WINTER 2020

6 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Zirks, LLC, a new business venture, is
excited to announce the launch of a cutting-edge
importing platform that will empower supply chain
managers to reduce expenses and increase
efficiency in the face of increasing tariff and
supply chain logistics costs.
A spin-off of Cleveland-based Earnest
Machine, a global importer, master distributor,
and manufacturer of fasteners, Zirks was created
to solve the industry’s most difficult challenge:
reducing lead times on commoditized items
without increasing cost.
The Zirks model solves both problems by
making full containers of commoditized fasteners
available for instant purchase the moment they’re
on the water. Through a transparent, customerdriven
online portal, buyers control their own
pricing and timing, based on how much they buy
and when they buy it, even if it’s a single pallet.
“Being a fastener importer for decades, we
knew that little had changed,” says Kirk Zehnder,
Zirks’ President. “We wanted to make it better
and thought an easy thing to do was simplify
importing, aggregate the market demand, and
reduce operational expenses and inefficiencies.
It was a big question that forced us to get
creative.”
Zirks allows purchasing, supply chain,
and logistics managers to order and receive
commodity fasteners from overseas in as little
as five days or, at most, five weeks. No longer
are they subject to factory delays, unforeseen
costs, or excess inventory. Zirks empowers
buyers to increase gross margin (up to 30%)
on imported commodities through full container
purchasing power at single pallet quantities.
Zirks is fundamentally shifting the perception
of lead time and inventory management while
paving the way for convenience and agility.
Whether a distributor needs to fill a gap buy or
simply wants to eliminate the paperwork and
hassle of importing directly, Zirks is effectively
leading the charge for faster, smarter importing.
Distributors interested in using the Zirks
platform can do so at no cost by visiting https://
zirks.io.
For more information contact Dan Pongallo,
1-833-571-3778​, inquiry@zirks.io
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Beginning January 2020, North East
Fasteners Corporation will have rolled out
a major upgrade to its ERP system. Nearly two
years in development, this new version comes
with many exciting improvements. The NEF team
is gaining many powerful tools in virtually every
department, which will significantly enhance the
NEF customer experience.
NEF’s quoting module has been completely
re-imagined. For example: The painstaking task
of quoting extensive military packages, containing
hundreds of items, which usually require days to
finish, can now be accomplished in just a fraction
of the time. Additionally, quotations can now be
sent, not only in PDF format, but also in Excel
format. With these encouraging advancements,
North East Fasteners is looking forward to another
successful year in 2020.
NEF is driven to make your fastener buying
experience the best in the business.
NEF is AS9100/ ISO 9001:2015 certified with
a 100% standing for 8 years running. It is also an
QSLM Levels 2/3 certified supplier, serving the
commercial, military, aerospace and automotive
markets. NEF is currently producing a size range
of -00- to number 10 diameter fasteners in all
types and classes, as well as M1.2 to M4.5
(metric), up to 2 inches (50mm) long.
For more information contact North East
Fasteners by Tel: 860-589-3242, Fax: 860-
589-6969, email: nef@nef1.com or online at
www.nef1.com.