News from Fastener + Fixing…

Download the latest Digital Fastener + Fixing Magazine

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:56:31 +0100

Fastener + Fixing Magazine Issue 75 is now available online.  Here are just some of the features and reports:
 Ambrovit – Beside you in the fastening world
An insight into Ambrovit, a fastener supplier to both the Italian and wider European markets, based in Garlasco, Italy.
 Exclusive interview with Hans Björstrand
An exclusive interview with Hans Björstrand as he steps aside as CEO of the Bufab Group after 35 years.
 Fastener Fair Hannover Report
First hand report and images from Fastener Fair Hannover.
 RoHS 2: Lancaster Fastener is ahead of the game
Lancaster Fastener, based in Morecambe, UK, explains the steps it has taken to ensure that it is compliant with the new RoHS 2 Directive.
 Do yourself a favour! Order building and up-selling
Mark Salmon, of the Construction Fixings Association, discusses the concepts of up-selling.
 wire 2012 shows growth
A report on the recent wire 2012 show in Düsseldorf, Germany.
 On course for growth
Dr. Gerhard Reusmann, CEO of Dörken MKS-System GmbH & Co KG, highlights the benefits of Dörken's zinc flake systems for corrosion protection in wind turbine applications.
 The growth of lightweight composite materials
bigHead Bonding Fasteners Ltd looks at the development of lightweight composite materials and how it is contributing to the growth of bonding fasteners.

Click here to read the full digital version of Fastener + Fixing Magazine online or  download it to your desktop.

Changes on the way to ISO nut property standard

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:30:12 +0100

ISO/FDIS 898-2 Mechanical properties of fasteners made of carbon steel and alloy steel – Part 2 Nuts with specified property classes – Coarse thread and fine pitch thread.

The final draft of what will become the new ISO 898-2 has been circulated by ISO and has been approved by the BSI Fastener Standards Committee FME/9. This is the basic mechanical property standard for nuts with metric threads, and there are some significant changes from the previous issue.
The most obvious change is that it replaces two existing standards. BS EN 20898-2:1994, ISO898-2:1992 which covers nuts with coarse metric threads is now combined with BS EN ISO 898-6:1996 for metric nuts with fine pitch thread, and both are updated into the same format. This change will be welcomed, not least because only one standard will need to be purchased! So this document will cover standard ISO metric thread nuts with coarse threads of diameters M5 to M39, and fine threads from M8 to M39.
This is a comprehensive revision of the existing standards and there are several technical changes. Style 0, for thin nuts of heights between 0.45D and 0.8D, has been introduced (D being the nominal diameter) alongside the existing style 1 for regular nuts and style 2 for high nuts. There have been changes to the ranges of nominal diameters that apply to nut styles and property classes, and the guidance for matching the available nut designs and property classes with those of ISO metric bolts has been enlarged and clarified.
The material compositions table for the various grades and styles has been enlarged, with changes to the minimum manganese, and maximum phosphorus and sulphur in some grades. Mechanical property tables have been rearranged and are easier to understand, and the hardness tables now include Brinell and Rockwell values rather than referring to a conversion standard to use for the existing Vickers hardness values. The section on mechanical property test methods has been amended and expanded, and there are now specifications for dimensions and hardness of some of the test tooling, which did not appear previously.
The modifications to the existing two standards appear to be sensible and logical, but manufacturers will need to ensure that they comply with the adjustments to steel chemistry and modifications to mechanical test requirements. There is also the possibility that some parts in stock may not totally comply with the changes. But the basic property requirements of the nuts have not been modified. So provided the previous mechanical tests were conducted with adequate test tooling, there should be some confidence that parts in stock that complied with the mechanicals in the previous standards should also comply with this one. The main concern these days is that any customers or nations that insist that parts be made to the latest issue of the ISO standard will take the option to reject previously manufactured parts once this new standard is issued. This arises because of ISO’s policy of not dating any reference standards in their product drawings, so this standard will apply as soon as it issues.

PSM International appoints Uni-Bis as Polish distributor

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:46:45 +0100

PSM International has appointed Uni-Bis Sp. z o.o. as an authorised distributor for Poland.

Founded in 2001, Uni-Bis specialises in a technical application engineering offering for both fasteners and fastener installation equipment to a wide variety of industries.
Gavin Ball, PSM distribution manager – Europe, says Uni-Bis has the ability to offer training services on fasteners and professional industrial tools. By working with leading manufacturers its experienced sales team ensure the shortest delivery times through optimising stock levels. Coupled with its reliable and professional service, Uni-Bis ensures that it exceeds its customers’ requirements both commercially and technically.
PSM manufactures a comprehensive product range including inserts for plastics, sheet metal fasteners, direct screw fixings, cold formed products and special engineered fasteners.
“Coupled with its application engineering expertise, a full technical & sales support structure, and competitive pricing, PSM is well placed to service an expanding distribution and sales network,” says Gavin Ball.
To enhance its current sales network of key authorised distribution partners, PSM is currently seeking other high quality and forward thinking distributors within Europe. Gavin Ball mentions PSM is currently looking to develop distributor relationships in countries including, but not limited to: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Turkey, France, the Netherlands and Spain.

Toolbank parent buys ForgeFix

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 10:57:31 +0100

ForgeFix has become part of Dormole Limited, the parent company of Toolbank.

Forgefix was started in 1999 by Steve and Mike Smith and has supplied Toolbank for a number of years. In a letter to Forgefix customers, Toolbank business development director, Tim Strong, was quoted as saying: “Forgefix has been a supplier to Toolbank for many years and we are delighted that we will now be able to work even more closely with its team.”
Dormole previously bought into other supply side businesses, including acquiring Olympia Tools in 2009 and taking a majority share in Biz Power Tools. Reportedly, the company will manage ForgeFix as “an arm’s length subsidiary”.
Over the last two years ForgeFix has consistently reported strong sales growth and recently purchased a new 10,000 square feet warehouse to provide an extra 950 pallet capacity at its distribution centre in High Peak. ForgeFix’s product portfolio currently consists of “3,000+ lines ranging from screws and nails to bolts and drill bits”.
The business has also taken on four additional members of staff to support its growth and to help further drive sales. Commenting on the new warehouse, Mike Smith said: “As a business, ForgeFix has built its success on adding value to our customers by regularly introducing new, high quality product lines as well as innovative sales initiatives. The new warehouse facility will be instrumental in supporting this growth”.
On the acquisition he told customers: “We feel we will have the best of both worlds; the continued independence of running an autonomous business, backed by the strength of the Dormole Group. This means we can further improve customer service, whilst continuing the rapid growth of ForgeFix.”

Jörgen Rosengren new CEO of Bufab

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 11:47:45 +0100

Jörgen Rosengren has been appointed new CEO of Bufab. He will accede as CEO and president during the summer of 2012.

Jörgen Rosengren, who has an M.Sc in engineering, has been employed by the Husqvarna Group since 2004, most recently as global head of its handheld products, e.g. chainsaws. Previously, he held different positions within Electrolux and McKinsey & Company, as well as Philips Electronics in the Netherlands.
The appointment was a joint decision made by the owners, the board, and Bufab’s present CEO and president Hans Björstrand, who very successfully built and developed the company since its foundation in 1977.
“I want to warmly welcome Jörgen to Bufab. With his broad international experience, he is well suited to further strengthen the company’s position both in and outside Sweden”, commented Sven-Olof Kulldorff, chairman of the board, Bufab.
Sven-Olof adds: “At the same time, I want to thank Hans, who in connection with Jörgen’s access leaves his operative position in the company and instead will continue to support Bufab as a member of the board. Through a consistent focus on profitability and a long-term growth strategy during the past 35 years, Hans has led the construction of Bufab from the ground to become the leading supplier of small parts in the Nordic region, as well as one of the biggest and most profitable players in Europe. That is a fantastic performance.”

PRELOK seals partnership with Hillebrand

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 11:45:12 +0100

PRELOK, a European processor of locking and sealing products applied on  to thread components, has agreed a partnership in Germany with Hillebrand,  a provider of corrosion protection plating and coating finishes.

This new relationship will enable both companies to offer the German fastener market a “complete fastener finishing solution”, PRELOK (Europe) managing director, Ian Vickerstaff told this magazine.
With both companies having over 50 years experience, the strategic aim of this exciting partnership will be to work closely together, in a mutually beneficial co-operation, drastically reducing lead-times and logistic costs and sharing these benefits with the customer.
Hillebrand offers an extensive range of corrosion protection surface treatments, with a daily capacity in excess of 600 tonnes, between its production sites in Wickede (Ruhr) and Langenfeld, near Dusseldorf. In addition to the corrosion protection processing, Hillebrand also offers added value services such as component inspection, small part assembly, as well as packing and distribution of the finished products.
With processing plants situated in Germany, Spain and the UK, PRELOK applies a wide range of locking and sealing products, as well as a recently launched range of sealants designed to seal under the head of a fastener or threaded component. Since 2005 PRELOK has been a member of the Melrose group of companies, the UK PLC engineering turnaround specialists.

EU terminates Indian stainless fastener investigation

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:32:39 +0100

On 23rd March the European Commission published its formal decision to terminate the anti-dumping investigation concerning imports of certain stainless steel fasteners originating in India.
In February the EU applied preliminary anti-subsidy countervailing duties on imports of certain stainless fasteners at rates ranging from 3.2% to 16.5%. However it did not make an announcement in the anti-dumping case and it subsequently became clear that interested parties in the case had been informed that the Commission was minded to terminate anti-dumping proceedings. Comments from interested parties were invited and were taken into account in the Commission’s final decision to terminate proceedings.
The anti-dumping investigation clearly identified injury to EU producers of stainless steel fasteners as a result of low cost imports from India and in particular from Viraj Profiles, which accounted for 87% of the volume of product exported to the EU during the investigation period. The Commission’s statistics demonstrate that despite EU consumption of stainless fasteners increasing by 9% between 2008 and the investigation period, the sales volume and market share of EU producers fell by 14% and 21% respectively. At the same time imports from India increased “significantly” by 65%. The Commission also concluded that the EU stainless fastener industry downsized with employment falling by 24% between 2008 and the IP. Profitability of the EU industry was described as negative throughout the period under consideration, and although improving during 2010 remained negative that year.
However, the investigation found no evidence that Viraj had been dumping product, although it did determine that other Indian exporters had done so. The normal value established for Viraj was lower than for any other sampled Indian producer but the Commission attributes this to the vertical integration of the Group, which means it produces its own wire rod and benefits from economies of scale. Other Indian producers buy wire rod on the open market. The normal value for other exporters including those deemed to be dumping was based on comparison with domestic selling prices. However, the Commission says Viraj sold only unrepresentative quantities of product domestically during the IP and there is only limited competition on the Indian domestic market.
The Commission calculated that only 13% of Indian exports of the products covered by the investigation were at dumped prices, equating to a share of the EU market of just 2%.
The Commission did find that imports from India were “constantly undercutting the prices charged by the Union industry on the Union market”.
However, the Commission concluded, since the largest Indian exporting producer, represented 87 % of Indian exports to the EU, did not export stainless fasteners at dumped prices it was not possible to establish the required causal link between dumped imports and injury to the Union industry. Essentially the volume of imports deemed to have been dumped was too small to have been responsible for the injury.
Decision L 84/36 was published in the EU Official Journal on 23rd March.

Download the latest Digital Fastener + Fixing Magazine

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:23:24 +0000

Fastener + Fixing Magazine Issue 74 is now available online.  Here are just some of the features and reports:
 Masterfix – Mission possible
Phil Matten visits Masterfix, based in Maastricht, the Netherlands, to catch up with the blind fastening specialists.
 New developments at Max Mothes
An insight into the recent developments at Max Mothes GmbH.
 Delivering consistency Will Lowry visits Harrison & Clough Ltd to find out the reality of delivering its goal of consistency throughout a company.
 Do me a favour! Order building and up-selling Mark Salmon, of the Construction Fixings Association, discusses the concepts of order building and up-selling.

Fastener Fair Hannover Preview  A preview of fastener exhibits at the upcoming Fastener Fair Hannover, 24th – 26 April 2012, including show information and exhibitor list.

Efficient heat treating of high strength automotive aluminium fasteners Tim Donofrio, product manager at CAN-ENG Furnaces International Ltd, concentrates on the benefits of heat treating aluminium fasteners.
 Technical drivers for high performance fastener coatings Alan Gardner, global marketing manager at MacDermid Industrial Solutions, looks at the four key elements of surface coatings for fasteners. 
Click here to read the full digital version of Fastener + Fixing Magazine online or  download it to your desktop.

Busy Taiwan Show attracts high-grade international buyers

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:31:34 +0000

Despite the constraints imposed from using split venues the second Taiwan International Fastener Show, staged 13th – 14th March, drew strong approval from many amongst a record number of high-grade international visitors, Phil Matten reports from Kaohsiung.

Export is the lifeblood of the Taiwan fastener industry, representing around 90 percent of annual output. In 2012 Taiwan exported 1.42 million tonnes, valued at nearly US$4 billion. Speaking at the opening of the Taiwan International Fastener Show, Joe Chen, president of the Taiwan Industrial Fastener Institute (pictured below), described these figures as “unprecedented in terms of both quantity and dollar value”. TIFI, he said, was dedicated to keeping the Taiwanese fastener industry growing, not least because the career prospects and livelihood of many people across northern Kaohsiung and southern Tainan depended on its success. Confirming TIFI’s continued commitment to the Kaohsiung Fastener Show he also noted that the Taiwan fastener industry is "on the verge of great change and must take things up to the next level".

"Not only should local companies step up efforts to research and develop new technologies while improving manufacturing equipment and management mechanisms," he said. "The TIFI must also harness resources to help these businesses access new markets, new customers and new products.”
Unique amongst fastener exhibitions worldwide, the Taiwan International Fastener Show exclusively showcases domestic companies. Organised jointly by the TIFI and TAITRA, the Taiwan External Trade Council, the 2012 event hosted 230 exhibiting companies in 416 booths, occupying nearly 8,000 square metres of gross exhibition space.
At the opening ceremony, TAITRA secretary general Chao Yung-Chuan explained that the number of applications from aspiring exhibitors had obliged the organisers to split the show between the Kaohsiung Arena and the nearby Hanshin Arena. He emphasised growth from the first TIF show, two years ago, which had hosted 186 exhibitors in 314 booths but confirmed that limited space had still necessitated disappointing some exhibitors in 2012.
Anticipating the challenges of the split venues, Joe Chen chose to position the stand for his own company, Ho Hong Works Co Ltd, in the Hanshin Arena – demonstrating, Chao Yung-Chuan told this magazine, “great leadership”. Generally, though, TIFI members and the leading manufacturers were to be found in the main Kaohsiung Arena. While there remained a considerable number of standard “shell scheme” booths, with fairly basic ‘table top’ fastener displays, there were many more customised stands, featuring more sophisticated product and brand presentations, and larger and more welcoming hospitality and meeting areas. Alongside major fastener producers including Chun Yu, San Shing, YFS, Taiwan Shan Yin, Tong Hwei and Rodex Fastener Corporation, there was also an extensive range of manufacturing technology companies, including Jern Yao, San Yung, Stampo. National Machinery was a surprise participant, courtesy of the recipient of the first PumaFX cold former to be installed in Taiwan.
Throughout the two day show the Kaohsiung Arena exhibits were busy, sometimes extremely so, although wider aisles and the significant increase in larger and more accessible stands prevented the log-jams reported from 2010. The Hanshin Arena, realistically a function room at the top of a department store, was noticeably quieter - despite sustained TAITRA efforts to encourage buyers to make the ten minute walk and nine floor elevator trip. Unquestionably some exhibitors in the secondary hall were disappointed as a result and some visitors, largely unaware of the space constraints facing the organisers, were also critical of the arrangement.
TAITRA, though, should not feel particularly defensive. In other respects the organisation of the event was consistently professional, with considerable attention to detail, especially in welcoming and facilitating international buyers invited to the show. That started with shuttle bus services to and from the main hotels in Kaohsiung. During the exhibition TAITRA arranged close to 300 one-to-one meetings between international buyers and Taiwanese suppliers, and international visitors also had access to a quiet lounge, serving refreshments and providing access to the Internet.
The ultimate measure of the Taiwan International Fastener Show has to be the number and, in many ways more importantly, the quality of these international visitors. Numbers wise, TAITRA certainly should not be disappointed the 1,593 international buyers that attended during the two day show. A seven percent increase over 2010, it contrasts with a reduction in the number of domestic visitors from 7,188 in 2010 to 5,757 – arguably a positive trend for the organisers in that most domestic visitors would have been other manufacturers and traders, interesting for manufacturing technology exhibitors but a distraction for fastener manufacturers, unquestionably focused on maximising time with international buyers.
The majority of these clearly originated from North America and Europe – difficult to tell the actual balance between the two – which were joined by visitors from Japan, Australia and New Zealand, Brazil and India, amongst many other countries. Judged on European visitors encountered during the show the quality of buyers and level of potential spend was exceptionally high. Many of Europe’s largest importers were well represented. While many had planned attendance at the show into a more extensive travel schedule to include factory visits in Taiwan and also stops in other Asian countries, a number of buyers saw the show as a time effective method to meet with established and already audited suppliers. Relatively few buyers appeared to be making a speculative visit looking to establish new relationships and there were not, apparently, many if any end users in the hall.
Although a formal announcement has not been made the clear presumption is that the Taiwan International Fastener Show will be staged again in two years’ time. One source of considerable relief to the organisers was the opening ceremony assurance from the mayor of Kaohsiung, Ms Chen Chu, that a new, custom-built Kaohsiung exhibition and conference centre will be completed at the end of 2013. Part of an ambitious harbour redevelopment project it will provide ample space for 1,500 booths – and the opportunity for the TIF organisers to treble the number of exhibitors and stage an unconstrained and potentially quite extraordinary fastener event.