Issue: #110 March 2018

Every two years there is ‘exhibition season’ when several key fastener related shows all take place within two to three months – providing a great opportunity to find new market prospects, as well as the latest developments. 

A key event for fastener manufacturing technology is wire® Düsseldorf, where exhibitors present their latest machinery and capabilities – with live demonstrations throughout the five days of the show. We have an in-depth preview of wire, as well as an exhibitor list focusing on fastener related companies, plus details on exhibitors’ plans for the show – providing all the information visitors need to prepare for a focused and productive visit.

The Cover Story also has a wire Düsseldorf theme as it focuses on Carlo Salvi – the Italian-based company that’s partnership with Hatebur was formerly announced at wire 2016. I visited Carlo Salvi’s headquarters in Garlate, Italy, and spoke to Marco Pizzi, chief commercial officer, to find out how the partnership has progressed.

Other shows that have already taken place during ‘exhibition season’ include Fastener Fair Turkey, with Executive Editor Phil Matten providing a full report on a show that attracted a wide range of international visitors; as well as EISENWARENMESSE – with Deputy Editor Claire Aldridge reporting from day two of the international hardware show. 

Shows on the horizon include Fastener Fair USA and the Taiwan International Fastener show – both of which will be attended by Fastener + Fixing Magazine.

Also in this issue, we have an exclusive interview with Paul Lower, chief executive at Apex Stainless, who talks about the success story of the stainless steel supplier and his plans for retirement; Mr Hasan Şemsi describes how Berdan Civata achieves the highest levels of quality assurance for critical application construction fasteners; and Jessica Auld, marketing manager at the ARK Group of Companies, recalls the launch of the ARK brand, coming up to its year anniversary, and what it took to bring the brand to the market. 

In Construction Fixings, John Muir, technical manager at the Construction Fixings Association, looks at the practical issues with on-site testing of anchors and Carl Ghinn, managing director at Fixmart Ltd focuses on ‘why you should consider concrete screws on your next project’.

There is also a technical article from Arconic Fastening Systems and Rings that analyses ‘torque vs clamp’ and what it means for joint integrity and vibration resistance; plus Tara B. Meinck, applications engineer at SPIROL International Corporation, concentrates on ‘How to ensure bolted joint integrity when using a compression limiter in a plastic assembly’.