Mediolanum SpA

11:00 – 11:30

Coffee break

11:30 – 11:55

The use of steel in construction and sustainable structural links Massimo Majowiecki – professor of structural architecture University Of Bologna • The vertical city.

11:55 – 12:20

Sustainability of food of the future Michele Rossi – CNH Industrial • Relationship between productivity of the land and machines used (sustainable agriculture).

• Agriculture and earthmoving.

• Operator and mechanisation impact on eco systems.

12:20 – 12:45

Connectivity and convergence Bernhard Gehlert – vice president diesel systems vacuum and hydraulic products – finance and controlling of Bosch Group • Convergence of technologies, products and industries.

• Connected devices.

• Connected cars – ADAS. • Connected mobility.

12:45 – 13:00

Highlights of the morning Paolo Pozzi – chairman of EIFI Automotive Group

13:00 – 14:30

Lunch buffet

14:30 – 16:00

Open discussion Participants – presidents of the world fastener manufacturer associations, entrepreneurs and bankers.

Topics: • How will the fastener industry change between now and 2025?

• How can we improve the fastener supply chain to meet the • needs of the larger users?

• Do you think the fastener will still be a sensitive product for the automotive sector?

• Do you think the fastener sector will be a source of investment, acquisitions, etc?

16:30 – 17:00

Highlights and thanks Sergio Pirovano – president of UPIVEB

17:00 – 18:30

Drinks reception

18:30

Guests depart

Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

EXHIBITIONS

2015 Vegas Fastener Expo expects full house

The 35th National Industrial Fastener & Mill Supply Expo scheduled for 21st – 23rd October 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada, continues to grow both vertically and horizontally as it adds new core products and services as well as more variety in an ever-changing global marketplace.

O

rganisers of the National Industrial Fastener & Mill Supply Expo have reported that 761 exhibit booths have already been sold to 567 companies from throughout the US and 11 other nations around the world including Canada, China, Germany, India, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Spain, Taiwan, and Turkey.

Susan Hurley, the expo general manager, comments: “Well over two thirds of our 2014 exhibiting companies have renewed their space for this year, plus we have gained 48 new companies and continue receiving new exhibit space applications regularly.

We are delighted with the continuing growth of the Machinery & Tooling World area as well as the addition of more and more mill supply companies offering products of interest to today’s multi-line distributors. Whether you are at the Expo to buy, sell, learn, or network, it is the best place to be.”

A complete alphabetical listing of exhibiting companies can be found on the show website.

The conference There will be a full day conference programme on Wednesday 21st October featuring topics of vital, current interest, as well as valuable training and informative meetings offered by the Pacific-West Fastener Association, Fastener Training Institute, National Fastener Industry Financial Manager Network, Manufacturers’ Agents National Association, Women in the Fastener Industry, and Young Fastener Professionals group.

“Continuing education and sharing of timely information has always been an important part of our Expo,” say Jim Bannister and Mike McGuire, general partners.

Welcome Reception The ever popular and heavily attended Wednesday evening ‘Welcome Reception’ will be held in an exciting new poolside location at Treasure Island, where a festive environment will complement the tasty appetisers and open bar hosted by Expo Management. As always, this fun-filled party is open free of charge to all Expo exhibitors and registered attendees wearing their 2015 badge.

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Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

The ‘Hall of Fame’ There will be a private Fastener Expo ‘Hall of Fame’ reception held Wednesday evening at Treasure Island’s Kahunaville tropical restaurant immediately prior to the ‘Welcome Reception’.

The 2015 honorees are Virgil Lindstrom, chairman Emeritus of Lindstrom Metric Inc, and Robert Shieh, chairman/CEO of Brighton-Best International and founder/CEO of the Ta Chen Group. Invitations to this prestigious event will be personally extended to family and friends by the honourees.

Dates and times The National Industrial Fastener & Mill Supply Expo will be open from 9:00 – 16:00, Thursday 22nd October, and from 9:00 – 13:00, Friday 23rd October, at the Sands Expo & Convention Center. An estimated 5,000 fastener distributors, importers, manufacturers, manufacturer’s reps, independent sales agents, the industry media, and others – from 35 or more countries worldwide – are expected to attend.

Milan to welcome Fastener Fair Italy 2016 Mack Brooks Exhibitions Ltd has announced that MiCo – Milano Congressi – is to be the venue for next year’s Fastener Fair Italy exhibition. The event will take place in the city on 28th – 29th September 2016.

L

ocating the exhibition in Milan will bring the very latest in fastener and fixing products and systems to the heart of Italy’s manufacturing sector, which accounts for around one quarter of national GDP. Providing participating companies with an international business platform, the exhibition will attract visiting managers, engineers and buyers from their key markets. These are expected to include machinery and electrical equipment manufacturing, transport technologies, furniture, consumer goods production and high-tech industries. Specialist distributors of fastener and fixing products will also visit the show.

MiCo is the ideal venue for Fastener Fair Italy. One of the largest and most modern exhibition and conference centres in Europe, it is conveniently located in central Milan, with excellent transport links, a large amount of on-site car parking and a wide range of local hotels and other facilities.

“This event in Milan will provide a great opportunity for fastener and fixing product suppliers to present their capabilities and increase brand awareness in one of Europe’s biggest markets,” says Olivia Griscelli, exhibition director for Fastener Fair Italy. “These shows play a very important role in helping companies make new contacts, strengthen links with existing customers and develop their businesses.”

Additional information on Fastener Fair Italy 2016, including details of exhibitor stand options, will be available on the show website from the end of July 2015.

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sales@vogelsangfastener.com www.vogelsangfastener.com

A S S O C I AT I O N S

BIAFD demonstrates commitment to training In June the British & Irish Association of Fastener Distributors staged its first ‘Fastener Forming Seminar and Plant Tour’ at Barton Coldform (UK) Ltd, a showpiece UK fastener manufacturing facility in Droitwich Spa. The event followed the relaunch of BIAFD’s Introductory Fastener Training Manual, available exclusively to the association membership.

Clive Cross, Forming Solutions (UK) Limited, discussing rolling technologies

T

hirty-eight delegates attended the one day event ranging from purchasing and sales personnel to directors of BIAFD member companies. The seminar opened with a presentation on cold forming technology from Kevin Beirne, district manager of National Machinery LLC, which manufactures and supplies advance manufacturing equipment globally. Outlining the advantages of cold forming for the manufacture of fasteners and parts, Kevin’s presentation included a series of animations illustrating the cold forming progression and the variations of upsetting and extrusion that can be deployed to form simple and complex parts. The presentation also considered the major technology developments now incorporated into advanced, multi-die cold and warm formers to improve accuracy, efficiency and productivity.

Clive was joined at the seminar by Frederic Nathan, from SACMA, supporting him in a presentation that looked at Ingramatic’s development of advanced rolling technologies.

Wrapping up the classroom session, Phil Matten, who organised the event for BIAFD, briefly contrasted the hot forging process and its continued role in the production of larger diameter fasteners and in providing short run production of both standard and special fastener products. To illustrate the process he screened one of a number of excellent videos hosted on the website of Non Standard Socket Screws Ltd. Following a light lunch, Managing Director Andrew Nuttall, introduced Barton Coldform and explained its development, business and manufacturing capabilities. He then led one of four group tours of Barton Coldform’s modern, 5,100 square metre production facility.

Kevin Beirne, National Machinery LLC, explaining cold forming Clive Cross of Forming Solutions (UK) Limited focused on the development and modern technologies of rolling, underlining that the rolling process has advanced far beyond just forming threads and provides a wide range of other manufacturing capabilities.

He considered the different methods of rolling, employing flat, cylindrical and planetary dies. Forming Solutions is an independent first tier supplier of products and systems related to cold forming manufacture and is the UK agent for the SACMA Group.

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Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

Andrew Nuttall (left) explaining the manufacturing processes to BIAFD members Commenting later he said: “It was very much a badge of honour for us to be chosen to host the BIAFD seminar and demonstrate what we are doing to drive the continued increase in reshoring of manufacturing back to the UK from the Far East.

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08.06.2015 11:04:31

A S S O C I AT I O N S There’s no substitute for actually seeing first-hand how we work, and the members who joined us were really engaged in the day and the feedback we received was extremely positive.

Given the success of the day we will certainly be looking to replicate an event like this again in the future.”

A feedback survey conducted by BIAFD clearly confirmed the value derived by delegates of being able to see all the forming processes close up and first-hand.

David Furness, Rapierstar managing director, and a BIAFD director, particularly valued the chance to bring distributor personnel, including members of his own team, to the event.

“It is great to see behind the scenes of a UK manufacturer which is enjoying strong growth,” he said. “There’s only so much you can learn from information and videos, so this was an outstanding opportunity for BIAFD members to see, hear and feel the manufacturing processes up close.

BIAFD is extremely grateful to Barton Coldform for opening up its doors, providing excellent facilities for the seminar element of the day, and taking the time to provide a really informative tour of its very impressive facility.

BIAFD members in Barton Coldform’s quality department

Fastener Training Manual. Aimed at new entrants to the industry, but equally useful for longer serving distribution personnel to refresh their knowledge, the manual comprises eleven modules and a detailed glossary of fastener terminology. Each module concludes with a brief set of questions, allowing students to confirm their understanding of that section of the manual. The manual introduces basic fastener types, considering different thread and drive types, before reviewing fastener materials and strength grades. Four modules are dedicated to the stages of fastener manufacturing followed by modules on ‘Quality’ and ‘How Fasteners Work’. The remaining modules present the different groups of fasteners and fixings, providing brief descriptions of examples together with images to assist recognition.

The manual is hosted online so that the modules can be downloaded as and when required. This ensures the manual can be regularly updated BIAFD director David Furness with and that the module in use will reflect Andrew Nuttall during the plant tour recent changes.

The Fastener Training Manual We are similarly grateful for the commitment from the and seminars are just two benefits exclusively available to UK speakers, who represent the acknowledged global leaders in and Irish fastener distributors as members of the BIAFD. The fastener forming equipment. They were extremely generous Association also holds two General Meetings a year, which in investing their time and resource to contribute to a better always feature presentations on current topics, whether technical recognition of the technology and engineering processes that and market focused or on regulatory developments, like the lay behind the production of even the simplest fastener.”

Construction Products Regulation or EU trade measures and Following the success of this event and a previous visit to other factors influencing the global supply of fastener products. the Wire Rod Mill at Tata Steel, Scunthorpe, the Association Full information on the activities and services of BIAFD, is now working on the potential for a series of seminars and including how to join the Association, can be found on its plant visits covering all the stages of fastener production recently updated website. to further demonstrate its commitment to ensuring BIAFD The next BIAFD General Meeting will be held near Manchester members are better informed. on Thursday 1st October. BIAFD will be offering a special trial lunch and meeting package to UK and Irish fastener distributors New Introductory Fastener Training Manual interested in finding out first-hand what the association offers.

With the same objective, BIAFD earlier this year launched Contact info@biafd.org for more information. a completely updated version of its 135-page Introductory www.biafd.org

54

Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

ALL ROADS LEAD TO

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INSIGHT

A decade of the Polish fastener market This report is extracted from an article by Marek Łangalis, doctor of economic sciences and fastener entrepreneur at the Polish stainless steel fastener specialist Olfor Marek Łangalis.

The original article was published by ‘Fastener.

Rynek elementów złącznych’ which gave permission for its publication.

T

he fastener market provides administrative work for tens of thousands of people and at least a couple of thousand in production. It is time to recognise the importance of the market for fasteners, the global value of which is computed in billions of dollars.

A few years ago, Professor Jerzy Hausner, who was a senior advisor to the then Polish deputy prime minister responsible for economic affairs, spoke wryly of Poland as the “assembly plant of Europe”. The implied criticism was that inward investors to Poland limited their activities to assembly plants for cars, refrigerators, washing machines, etc. He saw leadership in this activity as a high-risk for the economy because the assembler could literally move its operation to another country within months in the pursuit of lower labour costs.

It has been more than ten years since this statement was made and somehow I do not really see that the assemblers have somewhere to move. Not to China, because the sea transport adds so long to delivery times. There has long been talk about Ukraine and sometimes about Russia but in the light of recent

“Poland… is a large country with a growing, stable, economy and rapidly improving infrastructure.”

56

Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

events neither is likely to be a place where foreign capital will readily look to locate new factories.

Poland on the other hand is a large country with a growing, stable, economy and rapidly improving infrastructure. What Professor Hausner wryly pointed out is salutary for the fastener industry. It is the assembly halls that consume the most items for fastening, riveting or welding. Location of subsequent factories and the development of existing facilities each brings increased consumption of fasteners – although often foreign companies bring with them foreign suppliers so the new demand does not always translate into additional business for domestic suppliers.

Production During the past eleven years the production of fasteners in Poland has increased by approximately 130%. In 2003 output was worth approximately PLN595 million (142.5 million euros) increasing by 2013 to approximately PLN1.355 billion. The peak year was 2011 when production reached PLN1.521 billion.

The largest production companies historically are Śrubena Łańcucka (now KOELNER Łańcucka Fabryka Śrub), Śrubena Unia SA, Marcopol sp z.o.o, Gaweł Zakład Produkcji Śrub SA, and ASMET. Apart from these a lot of smaller companies specialise in production of non standard and special request fasteners, small batch volumes or limited ranges. Often these are small, family businesses, employing only a small number of people and serving a narrow group of customers. However, analysis of the production trends since 2003 show that Polish companies have no reason to be ashamed of the position in Europe (Table 1).

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 595* 792* 890* 859* 910*

946*

795 1,076 1,521 1,456 1,355 *estimate

Table 1: Polish fastener production 2003-2013 [PLN million].

Source – Own analysis based on official statistical estimates.

During these eleven years, a three times increase in production represents a large momentum, with significant increases in 2004 (33%), in 2010 (35%) and in 2011 (41%). During 2010 and 2011 the industry came out of the slump caused by the economic crisis that started in the last Quarter of 2008. The growth dynamic in 2004 was mainly due to Poland joining the EU. In the first half of the year demand increased as local construction warehouses ordered product at the reduced rate of VAT. In the second half sales were boosted by free access to EU markets.

Export A measure of the success of Polish entrepreneurs is the scale of exports (Table 2). In 2003 it was PLN359 million and in 2013 PLN986 million, a 175% increase.

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Total

% of export

Germany 351.2 300.2 395.6 514.1 451.1 355.6 2,368.5

44.8%

Sweden

24.8

22.3

40

58.3

62.2

72.5

280.1

5.3%

Russia

35.4

23.4

32.5

39.4

55.2

56.3

242.2

4.6%

UK

30.1

22.6

34.1

40.1

50.9

51.7

229.5

4.3%

Czech Rep

28.9

26.7

28.6

43.6

47.4

41.8

217.1

4.1%

France

29.9

24

32.4

47.5

40

43.1

216.9

4.1%

Ukraine

34.3

20.5

24.8

30

29.8

26.1

165.5

3.1%

Country

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 359

513

546

594

700

725

617

829 1,073 1,057 986

Table 2: Polish fastener exports 2003-2013 [PLN million].

Source – own analysis based on official statistical estimates.

Over 2011 and 2012 exports amounted to more than one billion US dollars. Export is not just the domain of large companies and manufacturers, but also small traders specialising in several products. Robust growth in exports over the last decade is to the major credit of Polish entrepreneurs from an industry that has grown to have a very strong position in the central European market. This success is due to a combination of the scale of domestic production and to Polish companies success as high volume importers of fasteners. The main export market for Polish companies is Germany, which during the eleven years represented between 30% and 49% of total exports (Table 3). In the last 6 years Germany increased to represent almost 45% of total fastener exports. This dependence on the German market is due on one hand to it being the largest in Europe alongside Italy and also to the logistical advantages of its geographic proximity to Poland, making it efficient for German trading companies to use Polish production.

“ Let us hope that the next 2 – 3 years will show that the Polish market is still the fastest growing in Europe among the large Member States.”

Table 3: Polish fastener exports 2008-2013 by countries [PLN million]. Source – own analysis based on official statistical estimates.

Interestingly, in the last few years the second-largest recipient of Polish products has been Sweden, which appears to relate to the strong Polish links of companies like Bufab AB, Gunnebo AB and ESSVE. Poland has still not, though, developed the potential for trade with Russia. The size of its market and its fast growing industry – although recent events have stalled this development – should result in higher turnover. Traders with Russia complain, however, about the levels of unpredictability (not least as result of exchange rate movements) and Russia’s quite specific approach to business. An important aspect is also the penetration of the Russian market by fasteners from China at the same rate of duty as products originating from the EU.

Import The Polish market, however, is not based on domestic production, or exports, but really on imports (Table 4). The majority of the market is serviced by Polish companies sourcing fasteners from the largest producers in the world, namely China and Taiwan, or buying goods from the large wholesalers in Europe. The import growth has been huge, which means that the entire market is growing. The increase since 2003 amounted to 145%. Although not so dynamic as exports, in the past three years imports have exceeded PLN2 billion. Even in the crisis year of 2009 the impetus of Polish importers did not significantly weaken.

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 893 1,167 1,163 1,482 1,647 1,693 1,581 1,889 2,298 2,163 2,189 Table 4: Polish fastener imports 2003-2013 [PLN million].

Source – own analysis based on official statistical estimates.

Most fasteners come to Poland from Germany: In 2013, the value was PLN746 million. The second largest source is Italy, which, however, for the last 6 years stabilised at a level of PLN200 million. The strongest dynamic has been from Taiwan.

www.fastenerandfixing.com

57

INSIGHT In 2008 imports were valued at PLN94 million, by 2011 they were worth already more than a quarter of a billion PLN.

Country

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Total

lead time between order and delivery. Sourcing from China does not always mean buying very cheap.

% of import

Germany

561

563

656.6 798.7 721.5 746.3 4,046.9

34.3%

Italy

201.8

213

210.6 233.8 236.7 233.7 1,329.5

11.3%

Taiwan

93.8

120

171.8 247.1

9.7%

China

293.8

140

137.8 185.4 179.7 170.1

1,107

9.4%

Japan

74.7

86

120.3

119

107

89.8

596.8

5.1%

France

70.1

70

76.3

84.2

71.6

72.3

444

3.8%

USA

36.5

38

55

68

69.2

76.2

342.8

2.9%

Korea

29.4

34

46.7

51.8

62.0

81

305.1

2.6%

UK

64.7

41

38.9

44.1

41

46.1

275.8

2.3%

Spain

38.8

40

44.1

43.4

41.9

44.4

252.8

2.1%

Sweden

36

29

40

43.6

40.2

46

234.5

2%

Czech Rep

24

24

31

40.6

34.5

39.4

193.2

1.6%

263

254.4 1,150.3

Table 5: Polish fastener 2008-2013 and by country [PLN million].

Source – own analysis based on official statistical estimates.

While China is the world’s leading producer of fasteners the ability to import from that country depends to a large extent on the trade defence measures applied to its products by the European Union. The cost differential between production in China and Poland, taking into account the cost of transport and payment of duties, is minimal. Added to this are: The risk of exchange rate variation; the cost of finance; and the long

The entire market The methodology to establish the size of the Polish market is: Production + import – export.

This, however, does not give the complete picture. It only shows the scale of consumption in Poland, not the overall potential of Polish companies, some of which have become regional leaders. Therefore, I have suggested a dual approach to the subject (Table 6). On the one hand, market size computed actually: E.g. production + import – export, which gives an indication of the potential of the domestic market. Production value is expressed in selling prices. Imports provide a margin to trading companies so effectively undervalue both total consumption and their significance to it.

On the other hand, we have the potential of Polish companies producing items and trading them. In 2013 the Polish fastener industry reached a level of transaction of around PLN4.5 billion, 145% higher than eleven years previously. The potential for domestic market can be estimated at more than PLN2.5 billion.

Interestingly, in the last eleven years the industry only three times experienced a crisis. In 2009, understandably, when the entire industry suffered, but also in the years 2012-2013.

The same was true in 2014.

The market showed people were waiting for some extra boost to the development of the economy so that in recent years there have been falls in both production and foreign trade.

Nevertheless the fasteners market is huge. Take into account that many companies also offer many other products and the companies in this industry represent a huge bankroll, giving work to thousands of people and showing huge increases in their activities. In recent years growth has been harder and there have been tougher regulatory and competitive environments.

Let us hope that the next 2 – 3 years will show that the Polish market is still the fastest growing in Europe among the large Member States. *All calculations concerning the market of fasteners in the above article do not include products such as: Yacht fittings – non-threaded nails, fasteners, and wire rigging. www.fastener.pl

Category

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Production

595

792

890

859

910

946

795

1,076

1,521

1,456

1,355

Import

893

1,167

1,163

1,482

1,647

1,693

1,581

1,889

2,298

2,163

2,189

Export

359

513

546

594

700

725

617

829

1,073

1,057

986

TOTAL

1,847

2,472

2,599

2,935

3,257

3,364

2,993

3,794

4,892

4,676

4,530

Market

1,129

1,446

1,507

1,747

1,857

1,914

1,759

2,136

2,746

2,562

2,558

28.1%

4.2%

15.9%

6.3%

3.1%

-8.1%

21.4%

28.6%

-6.7%

-0.2%

Market growth

Table 6: Market size of fasteners in Poland 2003-2013 [PLN million]. Source – own calculations.

58

Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

OVER 6 000 PALLET PLACES VARIOUS INDUSTRIES

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INSIGHT

Built on solid foundations Based in the beautiful Neckar Valley in Germany, Peter Schröder GmbH has been a wholesaler of fasteners since 1971. Better known as schröderschrauben, the company is proud of its heritage as the oldest German wholesaler solely focused on Inch products.

P

eter Schröder, the company’s namesake, founded the business after spotting a gap in the market for a German-based company dedicated to Inch products – focusing on American and British specifications and standards. Since then schröderschrauben has focused on quality, reliability, flexibility and dependable delivery as the cornerstones of its business, and by adhering to these core beliefs has established and maintained its position in the market for the past 44 years.

“Our objective is to be our customers’ primary and long standing partner for all their Inch product needs,” explains Jörg Schröder, joint managing director and Peter Schröder’s son. “Our products include all standard diameters, materials and lengths, as well as exotic materials and special lengths.”

“You won’t find a single Metric fastener in our warehouse,” adds Joint Managing Director Joachim Latza with a smile.

“We have always focused 100% on Inch products and make sure that we offer a complete range. Every product you can buy in Metric we can supply in Inch.” schröderschrauben stocks approximately 10,000 different parts and ensures that it can supply the complete line in every range. “Today, 80% of our stock is American size, with the remainder British sizes,” mentions Jörg. “If there is something that we do not have in stock we can get it quickly from one of our suppliers.”

Due to the size and depth of its range, in 2013 schröderschrauben decided to move from its previous headquarters to a new purpose built warehouse in Erlenbach, close to Neckarsulm. The move took place in April 2014 and enabled the company to introduce new racking, reorganise its warehouse, as well as maximise the new space available. The picking shelves were also restructured according to product, size and length – helping to streamline the picking process and make picking orders more efficient.

There is also still plenty of space in the warehouse to expand as and when necessary.

“As a business we have seen stable growth over recent years and have been steadily increasing our stock volume,” comments Joachim. “By 2013 we had reached a point where we needed more space and after looking at the options available we decided to move into larger premises. The new warehouse is double the size of the previous site and provides us with the opportunity to continue to grow whilst delivering quality Inch products from stock, as well as a good, flexible service.”

When it comes to supplying its customers, schröderschrauben is confident of the quality of its products, having worked with its suppliers for several years and established good working relationships. “We work with big companies within the US and UK, as well as smaller distributors for specific products,” points out Jörg. “Every week there are freight shipments from the US to Erlenbach. We take quality very seriously and we ensure that our US and UK partners understand the significance of reliability and service.”

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Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

To help guarantee the quality of its products, schröderschrauben installed a quality management system in 1994, which is officially certified by DEKRA (Federal German Standards Authority) on an ongoing basis. Products are also available to specific American standards, including military standards (MS and AN parts), as well as National Aerospace Standards (NAS) – which are used by companies such as Boeing and Airbus.

“All these products have to meet set specifications,” explains Jörg. “We have 28 folders of different specifications that we are able to provide the relevant products. The customer simply tells us the number and we can see what screw is needed, what material and what length.”

Products according to ASTM standards for the oil and gas industry are also available.

For those customers that need a special length fastener, schröderschrauben works with a special machining company that can offer reworking of products very quickly. It also works with a local plating business, which means it can provide a full range of coatings and platings according to customers’ requests.

“There are only a select few companies that are solely focused on Inch products and are able to supply the range and depth of products that we are able to supply,” says Joachim. “Some of the larger companies will have Inch products in their range, but they do not specialise in Inch products and will not be able to offer the comprehensive range we can supply.”

Jörg adds: “The market is getting a lot more competitive, with companies under cutting prices. However, thanks to our experience, depth of stock, and service, we are able to offer customers a unique service. We are well known in the industry and can supply customers all over the world with the products they need. The new warehouse means that we can provide even more products from stock and continue delivering the quality, reliability, flexibility and dependable delivery that our customers have come to expect.” www.schroederschrauben.de

Global Inch - Fasteners

for more than 40 Years

Tel.: +49 (0) 71 32/99 60-0 â&#x20AC;˘ Fax.: +49 (0) 71 32/99 60-60

www.schroederschrauben.de

INSIGHT

BFC: New name, new global hub At the beginning of June, BFC Tibbetts Group Company (BFC) moved to a brand new GB£1.5 million global distribution hub in Stokenchurch, UK. Less than a week after the relocation, Claire Edwards, deputy editor, visited the new centre to see how it has enabled the company to expand and invest in stock, as well as introduce a new standard fastener range.

F

ormed in 1975 as Buckinghamshire Fastener Company, and known later as BF Components Solutions, the company originally supplied fastenings to the UK manufacturing sector. As the company grew it expanded its range and markets so that today it exports its wide range of products – such as standard and specialist fasteners, turned parts, pressings, specialist cold formings, and die castings – to a variety of industries including industrial, automotive and aerospace.

BFC exports to countries all over the world, including China, the Czech Republic, the USA, Mexico, France, Spain, Germany, and Poland.

When The Tibbetts Group acquired the company in 2013 it was an opportunity for BFC to further build on its success and become a more efficient and modern distributor. “Before the acquisition we had two warehouse locations in Dorset and Buckinghamshire and we were still struggling for space,” explains Phil Havercroft, sales director at BFC. “However, with the help of The Tibbetts Group we were able to move to new premises and bring all our stock under one roof.”

The new global distribution hub is approximately 5,000m2 and incorporates modern offices, conferencing facilities, and a dedicated engineering facility. Thanks to the centre BFC has been able to grow its stockholding and now holds over GB£1million of stock, covering approximately 7,000 product lines.

“Since the acquisition we have increased our turnover by approximately 15% and our employees by 20%,” mentions Phil.

“We are currently turning over GB£5 million annually and have an expansion plan for the next five years. The relocation has given us the platform to help us achieve these goals, and has also enabled us to introduce new positions within the company.

We are now actively recruiting for external sales, procurement and warehouse roles.”

Phil continues: “BFC has 40 years’ experience in meeting customers’ product needs in service and product support, and has the technical knowledge of its staff, which spans over 100 years across the industry.”

The company currently employs three quality engineers to perform on-site testing for its customers in a new dedicated engineering facility. The engineers are able to perform dynamic testing, torque testing, pull-out and push-out testing, and use their knowledge and experience to meet customers’ needs.

BFC is accredited to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and AS 9120, and all automotive parts are manufactured to TS 16949 standards – to ensure best practices and high-quality products.

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Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

In addition to the new global distribution hub, BFC also recently launched a new standard fastener range for the distribution and end user markets. Developed in partnership with Hexstone Group, the range includes plain washers, nylon insert nuts, steel wing nuts, internal serrated washers, socket cap screws and socket grub screws. Available from stock in all common metric sizes and imperial sizes upon request, it is available in a range of materials and finishes to suit all applications.

To add to its wide product offering, BFC offers next day and 100% on time delivery on a wide range of products, and can also provide Kanban and consignment delivery mechanisms – available across all industries. Phil explains: “BFC prides itself on customer service and monitors delivery performances daily – using reports generated through a bespoke WinMan Windows® based computer system, which was implemented during the investment from The Tibbetts Group.”

After visiting the new site and speaking to Phil Havercroft there is clearly a sense of pride and excitement for what the future holds for BFC. From new members of staff, additional services – including state of the art testing facilities, and possible future acquisitions – the investment from The Tibbetts Group has ensured BFC is on the way to achieving its five year expansion plan.

Phil concludes: “BFC is a specialist fastener distributor with modern facilities providing cost-effective solutions. Thanks to the investment from The Tibbetts Group, BFC has been able to further develop customer relationships and invest in new product ranges. The Tibbetts Group is always looking to compliment these ranges with the acquisition of additional fastener companies.”

He continues: “The relocation to our global distribution hub went well and we would like to invite everybody to come to Stockenchurch and see first-hand what BFC is all about.” www.bfcsltd.com

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTOR OF STANDARD AND BESPOKE FASTENERS BFC are Suppliers to the Automotive, Aerospace and Industrial sectors and are Quality accredited to ISO9001, ISO14001 and AS9120 with all automotive parts manufactured to TS16949 The New Standard Fastener Range in Steel and Stainless Steel is available for Next Day Delivery from stock.

www.bfcsltd.com | +44 (0) 1494 565 151 | sales@bfcsltd.com

FA C E 2 FA C E

Adapting, compulsive optimism and… a charismatic frog Face2Face with Ramón Ceravalls, CEO Grupo CELO Fulfilling a long-standing promise to visit CELO’s Spanish headquarters at Castellar del Vallès, outside Barcelona, Phil Matten, executive editor, took the opportunity to explore Ramón Ceravalls’ thoughts on a wide range of issues: From Spain’s economic recovery to manufacturing in China, from the role of family companies to celebrating fifty years in business… even if two years late.

‘A

dapt and overcome’ is a widely heard if not always properly adopted aphorism. It has been at the core of CELO’s business, not just during recent traumatic years but also throughout more than fifty years of trading. “One of CELO’s strengths is its flexibility,” Ramón Ceravalls says. Another is optimism. “I am always optimistic” – adding with a wry smile “compulsively optimistic I would say.”

He’s not just optimistic about the future of CELO but also about how Spain recovers from the excruciating impact of the 2008/9 crisis. “Spain will do better and better,” he says. “We have many very well educated young people. We have a very good health system, we have very good basics, we have good agriculture, the weather, good tourism and we have a skilled labour force.”

He admits: “It was a great shame to see young people forced to leave Spain to find work,” but even here he senses cause for optimism. “Those that come back, and not all will, bring far greater skills and experience which will enrich Spain and its industries.”

Nevertheless Spain still faces unemployment at an average 23%. Carefully sidestepping too deep a political debate Ramón Ceravalls is adamant: “We need to reduce the social subsidies – some people will be harmed but most will find work is the best long-term option.”

The work is unquestionably coming back in some sectors.

“The first time I realised that something was changing for the better was when, four years ago, amid daily bad news about the Spanish economy, Ford announced a 800 million euros investment in its factory. I was amazed: I really thought ‘these people know something that I don’t, otherwise they would not do it’. This gave me a shot of optimism.” More recently investments from Volkswagen, Nissan and General Motors have reinforced the automotive sectors’ confidence in Spain.

One reason for these continued investments, Ramón Ceravalls is convinced, is because “there are a lot of small/medium size family owned companies with skilled people that provide an outstanding support infrastructure for industry”.

The construction sector, though, still has years, if not decades, before it will really recover. “Official data is not easy to find but my best estimate is there could be half a million houses and apartments unoccupied. More than half will never be sold in the next ten years because they are in the wrong location to attract buyers.” That is not just a matter of there being “plenty of choices closer to the beach”, he says. “Huge new neighborhoods were

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Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

built on the expectation the government would bring transport links to them. Now these are truly ‘ghost cities’ – no shops, no schools, no hospitals, no infrastructure and no work.”

The construction market, Ceravalls assesses, crashed by 85%. “Renovation is now the only one sector that remains reasonably active.” Market structure and habits also changed dramatically, as Spain belatedly went through the evolution experienced in other European markets. “The traditional hardware store is now squeezed between the DIY chains and the direct to user suppliers.” Purchasing behavior also changed radically. “Contractors now live hand to mouth, buying only what they need to do today’s jobs.”

“I now hear people saying Spain is doing good,” says Ceravalls.

“Well it is doing better, but it’s still not doing good.” Reflecting on CELO’s fortunes he says: “We have survived because we have adapted in the Spanish market, because we have a solid financial position, and because we had previously already developed our international businesses.”

Adapting to the hardware distribution sector really began in the early 1980s. Faced with an earlier crisis in Spain, CELO’s owners decided to retain their employees, continuing to manufacture and build up stocks. At the last minute, the crisis

resolved, and CELO found itself with the largest stock of small screws in Spain. It started to sell to distributors that needed products quickly and in small quantities, and became the largest wholesaler of these products in Spain. In 2000 the purchase of another family owned Spanish company, Apolo Fijaciones y Herramientas S.L brought a strong and complementary brand for electrical and plumbing screws, fixings and support systems.

Challenged by many competitors with strong offers in the fixings that account for a larger proportion of hardware retailers’ business, CELO looked to develop these ranges itself. “We did not feel comfortable doing this with a product we did not really know, so we decided we needed our own fixings company.” That led to the acquisition of MEA Befestigungssyteme GmbH in Germany, “which has really brought a lot of value to our Group,” Ceravalls says. “We have good people there who really know the business and produce good, safe products for specific applications.”

“ I am always optimistic… compulsively optimistic I would say.”

“We are always very focused on the customer and having products for very specific applications.” CELO’s leading position supplying self-tapping screws for the aluminium window market, is still very strong, particularly in the south of Spain, and is a clear illustration. The ingress of DIY chains and the changes in purchase habits have now driven the development of a complete range of CELO small packed product and the merchandising systems essential to support them.

The other 45% of Grupo CELO’s business focuses on supplying small screws direct to automotive and industrial customers. The process of adaptation has been different but every bit as crucial to the Group’s fortunes over the last five years. The impetus came long before the financial crisis when a major electronics customer relocated production from Spain, initially to eastern Europe and later to China. “We were caught out in the early stages of globalisation,” acknowledges Ramón Ceravalls, “and very quickly realised we had to adapt effectively to this trend.”

A small warehouse in Hungary to service customers that had migrated there was followed in 2005 by a major investment in production in China. That came with a series of steep learning curves. “We started with our own capital; we bought the land; we built the factory. We had no debt so the fixed costs were really small. It was quite easy to get to breakeven but then as we started to grow the volumes we realised the profits did not come in the same as in Europe.”

“The competition is so strong, it really is an incredibly tough market.” CELO has been selective about its customer base in

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FA C E 2 FA C E China, concentrating on European and North American implant industries, for automotive, domestic appliances and to a lesser extent electronics. What is completely consistent is CELO’s commitment to unimpeachable quality. “We started supplying customers only once we were absolutely certain we had achieved reliable quality levels. Even now, all products from our Taicang plant undergo final mechanical or optical inspection.”

One advantage for CELO is that the screws it supplies for use in both metal and plastic represent a small proportion of customers’ costs. “They really do not want to have different suppliers, different quality processes and documentation in their different factories around the world.” It means, though, that CELO goes where the customer goes with logistics operations now also established in Poland, Turkey and Mexico.

Managing currency exchange is also crucial. “Our strategy for the industry division is to have one company in Europe, producing in euros, and one in China, producing in a US Dollar linked currency. From these two companies we deliver to all our customers more or less globally.”

Language and business culture represented another area of adaptation although the common language is engineering; one CELO has long learnt to speak fluently. “Engineering is a fundamental part of our business. We are a relatively small supplier but none of our customers have ever said ‘we don’t think you can solve our problems’.”

“Our manufacturing has long been very flexible and responsive – originating from when we needed to meet small, urgent orders from Spanish customers under economic pressure.” That flexibility is now a crucial attribute, particularly for the domestic appliance and electronics sectors, where model supersession and development occurs in rapid and accelerating cycles. “Demand can also ramp up overnight if the customer wins a big order to support a large retail group’s promotion.”

When the financial crisis hit, CELO’s order book in Spain was slashed by 55%. Consistent to the family values over decades it only reduced its Spanish workforce by 20%. “When you see sales drop like that you are really scared but we knew it was critical to keep good people everywhere in our business. We needed those qualities to be ready for when things improved.”

In that context, it may come as a surprise to hear Ramón Ceravalls say: “These years have been a lot of fun,” although he

is quick to add, “although not when you looked at the P&L.” “People in CELO have been really motivated. If they had to stay for another hour they did it with a smile. They are flexible and committed and we have all benefited from that attitude.”

The celebration of CELO’s fiftieth year in business – two years later than should have been – epitomises how the company has adapted and overcome. “We told everyone we did not have the money, or at least needed to keep it in case, to celebrate at the time. Last year we were able to have great parties in all of our locations.”

Investment similarly was delayed but never foregone. “Like everyone in Spain we repaired and made do but there comes a time when this is more expensive than investing effectively.”

The results are obvious in the Spanish factory: New production flooring, a new Nakashimada header under evaluation to confirm whether it can enhance manufacturing accuracy, and General Inspection equipment for laser sorting and more efficient and accurate production of PPAPs. So where do charismatic frogs come into this story? Meet QISC (pictured below) – who certainly epitomises the fun CELO really does bring to its business. Behind that, though, is a carefully designed personal development programme for everyone in the Group, focused on Quality, Innovation, Service and Competitive cost. Every employee, starting with the CEO, stresses Ramón Ceravalls, will work to develop ten key competences. For managers there is an eleventh – significantly, that is to develop other people. www.grupocelo.com

Grupo CELO facts • CELO was established in 1963 by Mr Ceravalls and Mr Lopez, specialising in manufacturing cold formed screws from 2mm – 6mm diameter.

• In 1972 production moved to the current factory in Castellar de Vallés.

• Ramón Ceravalls joined the family company as general manager in 1989.

• Grupo CELO has two divisions: • Engineered screws: Supplies screws for metal and for plastics applications, including special solutions and a wide range of licensed design products, to the automotive, electronics and home appliance sectors.

• Construction technology: Supplies fixings, screws and support systems to hardware, electrical and plumbing distributors.

• Today Grupo CELO employs around 240 people and has manufacturing plants in Spain, Germany and China as well as seven logistics centres to support its worldwide customer base.

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0

BERDAN CiVATA & SOMUN

Berdan Group of Companies

Berdan Tool Shop Berdan Civata was founded In 1980s in Tarsus/Turkey today has been manufacturing all types of 10.9 and 12.9 class of hydrogen embrittlement risks eliminated hot dip galvanized high strength bolts, nuts, studs and similar fasteners according to national and international standards.

Berdan Civata also has got one of the richest testing laboratory among fastener manufacturers in Turkey . T his laboratory which is the first one among its sector in Turkey has been accredited according to the ISO 17025 and it has recently been audited for getting the authority marking of another international 11 0 11 quality certificate according to the standard DaSt-021 High Tensile Heavy Hexagonal Structure Bolts for Wind Power Generation Being one of the most experienced CE certified fastening components manufacturer at Mersin Tarsus Organized Industrial Zone within 3 separated premises placed 33,000 m2 with its 220 employees, Berdan is serving to Refineries, petrochemical Flants, Machinery, Construction & Steel Buildings, Structural Steel Industry, Pressure Vesse I& Boiler and Valve Manufacturers as well as to the Wind Energy and other renewable energy sectors in land and abroad mostly 8.8,10.9 and 12.9 class of high quality products accordance with T SE ASTM,DIN/ISO and BS norms and deliver them to the customers with ISO EN 10204 3.1 Test Certificates.

T he certificates which have been awarded to Berdan Ovata for the first time in fasteners sector in Turkey like CE Certificate for EN 14399-1 pre load products and EN 115048 non preload products, first accreditation according to ISO 17025 for the most equipped test laboratory in Turkey, as well as the patent for the trade mark of its eco friendly hot dip galvanizing process and similar certificates enable Berdan to receive strategical and big busines.

www.berdancivata.com

C O N S T R U CT I O N F I X I N G S

Traditional fixing methods – a thing of the past Established in 1966, Soudal NV is a manufacturer of sealants, PU foams and adhesives, which serves professionals in construction, retail channels and industrial assembly worldwide.

Adhesives from Soudal

W

ith 14 manufacturing sites on 4 continents and 45 subsidiaries, Soudal is able to ensure optimal technical and logistical support, and is constantly at the forefront of new technologies. Through heavy investment in research and development the company is able to react and customise its offering very quickly in-line with market demands, ensuring that all products meet legislative requirements and guaranteeing the highest quality level during the manufacturing process.

When it comes to comparing traditional fixing methods and adhesives, Soudal states that there are several advantages to using adhesives in place of mechanical fixings. Adhesives maintain the surface conditions of the materials being bonded together, taking away any visible mechanical fixations (e.g. rivets, bolts, or screws), which can improve the design possibilities and aesthetics. Adhesives also enable the user to bond dissimilar metals with no risk of corrosion and are also lighter in weight than fixings.

In addition, adhesives allow for safer fixing by not weakening the materials in a way that mechanically fixed systems can, such as drill holes. They can also add flexibility between bonded materials, making them resistant to shock and vibrations – there is no loosening of the bond in the way that happens with mechanical fixations. The end strength of an adhesive can often be higher than that created with mechanical fixings and stronger than the materials which are bonded together.

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Soudal’s adhesives range comprises of physical drying and chemically curing adhesives. Physical drying adhesives are a traditional style of adhesive. They work by the evaporation of solvents or water after the product is applied. These adhesives satisfy the requirement of users for strong bonding on a number of surfaces, with very high initial grab. They are often used in vertical applications without the need for secondary mechanical fixations. Soudal’s unique fibre reinforced technology means that this range has an initial grab of up to 300kg/m².

Chemically curing adhesives work through chemical reaction.

One component adhesives react with atmospheric moisture, whilst two component adhesives work after mixing the two parts together. These type of adhesives can have advantages over physical drying products – they can be elastomeric and withstand movement; they are often solvent free and can be used on a wider variety of materials; they can have accelerated curing rates to speed up production processes and on-site working times; they can be used on damp and difficult materials; and they can have improved gap filling properties.

For 25 years Soudal has been pioneering the use of hybrid polymer adhesives. The industrial range, under the Soudaseal brand covers all types of elastomeric bonding applications in the caravan, truck and transport markets. This includes products with very high initial grab such as Soudaseal Super Tack, very high final mechanical properties such as Soudaseal 270 HS and can be spreadable or self-levelling such as Soudaseal 240 LV and Soudaseal SL. The construction hybrid polymer range, Fix ALL®, covers all types of construction applications, replacing traditional adhesives and mechanical fixings. This includes products that are extremely clear and with great aesthetics such as Fix ALL Crystal or with extremely high initial grab of 400kg/m² such as Fix ALL X-Treme Power.

Elastomeric hybrid adhesives are also used for difficult applications such as bonding wooden parquet flooring. Products such as SMX-30 Plus have extremely fast strength build up and curing speeds, which means working times on-site are reduced.

They work with very large wood plank sizes, even with under floor heating. The final bond strength of these products is extremely high.

Soudal has also developed adhesives based on polyurethane polymers. These include rigid polyurethane adhesives such as Purocol and Pro 45P, available in both pasty and liquid formulations. These replace mechanical fixation of timber materials. They are quicker, stronger and have improved resistance to moisture than traditional PVA based adhesives.

In the Soudatherm range there are canister applied polyurethane adhesives, which replace mechanical fixations in roofing. These are used for the bonding of insulation materials, and provide a vast improvement in speed and convenience.

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C O N S T R U CT I O N F I X I N G S Recent European Technical Assessments for fixings Following an agreement with the European Organisation of Technical Assessments, here is a list of recent ETAs published in the last two months on the EOTA website.

I

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

From 1st July 2013, as a result of the Construction Products Regulation, new ETAs will actually be European Technical Assessments.

European Technical Approvals published before 1st July 2013 will act as the new assessment until their expiry date.

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

ETA NUMBER

COMPANY

ETAG 001 Metal Anchors for use in Concrete (all parts) ETA – 09/0067

FM-MP3 evo

Friulsider SpA

ETA – 09/0357

FM-MP3 – evo A4

Friulsider SpA

ETA – 10/0074

FM-MP3 evo

Friulsider SpA

ETA – 14/0482

Bonded Injection type anchor for use in non-cracked concrete: sizes M8 to M30

SINTO

ETA – 15/0047

Speer injection system Poly-Pro

Speer Fixings B.V

ETA – 15/0052

Profix PIT-X galvanised or steel bonded anchor

Profix AG

ETAG 014 Plastic Anchors for ETICS N/A

N/A

N/A

ETAG 020 Plastic Anchors (all parts) ETA – 10/0424

UP

Friulsider SpA

ETA – 10/0425

FM-X5

Friulsider SpA

ETA – 14/0467

T-NUX-n frame anchor

Index – Técnicas Expansivas S.L

New JCP Anchor Calculation Program JCP Construction Products has launched the next generation of its Anchor Calculation Program (ACP), providing solutions for anchoring into both cracked and non-cracked concrete.

C

omplex calculations are often required, and the JCP program provides a straightforward system of data input with a large number of anchor configurations. By offering options for both cracked and non-cracked concrete, JCP brings a more accurate and cost-efficient solution to the industry.

The tool has been designed for engineers, specifiers and architects to simplify specifying connections to surfaces such as floors, ceilings and walls, and takes into account loadings, spacings and edged distances.

All the relevant information is entered into the program and a selection of suitable anchors are displayed in an easy-to-digest PDF format and in high resolution 3D graphics. This can be used at the start of the project for specification as well as keeping a record of the fixings used, for future reference.

Brian Deluce, technical manager at JCP, said: “The properties of a base material are fundamental in the specification of anchor products. If the wrong anchors are specified for cracked concrete the results could be catastrophic, but where the concrete is not cracked a saving can be made by using an anchor that has been tested just for use in non-cracked concrete. The new ACP has taken this into account when configuring a solution for the project, including the thickness of the concrete, and for bonded anchors the temperature of the concrete, and if the holes are dry or flooded. Other factors taken into consideration are where lever arms are applied, and the facility to calculate resin loads with deeper embedments.”

Brian adds: “This is one of the best calculation tools on the market, and we don’t charge a penny for it. We want to offer the industry a fair and accurate tool which will allow them to get the most out of their projects.”

To download the JCP Anchor Calculation Program for free, visit the JCP website.

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Geocel AIRBLOCK – improving energy efficiency Geocel says that filling voids and seals to improve energy efficiency has never been easier thanks to its AIRBLOCK – which offers unbeatable flexibility and easy application to create a safe and effective airtight barrier.

G

eocel AIRBLOCK can be used to seal around windows, doors, pipes, electrical cables, loft hatches, light fixtures and even suspended floors. It will prevent air leakage and improve energy efficiency – helping users minimise chances of distortion around frames and joints.

A one metre long application gun makes applications in even hard to reach places simple and quick. Once in place, Geocel AIRBLOCK’s high performance, polyurethane structure means it stays flexible enough to absorb future movement. Strong but versatile, it can then be cut, sawn, sanded, painted or even plastered over.

Geocel states that its AIRBLOCK is the only product tested in accordance with EN 122114 – air permeability of building components and building elements. It is also acoustic rated to EN ISO717-1 (tested to 60DB), fire rated to DIN4102-1 and driving rain tested to EN1027.

“Geocel AIRBLOCK flexible foam is one of the toughest and most useful products on the market,” says Stuart Oakey, technical manager at Geocel. “It offers unbeatable performance even in the trickiest areas and it makes it easy to comply with building regulations in a range of key applications.”

info@blumoragana.it

HIGH LOAD CHEMICAL ANCHOR FOR CONCRETE PURE EPOXY RESIN

Annex E - C2

y with t e f a s p o

T

CHOR N A L A C I ST HEM THE 1 C IN SEISMIC AREA S G UD FOR FIXIN ARD THREAD ST ND WITH STA

Class of Building Seismic zone based on the European Seismic Hazard Map (ESHM) for common buildings and terrain type A. For more detailed information refer to each different National legislation

NOT STRUCTURAL APPLICATIONS

II, III, IV

II, III

0,05 g - 0,1g

not seismic ETA C 2

ETA C1

ETA C 2

ETA C 2

ETA

ETAG 001 Part 5

ETAG 001 Annex E

Option 1 and 7

Annex E-C2

ETA-11/0344

STRUCTURAL APPLICATIONS

< 0,05 g

> 0,1 g

ETA

C2 !

SEISMIC

ETA

ETAG 001 TR023

ETA-11/0345 Rebar

fastening systems

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w w w . b o s s o n g . c o m

1 9 6 2 - 2 0 1 2

1 9 3 7 - 2 0 1 2

BOSSONG S.p.A. - fastening systems Zona Industriale 2 - Via E. Fermi, 49/51 - 24050 GRASSOBBIO (Bergamo) Italy - Tel +39 035 3846 011 - Fax +39 035 3846 012 - info@bossong.com

C O N S T R U CT I O N F I X I N G S

Against the strain – transverse reinforcement with double-threaded screws Here HECO Schrauben GmbH & Co KG looks at supporting timber structures and the need for strengthening through transverse reinforcement using double-threaded screws.

S

upporting timber structures, whether in renovation or new construction, often need to be strengthened by means of transverse reinforcement. Joints between main and auxiliary beams, supporting timbers or cross connections (including steel components), suspended elements, as well as the strengthening of notches and apertures are typical applications.

The implementation of transverse reinforcement can be achieved easily and economically by using double-threaded screws.

Due to its grain structure, wood can accept tensile loads acting in the direction of the wood fibres very effectively, but is not able to cope with such large forces when they act transverse to the grain. If the transverse tensile forces are too high, cracks can develop in the wood, and in turn weaken the construction.

To avoid this, and to accept and distribute high-tensile loads sufficiently, the locations concerned need reinforcement. A variety of aids and procedures are available for this: Mounting of nailed steel plates; reinforcement using metric threaded rods; or profiled bars bonded with synthetic resin. Self-tapping double-threaded screws have been found to be an easy to install alternative.

Transverse reinforcement using double-threaded screws has proven particularly effective in renovation, when buildings are subject to a change of use, leading to a modification of the supporting structure and displacement of the loading. The merging of rooms and the associated removal of load-bearing walls, or the subsequent installation of suspended structures are examples. Structural measures outside the building – gable-end balconies that are suspended from projecting purlins for instance – can entail changes to the load, and require additional reinforcement. If space consuming supports are avoided, or if the dimensions of the beams can no longer be chosen freely, the ability of double-threaded screws to transfer load can provide the necessary reinforcement. The same applies when structures or intersections that have already been implemented to a high visual quality need to be upgraded, but should if possible remain unchanged, or when the space to assemble reinforcement is very limited.

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In these cases double-threaded screws offer an effective method of upgrading, since they make special components such as steel plates or washers unnecessary.

Procedure – dimensioning To be able to gain the most of the transverse reinforcement in terms of load capacity, input of time and material, the planning and evaluation of the site has to be done carefully. Screw manufacturers offer easy to use dimensioning programs for this purpose, which provide load verification according to DIN EN 1995-1-1 and assembly diagrams in just a few steps.

The user enters values for the geometry of the construction first as these are necessary parameters for the transverse reinforcement. This comprises information on the height and width of the supporting beams that need reinforcement, their arrangement, as well as the type and quality of the materials of all components. In the next step the existing connection of the side lashes to the beams (nails, bolts), and the number and arrangement of the connecting aids are entered. Then the calculation program requires the values of the loads, as well as the duration for which they act on the supporting structure.

A selection whether the beam is affected on one or both sides is possible too. On the basis of the system and loading values, the dimensioning programs perform a load simulation, and determine whether there will be an overload, or whether the construction is already sufficient for the forces that will be applied. Three-dimensional and rotating design graphs provide a visual display of the assembled situation, conveying a realistic impression. Through this dimensioning, the user receives an optimised, proven solution that takes into account the number, size and arrangement of the reinforcing double-threaded screws.

In the screen of the results, the user finds the program’s recommendations regarding the number, dimensions and arrangement of the reinforcing double-threaded screws

C O N S T R U CT I O N F I X I N G S Procedure – assembly

Following the dimensioning, the arrangement of the double-threaded screws is marked on the relevant wooden construction according to the geometry that has been determined.

The dimensioning program determines the axial spacing and edge clearances of the screws. The example below recommends two of the HECO-TOPIX-CC double threaded screws sized 8.5mm x 100mm, spaced 40mm apart and 40mm from the edge of the beam. The screws are inserted perpendicularly to the wood

grain and must be screwed in flush with the surface. The screw couples the part of the cross section, which is loaded by the transverse force to the unloaded part of the cross section inside the wood by means of its full thread, and transfers the active forces through its profile along the axis. If cracks are already present, they can be closed up seamlessly, directly where they arise, due to the contraction effect of double-threaded screws. The transverse strength of the wood is restored or even increased.

Fast and effective reinforcement from inside

Dimensioning programs, such as HCS 3.0 from HECO, enable designers and carpenters to calculate the transverse reinforcements using the HECO-TOPIX-CC double-threaded screw precisely in just a few steps.

The system view displays the existing assembly based on the values that have been entered.

Transverse reinforcement is an economical, material saving alternative for reinforcing existing intersections or beam connections, without significant changes to their appearance.

The use of double-threaded screws offers the advantage that neither pre-drilling nor bonding is needed, and the components can be subjected to load immediately. The reinforcement can be carried out subsequently, without great additional expense and without causing problems to subsequent trades. In new constructions, they can be used as a preventive measure before installation and can permit slender, even filigree cross sections due to the large loads that the double-threaded screws can distribute. Thus, suspended parts of the building with large tensile loads do not result in excessively large intersections.

The transverse reinforcement can be dimensioned quickly, and can be installed without any additional assembly aids. It is not necessary to measure the existing beams exactly, or to determine the precise dimensions of bolts or plates. It is sufficient to screw and countersink the double-threaded screws into the wood according to the results of the dimensioning process. www.heco-schrauben.com

The innovative screw anchor for concrete and masonry MULTI-MONTI ® Positive locking connection and free of expansion pressure Fast, secure and easy – high efficiency Available in steel and stainless steel Toothed and self-tapping thread Certificate via the HECO-Calculation software HCS Approved for cracked and uncracked concrete

HECO-Schrauben GmbH & Co. KG Dr.-Kurt-Steim-Straße 28, D-78713 Schramberg Tel.: +49 (0) 74 22 / 9 89-0, Fax: +49 (0) 74 22 / 9 89-200 E-Mail: info@heco-schrauben.de, Internet: www.heco-schrauben.com

www.don-quichotte.com

Don Quichotte

Fixpin

Speedplug/Total-Fixx

The professional brand for fixings and fasteners Fastening technology for everyday use. High-quality, time-saving application in construction and installation. That is what the products of the Don Quichotte brand stand for.

Snap-on Pipe Clip OPDZ

The short-term delivery of our products and the direct, uncomplicated processing of orders make Don Quichotte a strong and reliable brand for users in the trade.

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C O N S T R U CT I O N F I X I N G S

INDEX presents new ETA approved drop-in anchor INDEX Fixing Systems has introduced the HE-HO – a new approved drop in anchor with internal thread for heavy loads – as well as a flared lip version called HE-CL.

B

oth anchors are certified by a European Technical Assessment (ETA) in Option 7 for fixings in non-cracked concrete (ETA – 14/0135) and for multiple non-structural uses in concrete (ETA – 14/0068). Both are also fire resistant.

The HE-HO and HE-CL anchors are part of the HE family, which also includes the HE-NO, the non-approved version of the anchor, and the HE-A4, made in stainless steel A4 and specifically designed for humid or corrosive environments.

The drop-in anchors work by expansion of the anchor body, and are installed by hitting the expansion cone with a hammer and the specific installation tool EXP.

New 2015 catalogue INDEX has also launched its new 2015 catalogue, which replaces the 2013 version, and includes all products launched by the company since then, as well as a series of brand new livery.

New handpicked SPAX® assortments at Lederer As a well-known specialist in the field of stainless steel screws, Lederer GmbH is enhancing its assortment by adding six handpicked assortments of original SPAX® chipboard screws to its range – all available in stainless steel.

T

he six handpicked assortments include decking screws with a small cylinder head and fastening thread, chipboard screws with Pozidriv cross recess, multiple head and 4CUT tip, as well as countersunk screws, countersunk head screws and flathead screws with T-STAR plus force application.

Available to screw specialists in industry and trade, the diameters on offer are from 3mm to 6mm and the lengths range from 12mm to 80mm – with further dimensions available upon request.

Lederer and SPAX®, both Ennepetal-based companies, have been cooperating for a long time and are looking to further stength their cooperation. Lederer as a trading company and specialist in the field of stainless steel fasteners and C-parts management, and SPAX the manufacturer of the eponymous chipboard screw that has become synonymous with the company. www.lederer-online.com

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The 2015 catalogue includes the new window box and free service formats, which were formally presented in early March.

It also presents the new professional window boxes – for the T4S 4 way expansion nylon plug; the TAPLA anchors for hollow bricks and plasterboard panel walls; and the MEDU universal plug with collar and knot-like segment.

The new formats have been developed according to self-ready packaging criteria, which facilitates manipulation and placing at the point of sale. The self-service channel is one of the company’s major focuses in 2015.

“The company’s commitment with the self-service is reflected in the new catalogue. As a novelty, and with the aim to improve the user experience, the 2015 version unifies all available formats of each product – allowing a better comparison between them and making it easier to choose the best option depending on the exact needs of each client.” www.indexfix.com

New generation of timber connector gains ETA Innovative German wood connection system manufacturer, Pitzl Metallbau GmbH & Co KG, has recently gained an ETA (ETA – 15/0187) for its new HVP connectors, which are distributed within the UK by partners Aptus Fastener Systems Ltd.

P

itzl’s HVP connectors are two-piece, face fixed beam hangers to be used in timber-to-timber or timber-to-concrete/steel connections. They can achieve a characteristic load carrying capacity from 3kN to 616kN along with fire resistance of up to 60 minutes. They are made from aluminium alloy EN AW-6082 T6, which is non-staining and resists attack from tannic acid in oak.

HVP connectors are intended for use in making connections in load bearing timber structures. They form a secure connection between the wood-based joist and a solid timber or wood-based header. They can also be used in timber/concrete and timber/steel applications.

HVP connectors are approved for use with the following materials: • Structural solid timber according to EN 338 / EN 14081.

• Glulam according to EN 14080.

• LVL according to EN 14374.

• Parallam PSL. • Intrallam LSL .

• Glued solid timber according to EN 14080.

• Cross laminated timber.

The Pitzl range also includes post bases, plug in connector systems, post-purlin connectors, balcony and fence posts, as well as innovative tools that simplify the everyday work of wood construction companies.

Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION All the fixings you need Always ask for the best quality for your work.

Always ask for G&B quality.

www.gebfissaggi.com • info@gebfissaggi.com

INSERTI FILETTATI THREADED INSERTS BLINDNIETMUTTER

SISTEMI DI FISSAGGIO FASTENING SYSTEMS VERBINDUNGSSYSTEME MAIN OFFICE Via Bellardi, 40/A - 10146 Torino - (Italy) Tel. +39 (0) 11 70.72.398 +39 (0) 11 70.70.877 - Fax +39 (0) 11 70.72.521

www.fixi.it - info@fixi.it

FO C U S O N . . . C O N S T R U CT I O N F I X I N G S E.U.R.O. Tec GmbH

G & B Fissaggi

EuroTec – The Specialist for Fastening Technology

The Italian manufacturer of approved construction fixing.

Offers a wide range of constructional fasteners like 1:

PanelTwistec – countersunk or flanged head for higher pull-through resistance, from 3.5mm – 10 mm ø, available in different coatings and material compositions. A special tip geometry and a milling thread allow a easy and fast screwing; blades under the csk-head for easy countersinking. Flanged head 8mm ø screw with european technical approval also for fastening strong insulation material for over rafter insulation.

2:

TopDuo – the sister of PanelTwistec with european technical approval for fastening soft insulation material for over rafter insulation.

3:

KonstruX – for all kind of connections in wood element constructions, prefab house constructions, hall constructions, carpentry. No pilot-drilling necessary, highest load transmission. Best value for money. Approvals available.

4:

ATLAS-Wood Connector Wood Connector – made of solid aluminium, consisting of two identical parts, for auxiliary beam support, façade and almost all areas of timber construction, irrespective of the wood¹s grain direction, as it can be used vertically as well as horizontally. With positioning screw to pull both parts together and to avoid an unintentional loosening of the connector parts.

Tel: +49 (0) 2331 6245 0

www.e-u-r-o-tec.de

pgb-Polska z.o.o.

Manufacturer of ETA approved construction fixings pgb-Polska is the Polish production plant of pgb-Europe (headquartered in Belgium), specialized in the manufacturing of innovative nylon anchoring systems. It offers high performance fixing systems and a full range of packing possibilities to provide fastening solutions for every branch in the construction industry. pgb-Polska obtained different ETAs on all its major items.

SMART FRAME ANCHORS: ETA approved for use categories a,b,c,d according to ETAG020. Easy to install (push-through installation) and all-round suitability for many substrates such as concrete, solid brick and perforated bricks. The full assortment on offer includes total fixing lengths up to 230 mm.

SMART THROUGH BOLTS: apart from the ETA option 1 through bolts, pgb-Polska also offers through bolts with ETA option 7 for non-cracked concrete. This cost-effective anchor is available in zinc plated version, type “SMK” from M6 to M20.

SMART CHEMICAL ANCHORS: an exclusive polyester resin (ETA option 7) and high performance vinylester resin (ETA option 1) were are available in a user-friendly 300ml cartridge and also in a bigger cartridge of 410ml. Of course all necessary accessories are in our stock!

G&B FISSAGGI offers products of the highest quality and certified performance. Today its wide range includes nylon fixing systems, steel and chemical anchors for the fields: ironmongery, hardware, building and industry, electric, thermo-hydraulic and self-service stores. Today G&B GROUP, headquartered in Italy, has commercial office in UK, Germany, Belgium and Spain.

GEBOFIX PRO VE-SF CE 1 Vinylester resin styrene free for high performance (410, 345 and 300 ml) CE option 1 approved: • cracked and non-cracked concrete • with threaded bars and reinforced bars • for use in submerged holes CE approved for application on masonry Fire Resistance F120 approved SITA steel anchor CE 7 • Through Bolt ETA Option 7 for non-cracked concrete (M6-M20) • Extra long multi-expansion clip • Information data engraved on body • Fully threaded body • Cold-pressed steel • Two installation depths marks • Large range of anchor diameters and lengths • Quick and easy installation, minimum insertion effort required email: uksales@gebfissaggi.com

www.gebfissaggi.com

Shin Chun Enterprise Co., Ltd. Winer Screw® – With special design on thread – Diamond type with jag, the drilling torque is easily reduced but no obvious change to fastening function like pull-out strength etc.

Compared with normal chipboard screw, the reduction of drilling torque can be around 30% (Test by Asia Technical Services by using Schatz VE Germany. Samples specification: 5X80/50mm, double flat head.)

Winer Screw® can be applied on the usage for various kinds of wood construction. Especially for long screws and hard wood, the longer the screw is or the harder the wood is, the better you can feel the difference. With lower drilling-torque, screw-drilling work becomes easier, quicker, and less power.

ColorGuard® – A perfect solution for surface treatment, applicable widely for fasteners. With non-Chrome Zinc coating, high-grade Polymer Organic binder and top coat, ColorGuard® offers strong surface protection against corrosion (S.S.T., Kesternich test, etc.) but no harm to environment. Furthermore, we offer you many colors, with which you can easily make sure you drilled right-sized screws, and also makes the work more beautiful and interesting.

For a full scope of our products, we invite you to visit our website or just call us for further details! email: piotr.baczkowski@pgb-polska.com www.pgb-polska.com

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Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

email: paul@sce.com.tw

www.sce.com.tw

screw bolt rivet nut

www.fastenerandfixingsearch.com

M A N U FA CT U R I N G T E C H N O LO G Y

When quality is critical UK-based Lamons UK manufactures bespoke fasteners for use in a wide range of demanding industries. Formerly known as Wulfrun Specialised Fasteners, the company was bought by Lamons (owned by TriMas Corporation) in 2013, and has recently gone through a programme of investing in new machinery – including a TRT 100 thread rolling machine from Thread Rolling Technology Ltd.

F

ounded in 1987, the company originally operated from three small business units. After the acquisition by Lamons in March 2013, it was able to expand and move into its current facility in Wolverhampton, which acts as its European manufacturing hub, and where it has now started producing gaskets.

Joining the team shortly after the takeover – with a background in the aerospace industry – Peter Utting, general manager at Lamons UK, explains: “The acquisition enabled us to focus on growing and taking the next step in our development. We have established a strong management structure and have increased the skills and capabilities of our employees. We are now looking to further improve our service and products so that they not only meet but exceed customers’ expectations. To do this we must identify what our customers need and make sure we have the technology and machinery to deliver the solution.”

From simple hinge pins used on sub-sea connectors through to high precision components used in turbines for the power generation sector, Lamons’ special fasteners are used in a variety of quality critical, heat resistant, pressure resistant or corrosion resistant applications, and are produced using materials sourced from accredited European and American steel mills.

The company recently had a very specific requirement for a new thread rolling machine, which needed to be capable of rolling 3 inch Inconel bar. “Due to the detailed demands we only wanted to work with high calibre companies,” says Peter. “We needed a company that had the experience and technical knowledge to provide a highly professional service – even after the machine had been commissioned. That is why we decided to work with Thread Rolling Technology.”

Thread Rolling Technology Ltd is a

80

UK-based family business that offers a range of services including: New and used thread rolling machine sales, in-house rebuilding, technical support, service and repair, as well as customer training.

It is also a stockist for all thread rolling machine parts, consumables – rolls, roller supports and workrest blades, as well as general machine tools.

The ‘TRT 100’ weighs 14,000kg and has a minimum component length of 10mm and a maximum of 180mm. The maximum roll diameter, as well as the maximum width of roll, is 300mm and the machine also contains a 45kW spindle motor and an 18.5kW hydraulic motor.

The 100 tonne machine adheres to Lamons’ special requirements.

“Due to the nature of its requirements, it was clear Lamons needed a machine with specific requirements,” says Brian McEnery, managing director at Thread Rolling Technology. “After consulting with Lamons and whilst working closely with its operators for total employee engagement – taking on board the operator’s preferences such as the bar handling, as well as different types of work holding equipment for the machine – we decided that a TRT 100 thread rolling machine was the perfect solution.

Lamons will also be able to utilise the machine’s capabilities to try and grow the range of products produced on the machine.”

With the support of staff at GM 2012 Ltd, a thread roll manufacturer purchased

by Thread Rolling Technology two years ago, the company was also able to provide the tooling for the machine – enabling Thread Rolling to supply the complete package. “GM 2012 has over 45 years of experience in manufacturing thread rolls, which helped us to guarantee the final package met all the customer’s requirements,” adds Brian.

Once the machine had been commissioned, Thread Rolling Technology visited Lamons’ site to train its employees. “The cornerstone of our business is customer satisfaction,” comments Brian. “Our standard practice is for operators to undertake training

Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

THREAD ROLLING TECHNOLOGY LTD Services include: • New & used Thread Rolling Machine Sales • In house rebuilding • Technical Support • Service & Repair • Training • Stockist of Machine parts for all Thread Rolling Machines • Stockist of Consumables: Rolls, Roller Supports, Workrest Blades etc.

• General Machine Tools

Thread Rolling Technology Unit 2 Central Business Park, Masbrough Street, Rotherham, S60 1EW, UK T: +44(0)1709 208077 | M: +44(0)7932 762034 E: Brian@threadrollingtechnologyltd.co.uk www.threadrollingtechnologyltd.co.uk

M A N U FA CT U R I N G T E C H N O LO G Y sessions on-site so they have an insight and understanding of how the machine works. The set-up time and training can vary depending on the type of machine being installed. At Lamons the installation and training process was completed within four weeks.”

As part of its standard service plan, Thread Rolling Technology also inspects a machine every 12 months, and is a stockist for all thread tooling machine parts. “We’re proud to offer an extra service to our customers, and we can guarantee high customer satisfaction by offering a shorter lead time on replacement tooling. As a company we operate in a climate of trust, honesty and openness and we strive to create a community of knowledge and understanding,” says Brian.

Peter adds: “You can have the best machine in the world, but if the service and relationship isn’t there from the supplier – you won’t make a return on your investment.

Thread Rolling Technology is a specialist in the UK, especially when you are looking for an experienced company that can supply machines with unique capabilities. It was Brian’s responsiveness

and willingness to go the extra mile that cemented the relationship.”

From visiting Lamons UK and seeing first-hand how the company operates, it is clear that the company is committed to delivering only the highest quality products. Due to the high calibre of Lamons’ requirements, it only works with reliable and experienced suppliers that are able to provide the specialised machinery and technology it requires. Thread Rolling Technology not only demonstrated its vast capabilities in meeting Lamons’ specific needs, but also worked closely with Lamons to create a truly bespoke service.

Peter concludes: “It is vital that there is trust and responsiveness in our business relationships and any machinery we use has to be high-quality and reliable. We are very satisfied with the business relationship with Thread Rolling Technology. The installation process was very straightforward and we’ve received a reliable and efficient service. We also know that we have the technical support and expertise available to us moving forward.” www.threadrollingtechnologyltd.co.uk

“ You can have the best machine in the world, but if the service and relationship isn’t there from the supplier – you won’t make a return on your investment.”

Friction Coefficient Testing Machines for Screws, Bolts and Nuts Friction Testing • Vibration Testing • Torsion Testing • Tension Testing

• • • •

For fasteners from M2 up to M80 Patented transducers Integrated heating-solutions Extensometers optional Conform to standards: ISO 14399, ISO 16047, company standards from FIAT, GM, Hyundai, PSA, Renault, VW and many more

TesT GmbH • Helena-Rubinstein-Strasse 4 • D 40699 Erkrath • +49 211 209903-0 • test@test-gmbh.com • www.test-gmbh.com TesT KG • Bösch 63 • CH 6331 Hünenberg • +41 41 785601-0 • test@test-ag.ch • www.test-ag.ch

FASTENER SORTING EXPERT FASTENER SORTING FASTENER SORTING EXPERT EXPERT

PSG Series PSG Series

Expansion reservation upto 7 inspection stations Expansion reservation upto 7 inspection stations Expansion reservation upto 7 inspection stationschine with customized features. achine with customized features. gm n i t r with customized features. m o hine s rting ma c l a a i d ss dial so Glla orting s s s l a a i Glass d G Features:

Features: Features: 1. Glass Dial design, applicable for micro fasteners (M1.0~

1. Glass Dial design, applicable for micro fasteners (M1.0~ 1. Glass design, applicable for micro fasteners (M1.0~ M3), Dial automotive and aerospace fasteners (M3~M12), M3), automotive and aerospace fasteners (M3~M12), M3), automotive and aerospace fasteners (M3~M12), and machining / turning parts. and machining / turning parts. and machining / turning parts.

2. Sorting Speed: 100~900 PPM (depended on size of parts) 2. Sorting Speed: 100~900 PPM (depended on size of parts) 2. Optical: Sorting Speed: 100~900 PPM (depended size or of heatparts) 3.

Eddy current system for material on mixup 3. Optical: Eddy current system for material mixup or heat3. Optical: Eddy current system for material mixup or heattreatment or not. treatment or not. treatment or not.

4. Optical: Prism system to inspect thread damage of bolts 4. Optical: Prism system to inspect thread damage of bolts 4. Optical: Prism system to inspect thread damage of bolts and screws. and screws. and screws.

5. Optical: External/internal 360゜lens to inspect thread 5. Optical: External/internal 360゜lens 360 to inspect thread 5. damage, Optical: External/internal 360゜lens to inspect thread feature or surface defects. damage, feature or surface defects. damage, feature or surface defects.

6. Customized machine for bigger objects is also available.

6. Customized machine for bigger objects is also available.

6. Customized machine for bigger objects is also available.

For pin roller For pin roller For pin roller OK OK OK

NG NG NG

For screws For screws For screws

For nuts For nuts For nuts 360° external & internal inspection 360° external & internal inspection 360° external & internal inspection

CHING CHAN OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. CHING CHAN OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. No. 58, Lane 110, Zhongxiao St., Hu-Nei Dist., CHING CHAN OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. No. 58, Lane 110, Zhongxiao St., Hu-Nei Dist., Kaohsiung City 829, Taiwan St., Hu-Nei Dist., No. 58, Lane 110, Zhongxiao Kaohsiung City 829, Taiwan Tel: +886-7-693-7937 Kaohsiung City 829, Taiwan Tel: +886-7-693-7937 Fax: +886-7-693-7017 Tel: +886-7-693-7937 Fax: +886-7-693-7017 E-mail: sales@ccm3s.com Fax: +886-7-693-7017 E-mail: sales@ccm3s.com E-mail: sales@ccm3s.com

http://www.ccm3s.com http://www.ccm3s.com http://www.ccm3s.com

Contact in Europe Contact in Europe BRUNE GmbH Maschinen fuer Drahtumformung Contact in Europe BRUNE GmbH Maschinen fuer Drahtumformung In der Delle 10, D - 57462 Olpe, Germany BRUNE GmbH Maschinen fuer Drahtumformung In der Delle 10, D - 57462 Olpe, Germany TEL: +49 27 61 In der Delle 10,837 D -378 57462 Olpe, Germany TEL: +49 27 61 837 378 FAX: +49 27 61 837 031 TEL: +49 27 FAX: +49 2761 61837 837378 031 E-Mail: brune@brune-machinery.de FAX: +49 27 61 837 031 E-Mail: brune@brune-machinery.de E-Mail: brune@brune-machinery.de

M A N U FA CT U R I N G T E C H N O LO G Y

New indexable range launched in Scandinavia The new Pramet range of indexable tooling – a comprehensive programme of turning, milling and hole-making inserts and holders for, primarily, the general engineering sector – is now available across Scandinavia.

C

reated in 2014 following the merger of Dormer Tools and Pramet Tools, Dormer Pramet’s combined product assortment now encompasses indexable tools – marketed under the Pramet brand – alongside the established Dormer range of rotary tools.

Erling Gunnesson, managing director of Dormer Pramet Scandinavia, comments: “Dormer’s round tool specialisation and Pramet’s focused expertise in the design and production of indexable inserts complement each other extremely well. Our core programmes are built around a range of products designed for the general machining industry, which dovetail together very neatly. So, from a product perspective, customers throughout Scandinavia now have access to a greatly enhanced product portfolio.”

As well as a stronger product line-up, expanded warehousing and logistics capabilities, Dormer Pramet is placing significant emphasis on the development of ‘value added services’. In keeping with this tradition, the Pramet launch is supported by catalogue publications in both hard copy and electronic format, including an interactive App, which is available to download from the iTunes® and Google Play™ stores.

Vibration test for nuts and bolts In a bolted joint designed correctly according to VDI 2230 the bolt performs a clamping force, which prevents the opening of the clamped parts despite external forces. The clamped parts behave like a single part and withstand all external loads. If they move against each other there is potential for the loosening of the bolted joint and the bolt may be lost or broken.

I

n reality it is often impossible to design bolted joints in a way that withstands external loads. However, it is not only the design that may enable movement of the bolted joint. In automotive construction there are bolted joint connections with very long bolts that can undergo elastic deformation under external loads and thus create a critical load on the bolt even if the fastening parts do not move.

SCHATZ AG has therefore developed equipment for vibration testing, which consists of a drive unit with adjustable displacement; a force sensor for transversal load; a measuring device for displacement; and a changeable transducer with adaptors for different fastener dimensions for measuring clamping force and thread friction.

All assembly procedures, including torque, angle, clamping force or yield point assembly, can be monitored. Displacement and frequency can be controlled by the measuring and control unit during the testing sequence.

Other features of the SCHATZ test equipment include: • Test range M6 to M24.

• Measuring of clamping force and thread torque (thread torque, torsion torque and loosening torque).

• Adjustable displacement (max. +/- 2mm) and frequency (0Hz – 20Hz) by software.

• All torque/angle assembly procedures are supported.

• Application as stand-alone system or in combination with laboratory system.

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Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

Finsterwalde (DE) Bruck (AT) Donawitz (AT) Fürstenfeld (AT) Nervesa della Battaglia (IT)

Chicago (USA)

Suzhou (CN) Shanghai (CN)

Mexico City (MEX)

São Paulo (BRA)

International Quality.

Improve the IQ of your wire solutions.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Wire rod Drawn wire Prestressing steel Shaped wire Sawing wire Production locations

Sales locations

voestalpine Wire Technology GmbH www.voestalpine.com/wire

M A N U FA CT U R I N G T E C H N O LO G Y

Competitive advantage through professional competence Developing new tools requires a complete understanding of the process – product design, selection of material, machine capacity, process technology, and tools interacting in a complex correlation.

W

AFIOS Umformtechnik GmbH is among the leading manufacturers of innovative machine technology and tools for cold and warm forming, and is confident it is able to provide the total understanding of the process for customers. Tools designed

by WAFIOS are optimised for products and the production process and provide customers with high performance, precision and economic efficiency. By using tool engineering from WAFIOS customers are also able to improve their productivity and quality of products.

Stability by practically tested tooling solutions The professional competence of WAFIOS saves valuable time for customers and avoids follow up costs. Its test centre provides the opportunity for customers to optimise the installation of the tools and bring them to their special requirements.

Customers who use the WAFIOS test centre are able to take advantage of WAFIOS’ cold formers (2-die 2-blow, 2-die 3-blow and multi station), as well as to arrange trial runs if necessary.

Know how transfer by training and special software WAFIOS also offers training in the latest methods of forming technology and tool design for customers’ employees. This enables customers to benefit from having the necessary knowledge within their own company.

In addition, with the help of WAFIOS’ licence program ‘cachdb’ (Computer added cold heading database) and Simtrans (WAFIOS’ transport simulation program), customers will be able to reliably design their tools including the sequence of operations and transfer times.

LICHTHART Betriebsgesellschaft mbH

NOTHING WORKS WITHOUT THE RIGHT TOOL!

We develop individual and flexible solutions for our customers.

Bolts • Nuts • Studs Sockets • Bent Bolts Machined Parts

We maintain a large inventory of over 2,000 different tools, ready for same day shipping.

We provide fast turnaround on special made-to-order tools.

®®

® ®

Your Specials are Our Standards

IN STOCK

t: +49 (0) 2351 9538 0 f: +49 (0) 2351 9538 30 e: info@lichthart.de w: www.lichthart.de Römerweg 21 D-58513 Lüdenscheid Germany

• Gages • Trim Dies • Recess Punches • Planetary Dies • Thread Rolling Dies

IN-LINE WIRE DRAWING MACHINES For calibrating wire from 2,0 to 35,0 m, in-line with cold headers and machines for chains.

Lichthart is certified according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2008.

Over 150 Material Grades 10,000 Ton Inventory Over 250 Machines No Minimum Quantity www.GoASF.com Quick Global Delivery

FOR YOUR IN-LINE AND OFF-LINE WIRE DRAWING NEEDS

HORIZONTAL WIRE DRAWING BULLBLOCKS For coil-to-coil wire drawing of cold heading wire from 5,0 to 32,0 mm.

Our lines are supplied complete with uncoilers, wire pointers, take-up units, coil compactors.

Tel. +39 0341.604801 Fax +39 0341.604289 www.tecnoimpianti-italy.com info@tecnoimpianti-italy.com

M A N U FA CT U R I N G T E C H N O LO G Y

TEMSA acquires PLUSDUR TEMSA, a high precision dies manufacturer from Barcelona, Spain, has recently acquired the Spanish punch manufacturer PLUSDUR S.L to create the TEMSA Group, which aims to be one of the biggest manufacturers of cold forging tooling in Europe.

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EMSA and PLUSDUR are two distinct companies with two different know-hows, but both with great synergetic opportunities to explore. From one side, TEMSA is a dies manufacturer focusing on high-quality tools, whatever the shape or difficulty. This is achieved through a huge investment in state of the art machinery and processes, such as the robotisation of production processes for single parts. On the other side is PLUSDUR, a company offering steel and carbide punches with a very high-quality, as well as flexible, reliable, and fast service.

Together they make a key supplier for fastener manufacturers of the automotive, aerospace and building markets. The resulting group has two factories with more than 75 workers and has a turnover of almost 8 million euros, as well as an export ratio of more than 65%.

Technicians from the two companies will complement each other to offer highly regarded turnkey development projects for new cold forged parts.

Full size fastener testing now available from Caparo Testing Technologies Caparo Testing Technologies has announced that, as part of an extension to its UKAS scope of accreditation, it is now able to offer full size fastener testing at its laboratory in Willenhall, UK.

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aparo Testing Technologies (CTT) is a leading laboratory and materials testing supplier, continually working to adapt to the needs of its clients in an ever changing industry. Located in the heart of the West Midlands, the company provides testing support to the surrounding oil and gas fastener market and recently recognised the need for full size fastener testing.

A new 1,000kN tensile machine now enables the laboratory to perform testing of ISO 3506-1 fasteners from M4 up to M36 – all covered by its UKAS accreditation. The new testing machine complements the existing wide range of mechanical, chemical and metallurgical testing services, offered to both local and national markets.

John Thompson, operations manager of CTT, said: “The team at Caparo Testing is always driven by our clients and their requirements. The ISO 3506-1 specification recognises the fundamental property differences of stainless steel fasteners and incorporates this within the test method. Investing in this capability will allow us to continue delivering a first class service to our clients across their complete product range.”

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M A N U FA CT U R I N G T E C H N O LO G Y

CERATIZIT Group acquires Klenk CERATIZIT S.A has acquired the German manufacturer of solid carbide cutting tools – Klenk GmbH & Co KG. The CERATIZIT Group is thereby expanding its product portfolio with customised solutions for solid carbide round tools.

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he purchase is part of CERATIZIT’s worldwide acquisition strategy and reinforces the positioning of the Group as a premium provider of all kinds of cutting tools. It also advances CERATIZIT’s growth in the aerospace, automotive and medical technology industries, as well as further strengthening its position in the solid carbide tools market.

“It is our aim to be perceived as a global premium player for all cutting tools,” explains Thierry Wolter, member of the executive board of the CERATIZIT Group. “With this acquisition we are expanding our product portfolio.”

At the same time Klenk will profit from the global sales network of the CERATIZIT Group and its strong presence on the

world market. For its production Klenk will be able to draw rods and blanks from the competence brand toolmaker solutions by CERATIZIT. The solid carbide tool manufacturer’s own ‘Klenk’ brand will be kept.

The takeover by CERATIZIT was signed on 28th May, pending the approval of the antitrust authorities. Both private companies have agreed not to disclose any financial details.

Left to right: Karlheinz Wex, co-chairman of the executive board of CERATIZIT S.A, Horst Klenk, managing director of Klenk GmbH & Co KG, and Thierry Wolter, member of the executive board of CERATIZIT S.A, at the contract signing.

SASPI machines amaze mixing high precision and technology besides huge strength and legendary reliability.

Specialised in hard materials and aerospace alloys.

Save time and money with the quickest changeover by our patented system.

3 in 1 MPA machines. Pointig, Drilling and broaching.

If you are looking for quality this is your brand.

*GV4-30 warm thread rolling machine

Zona Industrial Intxausti s/nº 20720 AZKOITIA (Gipuzkoa) SPAIN

Tel.: 34 - 943 85 02 62 943 85 02 66 Fax.: 34 - 943 85 34 45 E-mail: saspi@saspi.es

New packing centre for de WIT Recognised for its famous brand name Don Quichotte, the Netherlands nail manufacturer de WIT recently committed to a major investment in a complete new packing centre for its production facility in Helmond.

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he investment includes three new Weighpack high-speed automatic packing lines able to handle 27 different packing mediums and packing over 3,500 different articles. The automatic packing line functions include: Carton erection, product filling and product orientation in the box, box closing, labelling and automatic case packing in multiples of ten boxes in a case.

Installation and start-up for the first automatic packing line is scheduled for November 2015. Installation of the second and third line will follow in intervals of five months. After installation the packing capacity at de WIT will reach over 10 million boxes per year; each box containing between 100 – 500 pieces of fasteners or fixings.

The 2 million euro contract signed by Mr Willem Zantvoort, general manager of de WIT, and Andries Kout, CEO of Weighpack, will renew a longstanding partnership between the two companies, replacing 30 year old Weighpack machines, still in operation, with state of the art high-speed ones.

Major Industries Ltd. „As a global supplier, we are skilled in the production of a wide range of forming tooling, especially for the complex parts demanded by the automotive industry“ >

Check it out on: http://www.majorindustriesltd.com Please find our world-wide associate contact details on our website

Major Industries Ltd. Jack Lee and Cindy Lee

Address: No. 1 Chang Tai Street • Hsiao Kang District • Hsiao 812 • Taiwan Phone: 886-7-871-6711 • Fax 886-7-871-5935 • E-Mail: milmajor@ms23.hinet.net

>

>

TECHNICAL

Stop loosening of fasteners

By Michael Kaas, Bossard expert team We have all experienced it. Screws or nuts are loosening – whether on a bicycle or on a pair of glasses. So what is the cause of this? And how do we prevent this?

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o do so we need to know more about the function of the joint and how the fastener threads interact. We also need to analyse the stresses that are introduced to fully understand what causes the loosening. Only then can we determine the best solutions to minimise or prevent the loosening.

During tightening, friction is introduced in the fastener thread and in the bearing areas. It’s this friction that subsequently should prevent the tightened fasteners from loosening. So if friction should hold the joint together why is it still loosening?

The joint: In the perfect world the joint itself should withstand the dynamic forces and prevent loosening. The fasteners should be torqued to appropriate preload and bolted joints should only be stressed by tensile forces. Dynamic forces could provoke loosening. To keep the fasteners from loosening the design should prevent sliding of the assembled parts due to lateral workloads. For this, the clamp length is important. Fasteners where clamp lengths are less than 5 times the thread diameter don’t necessarily react in an elastic way. They are very stiff and their vibration resistance is poor. If possible the joint design has to be modified to achieve a clamp length of 5 times the thread diameter. Such bolted joints react in a much more elastic way and their vibration resistance is improved. But in many applications that rule is hard to achieve.

External forces: To prevent loosening, the design engineer needs to determine the external forces. The external forces will determine if the joint friction is sustainable or if other precautions need to be taken. That can be divided into two categories – static and dynamic forces.

Dynamic forces: Dynamic force can be introduced in several ways – whether it’s the equipment itself, ‘Mother Nature’ or the surroundings. When introduced to dynamic forces, thread friction and bearing surface friction help to keep the joint tight.

In the case of standard machine screw threads, there is friction on only one side of the threads, with a gap on the rear flank.

If the forces are great enough, friction in the threads can drop dramatically leaving only the friction of the bearing area of the screw head or nut to keep the joint from loosening.

Static forces: If the joint design is only introduced to static forces, loosening is normally not an issue. But often the products are transported in ocean-going cargo vessels that are exposed to constant vibration. The heavy diesel engine produces vibrations that are felt in the entire cargo hold of the ship. Fastened joints can thus become loose. Entire assemblies have fallen apart because the screws or nuts loosened, rotated loose, and eventually got lost.

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Friction: Often defined as coefficient of friction (CoF). The amount of friction introduced is dependent on the materials and coatings used. Some materials such as stainless and aluminium introduce a lot of friction, where steel typically has an additional finish that determines its friction coefficient. Often a friction modifier in coatings is used to control CoF, thereby minimising the scatter during tightening subsequently controlling the clamp load. This leaves us with a dilemma. Using friction modifier we can often ensure reaching the right clamp load thereby reaching the fasteners maximum potential. But at the same time we lower the CoF – thereby increasing the risk of the joint loosening during dynamic forces. When using the full potential of the fastener’s clamp load, thereby introducing as much force on the thread flanks and bearing area as possible, the joint can withstand more dynamic forces. But in some cases, tightening against softer materials like plastics, aluminium, etc, this is not always obtainable. Therefore other means of securing against loosening is needed.

Head style Flange/washer head: By introducing larger heads like flange head or washer heads we introduce more friction between the head and surface of the part. This will also lower the surface pressure on bearing areas thereby reducing the embedment, and creating more friction, helping to secure it more against dynamic forces.

Serrated/ribbed flange head: By introducing serrations/ribs in the bearing area of a flange head, a locking feature is introduced. During tightening, the serrations/ribs will dig into the mating surfaces leaving a high metallic locking effect. Damage to mating surfaces may be a concern with this type of locking feature, especially if painted.

If using serrations on a screw, you must also use serrations on the mating nut to ensure that you have high friction at all joint interfaces. Washers should also not be used with serrated hardware.

Nuts As an alternative to serrations, which add friction at the bearing surface, thread-locking features can be introduced in nuts. But often these nuts are used inappropriately which can lead to loosening. ‘Prevailing torque nuts with metallic or non-metallic insert’. The title itself can be misleading as these nuts are often referred to as ‘lock nuts’. By introducing the nylon ring or a metallic deformation of the thread, friction loss of joint

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TECHNICAL is prevented. But nuts with a jamming element in the thread are not resistant to rotational loosening. The prevailing torque element never extends over the entire height of these nuts.

The jamming effect is always only in a few thread pitches at the topside of the nut while the remaining nut thread is free running.

When dynamic forces are great enough to lessen the preload of the joint, the locking feature will prevent loss of the nut, but may not prevent the nut from rotating slightly and further losing preload, which cannot be recovered without re-tightening. This can lead to shifting of joint members and eventual fatigue failure. Also when using prevailing torque nuts reusability needs to be taken into account, as the locking effect gradually will weaken with each reuse.

Thread-locking features Polymer patches: Non-metallic prevailing torque thread elements are made of polyamide. Polyamide is a thermoplastic resin that softens above 120°C. This is the range where the prevailing torque effect disappears.

The prevailing torque thread element is normally a local polyamide coating patch that is blown on to a pre-determined, heated thread area as a fine powder.

The high temperature of the thread surface allows a layer of the powder to soften immediately and to stick to the screw thread. Finally there is a small soft polyamide patch on the screw thread that jams in the mating thread.

An already loosened screw will not continue its vibration induced self-rotation.

If the screw revolves when applying the coating, a 360° polyamide coating is formed.

This does not only jam, but it simultaneously seals the thread – which is important in screws that are designed to seal containers.

The polyamide coating can be directly applied to the area where it has to be effective, i.e. where the external/internal threads are engaged. The thickness of the coating is adjustable to a certain extent, and consequently its prevailing torque effect. In general, 2-3 thread pitches at the end of the thread are left free of coating.

Thus, the screw can be started without a problem when turning it into the mating thread. The prevailing torque screw is often used as an adjusting screw.

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Adhesive patches: The thread play between normal screws and nuts or internal threads can also be eliminated by using an adhesive patch. During assembly these products fill in the intermediate spaces, harden, and prevent the thread flanks from sliding relative to each other.

Friction is maintained and the screws/nuts are vibration resistant. Full hardening can take up to 72 hours, but in most cases the part is already locked after a short period of time. Therefore adjusting the fasteners after assembly should be avoided as that can damage the locking effect.

For the same reason adhesive locking features can only be used once. If disassembly is necessary, the fasteners have to be discarded. As these adhesive patches are always applied 360° this will benefit as a sealing effect too.

Care should be taken as the ‘adhesive strength’ corresponds to the strength of the fasteners.

If the patch’s locked effect is ‘very strong’, it can result in broken hardware during disassembly.

Washers Washers belong to the family of fasteners however don‘t have a direct fastening purpose. Wrong use of washers are made almost everywhere in the world, and often result in lowering the strength of the joint or increasing the risk of loosening in a dynamic joint.

Flat washers: For the objective in hand flat washers can (if chosen correctly) help reduce surface pressure on softer materials thereby minimising the loss of clamp load due to seatings.

The bearing area of the washer is usually larger than the bearing area of a screw and/or nut.

The larger contact area diameter produces more frictional resistance. Thus, the bolt head will always rotate on the washer during tightening and not the washer on the clamped component. Subsequently it will protect the softer material and thereby reduce the risk of loosening due to dynamic forces.

Depending on the selected fastener’s property class the correct washer hardness needs to be selected. Choosing the wrong washer hardness can lead to higher risk of loosening as well as if the material is too soft to support the head of the bolt without embedment.

Split lock washers: The general misunderstanding is that split lock washers are added to reduce risk of rotational loosening. In most cases that assumption is not correct.

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TECHNICAL The objective of a split lock washer is to reduce the loss of clamp load due to embedment. So if used correctly it will reduce the risk of loosening due to dynamic forces. But the strength of these types of washers is often overrated thereby resulting in much higher risk of loosening due to embedment and/or dynamic forces.

Split lock washers, as we know it, are strength-wise only capable to withstand clamp forces introduced by fasteners up to property Class 5.8 (when using the fasteners full potential).

When used with these fasteners split lock washers will reduce the loss of clamp load thereby reducing the risk of loosening due to dynamic forces. Also most split lock washer’s edges will create a mechanical locking onto soft surfaces that will improve the locking effect.

It is important to understand that the effectiveness of split lock washers is very low or non-existent when used with heat treated fasteners of 8.8 (Grade 5) and higher. The spring rate of the washer is too low, and the edge of the washer will not dig into the hard fastener surface. When used with higher grade fasteners, they actually create greater risk as the washer may spread and break under high loads.

Serrated lock washers: The name serrated lock washers is misleading. These washers only function is to promote electrical conductivity. These are often used on grounding applications such as for car batteries. The twisted teeth of the washer may appear to be a locking feature, but the reality is that the design of the washer often can’t withstand pressure applied during assembly. This will result in a higher risk of embedment and subsequently a higher risk of loosening.

Even though the teeth should increase the friction in softer materials, most fastener’s (properties Class 8.8 and above) surface hardness is too high to make this an effective metallic locking feature. In some cases, such as fasteners up to Class 6.8, some locking effect can be achieved as the surface pressure and clamp load is limited.

Ribbed lock washers: Ribbed lock washers are ridged at least on one side. Together with the friction in the thread, the friction in the bearing area prevents spontaneous rotational loosening of screws and/or nuts by considerably increasing friction between the bearing areas.

The ridges (teeth) are designed in such a way that they anchor themselves into the clamped parts, as well as into the

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bolt or nut’s bearing area, thus resisting back off. Like the conical spring washer and the split lock washer, ribbed lock washers are made to reduce the risk of embedment. As with flat washers, there are different types of ribbed lock washers, which based on their shapes have different functions. The ribbed spring lock washer has an outside diameter, which is about the same size as the bearing area diameter of the screw and/or nut. It is ribbed on both sides.

The ribbed spring lock washer type Rip-Lock® has a much larger outside diameter. It covers large clearance holes and oblong holes.

The screw’s head or the nut always lies on top of the ribbed side. The bottom side of this washer has no ridges.

The large washer diameter produces enough friction on the clamped part to prevent the washer from turning.

Nord-Lock®: A special serrated locking washer is the Nord-Lock® washer. These always come as two washers paired together to provide the locking effect. The outer surfaces are ribbed and will bite into even the hardest materials, while the inner surfaces have precision ground ramps.

When a screw/nut is tightened, the ramps between the two lock washers remain closed and the two washers are in firm contact. If the screw is subjected to vibration and as a result tries to rotate loose, the upper washer will rotate and separate slightly from the lower one. Since, however the ramp angle (α) is larger than the thread helix angle (β), the rotational loosening of the screw is reliably prevented as the clamp load actually increases slightly during this rotation. Nord-Lock washers may be reused many times and require slightly higher torque to achieve the required clamp load. Recommendations can be found in the Bossard catalogue.

The original Nord-Lock washer doesn’t prevent relaxation, but the recently presented conical ribbed Nord-Lock washer will, beside the normal features, also reduce the relaxations.

All mentioned ribbed lock washers: • Have to be used both on bolt/nut side to secure locking.

• Can be used with hardened fasteners. But only the Nord-Lock washer can withstand/used with property Class 12.9.

“ D epending on factors like forces, materials, safety, design, reusability, and assembly, the design engineer needs to select the solution that fits the application.”

Thread forming screws: By eliminating play in the threads, thread forming screws will not work loose under dynamic loads (vibration). Normally there is some allowance between the mating threads of screws and nuts. Thread forming screws, however, form their own mating internal thread when being driven into the workpiece and do not have any thread play.

Even in the case of intense vibrations of the assembled parts, the thread flanks can’t slide against each other. The existing thread friction is fully maintained, thereby eliminating additional locking devices. The vibration resistance is maintained even after disassembling and reassembling. Thread forming screws are always used without nuts either in blind hole assemblies or in through hole assemblies. Since thread forming screws are so vibration resistant they are used very successfully

by design engineers in machines and equipment exposed to intense shaking and vibration.

Thread forming screws may be used in low carbon steel, light alloy metals and most plastics – although different thread styles are used for each type of material. See the technical section of the Bossard catalogue for recommendations on hole size and thread engagement to ensure a good dynamic locking effect.

Summary There’s no one solution that will work in any joint design.

The design engineer needs to calculate/estimate the possibility of loosening in the joint. Depending on factors like forces, materials, safety, design, reusability, and assembly, the design engineer needs to select the solution that fits the application.

M A N A G E M E N T + SY S T E M S

From screw dealer to innovative industry service provider The right screw in the right place at the right time – that’s the art of C-parts management and an art that Ferdinand Gross GmbH & Co KG is confident it has mastered.

B

y offering customers individualised consulting, innovative processes, vast experience, as well as customised Kanban solutions, Ferdinand Gross is able to make sure that its customers can concentrate on what’s important – production.

Imagine the following scenario: Parts are being assembled on the production line of a company in the mechanical engineering industry. Production is running at full capacity and deadlines are setting the pace. Suddenly the machines come to a standstill and production is paralysed. What has happened? A certain screw is missing in the process – the supply has run out.

To ensure that this never happens, Ferdinand Gross uses its ample experience to ensure that C-parts are always at the right place at the right time in the right quantities. Founded more than 150 years ago, the company founder, Ferdinand Gross, quickly recognised that to set himself apart from the competition it was vital to listen, ask questions and understand. “150 years later and we still want to understand how each customer works so that we can deliver a customised range of products precisely adapted to each customer’s needs,” says CEO Thomas Erb. Standard solutions do not exist at Ferdinand Gross. As an experienced partner to industry, the company cooperates closely with customers on-site to screen and optimise their actual needs and develop the appropriate strategies for them. Large quantities or consumable kits? Custom or standard part? One container or two container Kanban? These are just a few of the many issues addressed by Ferdinand Gross in the procurement stage. Once they are clarified, Ferdinand Gross is able to supply the right fasteners in the right place at the right time in the production process according to requirements. Both parties benefit from such a system – with the comprehensive Ferdinand Gross Kanban system, total procurement costs can be lowered by up to 70%.

Ferdinand Gross can also handle the management of small parts and organise the warehousing for its customers. An individual fleet of vehicles – the Kanban-Express – also helps ensure trouble-free and continuous delivery.

Anyone working so intensively with C-parts management on a daily basis has to ask the question: ‘How can I do an even better job?’ The over 50 year old Kanban system used by Ferdinand Gross seemed perfect because materials supply

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was based solely on consumption in the production process.

However, Ferdinand Gross decided to take a different approach – not by investigating the process itself – but by making the downfalls of Kanban supply visible.

The problem became clear. Kanban was lacking in transparency.

Purchasers had no overview of actual item statuses – there were no possibilities for control. Ferdinand Gross therefore decided to develop a web-based visualisation tool that gave purchasers back their control. The innovation was named ‘FALCON’ – after the bird that keeps sight of even the slightest movement.

FALCON visualises all of the customer’s Kanban storage locations. Items are no longer searched for, they are found.

Implementation of a Microsoft® Excel® export function enables the purchaser to control the deployment of C-parts even more precisely and effectively. Thanks to the reporting tool, statistics, analyses, and fast reaction, peaks in demand aren’t a problem anymore – and all data, from consumption to inventory turnover to price, is completely transparent.

Because FALCON is also available as an App for smartphones and tablets, the customer can stay informed about the status of the Kanban box everywhere, all the time. Simple read-in of the barcode makes the coordinates of the box visible. All item master data, including consumption and historical data, can be retrieved. The Kanban customers integrated into the ERP system of Ferdinand Gross can process all known order release components. The order can be released through Bluetooth, USB or GSM scanner, mobile phone App, SmartBin (weight-based scale system) or RFID. “With Ferdinand Gross Kanban, C-parts management is not only simpler but also much more transparent,” says Thomas Erb. “A smart system such as FALCON currently has no real competitors.” www.schrauben-gross.com

FIRST-CLASS CONNECTIONS

„Finding instead of searching“: a new dimension of Kanban At Deutsche Bahn AG, safety comes first. As a result, all locomotives and rail cars are regularly dismantled and all connecting parts replaced. Since Summer 2012, Ferdinand Gross has been sole supplier of Deutsche Bahn AG, guaranteeing their smooth supply of high-quality C-parts. Kanban at the highest level – FALCON 3.1 lets the Swabian company show its impressive innovation and

competence. Ferdinand Gross has brought the Kanban system to a new level with FALCON, putting a powerful instrument of control into its customers‘ hands: This unique software solution provides a visual representation of which C-part is where and on which Kanban shelf. „Finding instead of searching“ is the motto now – even on the tablet PC or smart phone.

Curious? Get in touch with us: Ferdinand Gross GmbH & Co. KG | Daimlerstraße 8 | 70771 Leinfelden-Echterdingen +49 711 / 1604-1653 | info@schrauben-gross.com | www.schrauben-gross.com

M A N A G E M E N T + SY S T E M S

Voith implements REYHER Kanban Voith Turbo H + L Hydraulic GmbH & Co KG, a manufacturer of highly dynamic hydraulic systems and components, has recently added a ROM RFID BOX ID solution to its REYHER Kanban supply system – enabling automatic order handling to optimise the sourcing process.

T

he ROM RFID BOX ID solution is a REYHER own development and can be easily integrated into a Kanban supply system already in operation. Voith says it had already been using REYHER’s Kanban supply system for some time as reliable supply of high-quality fasteners is absolutely essential for the flexible manufacture of hydraulic systems.

When introducing REYHER’s C-part management system, the focus was to optimise process costs and maximise the reliability of material supply. At Voith’s German Rutesheim site, assessing requirements was previously carried out by removing the labels on the front of the empty Kanban bins and placing them in a collection box. This was emptied twice a week and the barcodes were scanned by hand. The data was then sent off and used to complete an order.

With the newly installed ROM RFID BOX ID, REYHER says the ordering process is more efficient, easy, fast and precise. The process also requires the labels from the empty Kanban bins to be put into the postbox, however, the big difference is that the labels and the postbox are fitted with RFID technology. Manual label scanning is completely obsolete using this solution and no one needs to be reminded to empty the postbox at the scheduled times. Orders are placed automatically by radio signal as the labels are put into the RFID postbox. This REYHER solution also offers the unique alternative of being able to issue repeat orders for an article at the press of a button.

Andreas Laub, purchase department manager at Voith Turbo H + L Hydraulic, explained: “Integration of REYHER RFID, replacing the need for manual label scanning, created time savings and simultaneously increased process reliability.”

He added: “Since the introduction of RFID any logistics operative can trigger new supplies at any time, simply and quickly by putting a label into the RFID box. The colleagues responsible were very enthusiastic. Alongside reliability of supply and process optimisation that is an important argument.”

Supplies are delivered to Voith Turbo H + L Hydraulic twice a week and are sorted directly into the shelves by REYHER. Every delivery has a new label with the current data and a sketch of the item. www.reyher.com

Which is better: Voice or RF? John Casagrande, vice president client services at Voxware Inc, looks at how companies can optimise operations and whether RF scanning or voice directed software is more likely to drive process improvements.

T

oday, getting correct orders out of the warehouse on time, every time is more important than ever.

Fortunately, companies no longer need to be shackled by the poor efficiency and high error rate of historically inaccurate paper processes and can instead optimise operations by deploying a suite of technologically advanced tools. New solutions purpose-built for the supply chain are reaching maturity and becoming more accessible thanks to low-cost subscription cloud-based options.

Once companies decide to automate, there is an important question to answer: Is RF scanning or voice-directed software more likely to drive process improvements? It turns out that, for many warehouses, the answer is both.

RF scanning, which leverages handheld devices to scan barcodes to make tasks like batch scanning much less time-consuming, is an easy first step toward automation since it comes pre-loaded with many warehouse management system (WMS) software packages. RF scanning is also helpful in reducing the time needed to complete tasks that involve lengthy codes and forms an important technology infrastructure throughout the warehouse.

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However, warehouses that stop at RF and fail to fully automate with voice-directed picking software risk leaving ‘money on the table’. Voice, which allows workers to move about the warehouse hands free, helps companies realise productivity gains in excess of 25% and to reach accuracy levels of 99.9%. While RF may present the illusion of a low risk option, companies must be careful not to confuse ‘low initial cost’ with ‘low risk’. Not only are voice solutions more affordable now than in years past, but they also contribute to labour savings. Many companies report that new and temporary staff are ready to start selecting items with voice within the first few hours of their first day.

Instead of picking one technology over another, companies that want to take full advantage of warehouse automation technologies should deploy a combination of technologies and deploy them where they are best suited. Some functions may be better suited to RF, critical functions such as picking are often better suited to voice. In an era of ever increasing customer expectations, it’s important to start delivering an exceptional customer experience in the warehouse and a comprehensive technology strategy is one of the best ways to ensure long-term customer satisfaction.

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M A N A G E M E N T + SY S T E M S

Effective stock control Here Jon Roberts, marketing manager for OrderWise Stock Control and Order Processing Software, looks at how effective stock control can be the platform for a successful business.

A

ll too often businesses see stock control and warehouse management as a separate or secondary activity to other business areas such as sales. However, stock control is the backbone and driving force of many business operations with key touch points throughout nearly all main business activities.

Far beyond the simple notion of booking stock in and out, effective stock control helps ensure cash flow is managed by optimising stockholdings; maximising sales through availability of the right stock in the right place at the right time; and increases profitability by providing true landed costs and margin at the order level.

As businesses grow, the need for effective stock control grows too and requirements for more comprehensive warehouse management capabilities arise. Many companies can find growth stalls as existing warehouse processes are no longer able to meet the throughput of higher sales volumes. While employing more staff can provide a short-term solution, ultimately this increases the fulfilment cost per order to a level that is unsustainable and uncompetitive. The answer is a software solution that enables warehouse operations to become more efficient, more accurate, and more productive, yet flexible enough to meet the specific requirements of the business it serves.

In recent years more companies have begun to realise the importance of structured inventory management, implementing

new software to help better manage their daily warehouse activities along with their commercial and financial business operations. This notion has also coincided with a rise in businesses turning to barcode scanning â&#x20AC;&#x201C; using standard or more flexible GS1 barcodes within their warehouse to help streamline processes. By introducing barcode scanning as part of a structured warehouse management solution, businesses are able to see dramatic increases in the levels of efficiency, accuracy and order throughput achieved, with profitability and space for competitiveness also raised as a result.

However, it is no secret that introducing a new warehouse management system requires careful preparatory work. To ensure the fastest possible return on investment and full benefits are achieved, many companies recognise that the existing layout of their warehouse also needs to be overhauled. The issue is not all businesses have the required level of knowledge, experience, and resource internally, to identify the improvements that need to be made, such as how best to configure walk routes, position stock and manage picking.

Therefore although it is clear that there are significant companywide benefits that businesses can gain from focusing on getting the right stock management processes in place, companies need to also find a supplier that offers the right level of expertise combined with the extensive experience needed to deliver the right overall solution across the entire business. www.orderwise.co.uk

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C ATA LO G U E R A C K

July 2015

UK + Ireland Fastener + Fixing Magazine provides a unique reference guide that offers the industry a fast and easy way to source both current and upcoming product Catalogues.

Use this convenient service to call, fax or email the companies to request a copy of their latest Catalogue and up to date product information.

Product Catalogue

2015

V2

PROVIDING QUALITY PRODUCTS & EXCELLENT SERVICE FOR OVER 25 years

Abracs Ltd

Altiplas

Abracs Ltd are one of the UK’s leading suppliers of abrasives, accessories and allied products.

Our extensive range of quality products, superior industry knowledge, UK stock holding and market leading customer service are just some of the reasons why so many people choose Abracs as their number one abrasives supplier.

Specialists in the supply and distribution of Aluminium Titanium & Plastic fasteners and components to the Trade and Industry.

Tel: +44 (0) 1904 789 997 email: abracs@abracs.com

In Partnership with Industry

Specialist Suppliers of Aluminium Titanium Plastics

Commercial Fasteners Aerospace Fasteners Machine Turned Parts Pressings Metals

Tel: +44 (0) 1494 458 986 www.altiplas.co.uk

Apex Stainless Fasteners Ltd As the UK’s leading Stainless Steel Wholesaler to the distribution Trade, Apex provides a comprehensive stock range, with in excess of €15 million of both globally sourced and own manufactured Quality Assured metric, unified and imperial fasteners in A2 & A4. A reliable and competitively priced service, including UK next day delivery on all stock items, is provided. email: sales@apexstainless.com Same day shipment to Ireland is available by arrangement. www.apexstainless.com

Specialists in the supply of an extensive range of materials to the merchant, DIY, glazing, plumbing, tiling and roofing sectors.

productcatalogue

We offer both a standard & non-standard range of products, supplying into industry sectors such as Aerospace, Automotive, Energy & Petrochemical.

All under our BSI 9001 2008 & AS9120 accreditation.

Ash Fasteners

Tel: +44 (0) 121 328 3881 www.ashfasteners.co.uk

The UK’s foremost manufacturer of long length & specialist cold forged fasteners in Steel, Stainless, Aluminium or Brass.

Any length from M3 up to a M12 diameter with Hex, Flange Hex, Cup Square, Countersunk, Pan, Round or Cheese Heads with Torx, Pozi, Struck Slot or Indented Hex. Threaded Metric or Imperial including UNF, UNC, Whitworth, BSF, BA.

Bond It

D.S. Fasteners Ltd

Bond It are one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of silicones, adhesives, ironmongery and building chemicals to the trade.

Our new 200 page catalogue offers in depth product information on our full range plus handy tips and hints on making the right product selection. Produced in a neat DL size this is one catalogue that will always be at hand and easy to use.

Switch to Stover Nuts the automotive industry approved all metal self locking nut.

Ex-stock from D.S. Fasteners Ltd in grade 8, 10, 12 & fine pitch.

Tel: +44 (0) 1422 315 300 www.bond-it.co.uk

106 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

Tel: +44 (0) 1842 763 000 www.dsfasteners.co.uk

• Nylon Insert Nuts – Flange Nuts • Castle Nuts • Nylon Dome Nuts • Dome Nuts • Weld Nuts • Full & Lock Nut • Flanged Head Set Screws DIN 6921

C ATA LO G U E R A C K Everbuild Building Products

Fastbolt

Everbuild Building Products – A Sika Company are the UK and Ireland’s largest manufacturer of sealants, adhesives, fillers and building chemicals. The new 291 page Ultimate Catalogue is now available filled from cover to cover with products from both the Everbuild and Sika ranges.

Tel: +44 (0) 1908 650 100 www.fastbolt.com

Tel: +44 (0) 113 240 2424 www.everbuild.co.uk

Galaxy Fasteners

G John Power G John Power is a wire drawer, producing cold drawn wire and annealed steel using the latest technologies and production methods.

We also produce bright hard drawn mild steel and various other types of higher carbon wire. We are certified for Quality Management ISO 9001 and Environmental 14001.

Our focus is on delivering high quality drawn wire and annealed products, tailored to suit customer needs.

Tel: +44 (0) 121 550 3112 email: enquiries@gjohnpower.co.uk

Fastbolt is a leading wholesaler of industrial fasteners to European distributors only. Apart from a highly specialised product range ex stock Fastbolt offers individual supply solutions such as customised packing, direct container imports, pre-import quality inspections and a revolutionary online availability check and ordering system: FBonline.

Galaxy Fasteners is now firmly established as a market leader for supplying specialised distributors within the structural engineering and farm building sector. The complete product range is available from stock, covering application at the initial fabrication stage – from submission of the original draftsman’s list, right through to the fully cladded structure. email: office@galaxy-screws.com www.galaxy-screws.co.uk

GripIt

Hafren Security Fasteners

Just Drill – Tap & Turn

‘Security fasteners for every application’

• Takes heavier loads • New quick fix design • Removable and reusable • Easy and quick to install • Fits 9.5 – 15mm thick plasterboard • Ideal for Dot & Dab Walls • 100% Universal • 1 fixing holds up to 180kg

• Widest range of tamper resistant nuts and bolts – worldwide • In-stock for same day despatch to distributors only • High-quality bespoke security fasteners manufacturing service • Sensitive areas need security fixings to deter vandalism and theft • Many new products and sizes recently added to our range

Contact Nicky Harding. email: info@gripitfixings.co.uk www.gripitfixings.co.uk

Secure business with Hafren!

Tel: +44 (0) 1686 621 300 Email: sales@hafrenfasteners.com

Icon Fasteners

Lee Spring

ICON Fasteners – a division of Hexstone Ltd. • Socket products including: Cap, Csk, Button, Set, and Shoulder.

Diameters range M1.6 – M36.

• Hexagon bolting in grades 10.9 & 12.9. Diameters range M6 – M36.

• Secondary plating and patching specialists.

• Large stockholding.

• Order up to 5:00pm, for next day delivery.

Quality Assured to BS EN ISO 9001:2008.

New look Series 20 Lee Spring UK catalogue featuring almost 20,000 product types, including High Pressure Springs, Metric Bantam™ Mini-Compression Springs and the latest in Heavy Duty Die Springs.

Tel: +44 (0) 1902 491 122 email: icon@icon-fasteners.co.uk

To order, call Arnold Industries, the official Lee Spring distributor in Ireland.

Tel: +353 (0) 21 429 7752 www.leespring.co.uk

www.fastenerandfixing.com

107

C ATA LO G U E R A C K Lindapter International

NE Fasteners Ltd Wood/Chipboard screws, Mirror/ Decking screws, Furniture fasteners, Screw cups and Brass turned sockets, Wall Plugs, Brackets and much more in all materials and finishes including Black, E/Brass, Chrome. NEF are also experts at Packing/Kitting.

We also buy surplus screws!

New High Slip Resistance (HSR) Clamps brochure.

The HSR clamps allow faster steel construction and reduced labour costs.

Tel: +44 (0) 1274 521 444 www.lindapter.com

Tel: +44 (0) 1202 865 222 www.optimascomponents.com

The brochure illustrates a wide range of applications and shows how steel sections can be quickly aligned by sliding the section into the correct position before tightening the assembly to complete the installation.

Optimas Components

Owlett-Jaton

• Over 380 pages / 14,000 parts • Over 800 new parts across 90 new fastener, cable management and enclosure product ranges • 3 new suppliers – Stanley Engineered Fastening, ARaymond and BOPLA • Additional brand extensions / new ranges from Heyco, Thomas & Betts, Hummel and Fibox • Comprehensive technical information – IP / IK rating, material and tolerance data • Free product samples available

Owlett-Jaton is the UK’s largest supplier of fasteners, fixings, ironmongery, hardware, and associated items to the UK distributor and merchant trade.

Experienced sales and distribution teams are dedicated to delivering a first class service to their customers and just one call gives you access to our comprehensive product range.

Precision Technology Supplies We stock the widest range of Stainless Steel American Threaded Fasteners from No.0 to 1” diameter in both UNC & UNF threads.

For more details or to get a quotation contact our sales team.

Tel: +44 (0) 1785 819 819 www.ojtrade.co.uk

Premier Washers Manufacturer of washers and pressings in all types of metal and in a variety of finishes with in-house tool facilities. An excellent service & competitive prices, supported by our registration to BS EN ISO 9001:2008, places Premier Washers in a position to fully satisfy the requirements of all our customers.

Tel: +44 (0) 1902 307 121 email: sales@premierwashers.co.uk

email: info@pts-uk.com www.pts-uk.com

RLS Tooling Ltd

Tel: +44 (0) 1543 271 808 www.rlstooling.co.uk

Please call for our new Brochure.

Tel: +44 (0) 121 559 8866 www.nefasteners.co.uk

RLS product range includes flat thread rolling dies, circular thread rolls and knurling dies.

These products are sold worldwide either direct or through one of our agents or representatives.

Our manufacturing operation extensively uses CNC machine tools and our technical staff have CAD systems to assist the development of special tools and forms.

108 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

SD Products Ltd SD Products Ltd has an outstanding reputation as the UK and global supplier and distributor of specialised injection moulded and spring steel fasteners and components since 1979. The company is currently seeing a consistent increase in growth, supplying products into all levels of the Automotive, Furniture, Marine and other industry sectors.

We are proud to hold the UK’s largest stocked ranges of various product lines, including fir tree, Tel: +44 (0) 1623 655 265 email: sales@sdproducts.co.uk scrivets, push rivets and trim clips.

C ATA LO G U E R A C K Stainless Threaded Fasteners

Star Fasteners (UK) Ltd

Stainless Threaded Fasteners (STF) – a division of Hexstone Ltd. • Stainless Steel – Metric fasteners A2 & A4 • Diameters range M1.6 – M36 • Large stockholding • Order up to 5:00pm, for next day delivery Quality Assured to BS EN ISO 9001:2008.

Tel: +44 (0) 115 932 4939 www.starfasteners.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 1902 490 490 email: sales@stf-fasteners.co.uk

The Insert Company (UK) Limited

Techsil Ltd

Tel: +44 (0) 1789 773 232 www.techsil.co.uk

Star Fasteners, the UK’s largest Huck distributor.

Huck fasteners are installed wherever there’s a requirement for structural strength and resistance to vibration & loosening making them suitable for tough engineering situations.

Stock includes rivets, threaded inserts, screws. Tool sales, hire and repair complement the service. Many years of application experience ensures unrivalled technical support.

We are global distributors of industrial Adhesives, Sealants, Tapes and Dispensing equipment, serving a wide range of manufacturing industries including Electronics, Aerospace, Automotive, Medical, LED Lighting, Product Assembly and Packaging. With our commitment to quality, technical excellence and reliability we have evolved into one of the most trusted Adhesives and Sealants suppliers around.

Tel: +44 (0) 121 439 7329 www.theinsertcompany.com

We have the biggest range of inserts in the UK and we would be delighted to receive your valued enquiry which will receive our prompt attention, please email sales@theinsertcompany.com or call +44 (0) 121 439 7329.

Alternatively please visit www.theinsertcompany.com to see the huge range of inserts we offer.

STANLEY Engineered Fastening

T.I.Midwood & Co Ltd (TIMco)

STANLEY Engineered Fastening offers a comprehensive range of engineered fasteners and tooling.

Speed Fastening® Systems, Breakstem Riveting Systems, Sealing Plugs, Lockbolt Systems, Blind Rivet Nuts, installation tooling and automated systems deliver innovative fastening and assembly solutions to all market segments and applications.

A leading wholesale supplier of screws, fastenings, fixings and power tool accessories to distributors throughout the UK, Ireland and Europe.

TIMco’s collection of 4,500 products includes; wood, multi-purpose, drywall and external UPVC window screws as well as roofing and construction screws. Their range also includes FirmaHold’s collated nails and fuel cells, Addax power tool accessories as well as a comprehensive range of fixing and fastening products required by distributors.

Tel: +44 (0) 1829 261 111 www.TIMco.co.uk

email: enquiries2@sbdinc.com www.StanleyEngineeredFastening.com

TR Fastenings

TheWasherFact ry

TR Fastenings – Global manufacturer & distributor of fasteners including sheet metal fasteners, PCB hardware & cable management, inserts for plastic, self-locking fasteners, sets, bolts, studding, screws, nuts, security fasteners, blind rivets & nuts, micro diameter and more.

T: 01902 865777 F: 01902 864777 E: sales@washer-factory.com

The premier manufacturer of non-standard washers and light pressings.

• Competitive prices • Next day delivery on all stocked items • Online technical support email: sales@trfastenings.com Contact TR today – The clear alternative. www.trfastenings.com

Washer Factory Ltd We are one of the leading manufacturers of non-standard and specialised stainless steel, duplex stainless and non-ferrous washers and light pressings.

We have an extensive range and offer quick turnaround, see our website for more information, or call our sales office for fast and friendly help.

Tel: +44 (0) 1902 865 777 www.washer-factory.com

Next issue… Targeting Turkey

109

TECHNICAL

Friction: A force of nature Friction is a factor not to be ignored when it comes to tensioning bolts. Always present in a bolted joint, friction can be part of the problem – or part of the solution.

F

riction is a force that appears whenever two objects come in contact with each other. It is the opposite of all motion. No matter which direction something moves in, friction pulls it the other way. Yet, we need friction.

Without it, we would not be able to walk, sit in a chair, or climb stairs. Everything would just keep slipping around.

Frank Naumann (pictured left), former managing director of the German Fasteners Association and with more than fifty years of expertise in the field of friction, explains that friction always exists in a bolted joint. On the one hand, it limits the efficiency to transform the torque into the desired preload, on the other hand it is necessary to keep the preload in the joint to prevent loosening of the parts.

“There are two coefficients that describe the friction between the rotating parts during the tightening process,” Naumann says. ”First, it is the coefficient of friction between bearing surfaces under the screw head or under the nut: µb (μb = washer friction) and second, the coefficient of friction between the threads: µth (μth = thread friction). Both of them are consuming a big amount of energy, which is converted into useless heat. For example, in the case that µb = µth = 0.10, only 16% of the torque is transformed into preload. One can influence the size of the coefficients by controlled lubrication. In the automotive industry, a range between 0.08 inches and 0.16 inches is used.”

“ There are two coefficients that describe the friction between the rotating parts during the tightening process... the coefficient of friction between bearing surfaces under the screw head or under the nut… and the coefficient of friction between the threads.”

110 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

In terms of bolted connections, friction is sometimes part of the solution as well as part of the problem. Of course, the clamp load in a bolt is mainly determined by the torque required to tighten the bolt. But it is also a function of aspects such as bolt diameter and length, the geometry of the threads and – not to be forgotten – the coefficients of friction that exist in the threads and under the bolt head and nut.

The coefficient of friction is necessary in calculating tightening torques and the resulting bolt tensile forces and stress, and in calculating the resulting friction force between the connected surfaces. However, the approximate values of friction coefficients found in charts are only representative values. They should be confirmed against other sources of information and preferably testing.

The torque value is dependent on the friction, present in the threads and between the torqued bolt head and nut, and the fastened material or washer if used. In fact, during tightening almost all of the input energy is lost in overcoming the friction under the head, nut and threads. Just a small fraction of the torque is converted into the clamp load or tension.

Torque wrenches do not give a direct measurement of the preload in the bolt. As the torque is applied, it must overcome static friction under the head of the bolt and nut, depending on which end is being torqued, and also in the threads.

Much of the torque applied, around 50%, is lost overcoming friction under the torqued bolt head and nut, and about 40% is lost in thread friction. Only the remaining 10% of the applied torque does useful work in stretching the bolt and providing the preload.

Friction is frequently used as a method for locking bolted joints. The most common examples include deformed thread or nylon insert lock nuts, or serrated/teeth/star washers. In these solutions, the principle of friction locking is based on increased friction in the thread or under the bolt head and nut.

However, factors such as torsion, seizing and galling may impact these friction based solutions in a negative way. There can also be problems because of increased torsion stress in the joint in friction based locking methods. High torsion may cause the fastener to yield at a lower preload than expected.

As friction conditions are uneven, the necessary preload may not be reached.

Fasteners made of stainless steel, aluminium, titanium and other alloys can also sustain unpredictable thread galling (cold welding). In bolting, thread galling appears during fastener tightening as pressure builds up between the contacting and sliding thread surfaces.

In extreme cases galling leads to seizing, which is the actual freezing together of the threads and bolt lock-up. Continued tightening may cause the fastener to be twisted off or result in ripped out threads.

Lubricants are often used to reduce friction and to obtain uniform clamp load. Lubricating the internal and external threads frequently can also eliminate thread galling. According

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From proven wedge-locking technology to Superbolt tensioners, our experts can support you throughout sourcing, design/production and aftermarket. Let us improve your bolting safety.

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TECHNICAL to Michael Stähler, product manager at Dörken, the current trend is to have the bolt or nut coated with the right coating for the task it is expected to perform. This is mainly a coating with an integrated lubrication; a separate lubrication added after a coating is not preferable any longer as it is an additional step.

Also coatings that are not stable against temperature can cause self-loosening of the joint.

Nonetheless, lubrication will significantly reduce or even discharge the locking ability of any friction-based method.

Lubrication should never be used in conjunction with friction based locking because it will counteract the locking capabilities.

Controlling the clamp load is vital, and this can be achieved by reducing the spread of friction. When using bolted joint solutions that are not based on friction for locking, lubrication can be used.

By reducing the friction through lubrication, the preload control is increased and the spread is significantly lowered.

Then the bolt’s full capacity can be used and the life cycle of the bolted joint is extended.

A bolt that fails due to fatigue causes unwelcome production stoppages. www.nord-lock.com

Friction with a Nord-Lock view Nord-Lock washers secure bolted joints with tension instead of friction. The washers are designed to create a wedge effect and the proof of this can be seen by the increase in tension during untightening.

This wedge effect prevents the bolt from rotating loose.

The bolted joints only lose some initial preload due to normal settlements between the contact surfaces. Reducing thread friction while safely securing the joint is often considered impossible. However, with the tension-based wedge-locking of Nord-Lock this can be achieved with lubrication.

“The wedge-locking method is based on tension instead of friction,” says Lena Kalmykova, application engineer at Nord-Lock. “The most common example of the wedge-locking system is a pair of washers which have cams with a rise greater than the thread pitch of the bolt. The washer pair is installed cam face to cam face. When the bolt/nut is tightened, teeth grip and lock the mating surfaces, allowing movement across the cam faces only. Any rotation of the bolt/nut is blocked by the wedge effect of the cams. The wedge-locking ability is not affected by lubrication. Moreover, by using it you can utilise each bolt to its full capacity.”

A global source for all your products

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t: +44 (0) 1978 823 900 e: sales@aslgroup.uk.com w: www.aslgroup.uk.com Supplier to the OEM and automotive industry

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www.fastfixtechnology.com

A P P L I C AT I O N T E C H N O LO G Y

Dynamic testing of the loosening of tightened screws omniTECHNIK Mikroverkapselungs GmbH, a manufacturer of pre-applied chemical thread-locking products – available worldwide under the trademark precote®, recently invested in a new vibration test bench, which allows dynamic testing of tightened screws under high transversal loads, according to DIN 65151.

I

nnovation, service and quality are all major components of omniTECHNIK’s corporate philosophy and in order to maintain its technological position the company consistently invests in product development as well as quality control. omniTECHNIK has recently acquired a newly developed machine from German-based Schatz AG to test screw tightened joints under special dynamic conditions. Correctly dimensioned screwed joints should theoretically generate sufficient clamping force to prevent the assembled parts from any movement. In order to avoid breaking or loosening of the screw, the clamping force generated during assembly needs to be higher than the operational forces encountered in service. So in theory, high preload, as well as sufficiently high static friction, should prevent any sliding in the joint face.

However, due to design specifications it is not always possible to follow up the ideal principle of VDI 2230 to achieve a slip resistant joint. It is often impossible to use flexible screw joints with high clamp length ratio or fitting screws. Self-acting loosening – alongside material failure – remains today’s most common cause for failures of screw joints.

Especially in the automotive industry the lightweight construction principle requires the use of both smaller screws and softer materials with lower permissible preload, thus thread-locking technologies are increasingly used in this field.

Pre-applied chemical thread-lockers such as precote® provide a technically effective solution, as the additionally engaged area allows the adaption of the construction to modern requirements.

Economically designed screwed joints according to the operational forces require thread-locking systems as these protect against recurring extraordinary loads. In particular, when using the new chromium (VI) free surfaces with integrated lubricants, dynamic testing of the intended application is essential, as the reduction of friction between the assembled parts caused by lubricants can be enormous.

What are the reasons for loosening of screws?

The reasons for loosening of screws include: • Loss of axial load due to creeping inside the specified materials.

• Settling caused by flattening of the surface roughness.

• Forced movement in the joint line whereby the internal self-loosening force will become bigger than the self-locking effect. omniTECHNIK says that to avoid this self-acting loosening and maintain the preload, its thread locking systems, such as coating the screw with a microencapsulated adhesive, represent the ideal solution.

Resins released from microcapsules, which are ruptured during screw assembly, mix and polymerise in the thread tolerance gap. This creates higher static friction, which enables the joint to withstand significantly higher load peaks than the calculated operational forces. An additional benefit of all precote reactive products is a sealing effect.

Both the Junkers test (DIN 65151) and the Alma test (NASM 1312-7) were developed to test threaded joints and

114 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

thread-locking technologies under high dynamic loads. Trials at the Fachhochschule Köln, carried out on a Junkers tester, proved that precote reactive thread-locking withstands thousands of cycles without loss of preload.

The new Schatz vibration test rig introduced by omniTECHNIK consists of a drive unit with an adjustable stroke; a force measurement for the transversal force; a position measurement for the transversal stroke; and sensors for different screw sizes to measure preload and thread friction. This unit is directly coupled to a friction tester whereby all assembly processes such as torque, preload force, rotation angle or yield can be set and measured.

With this test bench, tests according to ISO 2320 or DIN 267-27 and 267-28 can be carried out so that the tightening torques are known before running the vibration test. As a result it is possible to perform different tests or installation methods, combined with a vibration test.

The objective of the Junkers test is to carry out a comparative test of the loosening behaviour of a screw with transverse movement under defined conditions and demonstrate the function of the used thread-locking technology. Since the parameters in DIN 65151 are not exactly defined, omniTECHNIK uses the requirements according to E DIN 25201-4.

These requirements include: • Comparison between screw without locking technology and with precote reactive adhesive.

• Preload or installation torque.

• Test frequency 12.5Hz. • Low clamping length ratio.

• Lubrication.

• Surface and hardness of the parts.

Measured values are the transverse stroke, preload, and the load cycles until failure of the threaded joints.

“Chemical thread-locking with precote reactive is the most reliable way to avoid the loosening in service of threaded assemblies.

Our coating partners and technical service are able to answer questions about all applications concerning thread-locking.” www.precote.com

Our products provide solutions for locking, sealing, assembly and disassembly. Especially designed with our unique microencapsulation technology for the pre-coating of threads our products offer many advantages compared to field applied adhesives. Constant product development due to extreme motorsport conditions guarantees the highest possible performance. Successfully tested on the race track our products show the same benefits in many other industries.

Locking • Sealing • Assembly • Disassembly

omniTECHNIK Mikroverkapselungs GmbH · Munich · Tel +49 89 1433810 · precote.com

A P P L I C AT I O N T E C H N O LO G Y

Securing bolted joints under high vibration Here HEICO Befestigungstechnik GmbH explains why its HEICO-LOCK® Wedge Lock Washers are the reliable solution for securing bolted joints, in high vibration assemblies, against self-loosening by rotation.

A

gainst the backdrop of optimised construction with less volumes and material inputs, in accordance with the principles of lightweight design, reliable securing methods for fasteners have become ever more critical.

With space limitations resulting in smaller clamping lengths, even high strength bolted joints are susceptible to self-loosening.

With system operations causing high dynamic shear loads, specifically high vibrations, bolted joints can lose preload by self-rotating, which can lead to system failure or significant

to DIN 651511 known as the ‘Junker’ test after its inventor, Gerhard H. Junker2.

The renowned German Institute for Standardisation (DIN) conducted a programme of these ‘Junker’ tests and as a result in 2003 withdrew several standards referring to locking devices.

A number of devices were verified as not applicable in preventing high strength bolts from self-loosening, including spring washers (according to DIN 127), toothed lock washers (according to DIN 6797) and locking plates (DIN 93). Locking devices would now be categorised according to their locking performance as either reliable ‘bolt locking’ or ‘loss preventing’ devices.

While reliable ‘bolt locking’ devices prevent self-rotation in the bolted joint during vibration, as well as obtaining high preloads, ‘loss prevention’ devices are only preventing the nut or bolt from falling off after the preload is mostly lost.

HEICO-LOCK® Wedge Lock Washer

danger to life and limb. HEICO-LOCK® Wedge Lock Washers prevent bolted joints from self-loosening by rotation even under the most extreme vibrations. HEICO-LOCK® Wedge Lock Systems are used in many fields of applications, because in nearly every industry vibrations and dynamic loads are occurring. Whether the oil and gas, railway, agriculture and forestry, automotive or renewable energy sector, safety and reliability in case of bolted connections are always important.

Since 1900 HEICO has been providing high class fastening solutions. Starting with the production and distribution of upholstery and decorative nails, mainly for the furniture industry, the range of products has extended steadily over the intervening years. In the early 1990s HEICO began manufacturing design-specific cold formed parts and mouldings, mainly for the automotive sector. After passing on the management of the family held company to the fourth generation, the product range was extended significantly by the introduction of HEICO-LOCK Wedge Lock Washers. Today the company has approximately 400 employees across two production plants in Germany and eleven worldwide distribution subsidiaries.

There are a wide variety of bolt locking devices available on the market but unfortunately not all of them meet the basic requirement of reliably preventing bolted joints from self-loosening.

The locking performance of fasteners under vibration, specifically locking devices, can be evaluated on a vibration test rig according

116 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

Schematic preload curves of bolt locking devices during the vibration test (Junker test) An example of a ‘loss prevention’ device is a prevailing torque type nut (DIN 980 and DIN 985). The HEICO-LOCK Wedge Lock Washer is then categorised as a ‘bolt locking’ device. A detailed overview is included in DIN 25201 part 4 in table A13.

In response to these changes a number of surveys were undertaken by independent research institutes to test the ‘bolt locking’ effectiveness of the HEICO-LOCK Wedge Lock Washers.

A vibration test rig was used, according to the specifications of DIN 65151 (Junker test), and the tests were undertaken according to the specifications of E DIN 25201 part 4 appendix B4.

The results of these independent tests showed that the HEICO-LOCK Wedge Lock Washers met the E DIN 25201 requirements of maintaining a residual preload >80% after an alternating transverse load, representing the effects of vibration, of over 2,000 load cycles.

The outstanding locking performance of HEICO-LOCK Wedge Lock Washers is due to their functional principle:

Image A

Image B

Image C

Image D

Functional principle of HEICO-LOCK® Wedge Lock Washers The remarkable property of HEICO-LOCK Wedge Lock Washers is that they positively lock fasteners using tension instead of friction. The HEICO-LOCK® System consists of a pre-assembled pair of glued washers that have inclined cams on the inside and radial teeth/ridges on the opposite sides (the use of the glue is simply to ensure the correct position of the single washers in relation to each other before the first assembly and is not part of the actual functional principle). Tightening of the bolt and/or nut leads to a gripping action of the teeth thus seating the mating surfaces (the surface hardness of the washer is greater than that of structural grade and high-tensile bolts).

Tightening locks the HEICO-LOCK Wedge Lock Washers in place (Image A). Due to the low friction between the single washers movement is only possible across the faces of the cams on the inner side (Image B).As the wedge angle of these cams (α) is greater than the angle of the thread pitch (ϐ) any movement of the bolt increases the thickness of the washers as the cams move across each other (Image C). When the bolt rotates in a loosening direction this cam movement increases the preload force and blocks the self-loosening action (Image D).

HEICO has always aspired to innovation and advancement, the very cornerstones that more than 100 years of the company’s history is based upon. In accordance with this philosophy the

R&D department works continuously in its in-house laboratory to improve and to develop established bolt locking solutions. Only five years after the launch of the HEICO-LOCK Wedge Lock Washers, this development culminated in the launching of two new products – the HEICO-LOCK® Ring Lock Washer and the HEICO-LOCK® Wedge Lock Nut. The HEICO-LOCK Ring Lock Washer provides the crucial advantage that even after disassembly of the bolted joint the individual washers are permanently held in the correct position by an outer plastic ring. This design means the combined washers cannot be assembled incorrectly, thus ensuring effective operation even when used by non-specialised operatives.

The HEICO-LOCK Wedge Lock Nuts, a combination of the proven HEICO-LOCK Wedge Lock Washer with a flanged nut, provides a locking solution where the number of parts used during assembly decreases and the need for a separate washer under the head of a nut is removed. This leads to a more reliable, faster and cost optimised assembly of bolted joints. With the riveting of the connection between the wedge lock washer and flanged nut the one piece design is maintained, even after several assembly/disassembly cycles.

With continual development and innovation at the heart of the HEICO philosophy, the future of bolt locking is in safe hands. www.heico-lock.com

Bibliography 1

2

3 4

DIN 65151: Aerospace series – Dynamic testing of the locking characteristics of fasteners under transverse loading conditions (vibration test). August 2002.

JUNKER, G: New Criteria for self-loosening of fasteners under vibration, transactions of the Society of Automotive Engineers, Vol. 78, 1969, pp. 314-335, New York.

DIN 25201-4: Design guide for railway vehicles and their components – Bolted joints – Part 4: Securing of bolted joints. June 2004.

E DIN 25201-4 Appendix B: Design guide for railway vehicles and their components – Bolted joints – Part 4: Securing of bolted joints – Appendix B. Draft version. March 2010.

www.fastenerandfixing.com

117

A P P L I C AT I O N T E C H N O LO G Y

Top quality lock nuts for critical joints For fifty years J. Lanfranco & Cie, headquartered in Paris, France, has been manufacturing self-locking slotted nuts with a reliability that it says is renowned in the rail and industrial sectors, when compared with locking by deformation nuts or nuts with inserts (nylon or metal).

J

. Lanfranco’s dual slotted, self-locking system is superimposed on the nut body. The two slots are symmetrically opposite and perpendicular to the axis of the bolt. During manufacture the locking elements are deformed so that the slots are closed. When installed the slots open, engaging and exerting a clamping force on the bolt thread flank on opposite sides and in different planes, in this way self-locking according to ISO 2320. The self-locking nut will not damage the bolt and when removed the slots revert to the closed position allowing it to be reused at least five times without any reduction of its self-locking properties.

Withstanding vibrations, fluids, as well as low and high temperatures, this slotted design has been tried and tested across all industries including rail, national defence, compressors, wind turbines, nuclear power plants and lifting machinery. Due to this J. Lanfranco has adapted these locking systems for modular fixtures systems so that they can be modified to the specific needs of its customers.

These modular fixture systems include a stainless steel or aluminium alloy section that is cut to the requested length and in which the company incorporates moveable slotted self-locking nuts. When there are several nuts, the equidistance between them is defined according to the customer’s requirements.

The mobility of the nuts can be multidirectional depending on what they are being used for. With such modular fixture systems, the user not only gains time significantly during assembly, but also obtains the necessary tightening with just one part, and therefore avoids the build-up of different mechanical parts used beforehand.

These nuts can be put to a variety of uses: V-form plough on high-speed trains, window fasteners, door and leaf fasteners, seats, interior apparatus and structures, lift shafts, inserts, electro mechanics and cable pipework, as well as all applications subject to vibration. www.lanfranco.fr

PEM® R’ANGLE® fasteners for thin metal assemblies PennEngineering® has introduced the patented PEM® R’ANGLE® fastener for thin metal assemblies and printed circuit boards, which creates strong right angle attachment points to enable tighter design control, reduced hardware counts, and associated production economies.

T

his family of fasteners consists of self-clinching products for permanent installation into metal sheets and ReelFast® SMT surface mount versions for permanent installation onto printed circuit boards.

R’ANGLE® clinch fasteners for metal can serve as ideal replacements for conventional bent edge tabs, bent centre tabs, bent flanges, angle brackets, or tack welds. R’ANGLE surface mount fasteners for printed circuit boards eliminate the usual requirements for angle brackets or threaded right angle blocks.

For metal assemblies Type RAA™ aluminium clinch fasteners install in aluminium sheets as thin as 0.04 inches/1mm and accept thread forming screws in sizes #4-40, #6-32, #8-32, and M3 and M4. Type RAS™ steel threaded fasteners install in aluminium or steel sheets as thin as 0.04 inches/1mm and are

118 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

available in thread sizes #4-40, #6-32, #8-32, and M3 and M4.

A single mating screw completes the component attachment process. The holding power of the fastener will be unaffected by any tightening or loosening of the screw.

ReelFast SMT fasteners are designed to mount board to chassis, chassis to board, or component to board. They install at the edge or interior of boards (as thin as 0.04 inches/1mm) in the same manner and at the same time as other surface mount components prior to the automated reflow solder process. Thread sizes for mating screws range from #2-56 through #8-32 and M2 through M4.

Detailed specifications, CAD models, installation animations, and performance data (Bulletin RA) for these RoHS compliant fasteners can be accessed on PennEngineering®’s website.

For limiting the load on plastics.

Compression Limiter®

Compression Limiters protect plastic components from damage by absorbing the normal force of bolt heads thus limiting the permissible load on plastic components, preventing over torque cracking.

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Vogelsang Fastener Solutions

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J. LANFRANCO & CIE - TOP QUALITY LOCK NUTS FOR CRITICAL JOINTS In any environment, shock, impact, extreme temperature and corrosion you will get the best resistance to vibration TRY OUR SELF-LOCKING ESL OR ERM! Reusable, easy to install, no galling and long life cycle

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ENERGY

A P P L I C AT I O N T E C H N O LO G Y

Quick connecters to be used in automotive cooling systems NORMA Group has secured a major contract for quick connectors with a large Chinese-European joint venture OEM.

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roduction of the NORMAQUICK PS3 quick connectors – for the use in the customer’s water cooling systems – will start in 2016 and last until 2026. NORMA will produce more than four million quick connectors annually at its plant in Qingdao, China, and equip approximately 1.5 million vehicles.

“This order is the beginning of a strong relationship between NORMA Group and this major OEM, which just like NORMA Group increases its capacities in China,”

says Bernd Kleinhens, NORMA Group board member responsible for business development and the Asia-Pacific region.

“We look forward to our cooperation and are proud to be the designated supplier for our customer’s new platforms for automotive production.”

The NORMAQUICK PS3 quick connector is made of recyclable materials and is ideal for connecting fluid lines in the area of cooling water and heating lines, but also for use in charge air systems. It is characterised by rapid assembly without

tools. An integrated retainer enables the quick connector to be mounted and disconnected again very easily. The compact design also enables the quick connector to be used even in instances where installation space is limited. An integrated O-ring keeps the connection tight.

NORMA Group has been present in China since 2007. After having established its first plant in Qingdao, the company opened a second facility in Changzhou in May 2014. www.normagroup.com

Collaboration with Warwick University leads to new contract for Barton Coldform UK-based Barton Coldform (UK) Ltd has secured a contract with Ford Motor Company thanks in part to the implementation of an innovative new process developed with WMG, University of Warwick.

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he contract, worth GB£300,000 to the company, was awarded following the development of prototype parts that were produced using the latest additive manufacturing (3D printing) techniques through an innovative programme based at WMG, University of Warwick.

The programme offers West Midlands SMEs the opportunity to access a range of cutting edge technologies and equipment, which facilitate the development of innovative new products and services. The programme operates from a dedicated facility called the International Institute for Product and Service Innovation – funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Using traditional methods, it would normally take Barton Coldform up to 14 weeks to produce tooling to create demonstrator parts and products, but now using 3D printing the process takes just days.

The new process has realised significant time savings, giving customers far quicker access to their prototype parts, resulting in the whole supply chain saving both time and money.

Importantly, customers now have a better understanding of their component or product before and during the tooling design and development phase. The ability to see the physical part allows engineers to ‘touch’ their design and to communicate any changes whilst also being able to review those parts that might need re-engineering.

Andrew Nuttall, managing director of Barton Coldform (UK) Ltd, said: “Barton is proud of its position at the forefront of UK manufacturing innovation and is confident that this technology will revolutionise our pre-manufacturing processes. Whilst we are not yet able to make actual parts using 3D printing, being

120 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

able to showcase the fit and form of our parts to customers so quickly means that lead times are much shorter. Our customers can now move their design and production forward to meet the increasingly short deadlines demanded.”

Dr Mark Swift, head of SME programmes at WMG, commented: “We are delighted that Barton Coldform (UK) Ltd has been able to use this technology to its advantage. Many other manufacturers in the region are also seeing positive impact through the programme we have, which has been supporting West Midlands SMEs for over three years now.”

(Left to right): Eleanor Precious, WMG marketing and business engagement manager, as well as Barton Coldform’s, Mike Harvey, production manager, Andrew Nuttall, managing director, and Aaron Milbarrow, operations director.

WWW.AXELBITTIS.DE

HEICO-LOCK速 FASTENING SYSTEMS THE BEST VALUE TO SECURE BOLTS. Quality not only arises from premium materials and complex production processes, it is primarily the result of human passion!

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HEICO Befestigungstechnik GmbH has been awarded as one of the most innovative companies in Germany.

CONTACT@HEICO-LOCK.COM . WWW.HEICO-LOCK.COM

A P P L I C AT I O N T E C H N O LO G Y

High strength weld studs perfectly welded Heinz Soyer Bolzenschweißtechnik GmbH has introduced its new Black Series weld stud generation with property Class 8.8.

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atented stud welding in a radially symmetric magnetic field – referred to as ‘SRM’ (patent number: 10 2004 051 389) – in connection with the corresponding HZ-1 universal weld stud with plane end face and centring tip (patent number: 10 2006 016 553), offers safe and clean connections in the field of fastening technology. This process provides technical and economical advantages to replace numerous mechanical and welding related joining processes and allows product quality and safety to be significantly increased.

As previously used welding studs of unalloyed steel with property Class 4.8 offer comparatively low load capacity, SOYER has now introduced a new high strength weld stud generation with property Class 8.8. The Black Series is manufactured in cold processing and is distinguished by its completely black colour marking that is achieved by environmentally friendly black finishing.

This eliminates any danger of confusion with similar weld studs with lower property classes. All process steps including storage, transport and processing can be secured verifiably by visual inspection.

The features of the new weld stud generation, for applications such as steel and metal construction, vehicle, container, equipment and system engineering, have been registered as utility patent under registration number 20 2015 100 234.3. www.soyer.com

Adhesives used on Formula E cars The first championship for formula cars with electric engines is setting new standards in motor sport and making a big impact in bringing the issue of sustainability to a wide audience. As a solution provider for adhesives, sealants and functional coatings worldwide, Henkel supported the China Racing team – providing a range of products for fast maintenance and repair at the race track.

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he International Automobile Federation’s (FIA) Formula E championship has been conducted on urban race tracks, including in Beijing, China; London, UK; and Los Angeles, USA; since 13th September 2014. This year’s final race was held in London on the 27th June 2015 – where Henkel was supporting the China Racing team and its drivers Nelson Piquet Jr and Charles Pic and offering innovative, tailored solutions for the wide range of challenges that electromobility presents.

Henkel says it has supported the trend for vehicles with alternative engines from the very beginning and developed tailored solutions. The range for the installation of components includes specially adapted adhesives and housing seals with wet or dry installed products for various processes.

Typical components for which Henkel products are used include plugs, sensors, controls, accumulators and electric engines. Reducing the size of electric and electronic components in the vehicle helps to save on volume and weight. However, the increased power density leads to higher temperatures that need to be discharged. To do this, Henkel offers a series of specialised casting compounds that provide both higher thermal conductivity and electrically insulating properties.

When it comes to the battery, Henkel offers pre-coatings

122 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

that increase the conductivity and lifespan of the cell. These products can also be used to shield plastic housings against electromagnetic influences. Use in fuel cells presents particular demands for adhesives and sealants, such as low permeability to hydrogen and oxygen molecules. Henkel offers a wide range of specialised products here, for use in various different process environments.

WWW.AXELBITTIS.DE

WIR FORMEN IDEEN

HEICO UMFORMTECHNIK COLD FORMED PARTS As well as the HEICO-LOCK速 Fastening Systems HEICO also manufacture precision cold formed parts. Customers, mainly in the automotive industry, can trust in the over 100 years of experience that HEICO use to provide high quality, customized engineering solutions.

MAIL@HEICO-FASTENERS.DE . WWW.HEICO-FASTENERS.DE

UMFORMTECHNIK

TO O L S

Easy handling with EB400 FAR Srl, an Italian manufacturer of blind rivets, rivet nuts and fastening systems, has introduced a new battery riveting tool – EB400, which it says features an ergonomic weight and a modern and innovative design.

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owered by a 14.4V – 3Ah lithium-ion battery, the EB400 can reach up to an 18mm stroke.

The tool ensures functionality and easy handling with an excellent weight balance and is capable of setting the full range of rivets from 2.4mm diameter up to 4.8mm/5mm diameter (inox rivets excluded). The EB400 also has a multifunction display that shows the charge level of the battery and cycles counter level.

The tool is supplied in a shockproof convenient plastic case with internal protections. Various rivet sizes and one battery charger are also supplied with the tool.

New ratcheting system for in-line applications SMC Corporation Ltd, a specialist in inventing, developing and bringing to market unique tools for the professional and trade user, has launched a patented ratcheting system – LineWrench – which is ideal for in-line applications.

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MC says the LineWrench has a unique ratcheting action and is ideal for flare nuts as it can be opened and closed to fit around the nut completely. Available in all sizes from 8mm – 32mm and 5/16 inches – 3/4 inches, the LineWrench is available either individually or in sets.

The LineWrench is QA approved and accepted by the German automotive industry. It is sold extensively through automotive aftermarket distribution in both Europe and the US. It is also suitable for a range of other applications including plumbing, aeronautical, hydraulics, gas, and welding.

60 years of production in Germany GESIPA Blindniettechnik GmbH has recently opened the doors to its demonstration centre, at its Mörfelden-Walldorf headquarters in Germany, to demonstrate the performance and efficiency of its blind riveting technology.

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ESIPA has been developing and producing innovative and high-quality blind rivet setting tools, as well as blind rivets and blind rivet nuts, for 60 years.

During this time, blind riveting technology has become an integral part of automobile production. Today, an estimated number of up to 650 blind rivets and blind rivet nuts are set when building a passenger car. GESIPA points out that the most unbeatable advantage of blind riveting technology has always been the possibility of connecting components with one-sided accessibility, and the option to monitor and store setting processes.

For this purpose, a demonstration centre was built which only recently opened its doors to customers and potential buyers. The centre demonstrates the performances of GESIPA’s innovative product portfolio and the entire know-how relating to blind riveting technology. Attractions to the centre are the latest generations of AccuBird® Pro and PowerBird® Pro Gold Edition, and the

124 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

GAV 8000 HF, which is robot controlled and several metres high.

Just like in a real production plant, the robot has a range of approximately 2 metres and is able to set blind rivets of up to 8mm in diameter and 35mm in length – fully automatically, from any possible angle. In addition to a wide range of hydro-pneumatic setting tools for blind rivets and blind rivet nuts, the demonstration centre also shows the tool types of the new GESIPA® Speed Rivet Technology. These tools can either be operated manually or as axial versions, which can also be installed in production lines or workstations. They are lightweight, easy to handle and reliable.

“GESIPA’s headquarters operates a certified quality management system complying with the requirements of DIN EN ISO 9001 and ISO TS 16949. It is outstanding because of the various programmes it applies, such as Lean management, Kaizen and 5S and because of its close development cooperation with selected colleges and universities.” www.gesipa.com

New HAZET solid reversible ratchets HAZET-WERK – Hermann Zerver GmbH & Co KG, says its two new solid reversible ratchets, 863MC and 863Mbit, along with assorted sets, are ideal for working in tight spaces due to their slim design.

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t only 89mm long, HAZET says the solid reversible ratchet 863MC and the ratchet 863Mbit with six-point profile, have been designed for pefect handling with a 15 degree arched handle at the rachet head – which also helps reduce the risk of finger jams. The ergonomic finger support at the end of the handle facilitates a secure grip and enables precise operation.

863MC is for ¼ inch square sockets and the 863Mbit is designed to accept ¼ inch bits. Each ratchet wheel is equipped with 20 teeth and the surfaces of the robust ratchets are chrome plated. Both fulfil DIN 3122 and ISO 3315 standards.

New to the product range are two assorted ¼ inch solid reversible ratchet sets. The 13-part set 863 MC/13 contains the solid reversible ratchet along with ten sockets with wrench sizes of 5mm – 13mm, as well as a universal joint plus extension. All handily stored in the HAZET BitE-Box. “All parts are produced following high ‘Made in Germany’ quality standards. Users can obtain further information from our online catalogue, our current brochure or from an authorised specialist dealer.”

TO O L S

RED ROOSTER assembly tools Rami Yokota B.V has introduced a full range of RED ROOSTER tools, including pneumatic and cordless screwdrivers and impulse wrenches, focused on increasing productivity in the assembly industry.

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ami Yokota says its RED ROOSTER shut-off pneumatic screwdrivers included in the new range have a large torque range, are highly accurate and have a very low vibration level.

The wide range of different speeds allows users to choose the perfect screwdriver to increase productivity. The screwdrivers are available in pistol, straight and angular models.

The RED ROOSTER cordless screwdrivers with 18V battery are ideal for use when hoses/cables impede handling flexibility of the tools. These tools are currently available in pistol model with an angular model to be introduced.

Also in the range is the RED ROOSTER (shut-off) impulse wrenches, with high tightening speed, high accuracy and no reaction force during the tightening process. Tightening at the required torque can be reached in a split second with high repeatability and a low relaxation. This helps to increase productivity and minimise impact on ligaments and muscles. RED ROOSTER cordless shut-off impulse wrenches also allow users the extra flexibility required when working in difficult and tight spaces.

Durability and comfort from Norbar UK-based Norbar Torque Tools has announced that it has re-engineered its Professional Torque Wrench with new and improved components that deliver accuracy, durability and comfort as standard.

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eaturing a ‘harmonic drive scale’, Norbar explains that the new Professional Torque Wrench provides a long scale length for good resolution and accuracy in both scale units. In contrast, wrenches operating a micrometre type scale allow accurate setting in the primary scale unit but offer relatively poor accuracy in the secondary units, due to limited resolution.

For operators, this can be a major consideration, which when combined with Norbar’s 60% increased scale size makes the Professional Torque Wrench easy to set accurately. Furthermore, with the ability to make adjustments 40% faster and with little effort – operators who adjust their wrench regularly, can work much faster and therefore reduce the time the task takes.

Following user feedback the lock is now a push/pull type, with a coloured band to highlight that the wrench is unlocked.

The handle has also been redesigned to be more comfortable for the user, featuring a more ergonomic shape and a higher proportion of high grip material. Further engineering enhancements ensure the wrench is as easy to service as possible and should therefore result in a longer life expectancy and ultimately, lower lifetime costs. The tool also features two compression springs positioned in-line, to improve performance and repeatability.

“We are delighted to be able to launch this solution into the market,” said Philip Brodey, sales and marketing director for Norbar Torque Tools. “We believe that the enhancements to the product – including the addition of Timestrip® onto the wrench to easily indicate when a calibration is due – improve the functionality of the wrench and therefore the operator’s experience.”

Safety in high voltage environments Laser Tools has added new insulated wrenches (part number 6048) to its ever increasing range of tools for hybrid and electric vehicles.

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k-based Laser Tools’ wrenches are manufactured from chrome vanadium steel for strength and wear resistance and feature the most commonly used sizes of 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 17mm and 19mm.

The tools are both GS and VDE certificated and manufactured according to the IEC 60900 standard, which provides the technician with the confidence to work on potentially high voltage systems in the knowledge that the tools are extremely safe and of high-quality.

As part of strict health and safety regulations, the GS mark is recognised throughout the EU as a symbol of safety and the VDE certification is also highly recognised, assuring that wrenches, screwdrivers and other hand tools are safe to use when working with electricity in a high voltage environment.

The wrenches are also presented in a plastic, foam-lined box to keep the tools in good condition and are available from a local Laser Tools supplier.

126 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

Special Screws Fit bolts, plugs, knurled thumb screws, square head bolts, flat headed screws, hexagon set screws, brass screws and specials.

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20.01.15 11:07

TA P E S + A D H E S I V E S

tesa®’s double-sided solution In today’s fast paced industries the development of new materials with diverse applications puts additional challenges on manufacturing technology. One example of this was when UK designer and manufacturer of retail display equipment, Alan Nuttall Ltd, experienced manufacturing issues with a mirror mounting application.

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lan Nuttall Ltd wanted to assess how double-sided tape solutions could be best utilised within its current and future manufacturing processes. The company placed an emphasis on how best to replace traditional methods for fixing various materials including welding techniques, permanent mechanical fasteners and structural adhesives.

The Midlands-based company had previously worked with tesa® to evaluate using double-sided tapes for the manufacture of its ambient, refrigerated and heated products. This involved an extensive testing programme using tesa® ACXplus acrylic core tapes, which highlighted the efficacy of tapes in helping to solve specific industry issues and improve productivity.

The mirror mounting application presented a new challenge – manufactured by bonding PP safety backed glass to either MDF or MFC substrates – the mirrors are produced in a range of sizes and weights. With weight being a key factor, the company was keen to identify whether a single bonding solution could fulfil essential performance criteria in ensuring the safety of the assemblies. tesa addressed the company’s concerns about the need for a secondary bonding solution by implementing a further testing programme using tesa® 4952 – a double-sided PE-foam tape certified for mirror mounting applications. The tape was applied

on different sizes and weights of mirror, which were bonded to both MDF and MFC substrates and then stored away for a two week period.

Using tesa 4952 had many benefits including high immediate bond on rough surfaces; good compensation for design tolerances; levelling out of different thermal expansion of materials; and a shock absorption and sealing function.

Furthermore, when tests were conducted to try and prise the mirrors and backing materials apart, the mirrors cracked long before the tapes’ bond failed.

Mick Steele, technical director at Alan Nuttall Ltd, said: “The tesa products we have introduced into our processes are saving up to 20% production time and allowing us to use different materials in the manufacturing process to provide better aesthetics.”

Mathew Lord, sales area manager at tesa, commented: “Double-sided tapes are increasingly replacing traditional methods of fastening and fixing materials on a wide range of manufacturing projects, so it was imperative that we found an appropriate solution for Alan Nuttall. One of our aims has always been to help businesses streamline both their operations and value proposition and this project was no exception.”

Stronger than convention Lohmann GmbH & Co KG says its newly developed DuploTEC® SBF (superior bonding films) series contains three innovative technologies – Topaz, Onyx and Amber – making the bonding films stronger than conventional pressure sensitive adhesive connections.

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uitable for numerous industrial applications, particularly when quick and easy handling is required for process reliability, Lohmann says its DuploTEC® SBF bonding films satisfy the high safety and environmental requirements of modern industry, and offer enormous freedom of design – even for bonding on the smallest surfaces. Within this product range, the Topaz, Onyx and Amber bonding films are all thermally activated but differ – depending on requirements – in their performance.

Topaz technology represents bonding films that are activated at low temperatures and are thus suitable for quick adhesion. This technology combines high adhesive strength and flexibility with a fast process.

Onyx technology is suitable for processes that require extreme adhesive strength and high stability. In addition, it combines the advantages of pressure sensitive adhesion with those of structural bonding.

If temperature sensitive components – for example, on basis of elastomers – have to be joined quickly and reliably, then Amber technology is the right solution. The Amber products become activated at ambient temperature and offer very high initial adhesive strength.

With these three innovative technologies Lohmann says it not only keeps pace with current trends, but also offers the optimum and individual solution for many applications – particularly for new applications in the automotive and electronic industries.

128 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

Driving down emissions in automotive interiors ATP adhesive systems AG specialises in the development and production of solvent-free, speciality pressure sensitive and heat activated tapes and films for the automotive industry, and has recently introduced a bespoke range of low emission adhesive tapes and films.

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eadquartered in Switzerland and with production facilities in Germany, ATP says the tapes and films in the range are capable of bonding a wide variety of materials used in the production of automobile components including acoustic insulation, seals and gaskets, anti-rattle tapes, electronic components and sensors, decorative trims, door panels and headliners.

Richard Simpson, segment manager foam at ATP, said: “Based on our bespoke adhesives we are able to offer our customers a choice of carrier, liner and tape dimension – and where necessary – customise products to suit their individual requirements.

ATP has coating capability up to 2,200mm in width and the versatility to produce a wide range of toll and custom coatings.”

ALLTHREADS, MACHINE SCREWS, HEX HEADS AND CUP SQUARES • M3-M12 OR 5/32”-1/2” L10mm-180mm • METRIC, UNC, UNF, BA, BSW, BSF THREADS • BRASS, BRONZE, ALU, STEEL AND STAINLESS • CUSTOMER SPECIALS ON REQUEST ASK FOR A COPY OF OUR EXTENSIVE STOCK LIST Park Lane, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 2QY, UK T: +44 (0)1384 569 832 E: sales@londonscrew.co.uk www.londonscrew.co.uk

ESTABLISHED 1870 Manufacturer of Quality Industrial Fasteners

Making the impossible possible

Specialinsert will drive you to the best solutions for fastening systems on composite materials.

Specialinsert, leader in the mechanical fastening systems, has the resources and knowledge to offer support and customized offers to companies needing any fastening solutions on composite materials.

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TA P E S + A D H E S I V E S

Araldite® adhesives – a compelling alternative to mechanical fixings As demands change and evolve across many different industries, adhesives are swiftly becoming more popular for both structural and non-structural applications. Global adhesives and chemical specialist, Huntsman Advanced Materials, tailors its products and services to supply an alternative to mechanical fastening for industrial applications.

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hilst mechanical fasteners such as screws, rivets or spot welds have their place in industrial assembly, Huntsman points out that engineers are increasingly choosing to utilise adhesive bonding as a proven and capable approach of replacing or supplementing mechanical fastening methods and with significant advantages.

Many of these advantages translate into measurable cost benefits including outstanding lap shear strength; reduced component and/or assembly costs; improved product performance and durability; greater design freedom; and less finishing operations.

Huntsman Advanced Materials’ industrial adhesives form extremely strong and durable bonds with a multitude of surfaces such as plastics, metals, glass, and rubber. In order to get the best performance from such an adhesive bond, Huntsman recognises that it is important to design the component for bonding rather than simply taking a design made for mechanical fastening.

Ideally, methods of application of the adhesive and the assembly of the components should be considered at the design stage. Together with the operating conditions, these determine the choice of adhesive to be used and Huntsman has identified that a quality bond is best delivered when considered at all stages of the design and production process.

As a strategic partner to the automotive industry, Huntsman tailors its products and services to the evolving needs of this market. Based on state of the art epoxy, polyurethane, methyl methacrylate and phenolic technologies, its adhesives have specific characteristics that help end users improve their manufacturing processes, secure long-term performance and safety of assemblies, and use materials that enable car lightweighting. This also results in higher productivity rates, increased design freedoms and a better energy efficiency of the cars.

Whilst the level of global business competition in automotive is high, manufacturers need solutions to help sustain their

competitive edge and secure long-term growth. Production process improvement, innovation in design, weight savings, compliance to stringent safety and environmental standards, and low process costs has become vital to success.

In this context, adhesives can play an even greater role, providing well established solutions as well as more advanced and innovative developments for all kinds of bonding applications.

This principle was recently put to the test, when Huntsman was selected by French-based Norma Auto Concept to bond the components of a rear wing for a prototype sports car.

Providing a complete solution to effectively assemble the different substrates that form the wing structure, Araldite® 2048 was used to join the aluminium pieces together and Araldite® 2031 joined the composites together and to the aluminium parts.

Norbert Santos, manager of Norma Auto Concept, said: “The Araldite® adhesive we selected provides high strength with easy handling and minimal to no surface preparation, streamlining the structure and manufacturing process as a whole.”

Standard Listed – you know who’s best!

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Non-preferred Metrics – Intermediate Sizes Short and Long Lengths – Slotted Grub Screws A4/80 Bolts & Socket Caps – 6 Lobe (TX) Drive Screws All Metal Self-Locking Nuts – Studding Connectors And many more . . .

Online Product Guide: www.avonstainlessfasteners.co.uk

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TA P E S + A D H E S I V E S

Colour-coded epoxy system The two-part epoxy system EP90FR-V from Master Bond has been developed for use in aviation applications including interior panels, door frame lining and floor/door assemblies.

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aster Bond EP90FR-V is a two-part epoxy system that passes the vertical burn test portion of the FAR standard 14 CFR 25.853(a) for flame retardancy, enabling it to be used in various aviation applications. The two-part epoxy system has a convenient one-to-one mix ratio by weight and a moderate viscosity of 20,000cps – 40,000cps.

This system is suitable for bonding, sealing, coating, potting and encapsulation applications. It bonds well to a variety of substrates including metals, composites, glass, ceramic and many plastics.

As a non-halogenated type system, EP90FR-V has an excellent environmental profile, which allows easy handling, and is also a reliable electrical insulator.

EP90FR-V is serviceable over the temperature range of -60°F to +250°F (-51°C to +121°C) and Master Bond says its chemical resistance to water, fuels, oils and many common solvents is outstanding. Its Shore D hardness is greater than 75.

The system is colour-coded which facilitates mixing – the colour of part A is black, part B is white and the cured material is grey. For ease of application, it can also be packaged in guns, FlexiPaks™ and premixed and frozen syringes. It is also available in standard packaging including ½ pint, pint, quart, gallon and 5 gallon container kits.

Ellsworth Adhesives extends range

Techsil becomes Araldite® distributor

Ellsworth Adhesives Europe has signed a new agreement with LORD Corporation, making it an official distributor of LORD® structural adhesives.

UK-based Techsil Limited has announced an agreement to supply three Araldite® ranges of adhesives online via its webshop.

ORD® structural adhesives consist of acrylic, epoxy and urethane adhesives that have been designed to improve manufacturing processes and final products for composite, metal and plastic assemblies. With their strength and flexibility, LORD structural adhesives provide a durable and low cost alternative to rivets, welds and tapes.

For convenience, LORD adhesives are available in convenience cartridge packaging to bulk packaging that includes gallons, pails, drums and totes for high volume applications. In addition to structural adhesives, Ellsworth Adhesives Europe is also authorised to supply the LORD range of electronic materials.

John Henderson, managing director at Ellsworth Europe, said: “We are delighted to expand our partnership with LORD Corporation.

We believe this new range of products will be well received by large segments of our customer base and we are confident we can go on to become LORD’s largest distributor across Europe.”

The implementation of this new distributor agreement strengthens the long-standing partnership between LORD and Ellsworth Adhesives, and grants Ellsworth Europe permission to supply LORD structural adhesives across the UK, Scandinavia, Germany, Spain and Portugal.

raldite®’s traditional range of high performance epoxy based adhesives is now available in easy to use tubes and syringes. They bond virtually anything, including glass, ceramics, leather, wood, metal, masonry, rubber and most hard plastics.

The three ranges Techsil will have available include the Araldite standard range offering long working times; Araldite® Rapid offering fast setting and water resistant; and Araldite® Steel containing fast setting adhesives for metalwork. Techsil says these three ranges are recognised as the strongest and most durable adhesives in the DIY field, and are perfect for all repair and assembly applications.

These industrial adhesives are solvent free and are packaged in handy ‘slide out’ recyclable blister packs that release the product in seconds. In addition there are integral ‘extras’ to ensure clean storage and accurate application – a snap off closure is replaced after use with the reseal cap, itself cleverly contained within the syringe handle.

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REYHER’s product spectrum for the chemical industry Safety aspects are very high when producing chemical products because of the extreme conditions, for example, high or low temperatures. This is why fasteners made from special materials with particular testing requirements are generally used.

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. REYHER Nchfg GmbH & Co KG’s industry specific range of products covers the whole spectrum of requirements for fasteners for the chemical industry – including products that meet the Pressure Equipment Directive (PED).

As part of the range, REYHER has a stock of 300 different sized items including ISO 4014/4017/4032, made of material 1.7218 (25CrMo4), and with acceptance test certificate 3.1. In addition REYHER also carries the Bumax® range – due to European approval for materials, Bumax 88 is also made available for use in pressure vessels in line with the PED, which also meets AD-W2.

Products that meet AD 2000 regulations are also available from REYHER. They include the ISO 4014/4017/4032 range in quality classes 5.6/5-2 and 8.8/8, as well as DIN 250 made of 1.7709/1.7218 material in-line with AD-W7. Other products include ISO 4014/4017/4032 from material A2-70/A4-70 in-line with AD-W2.

“For production, internal auditing or plant maintenance in the chemical industry, fast and need oriented deliveries are important. At REYHER we can deliver quickly and reliably from stock, with a daily fill rate of over 99%.” www.reyher.de

SIPA now using yellow zinc plated chrome 3 Italian-based SIPA Srl has introduced yellow zinc plated chrome 3 for all of its products – helping it to adhere to RoHS requirements and replace the yellow zinc plated chrome 6 it had previously been using.

F

or over twenty years SIPA has looked to new technologies and methods to ensure that it is delivering high-quality products that meet its customers’ demands. The introduction of yellow zinc plated chrome 3 enables the company to continue to deliver the service its customers demand, whilst still meeting the necessary standards.

“At SIPA we always aim to deliver quality products and an efficient service, and we will continue to do so in the future.”

SIPA points out that the white zinc plate that it normally uses, has contained chrome 3 for the previous two years.

/ biingfeng@bestformer.com

Since 1976 we have been the leading Taiwanese manufacturer focused on Nut Formers & Part Formers.

As well as standardised models we supply customised machines, which has seen our current range develop from 5 stations to 8 stations. In addition our new â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Quick Change Toolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; enable users to change tooling easily and comfortably.

Biing Feng = BF = Best Formers = Best Friends

P R O D U CT S

New cable and pipe clips

I

SD Products Ltd has extended its existing range of cable, hose and pipe management solutions by adding a variety of new metal and plastic clips.

ts new line of screw mountable pipe clips come with integral grounding features, including a vibration resistant latched design, making them ideal for heavy-duty applications.

The new side entry push fit clips are quick and easy to assemble and suitable for various bundle sizes. Fixed into chassis with a single push the clip retains itself securely in the panel. Push fit hinged cable clips are also ideal for securing convoluted conduit. All plastic cable and pipe holders come in a number of different shapes, sizes and colours.

The company says all its plastic fasteners are manufactured

Kobout: More than fasteners Kobout B.V, a supplier of steel and stainless steel fasteners, based in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, the Netherlands, has added DIN 933 to its range of more than 25,000 products.

K

obout says its new Grade 8.8 DIN 933 is available for cutting and plating, and is offered in the dimensions M24 – M42 and in lengths of 300mm, 400mm, and 500mm. Also in stock are the M16x300, M16x400 and M16x500 fully threaded DIN 603 stainless steel A2 carriage bolts “We have a very good stock in rods, stainless steel and threee metre lengths undersized – which after cutting and plating results in a HDG ISO FIT rod. All are available with short delivery times. We’ve seen our turnover increase more than 10% for the first five months of this year, and our threaded rods turnover has increased 15%. We put that down to our secondary operations department.” www.kobout.nl

136 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 94 July 2015

from top quality engineering polymers such as nylon, polycarbonate, and acetal, to ensure outstanding durability and impact resistance even for highly specialised applications.

Rigorous quality control is one of the main reasons why SD Products still maintains a great reputation among the customers after 35 years in the business. “We strive to provide the most comprehensive product selection for our customers and are constantly updating our catalogue in order to keep up with demand. Along with the launch of these new products we are preparing to launch more product ranges in the near future.” www.sdproducts.co.uk

New dual-threaded anti-loosening fastener Perfect Lock Bolt America Inc has introduced the Perfect Lock Bolt (PLB) – a dual-threaded bolt and nut system engineered to reduce or eliminate self-loosening problems in the fastener industry.

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vailable to the European market, the PLB consists of a dual-threaded bolt shaft and two nuts of different thread pitches. The first, or primary nut on the shaft, is a coarse thread nut. The outer, or secondary nut on the shaft, is a fine thread nut or ‘lock nut’.

When subjected to a self-loosening force in any form, the primary nut moves away from the preloaded pressure along the bolt shaft faster than the secondary lock nut. Under any loosening force, the primary nut and the secondary lock nut move away from the pre-loaded pressure at different rates, creating a mechanical lock between the two nuts.

The PLB is designed to reduce and even eliminate many common problems associated with external loosening forces such as wind, heat-related expansion and contraction, and vibration. The bolt is ideal for a variety of applications such as bridges, industrial machinery, construction and agricultural machinery, heavy duty vehicles, aerospace, high-speed rail, wind generation, or in any situation where vibration is an issue of concern.

The PLB’s revolutionary new design is fully reusable – causing no damage to the bolt, the nuts, or to the equipment being secured by this patented fastening system – and is coated with environmentally friendly coatings. The Perfect Lock Bolt has passed and exceeded the Vibration Masters Junker Vibration 25201-B test, and is available in different grades, sizes, lengths and finishes.

TIMco opens the door to new range

ABA Original SMO meets highest demands

With a continued focus on expanding and complimenting its product range, T.I.Midwood & Co Ltd has launched a new range of door accessories.

NORMA Group has launched its new ABA Original SMO (syrafast molybdenum) – a worm drive hose clamp that can be used in boats, special purpose vehicles and industrial facilities.

T

he door accessories range includes a selection of tubular latches, adjustable roller catches, rollerball catches, modesty blocks and PVC door fittings.

All products in the 10 piece range are available in TIMco’s handy pre-pack TIMbag.

The new range is part of TIMco’s strategy to develop a ‘one stop shop’ for all builders merchants and fastener and fixing specialists looking to replenish stock levels. “Our new range of door accessories has been developed to complement our other ranges and help make the restocking and merchandising of products easier for our customers,” explains Simon Midwood, managing director at TIMco. “Our new door accessories range is available in our pre-pack TIMbag to offer end users strong and effective packaging so they can easily find the right product for their needs.”

A

BA Original SMO is made of high performance SMO steel, which NORMA says is about 20% harder than normal austenitic steels and thus has a particularly high corrosion resistance – enabling it to reliably withstand severe environmental influences and extreme industrial demands such as salt water or chemicals. The worm drive hose clamp is also particularly resistant against various types of corrosion such as pitting, crevice corrosion and microscopic cracks.

“The performance of the ABA Original SMO is far above the requirements of a conventional stainless steel clamp,” says Bernd Kleinhens, board member business development of NORMA Group. “This innovative clamp is custom designed for customers who place special demands on the quality and reliability of a joint.”

The ABA Original SMO has the same design as the ABA Original clamp with a band width of 12mm.

This particular worm drive hose clamp is available in 20 different nominal widths and is manufactured at the NORMA Group plant in Anderstorp, Sweden. www.normagroup.com

INDEX Abbey Clamps....................................... 15

Fastbolt................................................... 2

Merlin Business Software................... 103

San Shing Fastech Corp....................... 91

Acton..................................................... 37

Fastener Fair India................................ 47

Messe Düsseldorf Asia Pte Ltd............ 46

Saspi Talleres........................................ 92

Adolf Pühl GmbH & Co KG...................... 5

Fastener + Fixing Search...................... 79

Mitsutoyo Kiko Co Ltd........................... 86

Schnorr GmbH...................................... 25

Advance Spares Ltd............................ 112

Fastener + Fixing Technology............. 113

MKT....................................................... 75

SD Products.......................................... 31

Albert Pasvahl GmbH & Co................. 127

Ferdinand Gross GmbH & Co KG........ 101

Mubea Tellerfedern GmbH....................37

Shanghai Fast-Fix Rivet Corporation.....127

Alloy & Stainless................................... 89

Fixi Srl................................................... 77

Nakashimada Engineering Works Ltd..... 35

Shin Chun Enterprise Co Ltd.............. 131 Smith-Bullough Ltd.............................. 45

Ambrovit................................................ 13

G & B Fissaggi Srl................................. 77

National Machinery............................... 27

Arpel.................................................... 125

GESIPA Blindniettechnik GmbH........... 65

ND Industries........................................ 97

Specialinsert Srl................................. 129

Astrotech Steel..................................... 45

Global Engineered Products................. 39

Ningbo Londex Industrials Co Ltd........ 23

Star Fasteners...................................... 95

Avon Stainless Fasteners Ltd............. 130

Graewe GmbH & Co KG........................ 31

Nord-Lock........................................... 111 Tecfi SpA................................................ 73

Bendfast Ltd........................................ 138

Growermetal........................................... 9

Norm Civata AS....................................... 4 Tecno Impianti....................................... 89

Hugo Benzing GmbH & Co KG.............. 33

Hafren Fasteners Ltd............................ 39

NORMA Group....................................... 21 Teknoform Baglanti............................... 99

Berardi Bullonerie................................ 31

HECO-Schrauben GmbH & Co KG........ 74

omniTechnik Mikroverkapselungs GmbH... 115

Berdan Bolt & Nut Co Ltd.................... 67

HEICO Befestigungstechnik GmbH....121, 123

Peter Schröder GmbH.......................... 61 Thread Rolling Technology Ltd.............. 81

BFC Tibbetts Group Company.............. 63

Heinz Soyer GmbH................................ 53

pgb Europe............................................ 77 Tillex...................................................... 15

Biing Feng Enterprise Co Ltd............. 135

Hexstone Group.................................... 55

Pinstructure Ltd.................................... 15

Birlik Baglanti..................................... 104

Index – Técnicas Expansivas S.L........... 19

PMT....................................................... 74 Trojan................................................... 138

Bossong................................................ 71 Johan Smit........................................... 103

Precision Technology Supplies Ltd....... 53

Test GmbH............................................. 82

Titibi....................................................... 37

UBK....................................................... 43

Bralo...................................................... 11 Jubilee Clips.......................................... 95

Ray Fu Enterprise Co Ltd.................... 132

UDIB...................................................... 17

Brighton-Best International............... 140

Kingwin Precision Co Ltd...................... 33

Rexlen Corp........................................ 137

UPIVEB.................................................. 49

Bülte Plastiques SA.............................. 95

Kobout BV............................................. 33

Reyher................................................... 25

Vipa SpA................................................ 39

Chaves Bilbao......................................... 3 J Lanfranco & Cie................................ 119

Rivco.................................................... 133

Voestalpine Austria Draht GmbH.......... 85

Ching Chan Optical Technology Co Ltd.... 83, 87

Lederer............................................ 22, 24

Rivelit...................................................... 7

Vogelsang GmbH & Co KG............ 51, 119

Don Quichotte B.V................................. 75

Lichthart Betriebsgesellschaft mbH.... 89

Rivit Srl................................................ 139

Volt Industrial Plastics Inc.................. 105

DS Fasteners Ltd.................................. 53

London Screw Company..................... 129

Rosmil Industrial.................................. 45

Wan Iuan Ent Co Ltd............................. 93

Eurotec GmbH......................................... 1

Major Industries Ltd.............................. 93

Rotor Clip Ltd........................................ 29

Wise Software..................................... 104

Everbuild............................................... 69

MEKR’S s.r.o......................................... 59

Saima Corporation.............................. 134

Wrentham............................................. 88

LONG LASTING QUALITY FASTENERS & TOOLS SINCE 1973