Insight

Combining its in-house productive model with exigencies of an evolving market, Growermetal has decided to invest in an exclusive branded line. It will be a line where digital solutions meet enhanced geometries, laying the ground for unique designs – while maintaining the focus on the production of safety washers. 

Founded in Calco, Italy, in 1950, Growermetal SpA has been run by the Cattaneo family since the beginning. At the core of its business approach, safety washers, spring washers, and special parts for the most diverse applications, have always constituted its main specialisation. An area that, despite its general rebranding and refreshed image over the years, still represents the center of its strategy – addressing the fields of aerospace, railway, automotive, power generation and many other industries requiring safe and reliable fastening systems. 

Growermetal’s capability is based on its 70 years of experience and supported by numerous investments in technology and resources. Nowadays, the company is able to produce the entire range inside its headquarter in the north of Italy, delivering more than 4,500 standard products and 2,500 special washers and blanked parts to the local market and international customers.

Each component is checked to ensure the highest quality standards, starting with the materials used in production. Among the analyses available, the hardness testing procedure is handled directly in-house to determine the most suitable materials for the product’s use and their resistance, allowing the highest level of personalisation according to the specific customer needs and applications.

In this way, Growermetal is able to provide rapid test procedures directly on the washers, combined with other internal treatments – ranging from heat treatment aimed at improving the characteristics of raw materials, to mechanical zinc plating or zinc flake coating that provide an excellent corrosion protection with no risks of embrittlement of the pieces.

According to Paolo Cattaneo, CEO of Growermetal, this model leads to many benefits: “Our know-how, together with the completely internal management of the departments, allow us to offer a competitive service – based on the optimisation of the timing; the reliability of the process; the continuous check of the parts produced; and the flexibility in creating customised solutions for different sectors.” 

In addition to the in-house productive model, and great variety of services, the strategy of Growermetal is based on another element in particular. “We have always invested in R&D, in order to push the creation of innovative products. The path we have undertaken over the last few years is the expression of this tendency,” points out Paolo. 

With the production of washers remaining the core business of the Italian company, the opportunity to develop exclusive designs has opened the way to branded lines of advanced fastening solutions. “Every application has specific requirements and conditions, so our objective is to improve the performance of our products and seize new opportunities for ourselves, the sectors we address and for our customers,” explains Paolo.

The expanding product family is part of a general evolution of the manufacturer, which keeps renewing its identity and image while maintaining the focus on its wide portfolio. Paolo points out that Growermetal’s R&D team operates in two directions: “We may create something completely original or start from a product that already exists, in order to improve its characteristics and achieve a new safety. In general, the definition of a new concept always starts from a specific requirement and with research, thanks to our internal laboratories, we can carry out as much testing and analysis as necessary.”

After the launch of Grower TenKeep^® in 2019, the recent edition of Fastener Fair Global in March was the context to launch two exclusive products, on display through live demonstrations by the company’s personnel.

The first one is Grower Detecto^®, a smart sensorised washer designed for ‘real time’ bolt monitoring. This function is enabled by a smart sensor embedded in its structure, which allows a detection of bolt loosening through an Electrical Mechanical Impedance method. “The integration of this technology within different application sectors offers several advantages, including the increased safety and efficiency of the system; the maximum cost-effectiveness of installation; the absence of downtime; and the opportunity to monitor the structure without manual inspections,” highlights Paolo.

The second product introduced is Grower Reaction^®, which works in combination with Grower TenKeep^®, as a backup washer, and the Reaction Drive System. This patented washer design is used as part of a fastening system that provides a fully concentric dispersion of the reaction torque around and underneath the nut or bolt head to be tightened or loosened, with no need for a reaction arm to generate the desired bolt preload.

“In this way, Grower Reaction^® eliminates pinch-points, improves bolt axial alignment and reduces the weight of the fastening tool – making the application simple and efficient, while minimising the risks for operators,” mentions Paolo. 

These Growermetal branded washers were not the only products in the spotlight at the trade show in Stuttgart. During the 9^th edition of the event Grower SpheraTech^® was included among the winners of the Route to Fastener Innovation Competition, which saw the participation of many finalists.

After the third place of Grower TenKeep^® in 2019, the second place of Grower SpheraTech^® represents a great achievement for the company’s team. “This competition is one of the most important acknowledgements in the field of innovative fastening technologies. We are proud of the excellent work done with Grower SpheraTech^®, which is an expression of our commitment to innovation,” states Paolo.

Made from the combination of a spherical top washer and a conical seat washer, Grower SpheraTech^® is a preassembled set that aims to eliminate the risk of parts loss and minimise the possibility of incorrect mounting of the pieces during the application. 

“One of the main issues linked to the use of separated parts is the risk of wrong assembly, which may lead to failures in the locking performance of non-parallel bearing surfaces. From this point of view, Grower SpheraTech^® provides the same function and compensates the angle of inclination, but its inseparability reduces significantly the possibility of misapplication,” explains Paolo. 

After the success of Fastener Fair Global in Stuttgart, Growermetal is now ready to travel overseas and bring its products to the American edition of the trade show – Fastener Fair USA, which will take place from 16^th - 17^th May in Nashville, Tennessee.

“The warm welcome reserved for our technologies has been very rewarding, so we are looking forward to taking part in the event in Nashville, which represents one of America’s most important insights on the fastener world and the last chapter of our Fastener Fair tour,” comments Paolo.

Open to the full spectrum of the fastener sector and supply chain, Fastener Fair USA addresses mechanical and design engineers, purchasers, wholesalers, OEMs and also distributors, processors, equipment makers and end users. 

Growermetal will display its products at booth 722: “During Fastener Fair Global we have tested a new configuration for the stand, based on live demonstrations and a two-floor structure. A set that fits the new image and communication of our company, while strategically presenting the main characteristics of our washers. For North America we are working on a more agile proposal, but the style and experience will be 100% Growermetal.”concludes Paolo.