Issue: #141 May 2023

I hope you had as much fun as I did across the three busy days of the recent Fastener Fair Global show. It was great to be back meeting people face-to-face and discussing the latest developments within the fastener and fixing industry.

From the excitement of the doors opening on the first day, to the final closing announcement, the show seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. For those exhibitors and visitors I spoke to, there was unanimous agreement that it had been a standout event. As you can see from the in-depth report in this issue, nearly all the stands were busy conducting business and there are some very positive comments from exhibitors. The only negative is that we have to wait another two years until the next show!

To go alongside the Fastener Fair Global report, as usual we have a host of exclusive articles and insights that provide an overview of what is happening within the industry. Firstly, our Cover Story for this issue is focused on Chinese manufacturer ALFIRSTE and how it has established itself as a specialist screw and anchor manufacturer – who has gained a reputation for its high-quality products and excellent service.

Within our Insight section we look at another Asian manufacturer, this time its Malaysian-based Well-Union and its capabilities as a manufacturer of stainless steel bolts and screws. In the same section there is also a special interview with Dr Florian Seidl, part of the supervisory board at Keller & Kalmbach, who discusses his nearly fifty years within the fastener industry and how he believes the market has developed in this time. To add to this, there is also an article on Norm Fasteners and how its innovative solutions, and long-term business partnerships with leading companies around the world, has enabled it to develop flawless products and connections.

For our Construction Fixings section, we have a special feature on heavy-duty anchors with several companies highlighting their products and capabilities. This includes Reza Jafari, technical manager at JCP Construction Products, focusing on the different types of heavy-duty anchors and why and how they are different;
pgb-Europe concentrates on how it has developed a complete range of heavy-duty anchors; Bossong talks about its new CLS-CE high performance concrete screw; and G&B Fissaggi reports on an upgraded version of one of its very important heavy-duty fixings. 

I’ve only covered three sections and I am already running out of space, but there is so much more exclusive content for you to discover. Please do go through every page to make sure you stay informed about all aspects of the fastener market or listen to our May podcast – where I go into more detail about what you can find in this edition of Fastener + Fixing Magazine.