FALL 2016

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THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
FALCON FASTENING SOLUTIONS INC.
10715 John Price Road, Charlotte, NC 28273
TEL 704-588-4740 FAX 704-588-5753 EMAIL info@falconfastening.com WEB www.falconfastening.com
FALCON FASTENING SOLUTIONS: A COMMITMENT
TO AMERICAN MANUFACTURING by Michelle Safrit
When you walk through the front door of Falcon
Fastening Solutions of Charlotte, NC, you may notice an
American flag proudly displayed in the front window of this
specialty fastener distributor. The flag
was put on display in honor of the families
and victims impacted by the events of
9/11. It also serves as a reminder of
the company’s commitment to support
and grow American manufacturing.
Don Nowak, President and Owner of
Falcon has a solid belief in his personal
responsibility as well as his company’s
responsibility to the future generations
of Americans. “Manufacturing is the
backbone of the American economy,”
explains Nowak. “Our services help
keep our manufacturing customers
competitive in a local and global
economy.”
What can a distributor of low dollar value production
components contribute to the American economy? When
the company was founded in 1979, the initial goal was to
provide the fastest service to customers in need of urgent
supply of fasteners and components. The company was
even named after the fastest bird of prey, the Peregrine
Falcon, to reflect this ambition of speed in service.
As the company began to work with and understand
the needs of their customers, Falcon began to see a
common issue amongst these manufacturers. Controlling
and maintaining proper levels of component and fastener
inventory was leading to problems with efficiency and
production in their plants.
DON NOWAK, PRESIDENT AND
OWNER OF FALCON FASTENING
SOLUTIONS
“Depending upon the complexity of their products,
a manufacturer can require hundreds to thousands of
parts in a standard bill of materials,” explains Mr. Nowak.
“A manufacturer could be working with
several dozen vendors to keep their
inventory stocked for production needs.
Custom components throw an even
bigger challenge into the mix since
those often require longer lead-times.”
Falcon recognized the need for more
than just fast delivery. A preemptive
approach to meeting fastener demand
became paramount as the company
desired to help alleviate these efficiency
issues within their customer base. In
the early 90’s, Falcon invested in a
bar code inventory control system that
became their first technology-driven step
toward realizing this goal.
When Mr. Nowak joined the company in 1997, he
helped Falcon adjust its business model by developing
and implementing a pull-system using their new technology
combined with lean manufacturing best practices for
even greater inventory control within their customers’
production facilities.
This new business model shifted the responsibility
of procuring, managing, and warehousing inventory from
the manufacturer’s purchasing department and internal
staff to Falcon’s staff. Now, a manufacturer could reduce
their upfront inventory investment and associated labor
costs as well as the onsite footprint needed to warehouse
excess inventory.
BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE
CONTINUED ON PAGE 166