WINTER 2023

In the Winter 2023 issue of
6 DISTRIBUTOR NEWS
8 FASTENER SCIENCE: SALT SPRAY TESTING PER
ASTM B117
Rob LaPointe
10 RETAINING RINGS
Laurence Claus
12 WHAT DISTRIBUTORS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
JOINT STRENGTH
Guy Avellon
14 THREAD FORMING SCREWS FOR COST-EFFICIENT
FASTENING IN METAL AND PLASTIC
Bruno Marbacher
16 [COVER FEATURE] BRIKKSEN: GO BEYOND
26 COMPUTER INSIGHTS & THOMASNET STRATEGIC ALLIANCE
Dennis Cowhey
28 WE LIVE IN AN INTERESTING TIME
Chris Donnell
30 ROTOR CLIP MEETS APPLICATION NEEDS WITH SMALL
DIAMETER WAVE SPRINGS
32 PHILLIPS SCREW COMPANY: WHAT IS HEXSTIX®?
Chris Gallant
34 ABSOLUTE GRINDING & MFG: CENTERLESS GRINDING
FOR THE FASTENER INDUSTRY
36 IF YOUR PRODUCT DOES NOT PASS THROUGH A GO
THREAD RING GAGE, NO PROBLEM
Larry Borowski
38 PIVOT POINT INC. COMPLETES FACTORY EXPANSION
40 CHOOSING THE RIGHT FASTENER FOR CASTINGS
AND SOFT METALS
Michael J. Rossi
42 ARE YOU READY FOR THE COMING STORM?
Robert Footlik
44 FASTENER FAIR USA HEADS TO NASHVILLE IN MAY
46 CLASS C COMPONENTS: DISTRIBUTION EXPERTS TAKE
THE HEADACHE OUT OF SOURCING
Dennis Cowhey
48 MWFA AWARDS $40,000 IN
SCHOLARSHIPS
Nancy Rich
49 MWFA SCHOLARSHIP
AWARDS PHOTOS
50 DADDY – WHERE DO WASHERS
COME FROM?
Carmen Vertullo
52 AUTO-TRANSCRIPTION OF VIDEO MEETINGS
Joe Dysart
54 ‘QUIET QUITTING’ MAY NOT BE NEW BUT ITS SEEMING
APPROVAL IS!
Jim Truesdell
56 FASTENER TRAINING INSTITUTE PRESENTS 2023
TRAINING SCHEDULE
Jo Morris
58 SETKO FASTENERS: RE-INVENTING THE HOLIDAY
TRADITION
Kelly Poholarz
60 BLIND FASTENERS ARE A UNIVERSAL FASTENER
Anthony Di Maio
62 GROWERMETAL SPA: GREENMETAL PROJECT –
THE SUSTAINABLE STRATEGY FOR A LONG-TERM GROWTH
64 MFDA’S GOLF OUTING RETURNS AFTER THE PANDEMIC
Rob Rundle
65 MFDA GOLF OUTING PHOTOS
66 INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO SEES OUTSTANDING
ATTENDANCE AT 2022 EVENT
67 IFE 2022 WELCOME RECEPTION PHOTOS
68 HOW ROCKSTAR CFOS SOLVE THE INFLATION PUZZLE
Nelson Valderrama
70 SPIROL: CHOOSING THE PROPER FASTENER WHEN
AUTOMATING
Christie Jones
72 SUNSET ON SAN DIEGO: STAFDA’S 46th ANNUAL
CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW
Georgia H. Foley, CEO

volume 46 // issue #1
73 STAFDA 2022 CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW PHOTOS
74 DESTEFANO: DISTRIBUTOR WEBSITES NEED B2C
COMFORT WITH B2B STRENGTH
John Wolz
76 NCFA’S YEAR OF EVENTS TO REMEMBER
Marty Nolan
77 NCFA HOLIDAY PARTY PHOTOS
78 MFDA’S TABLE TOP SHOW A GREAT SUCCESS
Rob Rundle
79 UNICORP OFFERS CUSTOM PARTS AND SERVICES
80 IMSM LTD: ISO’S ROLE IN QUALITY MAINTENANCE
WITHIN THE FASTENER INDUSTRY
Scott Mersch
84 2022 INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO MAKES DONATION
TO FASTENER EDUCATION FOUNDATION
88 MWFA NEW 2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND
EVENT SCHEDULE
Nancy Rich
92 BRIGHTON BEST 2022 VEGAS PARTY PHOTOS
99 LAURA MURPHY NEW ADMINISTRATOR FOR NEFDA
103 SUBSCRIPTION FORM
109 NFDA EXECUTIVE SUMMIT PHOTOS
124 LEADERSHIP CHANGES AT MAFDA
Bill Bankoske
124 DON’T MISS OUT ON THE 2023 PAC-WEST EVENTS
Amy Nijjar
140 SEFA ANNOUNCES 2023 CONFERENCE DESTINATION
Nancy Rich
145 INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO 2022 SHOW PHOTOS
149 NFDA LOOKS AHEAD TO 2023
Amy Nijjar
175 DON’T MISS OUR BIG SPRING ISSUE – RESERVE TODAY!

6 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
David Fretz has announced
his retirement from Hanger Bolt
& Stud Co, after nearly 35
years.
Initially heading up the sales
and marketing effort of our
fastener division, Dave quickly
assumed a major role in the
design and marketing of our
emerging line of automatic Drill
n’ Drive machines.
More recently, his efforts have
helped build our HBS wire drawing
operation which now overshadows
our fastener footprint.
His sound leadership in our
organization and the industries
we serve will be greatly missed.
We wish you well Dave!
For more information contact
Hanger Bolt & Stud Co., 165 W
New Rd, Greenfield, IN 46140. Tel:
1-800-537-7925, Fax: 800-994-
2658, Email: sales@hangerbolt.
com or visit them online at
www.hangerbolt.com.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Valley Fastener Group is pleased to
announce its acquisition of TRAMEC Hill Fastener
of Rock Falls, IL.
Manny DeSantis, CEO of Valley Fastener
Group, stated that since the founding of Hill
Fastener Corporation in 1957, Hill understands
the importance of producing high-quality
fasteners and meeting the demands of a
consistently changing fastener market. It is this
foundation, combined with their complementary
manufacturing capabilities, that makes Hill
Fastener a tremendous addition to the Valley
Fastener Group family. Gary E. Sullo, CEO of
Tramec, LLC commented that the acquisition of
Hill Fastener by the Valley Fastener Group is a
great addition to their business and will continue
the outstanding customer service and support
that Hill’s customers have become accustomed
to over the last 10 years.
At Valley, we recognize that our biggest asset
is our people. In joining forces with the Hill team,
VFG is making another significant investment in
expanding our product offerings to the market. We
are excited to confirm that all Hill employees will
be an integral part of the Valley team going forward
and will continue to operate out of their current
location in Rock Falls, IL.
As we complete the integration process, please
know that we are committed to delivering the same
high level of service and stability to which you are
accustomed. Our goal is to make this a seamless
transition for all our customers, legacy and new.
We will be reaching out to schedule an introductory
discussion shortly. Should you have any questions
about the acquisition or what it means for your
business specifically, please do not hesitate to
contact Valley Fasterner Group directly.
Valley Fastener Group is an ISO 9001-certified
supplier of fasteners for America’s best-in-market
manufacturers. Its three facilities provide its
clients with custom application engineering,
beginning-to-end testing services, and time-tested
consultation to solve their complex challenges
and everyday applications.
For more information contact Valley Fastener
Group at 1490 Mitchell Rd, Aurora, IL 60505. Tel:
630-299-8910, Fax: 630-892-4916 or visit them
online at www.valleyfastener.com.

8
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Rob LaPointe AIM TESTING LABORATORY
Rob LaPointe is a noted authority in materials and fastener technology. With extensive experience
in the management and science of materials testing laboratories combined with master’s degrees in
physics and education, he excels at bringing solutions to the client. Working specifically in the fastener
testing industry, he has developed expertise in mechanical, nondestructive, metallurgical and chemical
testing. With a background of 20 years in physics education, Rob is effective at communicating complex
ideas in a simple and understandable manner, communicating well with clients enabling them to make
informed decisions about their products and business. AIM is located at 1920 Cordell Court #101, El
Cajon, CA, 92020. Tel: 909-254-1278, email: sales@aimtestlab.com or online at www.aimtestlab.com
FASTENER SCIENCE:
SALT SPRAY TESTING PER ASTM B117
Salt spray testing is the most common corrosion test
for fastener products. The test is required by many product
standards such as those governing the manufacture
of parts for use in the automotive, aerospace, military,
and industrial industries. Principally, salt spray testing
measures the resistance of a material or coating to the
corrosive nature of metal in the presence of water and
ionic compounds, specifically sodium chloride (salt).
Since the presence of water and salt on Earth
is ubiquitous, both in the oceans and atmosphere,
metals that are inherently susceptible to its corrosive
chemistry, must be able to maintain structural integrity
and strength for a reasonable duration of time, which is
their service lifetime. Designing and building mechanical
products such as cars and airplanes that will live
outside where the presence of water and salt is more
concentrated, must include consideration for performance
and longevity against rusting. Salt spray testing is a
means of comparatively measuring a product’s resistance
to rusting in an outdoor environment.
Before we get into the details of the salt spray test,
let’s take some time to understand just what rusting
and corrosion are, both chemically and physically. Don’t
worry, we won’t dive too deeply into the chemistry of the
process. Hopefully you’ll be as fascinated as I am by the
beauty of this natural phenomenon.
What Is Rust?
We’ve all experienced the oxidation of iron, commonly
TECHNICAL ARTICLE
FIGURE 1 A SALT SPRAY CHAMBER FOR CORROSION TESTING
called rust. Our newly purchased screwdriver or pliers left
outside in the rain are transformed overnight into a much
less shinny and less functional tool. We notice the familiar
dull red powder on the surface of the metal or red pitting
on the shinny coating. We also notice that parts of the
tool that once moved smoothly against one another no
longer slide with ease. This modest amount of corrosion
may not completely compromise the tool that is left out in
the elements for a night, but given enough time, the tool
will totally decompose into dust. Red dust. The rusting of
iron (the most abundant ingredient in steel) occurs as a
two-step process.
The first step involves dissolving solid iron into water
as a solution of iron-water. You may not have thought a
metal like iron is dissolvable, but mountains of iron can
be dissolved in water. Global oceans once deposited
bands of iron across Earth as it rusted out of seawater.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 94

10
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Laurence Claus
Laurence Claus is the President of NNi Training and Consulting, Inc. He has 25 years of
experience with a medium sized automotive fastener manufacturer, holding positions
including Vice President of Engineering, General Manager, Director of Quality, Director
of New Business Development and Applications Engineer. In 2012 he formed NNi
offering technical and business training courses as well as technical consulting, expert
witness and consultation work. He can be reached at 847-867-7363 or by email:
Lclaus@NNiTraining.com. You can learn more about NNi at www.NNiTraining.com.
RETAINING RINGS
A couple of months ago my mother called me with a
strange question. She had cut her lawn the day before and
noticed afterwards that the patterns made by the blades
were uneven, with one side higher than other side. She has
a large yard and her lawnmower is a riding one with about a
four foot wide cut. Over the phone I told her that it sounded
to me like the mower deck (mechanism that houses the
lawn mower’s cutting blades) had been somehow knocked
out of alignment and was not running level with the ground.
I told her I would look at it the next time I visited. Not
wanting to wait for me to come by, she ventured back out
to the garage to take a look and discovered that the mower
deck was seemingly fine because the right rear tire was
completely flat. Of course this would explain the odd cutting
pattern and prompted her to call me right back and tell me
that she had discovered the problem. She now asked how
she should get it repaired. I told her I would come right over
and take it off so that she could take it in and get the tire
repaired.
Not knowing the size of the lug nuts retaining the tire, I
grabbed a socket set and headed over. To my surprise and
chagrin, my first discovery was that there were no lug nuts,
only a large plastic cap in the center of the wheel. Not to
be daunted and expecting a large, single nut holding the
wheel in place, I got to work removing the cap. Once I did
so, I got my second surprise. There was no nut at all, only
a C-shaped retaining ring. I popped it off, pulled off the tire,
had it repaired, and replaced it in no time.
TECHNICAL ARTICLE
This experience was, once again, a reminder that the
fastening world is full of creative solutions to many design
challenges. Instead of a more complicated, traditional
means of attaching the wheel with studs and nuts or a nut
and cotter pin on the end of the rear axle shaft, it was all
accomplished with a simple retaining ring.
For the most part, fasteners widely go about their
business in obscurity. It isn’t until an experience like mine
that the creative genius of fastener engineering is exposed.
So, let’s take a closer look at this interesting family of
fasteners that can be used for critical applications like
holding gears and bearings to shafts all the way to lighter
duty applications like retaining parts to a moving shaft on a
children’s toy.
What Are Retaining Rings
Retaining Rings, also known as Snap Rings or Circlips
are metal fasteners that, generally, are applied to rotating
components and fit into a groove to create a shoulder
which prevents components from moving out of position
during operation (Figure 1). These fasteners replace
traditional joining methods such as drilled holes and cotter
pins or threaded ends and nuts. They possess multiple
advantages over these traditional methods including
cost savings by reducing fastener preparation steps
and components, eliminating the complexity of threaded
components, lightening the assembly by utilizing a single,
lightweight component, and fostering easy assembly.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 96

12
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Guy Avellon
Guy Avellon has been in MRO and Fastener Distribution for over 30 years, in such positions Sales
Engineer, Chief Engineer, Manager of Product Marketing, Product Engineering & Quality and
Director of Quality & Engineering. He founded GT Technical Consultants where he performs failure
analysis, lectures on fastener safety, works for law firms and designs/audits Quality systems. He is a
member of SAE, is Vice Chairman of the ASTM F16 Fastener Committee, Chairman of the F16.01 Test
Methods Committee and received the ASTM Award of Merit in 2005. Guy can be contacted at 847-
477-5057, Email: ExpertBoltGuy@gmail.com or visit www.BoltFailure.com.
WHAT DISTRIBUTORS NEED TO
KNOW ABOUT JOINT STRENGTH
Many have probably seen a Force Diagram and
thought it too complicated. This article will help explain
the mechanisms involved because if a customer
continues to have failures from his fasteners, maybe
the fasteners he is using isn’t the correct type for his
joint and loads.
All metal components behave like springs. The
relative response to stress under loading is governed by
the comparative stiffness of each component in the joint.
If the spring rate of the bolt is equal to the combined
spring rate of the joint, then half the deformation will
occur in the bolt and the rest will be absorbed by the
joint.
The modulus of elasticity determines the relative
stiffness of the joint members and the bolts used to
produce the clamp load. The stiffness of each will
determine how much clamp force is necessary, what
size of bolts to use and how the clamp loads will change
when the service loads act upon the joint.
Clamping force exerted by the bolt on the joint is
produced by an equal and opposite force by the joint
onto the bolt. All things being elastic, the bolt wants to
return to its original length while the joint also wants to
return to its original thickness.
To illustrate this, a Force Diagram (Figure 1) is used
which is a stress-strain diagram combined with elastic
curves for both the bolt and joint member.
CONTRIBUTOR ARTICLE
FIGURE 1
As the bolt is tightened, the bolt elongates (B). Due
to the natural internal forces resisting the elongation, a
tension force or preload is produced (Fp). The applied
force and elongation are linear. Since any action requires
a reaction, the deformation of the joint is linear and is
represented by J, the amount of joint compression.
Regardless of how soft the joint or bolt are, the
bolt becomes longer and the joint becomes compressed
under load when the bolt is tightened. Typically, the
spring rate, or stiffness of the bolt is only 1/3-1/5 that
of the joint.
The following diagrams illustrate the importance
of the stiffness ratio between the bolt and the joint in
determining how much of the applied external load is
absorbed by the fastener and how much is absorbed by
the joint.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 98

14
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Bruno Marbacher
Bruno Marbacher earned his mechanical engineering degree in Switzerland, he also holds a
business degree. He started out as a tool and die maker (poly-mechanic) and over the years he
has held various management positions in quality and engineering. During his time in America
he has developed and given numerous seminars on topics related to the proper use of mechanical
fasteners and machine elements, and assists engineers in solving fastening/assembly issues. His
has groomed and directed many young engineers in fastening/assembly technology. He now
offers his 40 years of experience through writing and lecturing.
THREAD FORMING SCREWS FOR COST-EFFICIENT
FASTENING IN METAL AND PLASTIC
Dear Reader, With this article, I will start a series of
articles about thread forming (thread shaping) screws for
metal and plastics. Numerous articles have been written
about thread forming screws, but you may still learn from
the information I am about to present.
Thread Forming Screws
As the name implies, thread forming screws form
their own mating thread, no need for tapping the mating
thread. Internal threads are either cut or cold-formed.
They tap their own hole as they are driven into the
material. More narrowly, self-tapping is used only to
describe a specific type of thread-forming screw. They
are intended to produce a thread in relatively soft
material or sheet materials, excluding wood. Other
specific types of self-tapping screw include self-drilling
TECHNICAL ARTICLE
screws and thread rolling screws.
A great number of thread forming screws have been
developed over the years some of them are rarely used
anymore or are only used for niche applications. Usually,
thread forming screws are tapping screws for sheet
metal, thread forming screws for steel and aluminum
plates and thread forming screws for plastics etc.
Since each screw produces its own mating thread, there
are no problems with thread tolerances. The screws sit
play-free in their mating threads and thus they have an
excellent vibration resistance. The forming of threads
produces a certain resistance. Most thread forming
screws cannot be installed with hand tools they more
often than not require power screwdrivers.
The fact that these screws are very reliable and safe
and eliminate several operations, related to assembly,
makes such screws very cost-efficient. They should be
used in place of regular screws whenever possible.
Tapping Screws, The Original Thread
Forming Screws
Tapping screws were developed in England. They
are sometimes called sheet metal or P-K screws from
the brand name Parker Kalon. Parker Kalon pioneered
the manufacture of, but did not invent, these screws.
Tapping screws were the first fasteners that were
forming their own mating thread into sheet metal. No
chips are produced during assembly.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 100

26
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
COMPUTER INSIGHTS INC.
108 Third Street, Bloomingdale, IL 60108
TEL 1-800-539-1233 EMAIL sales@ci-inc.com WEB www.ci-inc.com
COMPUTER INSIGHTS & THOMASNET
STRATEGIC ALLIANCE by Dennis Cowhey
Computer Insights has spent two decades
designing and adding features to The Business
Edge, TM
driven by listening to customer requests.
Continuing along these lines, they are excited
to announce a new strategic alliance with
Thomasnet a Xometry Company.
The Business Edge TM
by Computer Insights,
Inc. is an ERP software system that allows
distributors of fasteners and industrial supplies
to do more, in less time, with fewer people. Their
fastener industry focus makes the difference.
The Business Edge TM
helps companies across
the United States and Canada, ranging from
four employees to over 500.
Eliminate Double Entry
Users of The Business Edge TM
that have a website
powered by Thomasnet can take advantage of new
features that allow them to update their website pricing
and package quantities directly from the live information
stored in The Business Edge. TM
Maintaining a single
database and putting an end to double-entry saves time
and eliminates errors.
Product Information When You Need It
Product images and landing pages are helpful
tools for salespeople and account managers.
The Business Edge TM
now lets you see your
Thomasnet product images on any screen you
view your product, including product inquiries,
entering sales orders, and entering purchase
orders. You can also click on a hyperlink that
will take you directly to the product landing
page. Empower your team by giving them
the information they need when they need it.
Showing everything on one screen while you work
increases the accuracy and speed of responses
to customer questions.
BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 102

28
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Chris Donnell
Chris Donnell is the National Sales Director for Scanwell Logistics International (CHI)
Inc., specializing in Supply Chain Management, Inventory Control, Logistics Sales and
Management. Chris excels at selling the “Solution” to advanced program analysis and
implementation. A highly ambitious and effective team leader who thrives on the challenges
of this industry, Chris currently oversees a National Sales and Partnership Program consisting
of more than 100 Sales executives who focus primarily on SCM and Logistics development in
most vertical markets. Contact Chris at 847-228-6789 or email: chrisdonnell@scanwell.com.
WE LIVE IN AN INTERESTING TIME
Was it just me or did this year race by? It kicked off
with arguably the lowest logistics point in our lifetime,
with a slew of supply chain disruptions and costs that
reached into the stratosphere. In January we welcomed
the new year while watching the port terminal in Los
Angeles come to near stand- still with more than 100
vessels sitting idle off-shore and congestion on the West
Coast reached unprecedented levels and many assumed
it would never end.
Fast forward to today, and things have settled way
down! Companies can actually cut down on their lead
times, manage their supplier chain more efficiently and
with rates having returned to a more respectful prepandemic
level, things are looking up. But the question
remains, how long will it last? Make no mistake about
it, the carriers love a war or catastrophic situation and
will jump at the chance to take advantage of a particular
situation but limiting services and or increasing costs.
This begs the question: are we on the verge of something
happening?
There are multiple issues just below the surface
that could quickly erase any positive momentum we
have gained over the past several months and could
ultimately send the logistics world back to where we
were last January. But, before I get into potential new
issues, I think it’s best to recap the issues we’ve all
lived through and how far we’ve come.
Ocean rates over the past 6 months have dropped
approximately 70% compared to where they were a year
CONTRIBUTOR ARTICLE
ago. It’s hard to imagine that some importers had ocean
container rates in excess of $30,000.00 and today the
average costs are just a fraction of that. In fact, the
rates have remained elevated for the past few years
due in large part to congestion and strong ocean import
demand, as well as carrier manipulation of the market,
some of what still takes place today, such as blank
sailings. Recently, things have changed dramatically.
For the past 4 months, rates have continued to tumble
as fears of recession and the pull back on buying have
taken hold. August thru October saw imports from China
drop some 20 percent; a sign of more things to come. In
November, we saw a modest bump in imports and ocean
rates started to stabilize, but this is due in large part
to inflation and costs for moving cargo increasing when
compared to where they were pre-pandemic.
Air Rates, much like ocean, have returned to prepandemic
levels. In January, we saw air rates in excess
of $18.00 per kilo from places like Shanghai, Beijing
and others. Today those rates are less than $4.00 per
kilo. Capacity is pretty much wide open and the airlines
are anticipating a weaker than normal peak season for
cargo. In contrast, passenger travel has increased with
many airlines reporting record October and November
months.
Port congestion on the West Coast has dissipated.
Gone are the endless string of vessels waiting to be
unloaded. Gone are the lengthy birth and rail times, at
least on the West Coast.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 104

30
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
ROTOR CLIP COMPANY INC.
187 Davidson Avenue, Somerset, NJ 08873
TEL 1-800-557-6867 EMAIL info@rotorclip.com WEB www.rotorclip.com
ROTOR CLIP MEETS APPLICATION NEEDS WITH
SMALL DIAMETER WAVE SPRINGS
Rotor Clip has responded to the increased demand
in the marketplace for smaller, innovative, and more
efficient assemblies. Rotor Clip now has the capability
of manufacturing smaller-sized wave springs ranging
from .118 -25” (3 - 635 mm). The advancement in
development for smaller assemblies benefits a variety
of industries, such as medical devices, electronics,
and consumer products. Today’s marketplace calls for
smaller, lighter assemblies with greater efficiencies
and lower manufacturing costs. Rotor Clip now further
supports the market by introducing new, standard series
small diameter wave springs! Our multi-turn wave springs
are now available as standards from:
¤ .188” outside diameter
¤ 6 mm outside diameter
Wave springs can offer up to 50% of axial space
savings compared to conventional coil springs, providing
the same force and deflection. Wave springs do not suffer
from torsional loading and twisting that can cause wear.
Additional benefits include increased travel distances
and the ability to self-locate in bored holes and shafts.
Through a vertically integrated manufacturing process,
starting with in-house wire production, the combination of
process control and metallurgical expertise allows Rotor
Clip to react quickly to meeting requirements, perfecting
prototypes, and identifying favorable opportunities to
enhance product quality.
Standard Materials
¤ Carbon steel (standard) - SAE 1060-1090 (ST)
¤ 17-7 Stainless Steel (standard)
Other Materials
¤ Stainless - AISI 302, AISI 316, and A286
¤ Inconel X-750
¤ Elgiloy
¤ Hastelloy C276
¤ Beryllium-copper
¤ Phosphor-bronze
TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Customization Options
¤ Spring force and work height
¤ Cycle life
¤ Nested coiling
¤ Shimmed or flat end
¤ Wire thickness and shape
¤ Coiling direction
Rotor Clip engineers are always available for
assistance in selecting the right part, whether it is
a standard or providing free design consultations on
custom parts. We’re focused on providing Application
Driven Solutions
As the global leader in the manufacture of retaining
rings, wave springs, and self-compensating hose clamps,
Rotor Clip serves all manufacturing industries, including
automotive, aerospace, defense, energy, medical and
beyond. As the sole manufacturer of all retaining ring
families (spiral, constant section, tapered), Rotor Clip
engineers and delivers Application Driven Solutions
from our global manufacturing facilities and warehouses.
ISO 9001, ISO 14001, IATF 16949, AS9100, ISO 13485
certified.
ROTOR CLIP COMPANY INC.

32
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
THE PHILLIPS SCREW COMPANY
1 Van De Graaff Drive, Burlington, MA 01803
TEL 781-224-9750 WEB www.phillips-screw.com
WHAT IS HEXSTIX ® ?
by Chris Gallant
The patented HEXSTIX® drive system was developed
by Phillips Screw Company to solve problems associated
with loose and wobbly generic six-lobed fasteners. If
you have ever tried to drive a screw into wood with a
drill or driver and the fit of the bit to the screw was too
loose, you know you are forced to hold the screw with
your fingers until you get it started. The problem is more
pronounced with longer screws. This can be a painful
experience if you have a lot of screws to drive.
The HEXSTIX® drive system delivers precise design
and tolerancing of both the recess and bit to provide
a wobble-free connection. The design also generates
a STICK-TIGHT® fit through an engineered interference
between bit and recess. When you push the fastener
onto the bit, the fastener clings to the bit which frees
your other hand up for holding work in place. This
improved design places the interference at the root,
thereby protecting the performance even when the bit
wears on the outer edges.
While these performance advantages require both a
HEXSTIX® recess and a HEXSTIX® bit, the designs are
compatible with common driver bits. For instance, you
can drive or remove a fastener that has a HS-25 recess
with a T-25 driver bit, you just won’t get the wobble-free,
hands-free performance.
If you are a fastener manufacturer and you sell
generic six lobe or standard TORX® fasteners reach out
to Chris Gallant (cgallant@phillips-screw.com) to find out
how you can switch to HEXSTIX®!
HEXSTIX® and STICK-TIGHT® are registered trademarks
of Phillips Screw Company, TORX® is a registered trademark
of Acument Intellectual Properties.
BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE
THE PHILLIPS SCREW COMPANY

34
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
ABSOLUTE GRINDING & MFG.
2400 11th Street, Rockford, IL 61104
TEL 815-964-1999 EMAIL contact@absolute-grinding.com WEB www.absolute-grinding.com
CENTERLESS GRINDING FOR THE
FASTENER INDUSTRY
If you are in the business of making small metal parts
of different shapes and sizes, you might be interested
in centerless grinding as a process to produce precise,
machined components. Centerless grinding is especially
effective when other machining methods, specifically
turning or forming, cannot be used.
It is excellent for small parts that cannot be chucked
or fixtured due to their size or because locating centers
would be impossible. Centerless Grinding is the ideal
process to be used when precise surface finish or
roundness accuracy is required on a given material. The
process is fast, dependable and, in the right hands, very
controllable.
Centerless Grinding is a process in which the part to
be ground is held in place between a grinding wheel and a
regulating wheel while resting on a work rest or blade. The
grinding wheel and the regulating wheel spin in the same
direction at different speeds. The grinding wheel runs at
a consistent speed and the regulating wheel speed and
angle is adjusted to control the part’s speed, feed stock
removal, roundness, micro-finish, etc.
Centerless Grinding Falls Into Two Large
Process Types.
Through-feed and Bar-Feed in general refers to
the process of running parts from one side of the machine
and out the other, i.e., front to back.
¤ Through-Feed is primarily called on to produce dowel
pin type products requiring controlled O.D. to +/-.0001.
Grinding usually occurs after heat treat; however, there
are many stainless, brass, and bronze applications.
¤ Bar-Feed is usually used for parts from 28” to 144”
in length. The fastener, swiss-turning, or screw machine
companies often use bar-feed centerless when material
O.D. is unavailable in the correct size or not accurate
enough in its current state.
BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE
CONTINUED ON PAGE 106

36
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Larry Borowski President
GREENSLADE & COMPANY INC.
2234 Wenneca Avenue, Fort Worth, TX 76102
TEL 817-870-8888 FAX 817-870-9199
EMAIL sales1@greensladeandcompany.com WEB www.greensladeandcompany.com
IF YOUR PRODUCT DOES NOT PASS THROUGH A
GO THREAD RING GAGE, NO PROBLEM...
Often I receive calls from threaded
fastener suppliers asking me if there is
an inspection rule for the acceptance of
bolts and screws that do not freely enter
a GO thread ring gage. Furthermore, the
word “freely” is very subjective, and can
mean a wide variety of things to different
people. These questions generally
arise with threaded products that are
plated or coated, and/or have slightly
nicked threads. Fortunately, there are a few international
standards that are in agreement on this issue. These
standards are:
¤ ISO 6157-3.
¤ DIN 267, part 19.
¤ DIN EN ISO 26I57-3.
In addition to these three international standards,
Ford Motor Company has adopted the same criteria in its
standard WA-990, published in 1993.
These standards present the same formula for
calculating the acceptance torque values.
The formulas for deriving the maximum
allowable Go thread ring torque values
are as follows:
For inch parts:
T = 145 x d3
T = maximum torque in in-lb
d = nominal diameter in inches
These formulas can be applied to any size thread.
The chart below contains the computed and rounded
torque acceptance values for the most commonly used
inch and metric thread size ranges.
For metric parts:
T = 0.001 x d 3
T = maximum torque in Nm
d = nominal diameter in mm
TECHNICAL ARTICLE
CONTINUED ON PAGE 108

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 37

38
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
PIVOT POINT INC.
761 Industrial Lane, PO Box 488, Hustisford, WI 53034
TEL 1-800-222-2231 FAX 920-349-3253 EMAIL mail@pivotpins.com WEB www.pivotpins.com
PIVOT POINT INCORPORATED COMPLETES
FACTORY EXPANSION
Pivot Point Incorporated, a
manufacturer of Non-Threaded
Fastener solutions, has completed a
30,000 square foot expansion to their
manufacturing facilities in Hustisford,
Wisconsin. This will bring their total
manufacturing campus to nearly
100,000 square feet.
Bayland Buildings of Green Bay, WI
was the general contractor and erected
a steel frame building that allows for
a greater clear span of the interior
space, thus optimizing work and traffic
flow for manufacturing.
Says owner Sol Leitzke: “We’ve invested heavily in
equipment, especially automation, so that we can have
the best value proposition in quality, pricing and lead
times. This has resulted in robust, steady growth- we’re
practically bursting at the seams. This factory expansion
will allow us to continue to add equipment and continue
to grow without constraint.”
Notably, the expansion included the installation of
a 150-foot tall flagpole believed to be one of the tallest
in the state of Wisconsin. Pivot Point hosted a public
Dedication Ceremony on October 26th, raising the flag
for the first time. Nearly 300 people attended.
As part of the ceremony, Pivot Point President Dave
Zimmermann provided a summary of the Leitzke family’s
history in fastener manufacturing. In 1929, Rein Leitzke
founded Leitzke Specialties, manufacturing fasteners
and hardware primarily for the agricultural market. His
son Glayr joined the company and they together ran a
successful manufacturing operation for many years until
the company was sold in 1970. In the early 1980’s, Glayr
and his son Rue resurrected the company under the name
Pivot Point Incorporated. The company grew steadily and
the product line evolved into ever more sophisticated,
unique and even patented, propriety fasteners. The
company now serves a multitude of markets. In 2016
Rue’s son Sol purchased the business and continues
the Leitzke Family’s fastener manufacturing tradition.
BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE
CONTINUED ON PAGE 110

40
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
PENN ENGINEERING
5190 Old Easton Road, Danboro, PA 18916
TEL 1-800-237-4736 FAX 215-766-0143 EMAIL info@pemnet.com WEB www.pemnet.com
CHOOSING THE RIGHT FASTENER FOR CASTINGS
AND SOFT METALS by Michael J. Rossi, Marketing Services Supervisor
It goes without saying that fasteners are an integral
part of any design project. But their application is essential
for the overall success and longevity of the product. When
designing a project, always consider the suitability of the
fastener you’re using.
For applications that require strong, durable threads in
castings and soft metals less than HRB 80, the new PEM®
CastSert Press-In Inserts may be a viable and cost-saving
fastening alternative for you compared to coil inserts or
thread tapping.
About PEM ® CastSert Press-In Inserts
PEM® 300 Series Stainless Steel CastSert inserts
provide strong, durable metal threads in zinc, extruded
aluminum, and die-cast magnesium and aluminum.
The overall, simple press-in installation process for
these inserts uses a flat punch and anvil to install all sizes
and lengths, approximately 80% faster than other methods.
THE PATENT-PENDING PEM ®
CASTSERT PRESS-IN INSERTS,
AVAILABLE Q1 2023.
PEM ® CastSert Insert At-a-Glance
More details about PEM® CastSert inserts:
¤ Depth of knurl allows engagement with as-cast draft
angle holes, or milled holes.
¤ Process cost savings vs. coil inserts or thread
tapping.
¤ Pull-out performance varies based on panel material,
length of engagement (thread size), and draft angle.
¤ Available in thread sizes #2-56 to 5/16-18 / M3 to
M10 in two lengths per thread size.
As mentioned above, the use of a CastSert insert
eliminates the need for tapping or otherwise creating
threads directly into the base material which may not offer
the strength required in some cases or may be more costly.
Just install CastSert inserts by simply pressing them
into drilled or as-cast holes. Installation is accomplished
using any standard press at any time during the production
process.
[A] Symmetric, thru-hole design for ease of
manufacturability, installation without need for orienting.
Auto-feed capability.
[B] Left-handed, helical knurl for ease of installation,
pullout and torque-out resistance, and ensuring insert
stability when removing stuck/damaged male hardware.
[C] Depth of knurl allows engagement with as-cast
draft angle holes, or milled holes.
[D] Lowered pilot diameter allows for proper seating
of insert and undercut to provide additional pull-out
performance. Lead in chamfer on knurl body to self center
part during install.
TECHNICAL ARTICLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 110

42
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Robert Footlik
Robert B. Footlik, PE is a retired Professional Industrial Engineer. With over 50 years’
experience as a Warehouse and Logistics Consultant to a wide variety of clients including
Fastener Distributors, Bob has a wealth of valuable information for our industry and he is
willing to share it. While Footlik & Associates is now closed, his expertise is still available
to his friends and our readers. For friendly advice, a second opinion or just to start a
conversation, he can be reached at robert@footlik.net.
ARE YOU READY FOR THE COMING STORM?
When a wise sailor sees a storm approaching he
does not just “batten down the hatches” to keep them
from blowing away. Instead, a complete inspection and
assessment of the vessel is performed to determine if it
is seaworthy, safe and likely to survive what lies ahead.
Astute Warehouse Managers are doing this now.
With the predicted hurricane and tsunami of inflation
and recession announced daily in print and electronic
media, it is prudent to take a good look at your
operations and facilities to discover what problems are
likely to sink your profits…if not bankrupt the company.
While increases in income are always welcome, we
discovered during the Covid pandemic this condition is
not assured. Savings generated by improved efficiency,
new sources of revenue, avoidance of unexpected
expenses and mitigation of legal exposure can have an
immediate Return on Investment (ROI) and will continue
to raise your income for years.
Objective: Keeping Outside Problems From
Becoming Indoor Catastrophes
Start by getting some fresh air and exercise.
Take a leisurely, focused tour of the area outside of
the building. Weather permitting; add some steps to
your Fitbit by walking completely around the structure.
Look for deterioration that can be repaired before it
turns into disaster. Tuck-pointing, caulking, patching
CONTRIBUTOR ARTICLE
and weatherproofing are not an expense, they are a
savings. Basic repairs are an investment in Preventative
Maintenance. Just caulking around the windows and
doors can save energy while protecting the sash, frame
and hardware. Today’s tiny leak can easily become
tomorrow’s disaster.
Moreover, if you are really astute you will be looking
for suspicious activity, graffiti, merchandise that has
been tossed out a window, scratches or pry marks on
doors, combustible materials, etc. next to the building
and anything that looks out of place. Preventing theft
and eliminating fire hazards do not have a tangible ROI,
but the savings in aggravation is sufficient reason for
making the inspection. The larger question of what you
do with what is learned will depend on context. One
manger found a box of company merchandise in the
weeds. He removed the contents, inserted a brick and a
note, “We know what you are doing, don’t come back.”
Next day two people did not show up and subsequently,
both profitability and morale were improved. Honest
people hate to work with thieves and scum.
The tour should also include the roof. Regardless
of the climate, the overhead structure is what ultimately
protects your investment in inventory, equipment and
people. Clearing drains and gutters is probably not in
your job description, but designating someone to do the
work certainly is part of your job.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 112

44
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
FASTENER FAIR USA HEADS
TO NASHVILLE IN MAY
Join us in Nashville for Fastener Fair USA, North
America’s fastest-growing trade show and conference
event for the fastener industry, taking place May 16-17
at the Music City Center in Nashville, TN. Fastener Fair
USA offers an unrivaled opportunity for the entire supply
chain–manufacturers, master distributors, equipment
makers, processors, packagers and end users–to meet,
collaborate and network.
The event serves several key industry sectors
including aerospace, automotive, construction,
electronics, marine, and more, and provides real insight
into industry trends in each sector. Register today to
discover the latest fastener and fixing innovations,
enhance your knowledge with pre-show curated education
put on by the Fastener Training Institute, and network
with colleagues and peers from all over the globe
(including the 2023 Networking Party at the Country
Music Hall of Fame!). As a bonus, you’ll get the chance
to take in all that the vibrant city of Nashville has to
offer—great restaurants & bars, fun entertainment, and
memorable experiences.
Fastener Fair USA is North America’s fastest-growing
trade show and conference event for the fastener
industry and the manufacturing sectors it serves. Under
new management by RX, this dynamic and productive
two-day event serves as an essential marketplace
drawing fastener professionals from every segment and
all around the world.
To learn more about the event, visit www.
fastenerfairusa23.com/Link-Magazine.
View the 2023 exhibitor list to see who is already
committed to Fastener Fair USA 2023.
Interesting in exhibiting? Contact Blanca Delgado at
blanca.delgado@rxglobal.com or Ray Filbert at raymond.
filbert@rxglobal.com to reserve your booth today and
learn how Fastener Fair USA can help you grow your
business.
SHOW EVENT ARTICLE
FASTENER FAIR USA

46
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
CLASS C COMPONENTS
6825 Sunwood Drive NW, Ramsey, MN 55303
TEL 763-535-0400 EMAIL classc@classccomponents.com WEB www.classccomponents.com
DISTRIBUTION EXPERTS TAKE THE HEADACHE
OUT OF SOURCING by Dennis Cowhey, President, Computer Insights
The secret to the success of Class C Components
is simple: they supply quality fasteners and industrial
supplies with an unmatched commitment to service and
flexibility.
Mission Statement
Class C Components is a customer-focused Industrial
Distributor that specializes in Vendor Managed Inventory
programs and Supply Chain solutions for OEMs and
sub-contract manufacturers. Our experienced and
knowledgeable staff is committed to exceeding our
customer’s service expectations.
Quality Policy
Class C Components is committed to providing
quality industrial products delivered on time at competitive
pricing to their customers in the OEM, sub-contract
manufacturers, and MRO markets. Class C Components
employees strive to meet or exceed Quality Objectives
while continuously improving processes and meeting
applicable requirements.
The Personal Touch
After witnessing the level of customer service provided to
small and mid-sized OEMs and sub-contract manufacturers
decline, they set out to distribute a more diverse industrial
product offering and deliver better solutions.
Founded in 1995, Class C Components was built on
the commitment to meet the industrial supply demands
JILL ZOSCHKE, PRESIDENT & CEO
for OEM, sub-contract manufacturers, and MRO markets;
while providing and maintaining a level of service,
flexibility and product versatility that was unrivalled in the
industry. They call it “the personal touch.”
Starting in a small, leased warehouse in New
Brighton, MN, Class C Components offered industrial
supply solutions, VMI programs, and On-Site Kitting
based primarily around fasteners. With a customercentric
decision-making process, Class C Components
realized that their customers would benefit from increased
supplier consolidation. They began to disrupt the industrial
distribution arena by greatly expanding the line items
traditionally offered on VMI programs and managed
inventory solutions.
BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE
CONTINUED ON PAGE 114

48
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
MID-WEST FASTENER ASSOCIATION
PO Box 5, Lake Zurich, IL 60047
TOLL-FREE 1-800-753-8338 TEL 847-438-8338 EMAIL mwfa@ameritech.com WEB www.mwfa.net
MWFA AWARDS $40,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS
By Nancy Rich
On November 3rd, when the MWFA held their annual
meeting to award scholarships, Dan Hampton, former
NFL player was the guest speaker. Dan was a first-round
draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 1979 following an
All-America season at the University of Arkansas. An
outstanding and versatile defensive lineman, Hampton
would play 12 seasons with the Bears. Six times he
earned first- or second-team All-Pro honors as either a
defensive tackle or defensive end.
Nicknamed “Danimal” for his ferocious style of
play, Hampton persevered through 10 knee surgeries
and numerous other injuries as he became recognized
as one of the game’s most dedicated players. Hampton
was an impact player even as a rookie. In his first
season he was credited with 70 tackles, 48 of which
were solo efforts, as well as two fumble recoveries,
three passes defensed, and two sacks.
It’s for the 1985 season, however, that Dan and
the Bears’ defense is best remembered. That year, the
stingy Chicago defense allowed just 198 points and shut
out both opponents in the NFC playoffs. The Bears went
on to destroy the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super
Bowl XX. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
in 2002. He spoke of the importance of goals while
sharing great stories of his football career. You cannot
complete a mission without goals that you see through.
Congratulations to This Year’s Winners!
$4,500 Richard S. Piskoty Memorial Scholarship
(Donated by Clarcorp Industrial Sales)
Sara Walsh - Brighton Best International
$4,500 Morgan Ohare Scholarship
(Donated by Morgan Ohare)
Michael Guigliano - Star Stainless Screw
$4,000 XL Screw Corporation Scholarship
(Donated by XL Screw Corporation)
Victoria Nickens - Liberty Fastener
ASSOCIATION ARTICLE
$4,000 Brighton-Best International Scholarship
(Donated by Brighton-Best Internationall)
Teresa Sanchez - SWD Inc.
$4,000 Raul Torres Memorial Scholarship
(Donated by Star Stainless and Fall River Mfg.)
Tri Nguyen - Star Stainless
$3,000 SHMF/Brian Christianson Scholarship
(Donated by South Holland Metal Finishing)
Kelsey Callahan - Continental Aero
$2,500 SWD Inc. Scholarship
(Donated by SWD Inc.)
Yoselyn Castro - Brico Industries
$2,500 BTM Scholarship
(Donated by BTM Manufacturing)
Maria Chornij - 3Q Inc.
$2,000 Brikksen Scholarship
(Donated by Brikksen)
Judith Rosland - Brico Industries
$2,000 Hi-Tech Fastener Corp. Scholarship
(Donated by Hi-Tech Fastener)
Allison Ronk-Endries International
$2,000 Mark DeBaker Memorial Scholarship
(Donated by Richard & Karen Pease of RK Precision Products)
Brianna Barile - Brighton Best International
$2,000 Mike and Carol O’Connor Scholarship
(Donated by Mike and Carol O’connor)
Jaris James - Arlington Fastener
$1,500 MWFA Scholarships
Connor Cooper - Kanebridge Corp.
Alex Peke - Metric & Multistandard
MID-WEST FASTENER ASSOCIATION

MID-WEST FASTENER ASSOCIATION
SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS - NOVEMBER 3, 2022

50
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
CARVER LASER & SECONDARY
CARVER ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING
1920 Cordell Court, El Cajon, CA 92020 TEL 619-204 1543 EMAIL carmenv@carverem.com WEB www.carverem.com
DADDY - WHERE DO WASHERS COME FROM?
by Carmen Vertullo
Fastener suppliers consider flat washers to be a
commodity and price is the driving factor. Standard flat
washers are readily available from a variety of sources.
They are mostly stamped out of sheet metal. One amazing
new process for making flat washers is laser cutting.
While laser cutting of sheet metal has been around for
several decades, only recently has the cost, quality and
equipment arrived at a point where laser cut washer are
competitive with stamped washers.
The advent of affordable and powerful fiber lasers has
made the production of flat washers and similar flat sheet
metal and plate parts attractive for laser cutting. Lasers
have several advantages over traditional stamping:
¤ There is no tooling needed. CNC programs are fast
and easy to develop, so getting from print to part takes
only minutes. Interrupting a production run to get a hot
job done is no problem because there is no set-up to take
down and put back up.
¤ It used to be that lasers were best suited for
short runs where quantities are in the thousands or less.
It is true that laser cutting is particularly attractive when
quantities are very small and tooling and set-up costs
become an issue with punched parts. However, with the
speed and power of today’s fiber lasers, any quantity can
be practical – even one part.
¤ If you need millions of parts, you can run them in
smaller quantities as needed because there is no set-up
cost. This keeps your investment in raw materials and
finished parts low, and keeps the supply chain satisfied.
¤ Laser precision and edge quality is excellent, and
can be adjusted to the needs of the customer.
¤ Depending on power, new fiber lasers can cut
virtually any metal in any thickness.
¤ Fiber Lasers can produce features such as very
small holes and narrow slits that are not possible with any
other process.
¤ Lasers are now competitive with processes such
as CNC plasma and water jet cutting, including for thick
plate parts.
¤ Today’s fiber lasers are easy on consumables,
quiet, clean, need very little maintenance, and there are
no die sets to maintain or dies to sharpen.
You should consider a laser cutting process provider
for your special and standard flat metal parts. You will be
pleased with the cost, the lead time and the quality.
BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE
CARVER LASER & SECONDARY

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 51

52
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Joe Dysart
Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Thousand Oaks,
California. A journalist for 20 years, his articles have appeared in more than 40
publications, including The New York Times and The Financial Times of London.
During the past decade, his work has focused exclusively on ecommerce.
Telephone: 631-256-6602; web: www.joedysart.com; email: joe@dysartnewsfeatures.com
AUTO-TRANSCRIPTION OF VIDEO MEETINGS
For fastener distributors, automated meeting
note-taking means more time to become fully
engrossed in meetings.
AI transcription of video meetings has gotten so
good, many workers have completely abandoned the
idea of taking notes during meetings, entrusting that
task -- and more -- to artificial intelligence.
“In the age of remote meetings, classes, and
events, keeping track of meetings can be tricky,” says
Chang Chen, head of growth and marketing, Otter.ai -- a
popular AI-powered video meeting transcriber.
“People struggle to keep up with the conversation
while taking notes, and it’s absolutely important to
capture the information and make it instantly available
to everyone,” Chang says.
Adds Brian Lynch, president, SteelEye Americas,
a maker of an AI transcriber. “We are already seeing
tier-one firms investing in advanced and real-time
transcription as a priority.”
Going far beyond transcribing simply what’s being
said at meetings, many AI-powered transcribers now
also enable fastener distributors and others to add
commentary -- on-the-fly -- to the meeting record, as well
as emojis, questions and similar edits.
Moreover, some apps also enable you to perform
significant edits to a meeting transcript after the close of
a meeting, offering one-touch addition of a slide, image
or similar graphic anywhere in the transcription text,
meeting summaries, meeting highlights and more.
And most software makers in the space also preconfigure
their apps to integrate seamlessly with popular
CONTRIBUTOR ARTICLE
WITH AI-POWERED TRANSCRIBERS, MAKING A TEXT RECORD OF
A VIDEO MEETING -- INCLUDING ADDING NOTES, COMMENTARY,
QUESTIONS, STILL IMAGES AND MORE -- IS A SNAP.
video meeting applications used by fastener distributors,
including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and
Webex.
Granted, no auto-transcriber of any kind right now
-- AI-powered or otherwise -- can claim 100% accuracy.
Even many humans are not that good.
But many of these AI-powered solution makers are
asserting that their transcriptions of video meetings are
99% accurate.
That’s not bad if you’d rather focus entirely on a
meeting than try to scribble down everything you hear
and think is going on.
Essentially: AI transcribers are automating virtually
every aspect of creating, working with and enhancing
meeting transcriptions that fastener distributors used to
take by hand.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 116

54
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Jim Truesdell
James Truesdell is President of Brauer Supply Company, a distributor of specialty
fasteners, insulation, air filtration, and air conditioning with headquarters in St. Louis.
Mr. Truesdell is adjunct professor at Saint Louis University and Webster University.
An attorney and frequently published writer, he is the author of “Total Quality
Management: Reports From the Front Lines”.
’QUIET QUITTING’ MAY NOT BE NEW
BUT ITS SEEMING APPROVAL IS!
Following the two year experience of the Pandemic
we all witnessed what journalists called “The Great
Resignation.” It was the result of people who had worked
remotely, with little supervision, and who had a taste
of freedom from tight regulation of their lives. Due to
government hand-outs some were doing just fine without
a job at all, thank you. The isolated existence caused a
lot of introspective thinking and gave people the luxury
of controlling their own time and how they wished to
spend it. When vaccinations became widespread and the
lockdown eased up, and companies called their workers
back into the office, there were those who resisted the
idea of going back to things as they were. They chose
to quit their jobs and, at least temporarily, a shortage of
workers almost everywhere allowed some to have their
pick of jobs on their own terms or to use their accumulated
government payouts to launch independent gigs where
they were responsible only to themselves. In our industrial
distribution industry, we experienced this to a lesser extent.
The need to put delivered material on the shelves or to still
populate a production line kept many of us at our physical
job locations as “essential” workers. But office people
sometimes became part of the remote workforce.
Some of those choosing to leave their jobs
experienced life without the security of a paycheck
regularly coming in and, without the blanket of company
benefits, some of “The Great Resigners” began to
reconsider. They asked to come back or sought similar
established company employment. This was especially
so as a tightening economy started to ease the workerfriendly
employment market. About this time, partially
due to a viral Tik Tok video and other social media
CONTRIBUTOR ARTICLE
posts, it became a fashionable strategy to “Quit” one’s
job. Just don’t tell your employer you have “quit”and
then still draw pay and benefits while doing the bare
minimum required of the job and flying under the radar of
supervision. Doing this is much easier for those working
remotely. This may be why so many of those asked to
return to the office are balking.
There are costs to an individual who decides, even
if he or she feels wronged or alienated, to do just the
minimum while remaining on the payroll as long as
possible. These include:
[1] Career growth can be self-sabotaged when
you ultimately leave a bad impression (or fail to
make a positive imprint) on not only supervisors, but on
co-workers and team members. We never know who we
will come into contact with in future jobs or industries.
A memory of someone who was untrustworthy or failed
to pull his or her weight can come up at the most
inopportune times years down the road. Each job we hold
gives us the chance to develop contacts and references
who will be building blocks for future success.
[2] Doing the bare minimum or giving less
than our best becomes a habit. When we work at
a snail’s pace or avoid difficult projects we may not be
able to “turn it on” in our next job or when emergency
circumstances require a maximum effort. We get caught
in a rut of unproductive behavior.
[3] Being exposed and fired for your lack of
effort can be a career killer. The next employer very
often will want to examine your performance at your last
gig which often involves checking references or verifying
accomplishments.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 118

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 55

56
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Jo Morris Marketing Director, Fastener Training Institute ®
FASTENER TRAINING INSTITUTE ®
5318 East 2nd Street #325, Long Beach, CA 90803
TEL 562-473-5373 FAX 661-449-3232
EMAIL info@fastenertraining.org WEB www.fastenertraining.org
FASTENER TRAINING INSTITUTE PRESENTS
2023 TRAINING SCHEDULE
With the New Year comes a full schedule of
fastener training opportunities and a return to prepandemic
in-person events. Fastener Training Institute
(FTI) continues to be the leader in providing extensive
technical instruction to those in the fastener industry
with highly regarded instructors and a variety of learning
opportunities.
Comprehensive Fastener Training Weeks (FTW)
In 2023, three comprehensive Fastener Training
Weeks (FTW) will be offered: Cleveland, OH (April
3-7); Chicago, IL (August 21-25); and Los Angeles,
CA (December 4-8). In these comprehensive five-day
programs, participants will delve into manufacturing
processes, consensus standards and quality control,
have opportunities to tour plant facilities, participate in
learning labs and interactive classes, and take quizzes to
solidify learning. At the end of the week’s training, and
with a passing final exam, participants will be eligible for
designation as a Certified Fastener Specialist (CFS).
FTI is pleased to have returning instructors from the
Industrial Fasteners Institute (IFI): Salim Brahimi, Director
of Engineering Technology and Laurence Claus, Director
of Education and Training. Co-founders of AIM Testing
Laboratory in San Diego Rob La Pointe, President and
CEO, and Carmen Vertullo, Vice President and Business
Development, will also provide instruction during FTW.
2023 Fastener Training Weeks
April 3-7 - Cleveland, OH
August 21-25 - Chicago, IL
December 4-8 - Los Angeles, CA
TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Certified Fastener Training Specialist (CFS)
One-Day Classes
For those unable to commit to a FTW but still want
to work towards CFS designation, four one-day classes
will be offered in 2023: June 8, July 13, August 17 and
September 26, all in Los Angeles, CA. Classes focus on
varied content including specifications and terminology,
bolted joints, dimensional and material specifications,
and quality assurance. Those who take part in a CFS
designated one-day class are also eligible to participate
in plant tours, held on Wednesdays, during any of the
Fastener Training Weeks. Rob LaPointe is slated to
teach each of these classes.
Additional Classes And Online Learning Library
More in-person classes and live webinars are
planned throughout the year and on-demand learning
is always available through FTI’s online learning library
(OLL), with over 40 training videos, offering a great
introduction to any of the Certified Fastener Specialist
sessions. Reference materials and quizzes are included
when available.
Special Events
FTI is looking forward to being in Nashville, TN on May
15 teaching Fastening 101 ahead of the start of Fastener
Fair and in Las Vegas, NV on October 10 providing How
Fasteners Work training during the International Fastener
Expo.
For detailed descriptions of classes, webinars and
the Online Learning Library, or to join the newsletter, visit
www.fastenertraining.org.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 120

58
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
SETKO FASTENERS
300 N Klick Street, Unit A, Hampshire, IL 60140
TEL 630-800-6377 EMAIL Sales@SetkoFasteners.com WEB www.SetkoFasteners.com
RE-INVENTING THE HOLIDAY TRADITION
by Kelly Poholarz
Setko Fasteners has been part of our industry for
87 years. Over the generations, Setko has continued
to fasten the world together by providing quality socket
product. Every once in a while, it is healthy to look
back at our history
and remind ourselves
of who we are at our
core. This Christmas
season Setko has
decided to reissue a
family favorite board
game that was first
introduced to the
industry over 70 years
ago. In the age of cell phones, apps, tweets and online
games, we want to remind everyone of how the simple
things can bring joy and excitement into our lives.
The first of many exclusive board games will
be issued this Christmas season to our valuable
customers. The “3 Square Puzzler,” is the first of
our exclusive puzzles. To keep things exciting, Setko
will only issue 50 total puzzles throughout the industry.
Individual puzzles will be numbered 1/50, 2/50, etc.
We would like to carry on that tradition by reissuing the
puzzles each year as a limited series. Each game is
one of a series of stimulating, entertaining and relaxing
puzzles enjoyed by all who love the excitement of a
challenging activity.
Setko’s original tagline, “For the Most Experienced
Answers to Puzzling Screw Problems, Call Setko!” began
the tradition of the puzzles. Started in the 1950s, the
original owner created puzzles to give to his family,
friends, customers and suppliers for Christmas. The
puzzles quickly became a Holiday favorite! Soon,
everyone wanted these nostalgic puzzles for
their family and friends to play. Once the games
became popular, Marshall Field’s began selling
them in their stores nationwide. A display was
created front and center at Christmas time
showing the years sought after puzzle.
It is easy
to get caught up
in the craziness
of the industry;
price increases,
on time delivery,
quality issues,
lines down. Slow
down…enjoy this
time of season
and play a good old fashioned board game with your
family. Have Fun! Don’t be discouraged. If at first you
don’t succeed, try, try again! Then comes the fun of
watching your friends while they try and try again and
finally W-I-N!
BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 59

60
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Anthony Di Maio
Anthony E. Di Maio attended Wentworth Institute and Northeastern University. In 1962 he
started working with Blind Fasteners as Vice-President of Engineering & Manufacturing for two
blind rivet manufacturers. He has been Chairman of the Technical Committee of the Industrial
Fasteners Institute (IFI) and is still involved in the writing of IFI specifications. In 1991, he
started ADM Engineering and is working with Fastener Manufacturers developing new fasteners
and special machinery. He can be reached at ADM Engineering, 6 Hermon Ave., Haverhill, MA
01832; phone and fax 978-521-0277; e-mail: tdimaio@verizon.net.
BLIND RIVETS ARE A UNIVERSAL FASTENER
Market potential comparison with other fastening
methods and key applicational/cost factors and the
following different philosophies I have heard about
blind rivets.
Blind rivets are unique fasteners with consistent
tensile and shear values. The operator need only
break the mandrel to complete the assembly. Because
operators have no (direct) control over the tightened
result, blind rivets are operator error proof.
Generally, a blind rivet is a mechanical device which
can join component parts in an assembly when access
for fastener installation and activation is available
from only one side. Specifically, a blind rivet is a blind
fastener having a self- contained mechanical feature
which permits formation of an upset on the blind end
shank during blind rivet setting to join component parts
of an assembly.
We define a blind rivet as a two or more piece
fastener in which installation is from one side of
whatever is being joined together. Installation may be
accomplished by a mechanical operated tool, or in
some special cases through an impact where a pin is
driven into the blind rivet shell, causing an upset, or
formation on the blind side (Drive Pin Blind Rivets).
Some blind rivets styles involve lock spindles and
other special features which go beyond the two-piece
CONTRIBUTOR ARTICLE
configuration.
A significant distinction should be made at this point
that the term “blind” associated with these fasteners
is not an application limitation that they can only be
used in blind applications. Really it is an enhancement
of the product to be used in that fashion. Today, there
are many applications where blind-side fastening is not
the primary requirement. Rather, these fasteners are
selected because they represent a well-controlled light
weight, inexpensive low- installed cost system.
A major issue today is the philosophy of installation
cost as opposed to initial fastener purchase price.
Blind rivets are sold as a system along with an
installation tool. Considering all the facets: versatility
to match application design parameters: utilization of
low skilled labor: control of warranty and quality rejects,
we demonstrate an efficient, reliable lowest-installation
cost alternative.
One of the positive features of blind rivets is the well
controlled quality at the manufacturing level to assure
the customer of the reliability at the point of end use.
The foundation for this materialized with standard
developed with emphasis on raw material quality.
Testing standards include procedures for testing blind
rivets for shear and tensile values. All producers now
use essentially the same fixturing devices.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 120

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 61

62
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
GROWERMETAL SPA
Via Nazionale 3, 23885 Calco (LC), Italy
TEL +39 039 9535300 FAX +39 039 9535400 EMAIL info@growermetal.com WEB www.growermetal.com
GREENMETAL PROJECT: THE SUSTAINABLE
STRATEGY FOR A LONG-TERM GROWTH
Sustainable approaches are not new to the industry
and fastener industry, and over the past decades,
safety washer manufacturer safety washer manufacturer
Growermetal has consistently implemented actions to
strive toward this direction.
Since 2006 the Italian company has obtained the
certification UNI EN ISO 14001 for the Environmental
Management System (EMS) and in 2010 it installed a
photovoltaic plant on the roofs of its headquarter in the
North of Italy, producing part of its energy on its own.
Today, with its wide range of more than 4500
standard washers and 2500 special parts for many
application sectors, Growermetal is working to make its
productive model even more sustainable.
The recently launched Greenmetal Project is part of
this commitment: a program that aligns the company
conduct to ambitious environmental objectives, such as
the achievement of Carbon Neutrality by 2050 and the
optimization of its environmental profile.
The project, working in synergy with the internal Code
of Ethics and the Policy for Quality and Environment,
focuses on four aspects in particular: suppliers, raw
materials, processes and resources.
Following these guidelines, Growermetal puts great
attention in the selection of suppliers that guarantee
the full compliance to the Italian and international
environmental protection regulations.
This attention extends to the selection of low-impact
materials and treatments, in order to reduce the ecological
footprint of the supply chain, while maximizing the durability
and safety of Growermetal’s fastening solutions. Benefits
that are also linked to the delivery of in-house surface
coatings (such as mechanical zinc plating and zinc flake
coating), which ensure long-lasting products and reliable
performance, together with an enhanced quality control.
Furthermore, compared to outsourced production, the
in-house departments also eliminate one step in the supply
BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE
chain reducing transport emissions.
Talking about process, the company is improving the
performance of the Environmental Management System
through cutting-edge and low-impact technologies, used
in the manufacturing departments, the quality control
division and the R&D laboratory.
Finally, resource optimization extends to the
manufacturing process, including the recycling and
reuse of oil and water, the reduction of CO2 emissions,
the increment of electricity production from alternative
energy sources, the heat recovery to warm the company’s
departments, the reduction and responsible disposal of
waste and the recovery of water through the industrial
rainwater harvesting system.
Well aware that daily actions can push change,
Growermetal works on the promotion of informational
initiatives. According to the company, sharing goals and
involving employees, stakeholders and partners in the
creation of a virtuous system can create a sense of
belonging and boost growth.
That’s why training and raising-awareness activities
are combined with key intervention based on energy
saving, resources recovery, waste reduction and
responsible management.
GROWERMETAL

64
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
METROPOLITAN FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION
233 Rock Road #205, Glen Rock, NJ 07452
TEL 201-254-7784 FAX 201-612-0638 EMAIL mfdaboard@gmail.com WEB www.mfda.us
MFDA’s GOLF OUTING RETURNS
AFTER THE PANDEMIC by Rob Rundle
After two years of COVID cancellations, the MFDA
held its 25th Golf Outing the weekend of September
10th and 11th, 2022 at the Crystal Springs Golf resort in
Hardyston NJ.
The weekend started on Saturday with the 2022
MFDA Golf Weekend Cocktail party in the Garden Room at
the Wild Turkey Golf Course. On Sunday morning the 46
golfers tested their skills (or lack thereof) on the Roger
Rulewich designed Wild Turkey Golf Course. The team
from Fastar Inc won first place and the team from Solution
Industries were the runner ups. Tim Vath from Solution
Industries won the longest drive competition and Brendan
Shields from Ironclad was closest to the pin.
The Association would like to thank those companies
and friends who contributed to a great weekend.
Cocktail Party Sponsors
¤ Advance Components
¤ Brighton Best International
¤ Eurolink FSS, LLC
¤ Fall River Mfg. Co. Inc.
¤ Intercorp
¤ Kanebridge Corporation
¤ Lubker Distribution
¤ ND Industries, Inc.
¤ Nylok LLC
¤ Richard Manno Co.
¤ Screws Industries, Inc.
¤ Sems & Specials
¤ Star Stainless Screw Corporation
¤ Stelfast Inc
¤ Volgelsang Fastener Corporation
¤ XL Screw Corporation
ASSOCIATION ARTICLE
Cocktail Party Contributors
¤ Aluminum Fastener Supply Co., Inc.
¤ Ford Fasteners Inc
¤ Lee S. Johnson Associates, Inc.
¤ Metric & Multistandard Components Corp
¤ Michael F. McCormick Associates, Inc
¤ North East Fasteners
¤ R.W. Rundle Associates, Inc
¤ Rick Rudolph Associates LLC
Hole Sponsors
¤ Advance Components
¤ Aluminum Fastener Supply Co., Inc.
¤ Big Bolt, LLC
¤ Brewster Washers
¤ Brighton Best International
¤ Captive Fastener Corporation
¤ Distributor’s Link Magazine
¤ Diversified Rack & Shelving Inc.
¤ EFC International
¤ Eurolink FSS, LLC
¤ Fastbolt Corporation
¤ Fastener Solutions Inc.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 65

METROPOLITAN FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCATION
25th
ANNUAL GOLF OUTING - SEPTEMBER 10-11, 2022
CONTINUED ON PAGE 127
MFDA GOLF OUTING RETURNS AFTER THE PANDEMIC from page 64
Hole Sponsors Continued...
¤ Ford Fasteners Inc
¤ Industrial Rivet & Fastener Co
¤ Kanebridge Corporation
¤ Lee S. Johnson Associates, Inc.
¤ Metric & Multistandard Components Corp
¤ Michael F. McCormick Associates, Inc
¤ Michael T Smith Associates, Inc.
¤ Murty Associates
¤ ND Industries, Inc.
¤ North East Fasteners
¤ Nylok LLC
¤ Parker Fasteners
¤ R.W. Rundle Associates Inc
¤ Rick Rudolph Associates LLC
¤ Rotor Clip Company, Inc.
¤ Screws Industries, Inc.
¤ Sems & Specials
¤ Solution Industries
¤ Star Stainless Screw Corporation
¤ Stelfast Inc
¤ Tower Fasteners Co Inc.
¤ XL Screw Corporation
¤ Zago Manufacturing Company, Inc
Welcome New Members!
The MFDA would like to welcome new members who
have joined us in 2022:
Zago Mfg (Newark, NJ) - ZAGO Manufacturing takes
pride in being one of the world’s largest and most
respected producers of custom, high-tech, clean, and
inherently green sealing solutions and components.
Big Bolt LLC (Bloomingdale, IL) – Family operated
since 1977 and headquartered in Bloomingdale, IL, Big
Bolt is ISO-certified and has been manufacturing highquality
fasteners and specialty fasteners for 50 years.
G.L. Huyett (Minneapolis, KS) – G.L. Huyett is a
World Class Manufacturer and Master distributor of Non-
Threaded Fasteners and Grease Fittings.
METROPOLITAN FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION

66
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
TEL 323-817-2226 EMAIL info@fastenershows.com
WEB www.fastenershows.com
INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO SEES
OUTSTANDING ATTENDANCE AT THE 2022 EVENT
The International Fastener Expo (IFE), the largest
North American B2B Expo focused on the Fastener
industry, hosted their annual event October 17-19,
2022, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, in Las
Vegas, NV. This year’s show provided new features and
proved that events are making a strong rebound! IFE
2022 saw outstanding attendance, gathering 3,500+
attendees representing 36 countries from around the
world for the three-day event. Show Director, Morgan
Wilson said, “It was clear our industry was ready to be
back in person and reconnect with each other.” The Expo
Floor featured 450 total exhibitors including 30 new
exhibitors making their debut at IFE this year.
IFE’s annual Golf Tournament kicked off the event
on Monday morning, October 17, with record breaking
attendance. More than 145 players across 36 teams
took to the beautiful Bali Hai Golf Club for some friendly
competition and excellent networking opportunities. Golf
tournament winners: 1st Place: Jack Dobek, Dennis
Doyle, Tim Quick, Eric Mason – B&D Cold Headed
Products, 2nd Place: Ryan Cooper, Mark Hamilton, David
Doyle, Gage Fasbender – B&D Cold Headed Products,
3rd Place: Jim Williams, Ron Townsend, Mike Sterling,
Jake Sloan – Williams Form Engineering and King Steel,
Longest Drive (Men): Bryce Oliviera – Patriot Bolt,
Longest Drive (Women): Amy Cammeron – Central Wire,
Closest to the Pin (Men): Jeff Orejel – Gage Bilt, Inc.,
Closest to the Pin (Women): Erin Waidelich – Aircraft
Fasteners.
IFE’s special events continued with our Welcome
Reception at Mandalay Bay’s Daylight Pool, with B&D
Cold Headed Products as the reception’s premier
sponsor. An IFE record breaking 1,000+ attendees came
together for an evening of great conversations, open bar,
our signature cigar rolling cabana and lively music and
dancing.
SHOW EVENT ARTICLE
CONTINUED ON PAGE 122

INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO - WELCOME RECEPTION
MANDALAY BAY, LAS VEGAS - OCTOBER 17, 2022
CONTINUED ON PAGE 123

68
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Nelson Valderrama
Nelson Valderrama is the CEO of Intuilize, a software Service platform that specializes
in helping mid-sized distributors transform data into profits. With more than 22 years’
experience as P&L manager executive for major PE firms and industrial distributors.
Nelson has dedicated his career to help business uncover hidden competitive advantages
and unleash the power of data in the new Digital Economy. For more information
contact by email nelson@intuilize.com or visit www.intuilize.com
HOW ROCKSTAR CFOs SOLVE
THE INFLATION PUZZLE
We are so busy dealing with cost increases, we
forgot about profit.
Businesses that are well prepared for the storms
ahead will be able not only to withstand inflation but
thrive. Rockstar CFOs can provide guidance, strategic
planning as well as an understanding of what it takes
when things get tough in order keep your company’s
growth on track and thriving through these challenging
economic times.
The current economic environment is volatile and
confusing, but it’s important for companies to stay data
driven. A Rockstar CFO can help coordinate how all
the pieces fit together from analyzing an ever-changing
market, planning different scenarios so pricing strategy
will be in place when markets update unexpectedly or
forecasted incorrectly - even monitoring if execution
matches expectations .
Gartner research indicates that 74% of CFOs believe
lower profitability is the biggest risk of input price inflation
— which pushes up the cost of inputs required for
producing or delivering products and services. CFOs must
be aware of the long term risks associated with inflation
and they need to take action now in order mitigate rising
input prices and shrinking margins, by doing the following:
Improve Supply Chain Visibility
The inflationary cycle of economic life means that
prices are constantly changing, which can be difficult
for companies looking to negotiate their own deals with
CONTRIBUTOR ARTICLE
suppliers. This is where tracing proposed price increases
back through specific inputs like labor, materials or
transportation comes in handy.
In order to remain competitive, a Rockstar CFO shared
with me that when they saw many cost changes from
local and international suppliers their company adjusted
the way they calculated landed costs so as not to be at
disadvantage during negotiations. The calculations for
transportation like containers or LTL has been taken
into account in addition to those on-site replenishment
expenses when negotiating contracts with vendors who
provide these goods--allowing them greater insight into
what it will take both now and down road so they remain
competitive.
Look Beyond The Typical Recruit And
Retain Talent
During periods when inflation is high and annual
compensation increases 3-5%, employees are effectively
experiencing a pay cut. This can be seen as less than
optimal during long term talent shortages which have
given substantial leverage to workers; this trend will likely
continue into the future due economic pressures so you
might need to recalibrate your recruitment and salarysetting
approaches to meet the challenges of inflation
head on. How?
¤ Doing an employee engagement survey to find out
any underlying issues in the work experience that drive
your employees to start looking for a new employer.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 126

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 69
Members of the
Specialty Tools &
Fasteners Distributors
Association (STAFDA)
elected new leadership
for 2023 during the
Association’s 46th Annual
Convention & Trade Show,
October 30 – November 1,
in San Diego.
Following the event’s
General Session, Harry
Klassen, President and
Owner of Fastek, Inc., St.
Catharines, ON, became
STAFDA President. A
STAFDA member since
1998, Fastek specializes
in fasteners, power tools,
and safety supplies and
has three brick and mortar
stores along with two
mobile site stores.
Andrew Hartman,
President and Owner of
Hartman Independent
Company, Canonsburg, PA,
was elected STAFDA
Vice President. Hartman
provides fastening and
packaging solutions to the
construction and industrial
markets in Maryland, New
York, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
and West Virginia. Hartman
Independent Company has
been a STAFDA member
since 1981.
David Milne, Milne Nail,
Power Tool & Repair,
Pasco, WA, and Erika
Scherman, MC Tool &
Safety Sales, Blaine, MN,
were elected to three-year
terms on STAFDA’s Board
of Directors.
New members of
STAFDA’s Manufacturer
Liaison Committee include
Bill England, Radians, Inc.,
Memphis, TN, Graydon
Greiwe, Continental
Abrasives, Santa Ana, CA,
Mark Peters, Apex Tool
Group, Sparks, MD, and
Jim Weldon, Rust-Oleum
Corporation, Vernon Hills, IL.
Eric Draghi, Draghi Sales, Inc.,
Phoenix, AZ, and Charlie Gerstman,
Harvey Gerstman Associates,
Garden City, NY, joined the Rep
Liaison Committee.
Elections are held every fall with
results announced at the Annual
Convention.
Details on the appointents can
get acquired by contacting Catherine
Usher, STAFDA Member Services
Director, at 262-784-4774 or by
email: cusher@stafda.org.
For more information contact
STAFDA at PO Box 44, 500 Elm
Grove Rd., Ste. 2I0, Elm Grove,
Wl 53122. Tel: 1-800-352-2981,
Fax: 262-784-5059, Email: info@
stafda.org or visit them online at
www.stafda.org.

70
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
SPIROL INTERNATIONAL CORP.
30 Rock Avenue, Danielson, CT 06239
TEL 1-860-774-8571 FAX 1-860-774-2048 EMAIL info@spirol.com WEB www.spirol.com
CHOOSING THE PROPER FASTENER WHEN
AUTOMATING by Christie Jones, Director of Marketing, Vice President
The fastener is as important when automating as
the automation equipment itself. Choosing the right
fastener may prevent exorbitant machine and fixture
costs, decrease set-up and cycle times, as well as reduce
the manufacturing cost of the components.
One of the biggest motivators for companies who
choose automatic fastening over manual fastening is
increasing productivity and reducing costs. Unfortunately,
many don’t realize the impact the fastener has on
achieving these goals. Not all fasteners are easy to
orient, feed, or install. Also, the more tooling necessary
to orient and deliver the fastener, the more expensive
the equipment is going to be. It is important to select a
fastener that meets the application requirements and is
conducive to automation in order to maximize productivity
and minimize costs.
It is in the design stage of the assembly where the
decisions are made that will either make or break the
success and ease of automation. A common mistake that
is made is when designs allow the cost of the fastener to
take precedence over the cost of fastening. Any money
saved on the cost of the fastener can be quickly eroded
by the money spent on intricate automation equipment,
and decreased productivity through increased assembly
cycle times, and equipment downtime. Companies should
focus on the lowest installed cost fastener. Typically, these
are permanently installed fasteners that are pressed into,
rather than threaded into, a hole and do not require any
secondary operations for retention.
There are a few general considerations to keep in
mind when considering automating fastener installation.
The length to diameter ratio of the fastener is very
important. Any part with a length to diameter ratio less
than 1:1 can be problematic because there is potential
for the parts to tumble and jam in the feed tube. It is also
recommended that the fasteners are clean and sorted.
Dirty fasteners not only cause some parts to stick in the
feeder bowl, but they can also stick in the feed tube. If the
fasteners are not sorted, there is a potential of jamming
the insertion equipment. This can be costly because
valuable time is wasted breaking down the machine to
clear the jam.
Design engineers and assemblers should become
familiar with the features of fasteners that can affect the
success of automating. For the sake of this discussion,
the features have been broken down into symmetrical and
non-symmetrical.
Non-Symmetrical
Non-symmetrical fasteners can be a challenge to
automate depending on the feature(s). They require
end to end orientation; thus more expensive tooling is
necessary than required for symmetrical fasteners.
TECHNICAL ARTICLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 128

72
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
SPECIALTY TOOLS & FASTENERS DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION
PO Box 44, 500 Elm Grove Rd., Ste. 2I0, Elm Grove, Wl 53122
TEL 1-800-352-2981 FAX 262-784-5059 EMAIL info@stafda.org WEB www.stafda.org
SUNSET ON SAN DIEGO: STAFDA’S 46th ANNUAL
CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW by Georgia H. Foley, CEO
Members of the Specialty Tools &
Fasteners Distributors Association
(STAFDA) sailed to a spectacular finish for
the Association’s 46th Annual Convention
& Trade Show, October 30-November 1,
in San Diego. Nearly 2,800 attendees
came aboard in the San Diego Convention
Center to get the absolute most out of the
three-day event featuring live demos, a
buying show, networking, a student hiring
event, and more. After years of pandemic
travel restrictions, STAFDA was pleased
to welcome the return of members from
outside the U.S. STAFDA’s two-day Trade
Show was bustling with 438 booths, including four islands.
Educational Workshops Sunday provided a curriculum
easily customized by attendees who could pick two topics
to meet their interests. Welcoming newcomers to the
industry, the NextGen Networking Luncheon featured
a buffet lunch and discussion for attendees under
35 years old. The six-member panel – featuring two
distributors, two manufacturers, and two rep members –
generated conversation on a variety of inter-generational
and industry-wide topics. Audience members included
college students studying industrial distribution, supply
chain management, or related majors. The students
also participated in all Convention activities including
a Speed Interviewing session with STAFDA members
seeking new employees and interns. They also competed
in the first STAFDA Supply Chain Competition where
SHOW EVENT ARTICLE
college teams competed to turn around a fictional
struggling manufacturer by creating different solutions for
purchasing, operational, and sales challenges.
There were stilt-walking lions, a Skeleton Band,
dozing koalas, and STAFDA members in their most-wicked
costumes during the Boo at the Zoo Opening Party at
the San Diego Zoo. Attendees had the whole grounds to
themselves to enjoy foods from around the world, visit with
the animals, and check out their costumed colleagues.
Monday morning, STAFDA President, Allan Guthrie of
DXP Enterprises, Omaha, NE, was suited up and ready
to get the General Session rolling as he focused on the
state of the distribution industry and the unique career
paths people take to reach the STAFDA markets. Associate
speaker Jude Nosek, Keson LLC, Aurora, IL, discussed
the different suits people wear as they tackle running their
companies – from marketing to sales to human resources.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 130

STAFDA 46th
ANNUAL CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW
SAN DIEGO, CA - OCTOBER 30 – NOVEMBER 1, 2022
CONTINUED ON PAGE 131

74
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
GLOBALFASTENERNEWS.COM
by JOHN WOLZ EDITOR
editor@globalfastenernews.com
DESTEFANO: DISTRIBUTOR WEBSITES NEED
B2C COMFORT WITH B2B STRENGTH
Local distributors can beat the B2B giants with
“personalization,” Bob DeStefano told the Specialty
Tools & Fasteners Distributors 2022 convention.
“Massive B2B e-commerce sellers rely on algorithmdriven
recommendations and analysis to personalize
the customer experience,” DeStefano said. Distributor
advantages include relationships with suppliers,
knowledge of the market and applications and
understanding how to overcome logistical problems.
A distributor website needs “B2C comfort with B2B
strength,” DeStefano said. That includes customerfocused
design, education, intuitive navigation, rich
content, targeted promotions, streamlined checkout and
pre-sales support.
DeStefano started his Internet career in 1994
with Dean Witter when the question was “What is this
Internet Thing?” He led the launch of Dean Witter’s first
websites. He left to start SVM Solutions in 1995.
Internet buying is 83% higher than pre-Covid,
DeStefano said. “The alternative to Internet is downsizing
or closing.” DeStefano finds two myths about distributor
Internet sales.
Myth #1 is that a distributor’s stand-alone
e-commerce website will maximize sales on its own.
DeStefano said sales reps are often still need to assist
in product selection, handle complex quote requests
and payment options. And the purchasing process may
involve multiple individuals such as end-users, plant
managers and purchasing agents.
Myth #2 is that a regional distributor’s e-commerce
website will make the company a national player.
DeStefano advised finding “new customers within your
territory and niche.” Marketing and salespeople should
seek to get existing customers to buy more often and a
wider range of products.
Seek out customers who haven’t purchased in past
12 months, DeStefano added.
Go to “hybrid sales,” with includes digital, in-person
and inside sales.
[1] “Sell the way your customer wants to buy,”
DeStefano said. Sales reps need to know how to sell
whichever way serves the customer. “Train field reps to
sell virtually,” he added.
[2] Encourage and incentivize new Key Performance
Indicators, including how fast you respond to customer
inquiries.
[3] Focus on building a strong culture team. Foster
knowledge sharing about successful sales approaches
with regular team-building events to “strengthen personal
bonds.”
[4] Invest in tools to help remote selling and sales
team collaboration. He mentioned CRM and Slack as
tools.
[5] Assign salespeople to e-commerce customers.
“Pay them a commission to grow e-commerce sales,”
DeStefano advised.
BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 132

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THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
NORTH COAST FASTENER ASSOCIATION
7737 Ellington Place, Mentor, OH 44060
TEL 440-975-9503 FAX 440-350-1676 EMAIL lgraham@ncfaonline.com WEB www.ncfaonline.com
NCFA’s YEAR OF EVENTS TO REMEMBER
by Marty Nolan
On the heels of its biggest networking, the
DISTRIBUTOR SOCIAL, the NCFA kept the momentum
going into summer with its NIGHT AT THE BALLPARK
event. There were 70 members and industry friends
that headed to downtown Cleveland to
watch the Cleveland Guardians take
on the Houston Astros. It was an
exciting time for Guardian fans,
as they cheered on their first
place team. Attendees had a
great view from their club seats
in a reserved section of the park.
A summer night of baseball in
Cleveland continues to draw a large
group to this event every year. It has
become a fan favorite.
Continuing on into late summer, the NCFA hosted
its annual SCREW OPEN GOLF OUTING at Valleaire
Golf Club in Hinckley, OH. This much anticipated event
is the biggest fundraiser for NCFA Scholarships, which
are given away each year. Golfers always en-joy some
friendly, light hearted competition with members and
industry friends. This year multiple teams walked away
with prizes. G.L Huyett won the scramble format event
in a tightly contested battle with the team from INxSQL
Software. Ultimately Team Huyett birdied the most difficult
handicap to win the tiebreaker. All golfers enjoyed various
skill shot competitions for prizes throughout the day.
Donnie Kirkwood and Dan Jiram took home the Longest
ASSOCIATION ARTICLE
Drive competitions, while Jackie Ventura and Dan Finucan
each took home a prize for sticking their shots Closest to
the Pin.
Dewey Oxner unleashed his driver on a
marshmallow to win the Longest
Marshmallow Drive.
Team BoltsandNuts.com took
home the coveted case of beer
along with the FTR ballcap. Kim
Arnold & Krista Osborne from
Brighton-Best, along with MWFA
board member Tabitha Herbst,
kept the teams well hydrated
throughout the event. Gia Ehret
from Beacon ran the Marshmallow Drive
contest. The SCREW OPEN GOLF OUTING
has been a long stand-ing event for the NCFA, made
possible by the continued support of members, sponsors,
industry friends and volunteers.
The NCFA wrapped up the year with its annual
HOLIDAY BASH on December 1st. Back by popular
demand, it was held again at Top Golf in Independence,
OH. With a great mix of golfers, non-golfers, friends, and
family in attendance., there was plenty of club swinging,
laughter, and cheer . Morgan Rudolph of Rudolph and
Associates won a gift card provided by our sponsor AFC
Industries. Dan Harriger from GL Huyett was the winner of
the Brighton-Best International Visa gift card. The Top Golf
Swag Bag was won by Charlie Kerr from Kerr Lakeside.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 132

NCFA HOLIDAY PARTY AT TOP GOLF
DECEMBER 2022

78
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
METROPOLITAN FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION
233 Rock Road #205, Glen Rock, NJ 07452
TEL 201-254-7784 FAX 201-612-0638 EMAIL mfdaboard@gmail.com WEB www.mfda.us
MFDA’s TABLE TOP SHOW
A GREAT SUCCESS by Rob Rundle
Following up on its successful golf weekend, the
MFDA held its 19th TableTop show on Monday September
12th at the Hilton Hotel in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ.
The TableTop gave association members a chance
to visit with each other and with new or potentially new
vendors and customers.
Following the show, the members, friends, and
guests got together for dinner. In a first for the
Association, following dinner the group was entertained
by famous radio and TV personality “Uncle Floyd” Vivino,
who had all the guests in stiches with his comedy. All
that was missing was the piano!
The MFDA is grateful to all the exhibitors, program
advertisers and dinner sponsors for making the day a
success. We look forward to seeing everyone back at our
20th TableTop in 2023.
Exhibitors
¤ American Ring
¤ Brewster Washers
¤ Brighton Best International
¤ Fastar, Inc.
¤ Fastener Fair USA 2023
¤ Ford Fasteners, Inc.
¤ G.L. Huyett
¤ Intercorp
¤ International Fasteners, Inc.
¤ International Tool Manufacturing
¤ Ironclad
¤ Kanebridge Corporation
¤ Metric & Multistandard Components Corp
¤ McCormick Associates, Inc.
ASSOCIATION ARTICLE
¤ Smith Associates, Inc.
¤ Nylok LLC
¤ R.W. Rundle Associates, Inc.
¤ Sems & Specials
¤ Solution Industries
¤ Star Stainless Screw Corp
¤ Stelfast, Inc.
¤ Vogelsang Fastener Solutions
¤ Yellow Woods & Road Less Travelled
Program Advertisers
¤ Avante Imports
¤ Brewster Washers
¤ Brighton Best International
¤ Ford Fasteners, Inc.
¤ Intercorp
¤ International Tool Manufacturing
¤ Kanebridge Corporation
¤ Ken Forging Inc
¤ XL Screw Corporation
¤ Reception Sponsors
¤ Eurolink FSS, LLC
¤ Kanebridge Corporation
¤ Star Stainless Screw Corp
¤ Stelfast Inc
¤ Yellow Woods & Road Less Travelled
METROPOLITAN FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 79
UNICORP ELECTRONIC HARDWARE
291 Cleveland St, Orange, New Jersey 07050
TEL 1-800-526-1389 FAX 973 674-3803 EMAIL sales@unicorpinc.com WEB www.unicorpinc.com
UNICORP OFFERS CUSTOM PARTS AND SERVICES
Unicorp Electronic Hardware is proud to announce
that we are offering custom designed products. Parts
can be manufactured to blueprints and we can modify all
standard products to meet your specifications. Unicorp can
manufacture any type of CNC and automatic screw machine
part. Additionally, Unicorp provides custom services for
complete technical support that can lead to cost-savings
and design improvement. We offer the largest range of
material options and finishes in the industry. Unlike our
competitors, we can accommodate fast deliveries at no
extra charge.
Since 1971, Unicorp has been a socially and
environmentally responsible leading manufacturer
of American standard and metric precision electronic
hardware, fasteners and handles. We pride ourselves on our
BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE
dedication to customer satisfaction and our commitment
to support the needs of our distributors. Unicorp offers
top quality products, fast delivery, excellent pricing,
technical assistance, and manufacturer to customer print
specifications. We are known throughout the industry as
the “oddball king” because we offer the widest variety of
diameters, lengths, and finishes in our numerous product
lines. The best way to view our products is on our website,
www.unicorpinc.com, complete with all products, sales
information, specifications, engineering, and tolerances.
Unicorp Electronic Hardware is used by leading
companies in nearly every industry including electronics,
telecommunications, aerospace, military, medical,
computer, automotive, energy, robotics, marine, PCB
mounting, circuit board assembly.
UNICORP ELECTRONIC HARDWARE

80
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
IMSM LTD.
The Gig House, Oxford Street, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, SN16 9AX, England
TEL +44 1793 296 704 EMAIL ScottMersch@imsm.com WEB www.imsm.com
ISO’S ROLE IN QUALITY MAINTENANCE WITHIN
THE FASTENERS INDUSTRY by Scott Mersch
More than ever is the need for
fastener tools to manufacture and design
evolutionary machinery, equipment, and
tools.
Popular fasteners such as bolts,
screws, and rivets are essential for
constructing and maintaining everyday
global products that we utilize. These
essentials can be as standard as the
regular wooden drawer that holds your
cutlery to the industrial machinery used to
develop essential product lines.
The manufacturing of high-quality
fastening products is utilized in several core industries,
including machinery, automobile, aerospace,
construction, marine, infrastructure, and appliances.
The market size for industrial fasteners is
increasing, with expectations to grow from USD 82.56
billion in 2022 to USD 110.91 billion by 2029. This
rapid increase shows that industries must maintain high
performance to compete in the same fasteners market.
The manufacture of screws, rivets, bolts, and nuts
produced by fastener manufacturers is part of the
foundation of the USA’s industrial sector. Fasteners
are utilized today in almost every machine, structure, or
material that contributes to our routine lives.
Fasteners have developed since the earliest
civilizations, and the arrival of the Industrial Revolution
has provided a more systematic and streamlined
approach to manufacturing a bulk of screws, nuts, and
bolts in a minimal amount of time.
Fasteners such as bolts, screws, clamps, and
pins must be welded at a high standard to ensure
compliance, and the quality of their functions must
meet the recommended standard for competency.
Integrating a recognized and irrefutable Management
System, such as ISO 9001 or ISO 27001, will validate
that your business has the evidence to maintain
quality, competence, security, and adherence to legal
regulations.
Why ISO?
Implementing any ISO standard would result in
many benefits to a fastener organization. However,
ISO 9001 is by far the most recognizable standard for
companies as it allows the integration of a foundational
framework on which other ISO standards, such as ISO
14001 and ISO 27001, can be seamlessly built.
BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE
CONTINUED ON PAGE 134

82
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Happy New Year from Rockford IL! Sems and
Specials would like to thank our customers for a
great 2022. We are looking forward to starting of
2023 with a bang!
Sems and Specials is pleased to announce
falling lead times to go along with the falling
snow. We are able to deliver as quickly as 4-6
weeks, outside processes permitting. We have
open capacity from our small diameters (#2/M2)
up to 1/2 diameter/M12, on both single and
multi-die machines.
As always, we are happy to stock and release
over the course of a year on blanket type-items,
or help you with discrete purchases as they
come up. Please reach out to your sales person
directly, or to sales@semsandspecials.com for a
new quote on your per-print specials!
For more information contact Sems and
Specials at 6483 Falcon Rd., Rockford, IL 61109.
Tel: 815-874-0000, Fax: 815-874-0100, Email:
sales@semsandspecials.com or visit them online at
www.semsandspecials.com.
Endries International a leading distributor
of fasteners and related production components,
today announced that Michael Knight has been
named as the company’s new President and Chief
Executive Officer, effective November 28, 2022.
Mr. Knight will succeed Steve Endries, who will
transition to become the company’s Chairman
and Head of Strategic Partnerships, a role in
which he will continue to focus on leading Endries
International’s M&A program. Mr. Knight also will
join the Endries International Board of Directors.
Mr. Knight brings to Endries more than 25
years of experience in the electronic components
distribution and manufacturing industries,
including the last 18 years in various management
positions at TTI, Inc., a leading specialty distributor
of electronic components that is a Berkshire
Hathaway Company. Most recently at TTI, Mr.
Knight has served as the President, Exponential
Technology Group and Senior Vice President of
Corporate Business Development. Prior to TTI, he
served in general management and sales roles
at companies that included Berg Electronics and
McKenzie Technology, and was President and
Chief Operating Officer of Substrate Technologies,
a manufacturer of advanced substrates for the
semiconductor industry. Mr. Knight is a member
of the board of directors of MacroFab, Inc.,
which operates a digital platform for electronics
manufacturing, and is a former President of the
National Electronics Distributor Association and
Chairman of the Electronic Component Industry
Association. He received a B.S. in Biology/
Biological Sciences from Widener University.
For over 50 years Endries has worked with
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and
has built its business around delivering world-class
service to those customers. Endries sources over
500,000 SKUs, including various fasteners and
related production components, from a worldwide
base of suppliers and is a mission critical supply
chain partner to its customers.
For more information contact Endries
International at 714 West Ryan Street, PO Box
69, Brillion, Wisconsin USA 54110. Tel: 920-756-
5381, Fax: 920-756-3772 or visit them online at
www.endries.com.

84
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
FASTENER EDUCATION FOUNDATION
3020 Old Ranch Pkwy #300, Seal Beach CA 90740 TEL 562-799-5509 EMAIL info@fastenerfoundation.org WEB www.fastenerfoundation.org
2022 INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO MAKES DONATION TO FEF
The 2022 International Fastener Expo (IFE)
announced that its 3rd annual IFE Golf Tournament
collected $1,782 to donate to Fastener Education
Foundation (FEF).
The IFE golf outing hosted more than 145 players
across 36 teams and facilitated the collection of these
donations through mulligans and the Beat the Pro
contest, sponsored by Nucor. Show Director, Morgan
Wilson, was excited to present Fastener Education
Foundation with this donation, “We’re very fortunate to
have all our supportive partners and are happy to support
a great cause that continues to strengthen our industry.”
This financial contribution will be put towards programs
that help professionals in the fastener industry with
training, education, and professional development.
“The Fastener Education Foundation would like to
ASSOCIATION ARTICLE
express sincere appreciation to IFE for their continued
support of the Fastener Industry in North America,”
said Michael Lentini, President, Fastener Education
Foundation. “The generous donation to the Fastener
Education Foundation by IFE will help fund programs
ranging from in-classroom training with the Fastener
Training Institute, programs that support and provide
“hands-on-training” for new talent in cold-heading,
machining, and CNC programming, as well as support
funding for educational programs during industry events.”
The Fastener Education Foundation is a non-profit
organization. To learn more about the Fastener Education
Foundation’s mission and initiatives.
The International Fastener Expo looks forward to
next year’s event (October 9-11, 2023) and continuing
to support Fastener Education Foundation.
FASTENER EDUCATION FOUNDATION

86
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
The NEFCO Corporation,
a leading partner to the
construction trades has
opened a new fulfillment
center in Columbus, Ohio to
further support and service
professional contractor
trades throughout the
Midwest. This is NEFCO’s
third fulfillment center and is
designed to support growth
in the Ohio market.
The new Ohio fulfillment
center at 8950 Smiths Mill
Road North, New Albany, Ohio
will provide customers with
access to local inventories
and enhanced services.
This 75,000 square foot
warehouse will include
an extensive inventory,
including SHARP® - Strut
channel, Hardware, Anchors,
Rod and Pipe hangers — as
well as a broad mix of power
tools, safety equipment, and
general jobsite supplies.
“This Orangefield, which
is NEFCO’s in-house term for
new organic locations, further
expands our supply chain
and inventory capabilities
across the Midwest. Our
mission at NEFCO is to
be the single best partner
to contractors whenever
they build. The addition of
this new fulfillment center
along with our large fleet
of delivery vehicles furthers
that mission as it will greatly
expand our next day delivery
capabilities. This allows
us to provide unmatched
customer service to our
contractor partners,” states
...continued on page 87

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 87
...continued from page 86
NEFCO’s President & CEO
Matthew Gelles.
“The functionality and
design of this space
allows us to warehouse an
extensive inventory to better
serve our new and existing
customers. NEFCO’s
presence in the Midwest
market is quickly expanding
and this new fulfillment
center is an extension of our
vision to build partnerships
with contractors across
every jobsite in America.
We look forward to the
success this new fulfillment
center is going to bring to
our organization” states
NEFCO’s Executive Vice
President & COO, Ron
Cipriano.
NEFCO is a family owned
and operated construction
supply company providing a
broad range of products and
services to a large variety
of professional contractors.
With 16 locations along the
East Coast, NEFCO provides
localized, contractor-centric
services including extensive
industry expertise, large local
inventories, fast dependable
jobsite delivery, turnkey
engineering services, and
specialty fabrication and
assembly of construction
materials.
For more information,
contact NEFCO Corporation
by Telephone: 1-800-969-
0285, Email: Inquiries@
nefcocorp.com or visit them
online at www.gonefco.com.

88
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
MID-WEST FASTENER ASSOCIATION
PO Box 5, Lake Zurich, IL 60047 TOLL-FREE 1-800-753-8338 TEL 847-438-8338 EMAIL mwfa@ameritech.com WEB www.mwfa.net
2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS & EVENTS SCHEDULE by Nancy Rich
2023 Board of Directors
President
Jake Davis - BTM
Vice President Jill Lewis - Integrated Packaging
Treasurer
Bob Baer - Abbott Interfast Inc.
Secretary
Bobby Wegner - Beacon Fasteners
Directors
Glen Brin - Innovative Components Inc.
Rich Cavoto - Metric & Multistandard Components
Matt Delawder - SWD Inc.
David Gawlik - Stelfast
George Hunt III - Brighton-Best International
Alternates
Tabitha Herbst - Burlington Graphics
Jen Kushnir - DLP Coatings
Steve Urhausen - All American Systems
Wayne Wishnew - XL Screw Corporation
Executive Director Nancy Rich
2023 Event Schedule
February 16 State of the Industry Panel Discussion
March 2 Fascination with Fasteners - Intro Class
March 30 Wine Tasting - Venuti’s, Addison, IL
August 20 Charitable Event
August 21 Open Houses
August 22 Table Top Show
Marriott Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, IL
August 23 Golf Outing Crane’s Landing, Lincolnshire, IL
November 2 Scholarship Awards & Elections
Belvedere Banquets, Elk Grove, IL
December 14 Holiday Party
MWFA Welcomes New Members
FPM Heat Treating, Elk Grove, IL
Grand River Supply, Hudsonville, MI
Hunter-Stevens, Bensenville, IL
Spaneaur Inc., Kitchener, Ontario CN
ASSOCIATION ARTICLE
MID-WEST FASTENER ASSOCIATION

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 89

90
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
R&R Engineering is
excited to announce that in
2023 we are scheduled to
receive seven new high speed
U-bolt manufacturing machines.
The additional equipment will
give R&R over 100 thread
rolling machines in service.
They will also allow us to reduce
the down time between similar
sized production runs as more
machines will be available for
each diameter size we offer.
All the new equipment being
delivered will convert coiled
wire into finished products.
We currently employ
45 dedicated workers in
our 235,000 sq. ft. facility
(90,000 sq. ft. of production
space and 145,000 sq. ft.
of warehousing). With the
overwhelming amount of
warehouse space we have
available, we are able to offer
our customers a robust stock
and release program allowing
months of inventory to be
readily available upon request.
Our current quality
management system complies
with and is certified to ISO
9001:2015. Established in
Summitville, Indiana in 1969,
where our operations remain,
we can produce threaded parts
ranging from 10-24 up to 1-8
and M6-1.0 to M24-3.0 in
grades 2,5 and 8 right in the
heartland of America.
For more information
contact R&R Engineering by
Tel: 1-800-979-1921, Fax:
1-800-345-9583, Email them
at: sales@randrengineering.
com or visit them online at
www.randrengineering.com.

BRIGHTON BEST COCKTAIL PARTY
MANDALAY BAY, LAS VEGAS - OCTOBER 18, 2022

Fry Steel Company is setting trends in the
metal industry. 718 Cold R? Yep, we carry that!
NI-800HT? Got it! MP159? Oh yea, it’s in stock!
In most scenarios, your diameter is on our
shelf and available for immediate shipment. Fry
Steel prides itself on supplying your requested
size or slightly oversized material options to
meet your demand. This strategy provides many
customizable solutions to keep your projects
moving forward.
Fry Steel will be opening an additional facility
in Ohio in Q2 to further enhance our commitment
to our clients.
Fry Steel has the largest selection of long bar
products of all steel companies in North America.
With over 8000 types and conditions of product,
we have what you need, when you need it. With no
order minimums, you can count on us to deliver
full-length stock material or cut-to-size pieces that
are customized for your unique project.
Fry Steel is proud to offer a number of valueadded
services to help get your projects off to a
good start. We offer first-step processing such
as precision band saw cutting to save you time
and money. We guarantee a human touch in all
automated production to make sure your order is
placed and shipped immediately.
The metal company began in Los Angeles as
the Allen-Fry Steel Company. In 1971, John Fry
bought out Bill Allen to become what is now the
Fry Steel Company. Today, Fry Steel relies on
more than 70 years of experience and passion
for customer satisfaction to make sure they are
the first steel supplier people call on for metal
solutions and specialized steel products.
Fry Steel is committed to providing customers
with superior customer service, high-quality
products, and innovative solutions, in order to be
a top metal supplier in the United States.
For more information contact Fry Steel Company
at 13325 Molette St, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670.
Tel: 1-800 423 6651, Fax: 562 802 1553, Email:
fryquotes@frysteel.com or visit them online at
www.frysteel.com.
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 93

94
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
ROB LaPOINTE FASTENER SCIENCE: SALT SPRAY TESTING PER ASTM B117 from page 8
FIGURE 2 STEEL TOOLS RUST WHEN LEFT OUT IN THE RAIN
On Mars, the red rust color of the soil is actually from
red rust. The extensive deposit of rusted iron on Mars is a
leading indicator of global oceans that, at one time, covered
the planet.
The water molecule (H 2 O) has two hydrogen atoms
connected to one oxygen atom in its most common state.
The bonds that hold the atoms together to form the water
molecule are a result of shared (covalent) electrons. Oxygen
has additional electrons beyond the ones it’s sharing with
the hydrogen atom that are squeezed together and repel
each other. This electron repulsion is what causes the
shape of the atomic cluster to bend. It is also what causes
the molecule to have an overall electrically polar quality.
This means that one side of the molecule is electrically
positive, and the other side is electrically negative due to
an uneven charge distribution (see Figure 3). This polar
nature allows water to dislocate electrons (negatively
charged) from iron atoms which leaves the remainder of
the iron atom positively charged. This process allows the
solid iron to go into solution with water as the solvent.
The positive iron ion clusters around the negative side of
the water molecule. In the process of dissolution, the iron
takes hydrogen away from the water and leaves hydroxides
(negatively charged molecules) in the solution.
In the second step of the process, iron reacts with these
hydroxides to produce a green colored rust. At the same
time, iron continues to react with hydrogen and oxygen from
the water to form red rust, which is iron hydroxide. This
compound dehydrates to form the familiar dry red powder
we call rust. Rust doesn’t come from the water alone, but
results as a reaction of the iron in the metal with water.
For every new rust molecule that is formed, iron must be
removed from the metal and therefore decomposes the
structure of the metal allowing the once solid material to
blow away like dust in the wind. You’re welcome for the
music that is now playing in your head. If you’re not hearing
anything, Google “dust in the wind – song.”
Shown in Figure 2, carbon steel rusts readily when
exposed to water, but what about stainless steel? Stainless
steels are ferrous (iron based) just like carbon steels.
Additional chromium content is what makes stainless steel
iron rust resistant. With more chromium, oxygen in the
atmosphere reacts with the chromium to make chromium
oxide which inhibits water from interacting with the surface
and rusting its iron. The process call passivation emboldens
this chromium oxide layer and simultaneously removes iron
from the surface layer. With depleted iron on the surface
and a robust layer of chromium oxide, stainless steels are
strongly rust resistant.
FIGURE 3 WATER MOLECULE SHOWING ITS POLAR NATURE
What Is The Role Of Salt In Rusting?
The presence of salt in the water accelerates the
process of rusting. Remember that rusting is caused by the
formation of charged atoms (ions) which motivates electron
transfer between atoms. Salt is an ionic compound,
meaning that the sodium and chlorine atoms are held
together by electrical attraction caused by the transfer of
an electron from the sodium atom to the chlorine atom.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 142

96
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
LAURENCE CLAUS RETAINING RINGS from page 10
FIGURE 1: EXAMPLE OF SHAFT HELD IN-PLACE WITH E-RING
Design Considerations
Although an entire market for these fasteners exists,
it must be understood that these fasteners are a unique
solution to a narrow set of applications. Even though
they can be designed to provide some spring tension
to compensate for tolerances or provide a “snug fit”,
they are not designed to generate high clamping loads.
Thus, they cannot be used in clamped joints where two
or more components are held together by a clamping
load. Therefore, they are essentially an elegant solution
for retaining components in internal bore holes or onto
shafts.
When planning such applications designers must
work through seven design steps.
[1] WHICH TYPE OF RETAINING RING TO USE
The first step of the design process is to assess
the required performance criteria and the design’s
limitations to determine which style of ring is best to use.
Retaining Rings fall into four general classifications:
{A] Tapered Section Rings: These provide ring to
groove contact over the entire contacting surface and
are appropriate for applications that must accommodate
higher loads.
{B] Constant Section Rings: These do not provide
full radial contact but rather contact at two or three
distinct points. With less radial contact, they are
intended for medium to low load applications.
{C] Spiral Rings: These must be axially installed
and provide full, 360° contact.
{D] Circular Push-on Rings: These rings have teeth
like a toothed lock washer and are pushed into place.
They are only for very low load applications.
To determine which of these four categories and the
right style to use, designers must ask themselves some
questions:
¤ What components need to be retained?
If the component that needs to be retained is inside
a bore hole or housing, then the designer must choose a
ring appropriate for internal installations. If the assembly
is to retain a component on a shaft then the designer
must choose a ring appropriate for external installations.
¤ What load demands are required on the ring?
Rotating bodies generate an axial force, known as
thrust, which pushes axially along the centerline of the
rotating part. The faster the body turns the more thrust
developed. Therefore, if the proposed ring is intended
to retain, say a gear onto a shaft, the designer must
know how much potential thrust the ring is required
to withstand. The magnitude of the developed thrust
determines which type and style of ring can be utilized,
the direct amount of necessary engagement between the
ring and groove, the amount of shoulder created by the
ring, and the thickness of the ring.
¤ Does the ring need to provide some spring
retention?
Like all manufactured products, rotating assemblies
are designed with some tolerance. Because it is
impossible to manufacture to exact values, tolerances
provide minimum and maximum limits which make it
feasible to assemble components together.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 144

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 97
The Metropolitan Fastener Distributors
Association (MFDA) congratulates its newest
Hall of Fame inductee, Ken Schneeloch, Jr.
Ken Schneeloch, Jr., of Michael F. McCormick
Associates Inc., was inducted into the MFDA
Hall of Fame at the dinner following the 2022
MFDA Table Top Show in September. Ken has
been a member of the MFDA for over 40 years.
He has served on the MFDA board of directors
for much of that time, and for 25 years served
as the MFDA’s secretary.
In 1995, Ken had the idea to hold a golf outing
the day before a tabletop show. 27 years later, it
has now become the MFDA’s favorite social event.
Ken was joined at the dinner by his wife Nancy,
and their daughter Marissa. Their son, Kevin,
an MFDA Scholarship recipient, is at James
Madison University in Virginia. Congratulations
Ken and thank you for your service to the MFDA.
The MFDA Hall of Fame was founded in
2016 to honor those who have made significant
contributions to the Association or the Fastener
Industry as a whole, past recipients include
Irwin Tanzman, Christopher George, Pat Lang,
Bill Lang, Bill Fivehouse, Doug Thonus, Chuck
Halpin, Sidney Cohen, Ron Jones, Leslie Sieper,
and Roger Stillman.
For more information contact the Metropolitan
Fastener Distributors Association at P233 Rock
Road #205, Glen Rock, NJ 07452. Tel: 201-254-
7784, Fax: 201-612-0638, Email: mfdaboard@
gmail.com or visit them online at www.mfda.us.

98
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
GUY AVELLON WHAT DISTRIBUTORS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT JOINT STRENGTH from page 12
FIGURE 2
Figure 2 illustrates a bolt and joint with approximately
the same stiffness, as they are both absorbing an equal
amount of the applied load F.
the use of a washer.
In simple terms, the bolt does not experience the
entire force of the external load. The vast majority of
any additional load is absorbed by the clamped joint
members because the joint is much softer than the
bolt. In fact, it is five (5) times softer than the bolt. This
is the reason why bolts tensioned at or near their yield
point can often resist significant external loads. A good
example are the head bolts on an engine.
At some point, the external load can be great
enough to cause the clamp load to become completely
unloaded. Any further additional load from this point will
become entirely added to the tension of the existing bolt.
The following is a joint diagram (Figure 4) for a static
service load.
FIGURE 3
Figure 3 illustrates a softer or more springy fastener
in a stiffer joint. The bolt has an increased strain and the
joint is absorbing the greater amount of the load F.
If the bolt is less stiff, with respect to the joint, the
bolt will experience a smaller percentage of the external
load, which depends upon the stiffness ratio of the bolt
and joint. This helps in determining what type and size of
bolt to use in the joint. The stiffness ratio can also help
determine preloads, loss due to embedment and bolt
failure.
Other critical factors to consider are the hole size,
surface finish of the contacting joint faces, flatness and
FIGURE 4
Further completing the joint diagram under static
load conditions, the initial bolt preload Fp is represented
by the elastic load curve from O to A. The strain, or bolt
deformation is B, represented by O to B.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 146

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 99
NEW ENGLAND FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION
PO Box 151, Lake Zurich, IL 60047 TEL 847-370-9022 FAX 847-516-6728 EMAIL nefda@nefda.com WEB www.nefda.com
LAURA MURPHY NEW ADMINISTRATOR FOR NEFDA
As Nancy Rich moves
toward retirement from the
NEFDA, Laura Murphy will
be transitioning from Board
Member to Administrator role
for the organization. Nancy has
been with NEFDA since 2014.
Laura has been the Marketing
Manager for DB Roberts for just
over three years and has been involved with the NEFDA
for two years. Prior to her role with DB Roberts, Laura
worked in Marketing for a local electrical supply distributor.
She holds her MBA from UMASS Dartmouth and a BA in
Communications from the University of Missouri. She is
looking forward to supporting the same incredible group in
a new capacity!
Emails can still be directed to nefda@nefda.com.
ASSOCIATION ARTICLE
Bowling Party March 23,2023
We had so much fun at our Bowling Party earlier in
the year. We can’t wait to get together again for this
event in 2023. The 2022 Bowling party hosted over 70
attendees. Attendees enjoyed a great night of visiting
fastener friends, beverages, food and bowling. We hope
to see all of you there in March!!!
2023 Event Schedule
January 19
March 23
June 1
Hall of Fame Inductions/Annual Meeting
O’Connors Restaurant, Worcester, MA
Bowling Party
34th Scholarship Golf Outing
NEFDA Welcomes New Members
¤ Big Bolt, LLC ¤ Goebel Fasteners, Inc.
¤ Huyett ¤ Impact Tool Supply
NEW ENGLAND FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION

100
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
BRUNO MARBACHER THREAD FORMING SCREWS FOR COST-EFFICIENT FASTENING IN METAL AND PLASTIC from page 14
Tapping Screws Features
Self-tapping screws have a wide range of point and
thread shapes and are available with a broad variety of
head styles. The tapping
thread covers the whole
length, point to head. The
thread is case hardened,
hard enough to form
the thread in the mating
material.
For hard materials such
as light metal castings or
hard plastics, the screw
thread is furnished with a cutting flute and cutting edges
similar to a tap, thus it can cut a thread into those hard
materials, some limits apply.
For materials such as wood or soft plastics, a selftapping
screw with a gimlet point (tapered point) can
form a mating thread sometimes even though there is no
pre-drilled hole. it may need a shallow indentation so the
screw point can catch, a hard wood or plastic is likely to
crack.
Standards Covering Tapping Screws
Tapping screws are covered by standards. The inch
dimensions tapping screws are specified by ANSI/ASME
B18.6.4
The metric tapping screws, which are essentially a soft
conversion from inch tapping screws
(ST 6.3 = 1/4”) are specified by DIN 7971 to 7973…
DIN 7981 to 7983, they are also covered by ISO 1481
to 1483…ISO 7049 to 7051.The thread diameter d1 is
considered the nominal diameter:
ST 4.2: Nominal diameter of thread = 4.2 mm (ST
indicates „Self Tapping “)
Like regular threads, the flank angle is 60°. The thread
pitch (P)is roughly twice as big as in the regular thread,
depending on whether it is a fine or coarse thread. There
is a cylindrical core area between the threads.
JIS (Japanese industrial standard) has introduced
metric diameters (ST 3, ST 5 etc.) for sheet metal screws
nationally, they are not widely used elsewhere.
Metric and inch tapping screw threads dimension
are the same, however for metric they are expressed
in millimeters. The head and drive dimensions differ.
Example of thread sizes call-out
¤ For metric: ST 4.9 x 32 (4.9 x 32)
¤ For inch: #8 x 1 1/2 (3/8 x 2)
Materials, Mechanical Properties
Low carbon steels with cold heading quality are typically
utilized for tapping screws. The mechanical properties are
covered by:
ISO 2702 specifying mechanical properties for metric
tapping screws
SAE j933 specifying mechanical properties for inch
tapping screws. They are case hardened to:
¤ Core hardness: 270 HV to 390 HV (~28 – 38 HRC)
¤ Surface hardness: 450 HV (~45 HRC)
Tapping screws can also be made using stainless
steel. ISO 3506-4 (no US equivalent standard) covers
thread forming screws made of stainless steel. Tapping
screws made of a strain-hardened austenitic chromenickel
steel A2 (AISI 304) or A4 (AISI 316). They normally
can be driven into aluminum sheets. They are too soft for
steel sheets including stainless steel.
Screws made of martensite hardened chromium-steel
(400 Series) are harder and also work in soft steel plates.
However, they are not commonly applied. And being made
from 400 series stainless steels, they are not highly
corrosion resistant.
Common Tapping Screws Thread Points
Per ISO the gimlet point has the designation “C” and
designation “AB” per ANSI.
Then, the blunt point has the designation “F” per ISO
and designation “B” per ANSI.
The rounded
point designation R
per ISO as well as
point type BP are not
commonly applied.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 148

102
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
COMPUTER INSIGHTS INC. COMPUTER INSIGHTS & THOMASNET STRATEGIC ALLIANCE. from page 26
What People Are Saying
“We were having difficulty managing our list prices
in two databases. Our online Thomasnet eCommerce
site and The Business Edge TM
are two different systems
that, until recently, did not talk to each other. We were
duplicating our efforts.
We shared our struggle with Dennis Cowhey at
Computer Insights, Inc. He collaborated with the people
at Thomasnet and created a system that allows us to
update our website from information in The Business
Edge TM
without the double entry. The new feature saves
us a tremendous amount of time and resources.”
Scott Filips, President
@ SC Fastening Systems LLC. - Winter 2023
“Viewing our Thomasnet product images inside The
Business Edge TM
and seamlessly clicking a link to the
product landing page for additional data has helped the
sales team significantly with inquiries.”
Russ Powers, Web Developer
@ Monroe Engineering - Winter 2023
Thomas - A Xometry Company
A Complete End-to-End Supplier Experience
Every one second, a buyer, engineer, or other
purchase decision-maker visits www.Thomasnet.com to
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Engage the Thomas audience for opportunities:
Leverage Thomasnet.com to get in front of 1.5M+ active
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work, force compliance, and optimizez for efficiency -
all inside a secure, CMMC-compliant environment with
FactoryFour’s Manfacturing Execution System.
“Having a Thomasnet.com Verified Program has
helped us engage with more engineers and buyers and
we’ve seen that translate into a clear increase in traffic
and RFQs. We’d recommend a Verified program to
industrial companies looking to make an impact in their
digital marketing.”
David Culligan, Owner
@ Reynolds Culligan
Start Saving Time & Money
For more information about
The Business Edge TM
contact
Dennis Cowhey, President,
Computer Insights, Inc. 108 Third
Street, Bloomingdale, IL 60108.
Tel: (800) 539-1233, email:
sales@ci-inc.com or visit them online at www.ci-inc.com.
For more information about Thomas - A Xometry
Company, Tel: (800) 879-6757 or visit them online at
www.thomasnet.com.
COMPUTER INSIGHTS, INC.

104
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
CHRIS DONNELL WE LIVE IN AN INTERESTING TIME from page 28
The East Coast is something different entirely. For
the past 6 months many of the ports on the East Coast
have suffered through building congestion, equipment
shortages, and increasing accessorial fees. To put
things in perspective, month after month and year after
year the ocean terminals in Los Angeles are the busiest
nationwide; however, in July through October, that title
went to the Port of New York which is usually third on the
list. Savannah and Houston saw record imports for the
year and this rise in throughput is attributed to the fear of
the potential port strike back in June and July.
With that said, there are many other things that
happened: logistics disruptions, extended lead times,
the continued Covid situation, escalating rail and port
conditions, and the shortage of truckers nationwide. It has
been three years of hell and we are not out of the woods
yet. There are four things that are hanging in the balance,
could derail any positive momentum we have gained, and
send us right back to the logistics abyss.
The first issue and one I think people aren’t paying
as close attention to, is the current situation regarding the
rail. As of today, December 1st, , 4 unions have openly
rejected the tentative agreement from mid-September.
These four unions represent about 50% of the total union
workers and they have collectively decided that December
9th will be the end of their “cooling off” period which could
lead to a strike. Any disruptions from the rail would cripple
most, if not all, industries as the US relies heavily on
trains to move goods such as food, machinery, cars and
fuel. When you take into account that 30 million people
work on the rail, and use it for transport for work and
vacations, this would be a blow most can’t conceptualize.
If a strike happens, you can expect the ocean carriers to
suspend any inland or rail movements, forcing companies
nationwide to look at alternative means to move cargo
such as transloading - but at that point, it might be too
late. There is a sliver of hope as Joe Biden is pushing for
legislation to immediately pass in order to avert a strike.
A strike could cost hundreds of thousands their jobs and
communities across America the ability to keep industries
open. Over the past several weeks this situation has
become more mainstream as the media is running
updates on a regular basis.
The second issue involves the West Coast port
situation. While information regarding the on-going contract
negotiations have been kept under wraps, there are
cracks forming on what was once believed to be a strong
partnership between the ILWU and the PMA. It started
with the PMA bringing in an off-site union to handle the
cold-ironing (hooking up steamship line to electricity once
the vessel is at dock). This was something the ILWU
handled for years and they look at it as a breach of trust
and contract. The PMA countered the accusations claiming
the ILWU has been purposefully working slower after the
contracts expired July 1st. In an independent study, no work
stoppage or slowdown has been evident, but again, that
hasn’t stopped the PMA. Then, in mid-October, out of a sign
of frustration, the ILWU coordinated a strike of the port of
Oakland and while it only lasted one day, the impact sent a
shockwave through the industry. People started to look at
the situation as more serious than what was expected.
The third issue, one that has recently raised its
ugly head once again in China, is the Pandemic. With a
country that relies on China for the bulk of imports, this
is something everyone needs to keep an eye on. China
still has their zero Covid mandate and with the newest
strain of the virus, we’re seeing issues in most major
cities throughout China. Places like Tianjin, Hong Kong
and Guangzhou have made the news lately due to Covid
and the country’s frustration with being constrained for the
past 3 years. With rampant protests demanding an end to
the mandate and the removal of the current leading body,
it’s shaping up to be a troubling time, especially with an
early start to Chinese New Year. If closings persist, look
for the delays in manufacturing and leads times to extend
exponentially.
The last issue - which is currently taking hold
more so in the North-East - is the current status of our
diesel fuel reserves. While there are many rumors and
misconceptions on this topic, it is something that needs
to be on everyone’s radar. First, let me set the record
straight. Our diesel fuel levels are categorically low,
however, the current level of 24 billion barrels doesn’t
mark the lowest point ever.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 105

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 105
CHRIS DONNELL WE LIVE IN AN INTERESTING TIME from page 104
The current level has been hit multiple times over the
past 40 years. However, with our current administration
curbing drilling and processing of oil in the continental US,
and with the current war between the Ukraine and Russia,
the strain has caused our fuel levels to take a steep dive
compared to where we were 3 to 4 years ago. We are
exporting a large amount of heating oil and fuel to Europe
and other countries. Because of this we’ve been more
reliant on other oil producing countries. This leaves us
with a potential shortage, but the question remains: how
bad is it? This issue is already impacting the North-East
as they are rationing heating oil, diesel fuel and others
items which results in costs skyrocketing. The national
average for diesel fuel is well over $5.00 per gallon and
some states have seen diesel fuel eclipse $7.00. The
direct impact is fuel costs from trucking companies -
they are holding strong even with the tendered costs per
pound going down. Most who utilize trucking as a form of
distribution haven’t seen the true drop in costs due to the
inflated fuel costs. In the big picture, with the vast majority
of cargo moving by truck, some 80% of all cargo could see
significant increases due to something as simple as fuel.
In short, every industry will be affected and the consumers
could see shortages of food, chemicals and other everyday
items. Are we really going back to things like shortages of
toilet paper? We realistically could, but only time will tell.
Now I purposely decided not to mention things like
inflation, the continued war in Europe, the shortage of
qualified truckers, or the current trade war with China
as these situations are here for the long haul, no pun
intended. While we’ve made massive strides in our global
supply chain issues, there are still many things that
could derail it. I’m also afraid that people have become
comfortable with the new changes and won’t take the
necessary precautions to safe guard from falling into the
same disruptions we saw a year ago.
CHRIS DONNELL

106
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
ABSOLUTE GRINDING CENTERLESS GRINDING FOR THE FASTENER INDUSTRY from page 34
In-Feed or End-Feed
¤ The parts are generally headed parts and often are
shaped/contoured or tapered.
¤ In-Feed, which is often referred to as “crush
grinding” is used for processing under-cuts, captivations,
pointing, and the O.D. on shoulder bolts, to name a few.
¤ Cam-Out is a little known but common variation
of in-feed. Instead of the regulating wheel feeding and
dwelling during the grinding process, it is trued/dressed
in the shape of a cam with a .010 to .030 thousand rise
and a drop slot, which is the place for the work piece to
drop out after grind. In this application, the load, feed,
spark-out and removal are all controlled and timed off
the rotation of the “cammed” regulating wheel. Because
the slides are locked in this process, the accuracy of
high volumes of components can be more accurately
controlled vs. linear drive systems.
When Looking For A Good Centerless
(Precision) Grinding Partner, Ask The
Following:
[1] Is the company ISO9000-2015 Certified?
[2] What is their minimum quantity?
[3] Do they supply knock out pins or any other
secondary processes for the Cold Heading Industry?
[4] Are they responsive and easy to work with on
quoting and process development?
[5] Do they continually train new employees who
wish to learn to be Centerless Grinding Technicians?
Centerless grinding is a skill set that is not taught in
trade schools.
[6] Are they able to rebuild their own machines –
including complete and partial rebuilds? In addition to
improving the up time on very specialized equipment,
this allows them to incorporate new technologies and
loading processes.
Centerless Grinding is a key secondary process for
the fastener industry. It is ideal for captivations and
O.D.s on shoulder bolts. Additional ground features
include pointing, head height head diameter, chamfers,
thread diameter pre-roll and many others.
If you would like to learn more or need help with a
project, please reach out to us at Absolute Grinding. We
are a woman owned business and we are celebrating our
25th year in business.
ABSOLUTE GRINDING & MANUFACTURING

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 107

108
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
LARRY BOROWSKI IF YOUR PRODUCT DOES NOT FREELY PASS THROUGH A GO THREAD RING GAGE, NO PROBLEM... from page 36
Observe The Maximum Torque Value On
Torque Wrench
To determine if a threaded part is acceptable using
these values parts are driven through a “basic size” (3A
for inch parts and 6h for metric parts) GO thread ring gage
using a calibrated torque wrench. If the test yields a lower
torque reading than the allowable value in the chart above
the parts are considered acceptable for the Go functional
check.
ROTATE THE GO THREAD RING GAGE OVER THE FULL
LENGTH OF THE BOLT THREAD.
Many specialized platings and coatings that provide
high cor¬rosion resistance are typically applied unevenly
and are somewhat thicker than more common platings like
electro¬plated zinc. Many of these platings and coatings
are relatively soft and even though parts having these
finishes may not freely enter into a GO thread ring gage,
they will go through with a relatively small amount of torque.
The threads on metric bolts starting at size M10 and
inch bolts starting at 3/8 inches have a higher ten¬dency
to become nicked as they go through the thread rolling,
heat treating, and finishing processes.
This happens because of the bulk handling
techniques that are generally employed,
where it is common for parts to tumble
over one another many times. Even though
most slightly nicked threads are perfectly
functional some do not freely enter a
GO thread ring gage. Using this Go ring
torque acceptance test provides fas¬tener
suppliers and users with a practical,
objective means of evaluating nicked
threads and uneven plating applications
for determining their acceptability. It also
removes the subjective element from the
inspection because a maximum value is
given.
There have been concerns that if a part
requires the maximum torque acceptance
val¬ue, this might adversely affect the
clamping force generated when the bolts
are seated in the application. When these
acceptance torque values are compared
to the recommended seating torque
values, it becomes immediately clear how
insignificant these values are.
To illustrate this point, consider the case of a 3/4 -10
Grade 5 bolt. The recommended seating torque for a
3/4 - 10 zinc plated Grade 5 bolt is 317 ft-lbs. This torque
acceptance test allows a 3/4 -10 bolt to be accepted if the
torque required to enter a 3A GO thread ring gage does
not exceed 5 ft-lbs. The acceptance torque of 5 ft-lbs. is
less than 2% of the recommended seating value in this
example. This allowable torque is completely irrelevant
when one considers the widely accepted fact that the clamp
force created in a joint under standard assembly conditions
varies ±25% due to all of the variables in the assembly
process.
The torque evaluation approach to the acceptance of
threads that do not freely enter a GO thread ring is both
practical and reasonable. Threaded component suppliers
and users should be aware of and adopt these international
standards for determining the acceptance of externally
threaded products.
LARRY BOROWSKI | GREENSLADE & COMPANY INC

NFDA EXECUTIVE SUMMIT
NAPLES, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 9, 2022

110
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
PIVOT POINT COMPLETES FACTORY EXPANSION from page 38
Says Dave Zimmermann, “It’s really very special to
be a part of a thriving, fourth-generation family owned
business. For this reason, we specifically held our
Dedication Ceremony on what would have been Glayr
Leitzke’s 100th birthday. When we raised that beautiful
30-foot by 60-foot American flag, it was a very powerful
and emotional moment for all. As the flag raised, and
“God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood played, we
were astonished when four bald eagles showed up out
of nowhere and circled in the background until the flag
reached the top.”
Pivot Point’s products include Clevis Pins, Cotter
Pins, Quick Release Pins and Devices, Locking Pins and
Wire-Rope Lanyards; as well as several unique and highly
popular proprietary items, including the SLIC Pin- a pin
and cotter all in one.
PIVOT POINT
PENN ENGINEERING CHOOSING THE RIGHT FASTENER FOR CASTINGS AND SOFT METALS from page 40
Choosing Fasteners for Magnesium and
Aluminum Castings
The increase that PEM® has seen in requests for
fastening solutions for Mg and Al castings drove the
design and development of the new CastSert product,
but there are many other options to consider for Mg and
Al castings.
Why Mg castings? Magnesium is the lightest of
all structured materials but has excellent stiffness and
strength-to-weight ratios. Additionally, it has outstanding
EMI and RFI shielding properties, perfect for connectors
and electrical housings. It is also utilized for medical and
laboratory equipment to provide protection against other
interfering signals in a hospital.
Why Al castings? One of the most significant
benefits of aluminum die casting is that it creates lighter
parts – with more surface finishing options than other die
cast alloys. Al can also withstand the highest operating
temperatures of all the die cast alloys. Moreover, cast
aluminum is versatile, corrosion-resistant, and retains
high dimensional stability with thin walls. It can also be in
almost any industry.
In an effort to help both PEM® and non-PEM®
customers make the best possible fastening choice
for their applications, we offer FastenerClass master
classes – a free series of courses in fastening technology.
These classes can be experienced live or in a prerecorded
environment and teach about foundational
theory, best practices, application exploration, and other
topics that can help attendees get ahead of their
competition.
Other classes in addition to “Choosing Fasteners for
Magnesium and Aluminum Castings” include Intro to
Self-Clinch Theory, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) vs.
Broach, Innovation Solutions for Design, and many others.
Details and registration are available at PEMnet.com.
PENN ENGINEERING

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 111

112
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
ROBERT FOOTLIK ARE YOU READY FOR THE COMING STORM? from page 42
Whatever it costs to remove debris, smear some
roofing compound and make repairs will definitely cost
far less than shutting down and cleaning up below. Here
too, anything out of place can speak volumes about your
operation. Should there be picnic garbage and cigarette
butts on the roof? Evidence of extended lunch hours and
breaks is easy to spot if you know where to look.
Objective: Keeping People Safe And The
Lawyers Far, Far Away
How accessible are your docks? Does the trash
dumpster obstruct traffic? Look at the truck maneuvering
area from the truck driver’s perspective. Backing in from
the blind side takes longer and is more accident prone
than a left side approach. Providing lines, lights and
other reference points will save the drivers time, but it
also improves your dock utilization and safety.
More importantly, highway equipment and visitor
vehicles do not mix well, especially when the drivers
become pedestrians. Somehow, parking lot planners
frequently overlook this concept. Take a good look at
how customers and visitors interact with both semis and
your trucks. Here too efficiency and safety both need
to be reviewed. Deliveries do not start when the truck
leaves the dock. Nothing profitable happens until the
truck and merchandise are on the road. Get the orders
delivered in less time with care and precision.
Warehouse operating rules and regulations are
an integral component of safety. While OSHA Section
1910.178 spells out the training for powered equipment
operators, it is vague to non-existent regarding what
pedestrians and workers should be doing to stay safe.
There is a good reason for this, context. Every operation
is different. Even two branches in identical buildings
do not share the same potential for accidents. If your
company does not spell out a safety code for warehouse
visitors create one before an accident happens and the
contingency fee attorney picks your pocket. The best
defense is keeping people safe and ensuring that they
know the hazards of a warehouse environment. Fastener
Distributors could learn some good practices from
Costco and Home Depot.
The number one OSHA violation is falling. This catchall
category includes everything from stepladders to
roofs. In a typical warehouse the most common problems
are unsafe stepladders and practices such as climbing
on cartons or pallets of merchandise. Similarly, climbing
pallet racks instead of using the right equipment is a
disaster waiting to happen. However, the biggest “no-no”
is lifting someone up using a forklift without a real safety
cage. Don’t do it…ever! Failure to enforce this rule is
inexcusable and potentially very expensive.
At the loading dock, there are usually open doors
with a four-foot drop to the pavement. Keeping the doors
open for ventilation is acceptable, but only when the
there is a positive stop to hold the door at 18” above
the floor, or some form of safety net across the opening.
If this is impossible in your context, consider a simple
proximity sensor and warning bell or light. If there is
electrical power nearby an inexpensive garage light may
suffice. This will not stop anyone from falling, or a driver
from trying to climb up, but at least you can show a good
faith effort was made to enhance safety. That might be
worth real money if an incident ever becomes a litigation.
Objective: Inventory Is More Than Just Money
Top management and accounting watch the dollars.
The warehouse watches reality. Develop your own
indices to measure inventory accuracy and turns. While
accounting may switch to Last In, First Out (LIFO) to
enhance cash flow, order stockers and pickers should
still work on a First In, First Out (FIFO) basis. Even with
stainless fasteners, dumping newly received parts on
top of old inventory is a bad idea. Boxes and cases can
get dusty and deteriorate, sometimes to the point of
customer rejection. Wear and tear, damaged threads
and dirt make even new materials appear to be old or
returns. Always rotate the stock, especially chemicals
and sealants. Keeping the customers happy also keeps
them as customers.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 150

114
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
CLASS C COMPONENTS DISTRIBUTION EXPERTS TAKE THE HEADACHE OUT OF SOURCING from page 46
VMI features amplify efficiency and allow us to get more
done in less time. The Business Edge TM
gives us real
time access to crucial information-product trends and
usage-at our fingertips. Our VMI program has the fastest
order transmission speed in the industry.” - Jill Zoschke,
President & CEO.
Class C Components was the first company in
Minnesota to use iPhone scanning technology for VMI
Fastener and Industrial Product Programs. This allows
orders to be scanned and transmitted to customers and
our system, simultaneously before they leave your facility.
Every VMI Customer is assigned a dedicated
outside representative, lead and backup inside sales
representatives, and a VMI procurement scanning
expert. Details matter to ensure customer satisfaction
and relentless service.
Class C Components has grown to offer one of the
industry’s deepest, most product-rich VMI Programs,
providing over 100K SKUs. Unlike many other industrial
suppliers, Class C Component’s customers can easily
add more product groups to their VMI program. Class C
Components has stayed true to its initial commitment; it
continues to provide an unrivaled experience in industrial
distribution.
Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI)
Class C Components leverages features in The
Business Edge TM
by Computer Insights to help manage
and service their VMI customers.
The software enables the fastest product scanning
order transmission from customer locations to their
facility. The system provides up-to-date, accurate supply
line visibility and customer-friendly usage reports.
A VMI program with Class C Components will reduce
costs of accounting, freight, inventory, procurement,
purchasing, receiving, and sourcing.
“The experienced team at Computer Insights align
with our customer-focused approach to business. The
Is A VMI Program Right For You?
A Vendor Managed Inventory consultation is the
next step if you want to reduce costs associated with
accounting, freight, inventory, procurement, purchasing,
receiving, and sourcing.
Over 65% of Class C Components customers are
serviced on a Vendor Managed Inventory program for
fasteners and industrial supplies.
[1] Establish Expectations
a. Determine EAU Quantities
b. Release current print revisions for fasteners
and provide samples
[2] Prepare Your Quote
a. Determine First Article Process
b. Define inspection expectations for fasteners
and other product groups
c. Verify initial inventory quantities to be quoted
[3] Assess Current Stock & Future Requirements
a. Obtain on-hand fastener and other product
category inventory quantities
b. Create a transition plan for part transfer
CONTINED ON PAGE 152

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 115
The Lakeshore Fastener Group has
purchased Hodges Fastener Corporation of
Traverse City, MI, to continue its expansion plans
in the Midwest.
Founded in 2001, Hodges Fastener Corporation
is a respected, woman-owned, business located
in Traverse City, Michigan distributing all types
of inch, metric, and special fasteners across the
state of Michigan. President Ellen Strange and
the Hodge’s team have developed impressive
customer relationships with many manufacturers
and service organizations by providing dependable
and reliable service and quality products for over
20 years. Following her father William “Bill”
Hodges into the fastener business, Ellen grew
up with nuts and bolts and decided to become
an entrepreneur after her successful career at a
Big Six accounting firm.
Lakeshore Fastener Group is a member of a
family of fastener distributors formed by Kevin
Weidinger who is the President of the portfolio.
The group operates Great Lakes Fasteners, Nut
& Bolt Fastening Solutions and most recently
Lakeshore Shore Fastener and Hodges Fastener
Corporation. The group is headquartered in
Cleveland, Ohio, with distribution centers in
Michigan, Ohio, New York, and Wisconsin. The
consortium strives to maintain the distributors’
unique identities within their local communities
yet leverage the collective strength and size
of the enterprise. Customers enjoy a vast
inventory of standard and special fasteners
plus bundled lean production services including
kitting, packaging, sub-assembly, and managed
inventory programs (VMI).
Ellen Strange, Hodge’s President said,
“Lakeshore Fastener and their people made
them the clear choice to continue to serve our
loyal customers. The combined organization
will help Hodges Fastener Corporation grow to
reach its full potential and allow us to offer our
customers a broader range of products and
services.”
Kevin Weidinger, President of Lakeshore
Fastener Group said, “I had coffee with Ellen
about five years ago to discuss possibilities,
and its great we are now able to welcome her
company to the family. Our plan is to continue the
consistent service Hodges clients have come to
expect plus present them with the many new products
and services that the now combined companies can
offer.”
“I was born and raised in Michigan, so aligning our
organization with Hodges seemed like a great way to
re-establish ties to the mitten while our enterprise
continues our geographic expansion and drive to add
talent and introduce new capabilities,” continued
Weidinger.
Headquartered in Cleveland (Twinsburg), Ohio -
Lakeshore Fastener Group is a full-line fastener
distribution company that offers its clients a
comprehensive portfolio of standard, metric and madeto-print
fasteners, packaging services and innovative
inventory solutions. The group maintains a quality
management system to the ISO 9001:2015 and
AS9100 standards.
For more information contact Lakeshore Fastener
Group toll-free at 1-800-589-4578, Tel: 330-425-4488,
Fax: 330-425-4705 or online at www.glfus.com.

116
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
JOE DYSART AUTO-TRANSCRIPTION OF VIDEO MEETINGS from page 52
And additional new features for these solutions just
keep coming -- thanks to fierce competition among video
meeting transcriber app makers.
Key apps to evaluate include Otter.ai, Descript, Dubber,
Fathom, Interprefy, Amazon Transcribe, Nuance, IBM Watson,
Transcribeme, Verbit.ai, Sonix, Voicea, QNAP and Trint.
As with most apps in a hyper-competitive niche,
there’s an excellent chance fastener distributors will be
able to find one that’s perfect for you.
Overall, here are the features to look for in a best-ofbreed
video meeting transcriber:
¤ Live Transcription On-the-Fly: Incredibly, many
AI-powered meeting transcribers now stream a live text
transcription of a meeting in progress. This voiceto-text
feature is great for fastener distributors who
may have missed something, people who have arrived
late to a meeting or people who are having a problem
understanding the voice of a specific person.
¤ Live Transcription Editing, On-the-Fly: With
live transcription often standard with today’s meeting
transcribers, it makes sense that many offer real-time
editing of a transcript of a meeting in progress.
With many solutions sporting this optimization, you
can mark certain statements as ‘action items’ to follow-up
on, type in questions in response to what’s being said, or
mark moments in the transcript you plan to revisit after
the meeting’s over.
¤ Body Language Analysis On-The-Fly: Perfect
for fastener distributor execs who sometimes have to
miss a meeting, this feature enables AI to study the
gazes, body language and facial expressions of people
attending a video meeting and then embed the meaning
of those movements into the transcript.
A thumbs-up at a meeting, for example, translates
to a thumbs-up emoji in the transcript. And a bored look
translates into a bored-look emoji.
¤ Add Real-Time Human Translators: Some
AI-driven transcribers are also designed to port picturein-picture
feeds of human translators or human sign
language specialists into a meeting video. This feature
enables you to broadcast a meeting in as many languages
RELYING ON AI TRANSCRIPTIONS MEANS YOU’LL NEVER NEED
TO STRUGGLE TO KEEP UP WITH A MEETING WHILE TRYING
TO TAKE NOTES.
as you wish -- in real-time.
¤ Bookmarking: No more trying to remember where
in the video a salient point popped-up during a meeting
that you want to remember. With many solutions, fastener
distributors can simply create a timestamp bookmark of a
moment of a meeting you want to revisit -- with a simple
click.
¤ Meeting Summaries: Given that AI summary
technology is already so well developed, it’s no surprise
that many AI meeting transcribers offer text summaries of
meetings within minutes of a meeting’s conclusion.
¤ After-Meeting-Transcript Editing: The same
transcript editing actions you can perform while a meeting
is in progress can also be used to enhance a transcript
after the meeting’s over -- including adding questions,
commentary, marking action items and the like.
The same keyword feature also enables you to autoadd
a slide, screenshot or other image at any point in the
transcript with a single click.
¤ Search-by-Keyword: Many solutions automatically
generate a list of keywords fastener distributors can use
to search for statements and concepts discussed at the
meeting, bringing you to specific points in the transcript
where those search terms are discussed -- and also
enabling you to call-up the corresponding audio that
generated those insights.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 117

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 117
JOE DYSART AUTO-TRANSCRIPTION OF VIDEO MEETINGS from page 116
¤ Plug-and-Play Integration: Many solutions
are pre-configured to work seamlessly with popular
software apps and platforms including Slack, Asana,
Jira, Salesforce and Hubspot. With some solutions,
distributing a meeting transcript on a Slack channel, for
example, takes only a click or two.
¤ Auto-Sync With Popular Calendars: With many
auto-transcribers, the transcription of a meeting will start
automatically as long as you schedule the meeting using
popular calendar software from Google or Microsoft.
¤ Query the Transcript for Info: On the
horizon, some AI developers hope to embed additional
tools in transcription software that will enable fastener
distributors and others to query the stored transcript of
a meeting with specific questions you have about topics
discussed.
¤ Free: In some cases, some high-powered AI
MANY SOLUTIONS AUTOMATICALLY GENERATE A LIST OF
KEYWORDS YOU CAN USE TO SEARCH FOR STATEMENTS AND
CONCEPTS DISCUSSED AT THE MEETING.
transcription solutions are actually free. The logic:
The app makers are looking to grow the popularity of
their apps very quickly by offering an exciting product
-- and then start charging users looking to add premium
features.
JOE DYSART

118
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
JIM TRUESDELL ’QUIET QUITTING’ MAY NOT BE NEW—BUT ITS SEEMING APPROVAL IS! from page 54
We get ahead in life by doing the very best at
everything we do. Jobs with more responsibility are
attained by building on success in prior positions of
responsibility. People today might dispute that because
of specific bad experiences, but overall it is a remarkably
consistent path to the top.
[4] Failing to give our best effort in whatever
we undertake eats away at our own self-perception
and confidence. If we know we are “skating by”
and taking our pay while deceiving our employer and
co-workers it will be awfully difficult to be at peace with
ourselves if we have any sense of conscience. People
who cheer the concept of “quiet quitting” on social
media today often justify the practice by blaming the
employer or the system for exploiting workers. These
charges may sometimes be true, but shifting the blame
for one’s own moral failure to others is just an attempt
to avoid looking in the mirror.
I hear some writers defining “quiet quitting” as the
more palatable “Work to Rule” concept. This describes
the practice not as “quitting” on your responsibilities
but instead as doing the stated requirements of the job
and only that. Do only what the company states that the
job entails and nothing more, nor for any minutes longer
than the beginning and ending of the work hours. Is this
what we want our lives and our country to be about?
“Quiet Quitting” is not a new concept. It is just
unique in that it is being celebrated and justified by social
media networks who defend it as a justifiable response
of workers to an out-of-control “hustle culture” which has
long ruled the American workplace. We cannot deny that
such a culture has existed in the U.S. for decades and
it has brought us a standard of living to the point that
everyone feels entitled to possess the good material
things in life at a level which most of the rest of the world
finds amazing. Even those living below the poverty line
in this country have access to amenities which in many
places in the world would place them squarely in the
middle class. Abandoning our characteristic national
work ethic may ultimately mean that these things will
cease to be readily available to all. Those who choose
to give a high level of commitment to their careers may
increasingly reap a larger share of the material rewards of
our economy, thus exacerbating the wealth disparity which
seems to be such a source of discontent. Of course,
the more we try to prevent that, the more we will see a
falling off of effort and commitment of the producers of
our society. There is a danger that we will then become
an entire nation of “quiet quitters” and slip into third
world status. We have seen it happen in countries like
Venezuela or in socialist countries where the economy
just doesn’t seem to work and supply chains fail to deliver
basic necessities to consumers. They say “We pretend to
work and they pretend to pay us.”
Where there is smoke there is generally fire. The
widespread feelings that business is getting what
it deserves and that our capitalist society has gone
overboard in excesses of worker exploitation, does call
for us to reexamine our priorities. Young workers are
seeking a better work/life balance. What can companies
do to recognize this and tilt the scales back more into line
with what people are seeking for their lived experience
and their emphasis on a different set of values? Lashing
out at the symptoms (such as “quiet quitting”, “ghosting
“ jobs, and critiques of free enterprise) doesn’t solve
anything and reeks more of the “I suffered through it so
you should too” mentality of older managers clinging to
outmoded workstyles and managerial hierarchies.
There are changes that need to be made if we are to
engage young workers in the missions of our business
enterprises. Consider:
[A] Focus on and be able to articulate what
the company is trying to achieve and how that
contributes to the larger social picture of society.
Making more money for ownership and job security
for employees may no longer cut it. Workers need to
understand the role a company plays in providing needed
services and products to help solve or prevent societies’
problems and how each employee’s efforts are linked to
that endeavor. Give them a sense of mission of which
they can be proud.
[B] Know the employees and understand what
their personal goals and motivators are and
determine how their job can be shaped to align
those personal goals with the company’s needs.
If an employee values his family time or involvement in
a particular community activity, then provide the time
flexibility so that he or she can satisfy that need. If an
employee is focused on career growth then provide clear
pathways by which that can be achieved.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 119

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 119
JIM TRUESDELL ’QUIET QUITTING’ MAY NOT BE NEW—BUT ITS SEEMING APPROVAL IS! from page 118
[C] Protect employee personal life by discouraging
weekend or holiday e mails or work demands. Just
because you, as a key manager, want to work 24 hours
around the clock that does not mean you have the right
to instant response from your worker who does not share
that vision of work (and who probably doesn’t reap as much
money from it as do you).
[D] Reduce meetings and their length to show
that you respect the value of workers’ time. Meetings
should focus on decision making and consensus building
and not just be checking up on the status of projects and
assignments that can be checked in more efficient and less
time consuming ways.
[E] Set clear goals and then evaluate and reward
people based on their progress in achieving them
rather than on time worked. Don’t let your office culture
deteriorate into one that revolves around a competition to
see who gets there first in the morning and leaves last.
[F] Do help workers to grasp the idea that
remote work and flexible time is only supportable
if it maintains or enhances customer service. Too
many pundits and social media commentators extoll these
as virtues because of their impact on worker satisfaction
without considering the calamitous drop in customer service
which many of us have experienced in the last two years.
If the customers leave us it will not matter how happy our
employees are.
Both businesses and their workers must give a little
if we are to provide workplaces that are both financially
successful and which provide employee satisfaction and
career fulfillment. Business leaders must open their eyes
to the needs and aspirations of the people who commit the
bulk of their daily lives to building and operating the business.
Workers who are tempted to not give their best effort should
be honest enough to quit their job and leave for something
more suitable for them OR they should make the decision to
recommit to the company mission and give it their best effort.
“Quiet Quitting” is nothing to celebrate!
JIM TRUESDELL

120
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
JO MORRIS FASTENER TRAINING INSTITUTE PRESENTS 2023 TRAINING SCHEDULE from page 56
2023 FTI One-Day Class, Webinar and
Special Event Schedule
¤ January 19 - Metric Fasteners Part 1 (Webinar)
¤ January 26 - Metric Fasteners Part 2 (Webinar)
¤ February 9 - Fastener Basics (San Diego, CA)
¤ March 16 - Product Training Part 1 (Los Angeles, CA)
¤ March 23 - Corrosion Resistant Fasteners &
Stainless-Steel Fastener Specs (Webinar)
¤ April 20 - Product Training Part 2 (Los Angeles, CA)
¤ May 11 - Product Training Part 3 (Los Angeles, CA)
¤ May 15 - Fastening 101 at Fastener Fair (Nashville, TN)
¤ May 25 - Hydrogen Embrittlement – What Suppliers
Need to Know (Webinar)
¤ June 8 - Fastener Specifications & Terminology -
CFS Part 1 (Los Angeles, CA)
¤ July 13 - Understanding the Bolted Joint -
CFS Part 2 (Los Angeles, CA)
¤ July 20 - Understanding Fastener Technical Drawings
(Webinar)
¤ August 17 - Dimensional & Material Specifications -
CFS Part 3 (Los Angeles, CA)
¤ September 26 - Fastener Quality Assurance,
Print Reading and Inspection -
CFS Part 4 (Los Angeles, CA)
¤ October 10 - How Fasteners Work at International
Fastener Expo (Las Vegas, NV)
¤ November 16 - Fastener Basics (Union City, CA)
The Fastener Training Institute is a nonprofit
organization that provides beginning and advanced training
on fastener products, standards and specifications. Our
core purpose is to enhance fastener use, reliability and
safety. Our mission is to make you more knowledgeable
about the fastening products you buy, sell, specify or
use.
For more information about Fastener Training Institute
email info@FastenerTraining.org, call 562.473.5373 or
visit us online at www.FastenerTraining.org.
JO MORRIS | FASTENER TRAINING INSTITUTE
ANTHONY DI MAIO BLIND RIVETS ARE A UNIVERSAL FASTENER from page 60
Even major users base their incoming inspection and
quality control labs for break mandrel rivets is popular
referenced on procurement drawings. This demonstrates
user confidence that products are made to consistent
quality levels.
Automated assembly machines are today in operation
for blind fasteners. Blind rivets are successfully fed
at random (they orient themselves) at 45/min. these
automatic machines have caught on well as part of
the “installation cost” principle. These are numerous
examples of semiautomatic installation equipment in the
market place. I think the electronic sector is out in front
currently. Many have designed there own installation
tools quite different from convention approaches.
Speed of installation of blind rivets has been a majoruser
consideration for over a decade. As a result, several
rivet manufacturers offer automatic or semiautomatic
systems. The need for increased capability, improved
reliability and economic installation are the major
consideration that the blind rivet manufacturers are
now addressing. We are confident that the technical
aspects of automation can be overcome and where user
values justifies. Automatic blind rivet systems can be
economically justified.
I mentioned the engineering advantage of blind rivets
in the market-place. But, one difficulty has been in
convincing purchasing and technical people that the only
true measure of economic effectiveness of any fastening
method is it’s ‘Installation Cost”.
All too often a purchasing decision is made by only
looking at the per-piece cost. The “installation cost”
concept has taken time to develop. Even today, there
is resistance. That’s our challenge to overcome with
competitive selling.
ANTHONY Di MAIO

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 121
AFC Industries has
acquired Erie, PA based
Champion Bolt.
Champion, established in
1986, specializes in customsolutions
and services for
OEM assembly environments.
AFC CEO Kevin Godin
said, “Champion Bolt has
demonstrated a long-term
commitment to providing
excellent service to customers
and deepens several unique
capabilities for the AFC
platform. We welcome them
to the AFC family”
Champion President Dave
Ott added, “Being part of
the AFC group brings several
resources that will unlock
additional opportunities for
us with both new and existing
customers. We spoke with
several potential buyers and
are confident the AFC culture
and strategy will be the best
fit for our team and our
customers.”
Headquartered in
Fairfield OH, AFC Industries
is a dynamic organization
dedicated to providing supply
chain management solutions
for fasteners, tooling, and
assembly components
to original equipment
manufacturers, assembly
plants, and other users of
these products. Their supply
solutions include Vendor
Managed Inventory, Stock
and Release programs, Light
Assembly, Kitting, and Private
Labeling services.
For more information about
AFC Industries visit them online
at www.afcind.com.

122
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
IFE INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO SEES OUTSTANDING ATTENDANCE AT THE 2022 EVENT from page 66
This year’s show provided attendees with even
more opportunities to network and learn, including an
inaugural keynote speech from Dirk Beveridge, Founder
of UnleashWD and Executive Producer of We Supply
America, who will be presenting “INNOVATE! How to
Create Relevancy in the Age of Disruption.” Additional
educational sessions were presented on the Session
Stage throughout the show, offering attendees strategic,
forward-thinking solutions and insightful knowledge on
topics that included e-commerce, inflation, 3D printing,
productivity and the next-gen workforce.
Another new feature for IFE 2022 was the event
app, IFE Match, which helped to bring attendees and
exhibitors together in a new, “smart” way. Participants
connected with their peers, discovered business
opportunities, explored educational sessions, and built
their itinerary all from their
mobile devices both preevent
and during the entire
show. Over 350 meetings
were arranged using IFE
Match. On demand session
recordings are available
through the IFE Match app 30 days post event.
Hall of Fame and Young Fastener Professional of
the Year awards took place on the afternoon of Tuesday,
October 18. IFE and a packed audience were so excited
to celebrate the 2022 award inductees! Hall of Fame
Inductees: Andy Cohn – Duncan Bolt, Tim Malone –
Spring Bolt and Nut Manufacturing, Rick Rudolph – Rick
Rudolph Associates LLC., Joseph Volltrauer – Volt
Industrial Plastics, Inc. Young Fastener Professional of
the Year: Bryan Wheeler – Star Stainless.
International Fastener Expo, North America’s most
extensive business-to-business tradeshow for all types
of fasteners, machinery & tooling and other industrial
products, provides a unique opportunity to connect with
new and potential customers, peers and industry leaders.
Join us October 9 – 11, 2023 in Las Vegas for the
most comprehensive B2B trade show that caters to the
entire supply chain. Network, build relationships, and do
business at this year’s show!
For more information, visit www.fastenershows.com.
INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO

INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO - WELCOME RECEPTION
MANDALAY BAY, LAS VEGAS - OCTOBER 17, 2022

124
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
MID-ATLANTIC FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION
3211 West 9th Street, Trainer, PA 19061 TEL 610-430-8615 (Lubker Distribution) EMAIL info@mafda.com WEB www.mafda.com
LEADERSHIP CHANGES AT MAFDA by Bill Bankoske, President
January 1st, 2023 will bring new leadership to the Mid
Atlantic Fastener Distributor Association (MAFDA). Freddy
Barr (Branch Manager, Stelfast - Edison, NJ) will take
over the role of President. Justin Myers (Coburn-Myers
Fastening Systems - Trainer, PA) will take over the position
of Vice President. Tricia Murty (Murty Associates –
Baltimore, MD) and Bill Bankoske (AFC Industries – York,
PA) will serve as board members.
We are also pleased to announce that we have
two new board members. Brendan Shields (Ironclad
Performance Wear, Northeast Sales Representative) and
Sal Presti (Intercorp, Northeast Sales and Operations
Manager) both joined the board halfway through 2022.
Brendan Shields started at Ironclad (part of Brighton
Best family) in 2021 after leaving the material testing and
measurement with 5 years of industrial sales experience.
In his free time, he enjoys surfing, snowboarding, golfing,
fishing, and hiking.
Sal Presti lives in Northern
New Jersey. Sal is married with
2 kids (a boy and a girl). Sal
started his career as a certified
chef, graduated from the Culinary
School of Washington, DC. He
opened 3 successful restaurants
by the time he was 27. When he started his family, he
decided to sell all 3 restaurants. Sal went on to a sales
career in the telecom industry as a sales manager, then
moved to other industries always in a sales/operations
capacity. He started with Intercorp, 7 years ago as the
Northeast Sales and Operations Manager, and really
enjoys this industry and the great people in it.
ASSOCIATION ARTICLE
MID-ATLANTIC FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION
PACIFIC-WEST FASTENER ASSOCIATION
3020 Old Ranch Parkway #300, Seal Beach CA 90740 TEL 562-799-5509 FAX 562-684-0695 EMAIL info@pac-west.org WEB www.pac-west.org
DON’T MISS OUT ON THE 2023 PAC-WEST EVENTS by Amy Nijjar
September 14-16
September 26
November 16
December 7
Fall Conference, Coeur d’Alene ID
Fall Dinner Meeting & Vendor
Showcase, La Mirada CA
After Hours, Bay Area CA
Holiday Party, La Mirada CA
The Pacific-West Fastener Association has
announced the 2023 calendar of events:
Events Calendar
February 9 After Hours, San Diego CA
March 9 Spring Dinner Meeting & Vendor
Showcase, La Mirada CA
March 10 Golf Outing, Southern CA TBD
April 27-29 Spring Conference, Scottsdale AZ
June 8 After Hours, Seattle WA
ASSOCIATION ARTICLE
March 6-8, 2024
Spring Conference, Anaheim CA
PWFA’s core purpose is to strengthen our member
companies through educational opportunities, alliances,
advocacy, and highly effective relationships; providing the
highest return on membership investment in the fastener
industry, while maintaining a sense of close community.
For more information about PWFA and its activities,
visit www.pac-west.org or contact Amy Nijjar at amy@pacwest.org
or 562-799-5509.
PACIFIC-WEST FASTENER ASSOCIATION

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 125

126
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
NELSON VALDERRAMA HOW ROCKSTAR CFOs SOLVE THE INFLATION PUZZLE from page 68
¤ Give special consideration to workers most
affected by inflation and adjust accordingly.
¤ Transparency, what about explaining how
compensation is set broadly, and how workers’ pay is
competitive with the broader market. This worked really
well on a mid size distributor this year to retain key
talent.
Improve Working Capital (WC)
Improving WC is cheaper and less risky than eliciting
new bank loans, other debt instruments or equity . It will
inevitably be more painful to cut costs than improving
your company’s working capital can also help provide
visibility on how efficiently your company utilizes their
invested capital. How?
¤ Managing inventory, it’s important to pursue
optimization without compromising service levels or
risking stock-outages. This means identifying and
rationalizing underperforming SKUs (stock keeping units)
so that your company can focus on what they do best -
which in this case are their A and B products.
¤ Improve the cash conversion cycle by instilling rigor
in the process to monitor, track slippage and identify
emerging trends. Feed this analysis back into operations
so they can tailor customer
engagements with a focus on
outstanding accounts. Sometimes
small actions make the difference.
For example a Rockstar fractional
CFO challenged many of his clients
to have their customers pay by ACH
instead of paper checks.
¤ Improve payment discipline
by overhauling internal processes.
Improve the timing and lengthen
terms with your suppliers to get
quick, reliable payments that meet
cash-flow needs.
Pricing For Profitability
The days where CFOs could rely on their ability to
affect cost are long gone. With products becoming more
complex and fast-changing markets, unlocking prices has
become a much higher priority for many companies in
order not only stay competitive but also maximize profits
through innovation.
It’s not enough to simply view products on a cost-plus
basis. To truly understand profitability at the customer,
product and volume levels—what we call dynamic pricing
—you need clear data about how much each decision will
contribute towards your overall profitability.
Upgrading Costing Practices
Analyzing the cost pressures across your business
can give you insight into what lies ahead for specific
products. How fast is your average price increase
compared to the individual costs for each SKU, for
example?
The chart below (Figure 1) shows the results of a
distributor’s pricing change for one particular product.
They had not updated the cost or price practices until
the end of December 2019. Even so, the GM% was
almost zero around Jan 2022. The decision to drastically
change prices finally came with the realization that either
information or processes were outdated.
Here, Intuilize made it possible for this distributor to
revamp their processes, standard, actual and forecast
costing in weeks.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 154

METROPOLITAN FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCATION
25th
ANNUAL GOLF OUTING - SEPTEMBER 10-11, 2022

128
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
SPIROL CHOOSING THE PROPER FASTENER WHEN AUTOMATING from page 70
In order to utilize traditional automating methods,
headed parts should be able to hang by the head. A good
rule of thumb is that there should be a minimum of a
20% differential between the head and body diameter in
order to provide enough distinction to allow for orienting
and hanging the parts. If the diameter differential can
be held between 20%-30%, additional tooling costs can
be avoided. Headed parts that do not have a consistent
head diameter, or are inconsistent beneath the head
tend to get jammed on the feed rail. Flat heads are also
better than round heads for automatic installation. This
is because it is easier to press a flat insertion quill onto
a flat surface versus a round surface while keeping the
fastener straight at the same time. The added costs
to feed, orient, and install headed fasteners make it
fundamental to ensure that the application truly requires
a headed fastener before specifying one.
Non-headed, non-symmetrical fasteners must also
have some differential in order to use the traditional
feeding method of hanging on a set of rails. This
differential can be a 20% difference between body and
feature diameter, or a significant weight imbalance of at
least 10% between the ends of the fastener. (Basically,
when put in a set of rails, the natural tendency of the
fastener should be to fall in one particular direction every
time.) If this is not the case, a more complex method
of orienting is necessary. There are several methods to
choose from: vision, laser, optical sensor, or a gaging
bushing. However, by using a symmetrical fastener
companies can save significantly on the cost of the
automation equipment.
Symmetrical
Fasteners that are symmetrical and have a continuous
profile are ideal for automating. They are the easiest to
feed because they require minimal orientation. Basically,
all you need is a machine that will deliver the parts in a
straight line to the feed tube. Once oriented, these parts
are typically fed in a tube down to some type of insertion
equipment. Some examples of these include straight
(dowel) pins, grooved pins, knurled pins, slotted spring
pins, and coiled spring pins.
There are some disadvantages associated with
some of these fasteners. For
example, the straight dowel
pin is highly dependent
on the host material
for retention. This
means that the cost of
the hole preparation
can be expensive
since reaming
is required to
achieve the
necessary tight tolerances. (The exception is when these
pins are used in plastic, because the holes are molded.)
To compensate for some of the
disadvantages of
the straight solid
dowel pins, the
grooved pins and knurled
pins were developed. The diameter across the grooves
and knurls is designed to be larger than the hole. When
a hardened grooved pin is used for strength, the host
material deforms but not to the same extent as a
straight solid pin.
The knurled pin is designed to cut its way in the
host component, however neither
the knurled nor the grooved
pin requires the tight
tolerances that the
straight solid pins do.
Regardless, insertion
forces are usually much
higher for all types of solid pins, which can dramatically
affect the cost of the automation equipment. In
addition, since solid pins require deformation of the
host material for retention, there is the possibility
for cracked and/or damaged components during the
installation process.
To compensate for the disadvantages of the solid
pin, the spring pin was developed. When a spring pin is
driven into a hole, the spring action of the pin allows it to
compress as it assumes the diameter of the hole. Once
installed, the radial force exerted by the pin against the
hole wall provides self-retention.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 156

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 129
ND Industries is pleased
to announce that Ryan
Nystrom has been hired
as General Manager of its
Cleveland, Ohio processing
facility.
Ryan comes to ND
having previously worked
as an industrial engineer,
manufacturing engineer, and
plant manager. Ryan’s past
success and his utilization of
lean manufacturing will be a
benefit to ND as he begins
his new position.
Ryan’s initial task is to
successfully incorporate the
workload from the planned
consolidation of the ND
New Jersey Division, while
enhancing the relationship
experience for the ND
Cleveland plant’s current
customers. Operational
efficiencies and investment
in additional personnel and
equipment will support this
goal.
Ryan is eager to put his
skills to use at ND Industries.
“I believe my ability to
critically analyze operations
will allow us to recognize
areas of opportunity within
all business processes.
Identifying, analyzing, and
improving areas of waste
and inefficiency will allow
us to improve production
throughput, customer service
communication and shipping
operations.”
A family owned business
since 1955, ND Industries
specializes in the development
of innovative materials and
processes which increase the
safety and reliability of fastener
assemblies. Headquartered outside
Detroit, Michigan, ND serves a global
market with 13 divisions in the
continental US, facilities in Taiwan,
China, and Turkey, and licensees
around the world.
ND’s core business revolves
around the application of a wide
variety of materials onto fasteners
and assemblies to aid in functions
such as locking, sealing, masking,
lubricating, and noise and vibration
dampening. ND also manufactures
a line of bottled adhesive and
sealant products under the Vibra-
Tite brand name for MRO and retail
use.
As a fully integrated supplier ND
is a cost effective, highly responsive
alternative to products and services
from companies such as Loctite®,
3M®, Nylok®, and Long-Lok®
For more information contact ND
Industries at 1000 North Crooks Road,
Clawson, MI 48017. Tel: 248-288-
0000, Fax: 248-288-0022, Email:
info@ndindustries.com or visit them
online at www.ndindustries.com.

130
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
STAFDA SUNSET ON SAN DIEGO: STAFDA’S 46TH ANNUAL CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW from page 72
As you might expect, Bear Grylls’ keynote speech
was riveting. The extreme British adventurer discussed
the elements he considers essential for resilience and
overcoming obstacles: failure, fear, fire, and faith. His
presentation was humble, witty, and inspiring.
Trade Show exhibitors kicked out all the stops
bringing new products to demo, offering special STAFDAonly
pricing, and meeting one-on-one with decision makers
from distribution companies of all sizes. The Trade Show
footprint was 10% larger than STAFDA’s 2021 Orlando
Show so attendees had more to see and experience.
Within the exhibit hall, attendees could also visit the
Tech & Consultants Pavilions to test business-building
software, receive advice on company issues, uncover
discounted services, and enjoy face-to-face conversations
with the industry’s best service providers and business
experts. Nearly 50% of this year’s Tech Pavilion vendors
were participating in their first STAFDA Convention.
Tuesday’s Economic Workshop featuring Alan
Beaulieu tackled hot areas of concern including inflation,
supply chain issues, and the possibility of an impending
recession. To keep the STAFDA economy booming, the
Trade Show then reopened for four and a half hours, giving
exhibitors and distributors more time to work together
to bolster business in the construction world. The Some
Like It Yacht Closing Party brought attendees together
one more time to enjoy a beautiful San Diego sunset on
the harbor next to the beautiful boats, while enjoying a
delicious meal.
STAFDA’s 47th Annual Convention & Trade Show
will be November 5-7, 2023, in San Antonio. Registration
opens June 26 at 8:00 a.m. (Central). You must be a
member to attend.
STAFDA Sales PRO 2.0 Workshops Announced
STAFDA and the Association’s
Sales Consultant, Paul Reilly,
will be offering members three,
day-and-a-half Sales PRO 2.0
workshops utilizing Paul’s
recently revised Sales PRO 2.0
manual for outside sales professionals. To be held
this spring, the programs will be in Phoenix, Chicago,
and Atlanta. Attendees will learn what it means to be
a STAFDA Sales Pro, time and territory management,
acquiring new business, the four elements of a sales call,
and protecting and growing existing business. Members
should visit the members-only section of stafda.org for
details and registration information.
For more information on STAFDA membership, please
contact Catherine Usher, STAFDA Member Services Director,
at 262-784-4774 or cusher@stafda.org.
SPECIALTY TOOLS & FASTENERS DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION

STAFDA 46th
ANNUAL CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW
SAN DIEGO, CA - OCTOBER 30 – NOVEMBER 1, 2022

132
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
GLOBALFASTENERNEWS.COM DESTEFANO: DISTRIBUTOR WEBSITES NEED B2C COMFORT WITH B2B STRENGTH from page 74
[6] Sales reps need to know what is expected of
them, what their incentives are and “the consequences
of willful neglect or non-compliance,” DeStefano said.
¤ Websites must give product information, including
name, photos, coding and description.
“You’re also in the business of knowledge” and
distributors need to be the “Go-to-resource for businessbuilding
ideas,” DeStefano said.
He suggests 350+ word educational posts that can
start with FAQs your salespeople hear from customers.
Your website needs to be “keyword rich” with what
customers are searching for.
Videos need only be three to 10 minutes in length.
Be aware of audio quality and make sure your video is
copyrighted.
Content is critical and can be the “1-2 punch,”
DeStefano said. Distributors can differentiate with
educational and “rich product information.”
¤ “Make it easy for customers to buy the way they
want,” DeStefano emphasized.
¤ Attract new customers from search engines. He
noted that 80% of B2B customers find suppliers instead
of seller finding the buyers. Google is the #1 search
engine.
¤ Try pay-per-click marketing. “You buy your way
in,” DeStefano pointed out. “Run a results-focused paid
search campaign,” he said.
¤ Social media, such as LinkedIn, is being
increasingly used in B2B, DeStefano noted.
¤ Measure marketing and sales results by ‘profitable’
sales,” DeStefano emphasized.
Source: www.SVMsolutions.com
GLOBALFASTENERNEWS.COM
NCFA A YEAR OF EVENTS TO REMEMBER from page 76
There was also an array of door prizes given out
to guests. A special thanks to the companies that
sponsored this event - AFC Industries/Master Distribution,
BrightonBest International, Buckeye Fasteners Company,
GL Huyett, INxSQL Software, and Kanebridge Corp. The
NCFA wishes all of its members, sponsors, industry
friends and their families a very happy, healthy holiday
season!
Save These Dates In 2023
March 4 Distributor Social
September 7 Screw Open Golf Outing
A full list of events will be available at www.ncfaonline.
com once finalized
NCFA 2023 Board of Directors
PRESIDENT: Mike Robinson (Star Stainless)
VICE-PRESIDENT: John Kovatch (AFC Industries)
TREASURER: Ken Graham (BoltsandNuts.com)
RECORDING SECRETARY:
Gary Graham (BoltsandNuts.com)
TRUSTEES:
Kim Arnold (Brighton-Best International)
Dave Audia (G.L. Huyett)
Vince Dimora (Wurth Industries)
Krista Osborne (Brighton-Best International)
Marty Nolan (R.L.English)
Joe Shoemaker (Elgin Fastener)
Kurt Triptow (Endries)
Laura Vath (Solution Industries)
Jackie Ventura (Ventura Industrial Products)
For more information about the NCFA or its events, visi
their website at www.ncfaonline.com.
NORTH COAST FASTENER ASSOCIATION

134
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
IMSM ISO’S ROLE IN QUALITY MAINTENANCE WITHIN THE FASTENERS INDUSTRY from page 80
ISO 27001, an Information Security Management
System (ISMS) standard, holds just as much value as
ISO 9001. Implementing a cybersecurity system will
soon become an essential requirement set in place by
the Department of Defense for businesses wishing to
become or remain a supplier.
As the global benchmark for a business to maintain
a quality management system (QMS), ISO 9001 is
essential for a company to meet operational efficiency
requirements and continuous improvement standards.
Both standards improve internal efficiency and
eliminate the number of process errors and inefficiencies.
Reducing errors ensures a consistent process approach
for equipment to be manufactured at an appropriate
standard.
Sequentially, the minimization of errors will increase
the confidence and trust of interested parties in the
fastener tools and equipment manufactured by the
business. Any company that has earned an ISO 9001 or
ISO 27001 certification will prove to potential suppliers,
customers, and stakeholders that its operations and
machinery are legally compliant and committed to quality.
How Does Integrating An ISO 9001 Quality
Management System Help The Fastener
Industry?
The durability, functionality, legality, and quality
of fasteners are vital factors for suppliers, clients and
stakeholders when choosing a trustworthy business
operating in this sector. It is becoming increasingly
evident that several interested parties could demand
proof of your business’s quality by requesting an ISO
9001 certification, or evidence of your security system
with ISO 27001 certification.
By earning ISO 9001 certification for your business,
those interested can be confident that your business’s
processes ensure quality standards. The certification
proves your business can reduce expenses by minimizing
needless waste, power, and energy. Operations will
become streamlined due to improved efficiency when
analyzing documents and inefficiencies objectively.
ISO 9001 will refine your current management
system and build onto that framework by surpassing the
expected standards. In the fastener industry, a business
will improve the management system’s operational
performance to ensure that fasteners such as nuts,
bolts and screws are manufactured to a high-performing
standard.
How Does ISO 9001 And ISO 27001 Relate
To The Fastener Industry?
The three primary steel fasteners utilized today are
stainless steel, carbon steel, and alloy steel. These
fasteners are used universally within the automotive,
construction, and arms industry and are essential to the
function of our daily equipment.
Any fastener business implementing ISO 9001
or ISO 27001 alongside its processes will benefit
from the standard’s rewards. Operational management
will become more streamlined as waste, energy, and
unnecessary steps are reduced according to a business’s
quality management processes. There will be more clarity
and control across the organization as methods, actions
and plans are documented, allowing staff to understand
their roles and functions within an organization.
Implementing an ISO 27001 information security
management system (ISMS) is an essential asset that
makes your operations demonstrate best practices with
information security and EU General Data Protection
Regulation (GDPR).
Developed fasteners such as screws, clamps, and
bolts will be manufactured to a high-standardized and
legally compliant level, reducing errors, inconsistencies,
and inaccuracies across the entire organization.
Reducing errors and inaccuracies will increase your
business’s market potential as customers will develop
an improved relationship of trust and confidence in your
manufacturing products and operations.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 135

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 135
IMSM ISO’S ROLE IN QUALITY MAINTENANCE WITHIN THE FASTENERS INDUSTRY from page 134
About IMSM
IMSM (International Management Systems Marketing)
has been providing specialized ISO consultancy services
since 1994. Their flexible and fixed fee services are
provided to businesses worldwide seeking advice and
consultation on obtaining ISO certification.
Certification is secured by independent assessment
with IMSM’s sister company QAS International, which has
helped over 5,000 businesses achieve ISO certification.
With a mission to deliver high-quality ISO services,
using the latest technology to organizations of all sizes
and sectors internationally, achieving ISO certification is
simple with IMSM.
One case study from CSM Fastener Products, a leading
manufacturer of specialty fasteners for over 25 years in the
USA, quotes, “Since successfully completing the processes,
CSM has enjoyed a 30% reduction in good returned.”
Engineered Components Company (ECC), based in
Elgin, Illinois, has also implemented ISO 9001 through the
help of IMSM. ECC has been distributing threaded and nonthreaded
fasteners across the USA since 1983 and now
maintains the industry’s most extensive catalogue of highquality
fastener products. To describe the implementation
process of ISO 9001, ECC stated, “it started off being
a bit difficult, but once the understanding kicked in, it
became less complicated.”
IMSM’s regional director Scott Mersch has had
personal experience helping clients from the Fastener
industry achieve their ISO 9001 and ISO 27001
certification.
For those interested in ISO certification, Scott Mersch
can be contacted via e-mail at ScottMersch@imsm.com.
Alternatively, visit our website www.imsm.com for more ISOrelated
information.
IMSM LTD.

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SOUTHEASTERN FASTENER ASSOCIATION
PO Box 448, Elba, AL 36323 TEL 847-370-9022 FAX 847-516-6728 EMAIL sefa@thesefa.com WEB www.thesefa.com
SEFA ANNOUNCES 2023 CONFERENCE DESTINATION by Nancy Rich
The 2023 SEFA Spring Conference will be held at
Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Miramar Beach,
FL. This venue offers everything in one location with
shuttles to transport visitors to the town, golf courses,
beach etc. The event returns to this popular destination
where attendees can enjoy the many amenities while
attending the conference. The 2 ½ day event features
several sessions offering attendees, social events,
ASSOCIATION ARTICLE
golf, business meetings, entertainment, and industry
networking.
More details will be available on the SEFA website as
plans are finalized. Visit SEFA online at www.thesefa.com.
SEFA Welcomes New Members
Ameribolt - Houston, TX
Big Bolt LLC - Bloomingdale
SOUTHEASTERN FASTENER ASSOCIATION

Fastener distributor The Olander Company,
Inc. has confirmed last month that they are now
certified by ISO, the International Organization for
Standardization, as meeting the high standards for
quality outlined in their ISO 9001:2015 edition.
When serving industries like medical
technology, semiconductor manufacturing,
and automotive and aerospace engineering, a
meticulous quality management system is key.
Olander’s internal processes focus on continuous
improvement and thorough documentation. “Our
policy is that Olander meets or exceeds our
customer’s requirements with quality products
at competitive prices, through our Quality
Management System (QMS) and continuous
improvement process,” says Richard Thiedt,
Operations and Quality Manager at Olander, who
oversaw the auditing and certification process.
“We’re glad to finally be certified,” he continued.
“It has always been a priority for us at Olander to
be excellent corporate partner to our customers,
and they’ll now have the additional assurance of
our ISO certification. We stand by our products
and services, and constantly work to improve.”
ISO quality standards evolve and are updated
periodically; Olander’s certification indicates
that the company will update its systems in
accordance with the standard when necessary.
For now, they continue to forge ahead with their
already-successful 2022 business year: “ISO
9001:2015 Certification is not us trying to
‘check a box’ because it is the latest initiative
or corporate fad,” remarks David Byrne, CEO.
“Olander is embracing the spirit of ISO and
continuous improvement because we believe
it will make us a better company, and improve
the quality of the products and services we offer
our customers, in the long run. We are excited
about our future. And I am so grateful for the
dedication of our Quality Team and all of our
employees, who did the hard work to earn this
certification.”
For more information contact The Olander
Company, Inc. at 144 Commercial Street,
Sunnyvale, CA 94086. Tel: 408-735-1850,
Email: rfq@olander.com or visit them online at
www.olander.com.
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 141

142
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
ROB LaPOINTE FASTENER SCIENCE: SALT SPRAY TESTING PER ASTM B117 from page 94
This is a mutually beneficial arrangement as it
enables both atoms to have a full outer energy shell.
Atoms like full energy shells, it makes them more stable.
Salt is dissolved in water by the polar nature of the
water molecule (Figure 3) and the ionic nature sodium
and chlorine atoms. This interaction splits the sodium
chloride molecules into their respective atomic ions
that are electrically charged. The positive sodium ion is
drawn to the negative oxygen side of the water molecule
and the negative chlorine ion is drawn to the positive
hydrogen side. This electrical soup of atoms allows the
ease of electron exchange from one atom to the next.
The ease of movement of electrons in a material is
what makes that material electrically conductive. This
is precisely why saltwater conducts electricity, but ultrapure
water (deionized) does not. So, if you must blow-dry
your hair in the bathtub, make sure you are bating in
deionized water. But be careful even then; it only takes
a small amount of salt off your skin to make the water
conductive.
Because saltwater is an ionic solution, it speeds up the
ionization and subsequent chemistry that occurs when
iron meets water.
Salt Spray Per ASTM B117
ASTM B117, now in its 20th revision as B117-
19, is the most often used standard for salt spray
(salt fog) testing. The standard includes requirements
on the salt solution concentration and purity, the
instrumentation and delivery of the salt mist, the
environmental conditions and monitoring of the chamber,
guidelines for specimen preparation and placement, and
instruction for the evaluation of results. Altogether, it is
a comprehensive method document with close tolerance
on process parameters which, when followed, allow for
a comparative testing platform to measure a products
resistance to saltwater corrosion.
The instrument is a chamber (Figure 1) that atomizes
a 5% saltwater solution into a saltwater mist which
surrounds the product. For comparison, the concentration
of salt in ocean water is about 3.5 %, so the chamber
FIGURE 4 SALT SPRAY IS MORE LIKE A SALTY CLOUD
environment is about twice as salty as the ocean but
significantly less dense. The term salt spray is not
representative of the delivery of atomized saltwater to
the product. It’s much more of a fog or mist that hangs
in the air around the product (see figure 4). Imagine
walking through a cloud of water vapor that tastes salty
and you’re pretty much there. The air temperature in
the chamber is regulated at around 95° F (35° C) which
would be similar to the air just above the ocean’s surface
in the tropics, but saltier.
Products being tested are place on non-pooling racks
or hung inside the chamber not touching each other.
The idea is to have as much of the product as possible
in contact with the fog rather than a support and to not
allow saltwater to condense around the product. Salt
fog is sprayed into the chamber and free to circulate
around the product. The rate of delivery of the salt fog
is measured by a collection system consisting of a
calibrated funnel that catches condensate and allows it
to drip into a collector to be measured daily for volume
and the potential of hydrogen (pH). A pH of 6.5-7.2
is required to be maintained. If the pH drifts above or
below this range, base or acid is added to bring the pH
in range. Since salt spray tests can last for many days,
having a chamber that continuously runs unmonitored
(except for daily monitoring checks) is essential.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 143

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 143
ROB LaPOINTE FASTENER SCIENCE: SALT SPRAY TESTING PER ASTM B117 from page 142
Evaluation Of Results
Once the test duration has been completed, the
product is removed from the chamber and evaluated.
B117 allows for the product to be washed with clean
running water not hotter than 100° F (38° C) to wash
off salt deposits from the surface. The product should
be dried and inspected with good lighting for indications
of rust. Passing or failing of products is according to
manufacturing or drawing specification requirements.
ASTM B117 provides no requirement from which to
declare a pass or fail.
Typically, requirements for a 48-hour test duration
are something like “No white corrosion within 24 hours
and no red corrosion within 48 hours.” A two-stage
requirement like this mandates that an evaluation
observation must be made at the halfway point of the
test and documented. In the absence of a particular
in-process requirement, evaluation observations are not
typically made during daily monitoring and maintenance
checks.
FIGURE 5 WHITE AND RED RUST ON ZINC PLATED
SELF-DRILLING SCREW
White corrosion or white rust occurs on zinc coated
surfaces like galvanized or electrically plated zinc fasteners
(see Figure 5). On these products, red rust occurs when
the zinc layer is compromised or incomplete.
ROB LaPOINTE / AIM TESTING LABORATORY

144
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
LAURENCE CLAUS RETAINING RINGS from page 96
The problem often associated with this practice is
that when two mating parts are built at opposing tolerance
limits, their fit together may be loose resulting in what
engineers called “end play”. When too much “end play” is
present, the resulting operation can be noisy or “chatter”.
If too little, the components could be at risk of improper
assembly.
¤ Are there space limitations?
Is there potential that the ring could prevent the
operation of another component? Several styles exist that
provide design flexibility to solve problems when another
component must pass through the ring or the ring comes
in close proximity with another component during its
rotational cycle.
¤ Are tamper-proof or self-locking features
desired?
[2] INSTALLATION CONSIDERATION
What is the best direction of assembly? Rings can
be assembled both onto external shafts or internal bore
holes. The typical installation involves either expanding a
ring to fit into a groove on an external shaft or compressing
a ring to fit into an internal bore hole. All internal rings are
installed axially (horizontally). External rings, however, may
be installed axially (horizontally) or radially (vertically).
[3] DETERMINE THE RING SIZE
Determine the ring size by either measuring the shaft
or bore hole diameters. In cases where the ring is to fit
into a groove, the width of the groove is also required.
[4] MATERIAL
The designer must assess the application environment
and determine if normal or severe application conditions
exist. The answer to this question is usually sufficient
to provide guidance regarding the best material choice.
Although rings can be made out of a variety of materials
the three most common ring materials are spring steel,
stainless steel, and copper derivatives.
[5] SURFACE FINISHES/COATINGS
Most rings receive some sort of surface finishing
process to improve their corrosion protection capability.
The designer must consider the material choice made in
step 4 and the application environmental requirements to
determine if additional protection is required.
[6] INSTALLATION METHOD
These rings can be assembled manually or automatically.
The designer must consider who will be assembling the ring
and with what frequency. A user that makes hundreds or
even thousands of assemblies each day is likely going to
need an automated assembly process whereas a user of
only a small quantity at a time can use a manual assembly
process. Although it is not recommended that the assembler
use fingers, hammers, or other improvised tooling, these
rings can be assembled using a straight bladed screw driver,
special pliers, or automated assembly tools.
[7] PACKAGING
Rings can be purchased in bulk or in packaging where
the rings are aligned and ready for automated assembly
practices.
Types of Retainer Rings
Taper Rings or Axial Assembled Rings
These rings, also referred to as Housing Rings (Figure
2) or Shaft Rings (Figure 3) depending on whether they are
utilized internally or externally, respectively, are a nearly
fully round ring with body section decreasing in thickness
from the top to free end opening. This geometry assures
that once the part resumes its original shape after being
compressed or expanded for installation that the ring tightly
contacts the groove along its entire edge. This engagement
over the entire groove makes this type of pin the best
choice where high thrust forces are present. This style of
ring is installed axially and is usually designed with lugs and
lug holes at the free end to accommodate a tool that either
compresses or expands the ring for installation.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 158

INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO
MANDALAY BAY, LAS VEGAS - OCTOBER 18-19, 2022
CONTINUED ON PAGE 151

146
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
GUY AVELLON WHAT DISTRIBUTORS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT JOINT STRENGTH from page 98
The deformation of the joint is J, from J to B. The
total joint load is S.
Any force change in the bolt, Fb, is represented by
X-Y, which increases the strain from B to C. A construction
line is drawn parallel to the slope of the strain of the bolt
and is moved downwards to intersect the line Y-C at
point Z. This is the load change in the joint, Fj, where
J is the compression of the joint members and F is the
service load.
Therefore, X-Y is the change in bolt load, Fb, and
Y-Z represents the change in the joint load, Fj, which
equals the service load.
fasteners will experience less variation in preload when
the clamping members are compressed. The joint will
have more of an equal distribution of axial loads in the
fasteners when dynamically and cyclically loaded.
The fasteners with a shorter grip length and larger
diameter will be able to absorb more axial loading when
the clamped members are compressed. This means that
the varying stiffness of multiple fasteners in a joint will
have the fasteners that are more stiff than the others be
more susceptible to overload in certain conditions.
Therefore, stiffness is a function of the shape of the
body of the fastener as much as the material used. A
longer bolt can experience greater strain than the shorter
bolt and a smaller diameter bolt can have a longer
fatigue life if the bolt is long.
The external tension load (Lx) required to produce a
change of force and strain in the bolt and joint members
is equal to the increase in force on the bolt (Fb) plus
the reduction of force in the joint (Fj):
FIGURE 5
The bolt only experiences a portion of any external
tension load on the joint. The amount of tension it sees
depends upon the stiffness ratio between the bolt and the
joint. It is the magnitude of the external load on the bolt that
depends on the preload (Fp) of the bolt.
If the service load is cyclic (Figure 5) and becomes
greater than the preload, then conditions are set for
vibrational loosening and/or metal fatigue.
The softest member of the joint will dominate the
behavior of the joint. This is especially true if the softer
member yields, which will limit the amount of force it will
be able to support. Most joints will be solid but be aware
of the effects of dissimilar materials and gasket joints.
For a given preload, a joint with more compliant
Remember, all materials act as springs and the
joint acts in parallel to the bolt. The amount of load each
spring generates for a given displacement is proportional
to the individual stiffness in each spring. Hooke’s Law
may also be applied to determine the amount of load lost
or gained by joint displacement or relaxation.
Applying Hooke’s Law in a fastened joint, for every
0.001” of joint relaxation, per inch of loaded bolt length
or joint thickness, there will be a loss of approximately
30,000 psi of clamp load.
GUY AVELLON

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 147

148
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
BRUNO MARBACHER THREAD FORMING SCREWS FOR COST-EFFICIENT FASTENING IN METAL AND PLASTIC from page 100
Pointed tapping screws are frequently used. The point
eases assembly if the holes in the sheets are misaligned.
Tapping screws with blunt point reduce the risk of
injury during installation. etc. The first few threads of
the blunt point are not fully formed, thus are facilitating
the initial thread
forming process.
The point length is
25 % shorter than
the gimlet point
length, Hence the
point protrudes less, reducing the clearance necessary
on the reverse of a fastened panel or for making more
thread available on a given length screw.
The rounded point (Form R) is a compromise between
the two previously mentioned thread point.
Proper Use
Tapping screws are case hardened and therefore
exhibit limited toughness. Tapping screws are typically
used to hold things in place, they snugly pull parts
together but should not induce a clamp load.
For an ideal assembly, the tensile strength of the
sheet metal should not exceed 500 MPa ( ~ 72 000 psi).
For a thread to form, the sheet metal thickness must
be more than the thread pitch (P) of the tapping screw.
If it’s less, the sides of the hole will only be pushed into
the spaces between the tapping screw threads. Thread
forming only takes place in thicker sheets. It should be
noted for assembly purposes that the thread run-out
under the screw head can be maximum or equal to the
thread pitch (1xP), usually specified in product standards.
If the material thickness is larger than 2 x thread
pitch, it would be better to use thread-forming screws with
regular thread forming threads (Taptite).
Usually, the top sheet has a through hole. The screw
thread fastens itself in the sheet below. The pull-out force
depends on the thickness of that sheet.
Hole size recommendations for inch size tapping
screws can be found in the IFI standards handbook. For
metric size the recommended pilot hole diameters are
shown DIN 7975. DIN 7975 limits the information on
core holes to sheets with a thickness between 1xP and
2xP. P being the thread pitch.
Smaller diameters for soft and/or thin sheets, larger
pilot holes for thicker and/or harder sheets. With these
recommendations, the driving torques can be kept within
a reasonable range.
The total thickness of all the parts to be assembled
must be bigger than the thread pitch. The reason being,
the thread runout under the head is bigger than the pitch,
meaning the screws could not be tightened properly.
Increasing Pull-Out Force
If the total thickness of the assembled parts is 1xPitch
or less, there is a strong probability that the screw will
strip out during assembly and in use.
If this thickness cannot be achieved, then one of the
versions as illustrated above should be applied.
A stamped “Prestole” thread also increases the
pullout force. The screw is driven “freely” into the internal
thread.
In the appliance and automotive industry, speed nuts
(sheet metal nuts) or Tinnerman nuts are frequently
applied. The sheet metals are furnished with through
holes that are larger than the tapping screw diameter.
The sheet metal nut is pushed over the edge of the
second sheet The spring effect secures the assembled
screw against spontaneous loosening.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 164

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 149
NATIONAL FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION
3020 Old Ranch Parkway #300, Seal Beach CA 90740 TEL 562-799-5509 EMAIL nfda@nfda-fastener.org WEB www.nfda-fastener.org
NFDA LOOKS AHEAD TO 2023 by Amy Nijjar
The National Fastener Distributors Association has
announced the 2023 calendar of events:
Events Calendar 2023
March 16 Virtual Program
May 11 Virtual Program
June 13-14 Annual Meeting (Chicago, IL)
September 28 CEO and Executive Virtual Roundtables
October 25-27 The Executive Summit (Scottsdale, AZ)
November 30 Virtual Program
December 14 NFDA and YFP Virtual Holiday Party
ASSOCIATION ARTICLE
NFDA is a non-profit trade association serving
the North American fastener industry. Professionals
throughout the fastener industry, both distributors and
manufacturers, whose businesses range in size from
small family firms to large multinational corporations,
have each found that NFDA’s services and benefits
provide them with opportunities that are unequaled and
unavailable anywhere else.
NFDA provides a variety of opportunities to train and
educate both the leaders of fastener companies as well as
their employees. Networking and industry discussions play
a crucial role in the association and opportunities to meet
with industry peers and network are routinely available.
For more information about NFDA and its activities,
visit www.nfda-fastener.org or contact Amy Nijjar at amy@
nfda-fastener.org or 503-307-1809.
NATIONAL FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION

150
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
ROBERT FOOTLIK ARE YOU READY FOR THE COMING STORM? from page 112
Another intangible is elimination of damage. The
direct cost of destroyed inventory is easy to compute,
cleaning, sorting and re-boxing is harder to quantify.
Dropping a case or pallet from a rack or high-lifted pallet
is at best a clean-up job and at worst a time consuming
incident that gets very expensive. Here too enforcement
of safety rules and an emphasis on quality not quantity of
output can save lives and money.
When it comes to the physical inventory, and ultimately
customer orders, the only acceptable quality goal is 100%
perfection. No excuses, just get it right the first time.
Receivers initiate the accuracy of what arrives,
stockers ensure that the materials are put away in the
right location and pickers are responsible for pulling the
orders perfectly.
Anything wrong costs the company money and
potentially customers. In an economic downturn, the last
thing you want to do is disappoint a customer or throw
money away handling errors. If perfection is expected and
rewarded, everyone benefits.
Remember that the warehouse is a reflection of
sales. Changes in customers, engineering specifications
and customer needs are frequently painfully obvious in
the warehouse. With the Federal Government funding
give away programs to buy votes, using money we do not
have, spending in other areas will be cut. For example,
cancellations in military spending lead to cancellations of
production orders, which leads to cancellation of fastener
orders, which leads to warehouses with now obsolete or
dead inventory. Communicating this to everyone can lead
to profitable solutions instead of bankruptcy.
In a recession foolish academics tout inventory
reduction thru the elimination of slow moving materials.
The reality is that as customers cut back on their
inventories they rely more on what the distributor can
supply. This means that your “C” and “D” items are vital
to production and disappointing the buyers will force them
to move your company to a lower level of desirability. More
than ever being the buyer’s “first call” means profiting from
the economic slowdown. Fight for your “dead” inventory.
It is already paid for, often deeply depreciated and
occupies relatively little warehouse space. Slow moving,
but desirable products are the “fetcher items” that keep
customers coming back. We saw what happened to the
supply chain during the Covid pandemic. Do not artificially
create problems. Fight for retaining the “C” and “D” items;
you are the customer’s advocate as well as your own.
Objective: Increasing Inventory Turns & Earns
As interest rates soar, inflation skyrockets and the
economy rises, some simple math provides the path to
profits. If you pay for inventory once a month and sell it
as fast as it arrives to a customer who pays cash, who
owns the inventory? Answer, the banking “float.” This
model works well for groceries and produce with 52 turns
of inventory in a year. It is not practical for Fastener
Distributors…or is it? Depending on your customers
and context the more turns you can achieve the better.
Inventory management with a broken supply chain is
challenging, but feasible with some hard work.
No matter what products you market the process
of obtaining the goods is the same. It starts with
raw materials in a country of origin, continues thru
manufacturing somewhere, requires transportation to
you, undergoes storage and handling in your facility and
finally transportation to the customer. At every step, there
are opportunities for expediting production/handling/
inspection and cost reduction. Look for these efficiencies,
nurture relationships, brainstorm, partner and support the
manufacturers and vendors who are the supply chain. For
example, just switching from printed invoices to Electronic
Funds Transfer (EFT) can save weeks of “float.” Moreover,
direct shipments with tight controls can cut days or weeks
from delivery schedules.
Much of the savings from inventory handling can
come from using the “Internet of Things.” Today very few
(if any) in the Industry are doing this. Orders transmitted
to a manufacturer can be directly processed by the same
system that communicates with the equipment on the
factory floor.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 160

INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO
MANDALAY BAY, LAS VEGAS - OCTOBER 18-19, 2022
CONTINUED ON PAGE 153

152
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
CLASS C COMPONENTS DISTRIBUTION EXPERTS TAKE THE HEADACHE OUT OF SOURCING from page 114
[3] Assess Current Stock & Future Requirements
Continued....
c. Secure liability agreements on special
fasteners and parts
d. Confirm the part list
e. Set Vendor Managed Inventory Program
implementation date
[4] Verification & Review
a. Final customer plant walk-through
b. Facility site map created for fastener and other
VMI product stock locations.
c. Print labels, test and verify locations, min/max
levels, and accuracy
[5] Implement & Measure
a. On-Site Training
b. Apply Labels
c. Usage Data & Patterns are available upon
request for future forecasting and planning.
Available VMI Product Categories
⬢ Abrasives
⬢ Adhesives
⬢ Cable Management
⬢ Cutting Tools
⬢ Electrical
⬢ Fasteners
⬢ Metric | Nylon | Pre-applied patch | RoHS Compliant
Stainless | Steel | Zinc
⬢ Fittings
⬢ Janitorial
⬢ Kitting
⬢ Material Handling
⬢ MRO
⬢ Protective Caps
⬢ Safety
⬢ Shipping Products
⬢ Tapes
⬢ Tools
⬢ 3M
Distribution & Specialties
Class C Components offers dock-to-dock, dockto-stock
distribution of thousands of manufacturers,
Custom Labeling and Packaging, Engineering and
Procurement Sourcing Support, and On-Site Fastener
and Parts Kitting.
Inventory Management Specialists, On-Site Parts
Kitting Department / Custom Packaging, Fastener and
Assembly Components, and Supply Chain Solutions.
⬢ Class C Components continually invests in their
corporation and employees to mutually benefit the
company and their most important ally, their customer.
⬢ Climate Controlled Warehouse
⬢ Complete product traceability to the Manufacturer,
Lot, and Order Origin
⬢ Constant Stock Rotations and Shelf Life
Evaluations
⬢ Continuous Inventory Cycle Counting
⬢ Coordinate Product Training with Manufacturers
⬢ On-going investments in hardware, software, and
technology to streamline data and transaction costs from
our facility to our customers’ business.
CONTINED ON PAGE 167

INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO
MANDALAY BAY, LAS VEGAS - OCTOBER 18-19, 2022
CONTINUED ON PAGE 159

154
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
NELSON VALDERRAMA HOW ROCKSTAR CFOs SOLVE THE INFLATION PUZZLE from page 126
Acting Faster
Distributors must be quick on their feet when costs
go up. If a company wants to prevent margins suffering
from cost increases, then prices need to be raised ASAP,
right? The majority of distributors still allow time lags
before making price changes. Even though they now
change prices more frequently, there continues to be a
delay between a distributor’s cost increases and the next
pricing adjustment. Such hesitation can result in 160
basis points worth of margin erosion.
By jumping out of these slower planning cycles,
distributors can speed up their reaction times and make
more informed pricing decisions. That’s where war rooms
come in. War rooms enable the strategic coordination
of your activities while implementing better governance.
This means you can track progress on an ongoing basis
so you know when changes are needed and see when
opportunities arise. Your company will have greater
flexibility with its resources as a result, which will lead to
increased profits in the longer term.
When talking with a Rockstar
CFO this year he said “ As business
leaders we are always fighting the
question, “am a charging a fair price
for my products and services?”
Often, we use the few anecdotal
data points available to us to make
that determination. With Intulize,
we have been able to turn that
art into a science. Furthermore, we
have provided our employees with a
suggested price that they can trust.
It allows them to worry about serving
the customer and the flexibility to
make a good decision”
Optimizing Pricing
Distributors should take advantage of their ERP
system’s pricing capabilities. Many distributors don’t
even know these features exist or don’t know how to
use them, but implementing them is actually not very
difficult. The ERP enables you to set and provide pricing
with a few clicks, while also replicating most of your price
guidelines. This method saves time for team members
while ensuring they follow best practices in controlling
their win rate.
Are you missing out on $200,000 or $500,000 a
year just because you’re not utilizing your ERP system
pricing feature? A simple tweak in the right direction can
help increase profits and save hours of your time every
week.
When inflation strikes, many companies resort to
price increases that tend to be uniform rather than
tailored. Yes, it’s easier and quicker than figuring out
how much everything costs per unit or finding out what
different customers need – but when, as recently, prices
begin to escalate, these simplistic strategies just won’t
do the job.
The chart below (Figure 2) shows how old pricing is
eating away at this distributor’s margins (blue line). They
should have optimized and updated the pricing long ago.
Imagine a typical mid-sized distributor called Distri2020
with 1000 customers. Let’s also assume they have an
average number of active SKUs at around 5000 and at
least 3 quantity breaks (few, medium and many). When you
run the math on that you get a whopping 15 million possible
combinations that need to be priced properly!
CONTINUED ON PAGE 155

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 155
NELSON VALDERRAMA HOW ROCKSTAR CFOs SOLVE THE INFLATION PUZZLE from page 154
Even the most disciplined pricing gurus among us
can attest that – without the right data or models – those
numbers would make it very difficult for any owner, finance
manager or sales manager to deliver an optimal experience
for every customer and for their business bottom line.
Maintaining Discipline
Companies can sometimes be lax in enforcing
their discount policies and their terms and conditions
during stable economic periods. They make so-called
strategic exceptions to their rule when it benefits them
the most. Then BANG! Suddenly an unforeseen event
in a period where unpredictable change occurs such as
with pandemic strikes or mounting inflationary pressure
catches them unawares. A study by Intuilize shows that
only 15% of distributors succeed in passing on more
than 80% of their input-cost increases to customers in a
timely manner.
Rockstar CFOs Don’t Wait –
They Invest In Pricing
The recent rise in inflation provides distributors with
a rare opportunity to transform the way they price their
products and services. There are no signs that inputcost
pressures will subside as 2022 comes to an end,
making it more crucial than ever for distributors to look
forward, not back, if they want their business models
challenged by a higher demand from customers.
Further, the end of inflation does not mean the era
for price instability is over. In order to respond quickly
and accurately in an ever-changing market, distributors
need empowered organizations with the technology
and skills that can secure information advantages as
well as sales leadership capabilities. This demands
new business practices and business transformation in
pricing too!
NELSON VALDERRAMA

156
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
SPIROL CHOOSING THE PROPER FASTENER WHEN AUTOMATING from page 128
Since spring pins do not require deformation of
the material for retention, there is no host component
damage and installation forces are lower. In addition, the
spring pin is able to absorb hole tolerances and minor
hole mismatch. There are two types of spring pins:
slotted and coiled.
Slotted pins are
manufactured with a slot to
allow the pins to flex. The
slotted pin is a great way to
reduce costs when manually
installing the fastener,
however when automating,
it is highly recommended
to select slotted pins types
that are designed specifically
for automatic feeding and
installation. The biggest problem when automating many
types of slotted pins is the non-square ends. The problem
associated with this feature is that when entering the
escapement in the installation machine, the slotted pin
tends to catch on the pin above it in the feed tube, which
prevents pin advancement. Slotted Pins manufactured
per ISO 8752 have a slot width wider than the thickness
of the raw material and thus are prone to interlocking
and jamming the pin inserter. The manufacturing method
of roll forming slotted pins may induce the possibility of
a bowed or banana shaped part. In this scenario, pins
tend to stretch at the slot and contract 180 degrees
from the slot. The stresses imparted to the pins in the
heat treating/quenching process also tend to distort the
pins. If the pin is not straight, it will not pass through the
discharge bushing in the feed bowl, therefore never make
it into the feed tube. Finally, in order to maximize strength,
the slotted pin must be oriented such that the applied
force passes directly through the gap. This can be tricky
to automate, and will be expensive.
In order to compensate for the disadvantages of
both the solid and slotted pin, the coiled spring
pin was developed. These pins are
manufactured from strip material,
and rolled into a spiral spring of
1-1/2 or 2-1/4 coils. There are many
features to this pin that contribute to
trouble-free automation. Coiled
pins cannot nest or interlock
because there are no gaps. In
addition to the spring nature of
the pin, the square, clean-cut
ends, combined with a smooth,
concentric lead-in chamfer and a blended radius eliminates
any sharp edges or angles that may “bite” into the
hole wall, thus reducing insertion forces. The chamfer
concentricity assists in alignment with the host and mating
holes. In addition, this pin does not have to be oriented
for strength. These important attributes can significantly
reduce down time during the production process, decrease
equipment costs, and yield trouble free assembly.
The duty (or material thickness) of the coiled pin can
be varied to provide the optimum combination of strength
and flexibility. The lighter duty pins require less insertion
force, thus reduces the cost of the automation equipment
because a smaller cylinder and/or machine can be used.
In applications where this pin is appropriate, the ease of
automation makes this the lowest installed cost fastener.
Keep in mind that just about anything can be
automated, provided that there is enough time and
money. By adhering to the following basic guidelines,
companies will be able to increase productivity and
avoid unnecessary tooling costs associated with complex
automation equipment.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 157

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 157
SPIROL CHOOSING THE PROPER FASTENER WHEN AUTOMATING from page 156
¤ Specify fasteners with a length to diameter
ratio greater than 1:1.
¤ Ensure that the fasteners are clean and
sorted.
¤ Utilize symmetrical fasteners whenever
possible. This includes avoiding
fasteners that must be oriented for
strength.
¤ Use fasteners that require low
insertion forces, (while still providing
adequate retention).
¤ Design in fasteners that allow for
greater hole tolerances.
¤ If a headed fastener is necessary,
design the fastener such that the
differential in the head and body
diameter is between 20%-30%
By considering the fastener during the design
stage, companies can implement automatic
fastener installation at the lowest installed
cost.
Pin Inserters And Pinning
Systems
SPIROL Pin Inserters
feed all common types of pins -
headed or straight - as well as bushings, rivets,
compression limiters, and many other similar
components. Whether your requirements are for
a standard pin inserter with or without
fixturing or a custom designed
system, we are dedicated to
providing you with the best and
most cost-effective solution.
SPIROL INTERNATIONAL CORP.

158
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
LAURENCE CLAUS RETAINING RINGS from page 144
Although the normal configuration has lugs and lug
holes oriented to the outside of the groove depending
on whether it is internal or external, variants can be
produced that invert these lugs so that they are not in the
way of other potential clashing components. Additionally,
these lugs can be entirely eliminated to create a retaining
ring that is difficult or impossible to remove following
assembly. These are referred to as “tamper-proof” rings.
FIGURE 2: EXAMPLE OF TAPERED HOUSING RING
In instances where a ring is needed to provide
a constant preload to compensate for accumulated
tolerances or reduce the risk of end play, the rings can
be produced with either a bow or a beveled edge. In the
bowed version, the camber in the ring provides spring
tension against the retained component holding it tightly
in-place. In the beveled version, one edge of the ring
and the top edge of the groove are produced with a 15°
bevel angle. When the ring is installed these two angled
surfaces contact one another wedging the ring tightly
against the assembled component.
Constant Section or Horizontal Assembled Rings
These rings referred to as E-Rings (Figure 4), C-Rings,
and POodle Rings, are used exclusively on external
applications and installed horizontally. Unlike the Taper
Rings which go all the way around the shaft or bore hole
circumference, these rings encompass less than the
full circumference. They also do not have lug and lug
holes for installation. For these reasons they are not
able to withstand high thrust forces and are intended for
applications that experience only low thrust loads.
These rings are designed to contact at multiple points
of constant cross section. For example, an E-Ring has
three points of contact, at each of the free ends and in
the middle. The enlarged sections at these three locations
gives the ring its characteristic “E” shape for which it is
named.
FIGURE 3: EXAMPLE OF TAPERED SHAFT RING
FIGURE 4: EXAMPLE OF E-RING
CONTINUED ON PAGE 162

INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO
MANDALAY BAY, LAS VEGAS - OCTOBER 18-19, 2022
CONTINUED ON PAGE 165

160
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
ROBERT FOOTLIK ARE YOU READY FOR THE COMING STORM? from page 150
This provides the ability to know the status of the of professors and authors who are unfamiliar with your
order in new and exciting ways. Adding in more partners context. If everyone is reading and acting upon the same
can tighten everyone’s schedules with highly predicable articles that does not mean that they are correct…only
results. Special orders, “Just-in-Time” components and lemmings. The real experts are all around you at work and
high value products are a good place to start. Fastener even at home. New ideas, new directions and an entirely
Distribution is ripe for increased communication and new way of doing business are waiting for you to find
faster turns.
them.
Objective: Zig When Everyone Else Zags
Astute creative individuals have always found
ways to turn economic downturns into highly profitable
opportunities. National or International economic
recession does not have to lead to individual depression.
Adding inventory intelligently when others are cutting
back is one trick. Talking to your customers to learn their
real needs is another. Accompany your sales personnel,
make phone calls on your own and become integral to the
customers’ teams, including product engineering.
Medical sales personnel leave samples with the
doctors. You should be leaving samples of new products,
lines and concepts with the designers who can incorporate
these materials in new products.
Similarly, ride with your delivery drivers and introduce
yourself to the customer’s operating staff. Leave a card,
small gift or sample, with your contact information.
Chances are that you will be the only one who does this.
Even in a work-from-home age, face-to-face interaction
makes the most new friends for yourself and for your
company.
Add new processes or equipment to enhance
productivity. Some recent innovations in packaging
equipment can double or triple current output without
adding personnel. Acquiring 3-D printing equipment that
uses specialty plastic or metallic materials can significantly
reduce lead-time for replacement or OEM parts. This may
be the impetus for a new division or marketing opportunity
that further binds your customer to you as a distribution
partner.
Just ignore the “expert advice” provided by a plethora
Objective: Learn From The Past
Examining history is always a good idea. In previous
recent recessionary periods, women coming into the
labor pool bailed out the country. New innovations in
communications and computers raised our economy from
an economic pit more than once, but what has always
been the “secret sauce” is productivity. The United States
has always had the highest productivity in the world, but
China and others are catching up.
It costs the same or more to buy land, build a factory
or warehouse, equip the operation and manufacture
products anywhere in the world. Robotics and automation
are rapidly leveling the international marketplace. When
labor is removed from a process, cheap labor becomes
irrelevant. Watch for “re-shoring” opportunities, buy
domestic production (saving weeks of in-transit inventory)
or become more vertically integrated by producing more of
your raw materials, feedstock and packaging. Research
the web for articles that will provide more insights.
Objective: Enhance Your Career
Regardless of the depth and length of a depression
or recession, becoming both preemptive and proactive in
dealing with the rapidly changing economics will provide
an opportunity for you to develop your creativity and
perspicacity. In other words, the more bleak the world
becomes, the better your performance will shine.
Ultimately, this will enhance your career path at your
present employer; or at your new one after the current
company fails to follow your example.
Good luck. You need that too.
ROBERT FOOTLIK

PAC-WEST FASTENER ASSOCIATION
2022 FALL CONFERENCE - SEPTEMBER 14-17, 2022

162
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
LAURENCE CLAUS RETAINING RINGS from page 158
These rings have no assembly lugs and can be easily
assembled by pushing them on horizontally. Like the
Tapered Rings there are both bowed and beveled varieties
which keep the retained component more tightly locked
into position than a flat ring. Additionally a PO or POodle
ring has extended lower ears, resembling a poodle dog
that gives the ring extra retention surface.
Spiral Rings
These rings are produced from multiple turn, spiral
wound wire, and provide 360° of retention. Like Taper
Rings these are installed horizontally along the axis but
have no lugs to potentially interfere with other components
in the radial direction.
Locking Rings
These are toothed rings, resembling a toothed lock
washer, that provide 360° of retention. These rings do
not utilize a mating groove and are intended only for very
light duty applications where a component needs to be
retained and does exhibit much, if any, thrust loading.
These are assembled by simply pushing them into place.
Materials
Although Retaining Rings can be produced from a
wide assortment of materials, in practical application
there are only three materials that are commonly utilized.
¤ Carbon Spring Steel: The vast majority of Retainer
Rings are made of spring steel conforming to the qualities
of SAE 1060 to 1090. As with many fasteners, steel is a
preferred material for its ease of formability and ability to
provide strength and toughness after heat treatment.
¤ Stainless Steel: Most stainless steel Retainer
Rings are made of PH15-7Mo. This is a precipitation
hardening variety of stainless steel that provides
exceptional corrosion resistance in most extreme
environments while maintaining its mechanical properties
up to service temperatures of 900°F.
¤ Copper Alloys: Although there are multiple different
copper and copper alloy options, the most commonly used
for Retainer Rings is Beryllium Copper. This material is
non-magnetic, a good conductor of electricity, strong
and provides excellent corrosion resistance in marine
environments.
Surface Finishes
Like raw material there are many possible options
for finishes to Retaining Rings. Fortunately, although the
possibilities are great the actual number of surface finish
choices employed is relatively few. The most common
options are:
¤ Zinc Phosphate: Zinc Phosphate is a crystal that
is formed by immersing steel parts into a heated bath of
phosphate salts. It is often used on fasteners to extend
shelf life beyond the capabilities of plain steel. Small
improvements to the corrosion protection can be made by
post –phosphating immersion in oil or wax solutions.
¤ Mechanical Zinc: This is a pure zinc metal layer
than is applied mechanically to the part surface. Zinc
adds a sacrificial protection mechanism to the part and
can, thus, improve salt spray performance over zinc
phosphate. By applying the zinc mechanically, one avoids
risks of hydrogen embrittlement.
¤ Electroplated Zinc: This finish can provide the
Retaining Ring with an attractive finish. Electroplated Zinc
may also improve the corrosion resistance. However,
the electroplating process exposes susceptible spring
steel parts to the risk of hydrogen embrittlement, so that
great care must be taken to process parts correctly if this
choice of finish is selected.
¤ Passivation: This is a process used on stainless
steels to clean the parts and make them galvanically more
passive, thus, further increasing stainless steels’ already
excellent corrosion protection mechanisms.
Summary
Retainer Rings are a creative and elegant solution for
retaining components onto shafts and in bore holes and
housings. As this article has intended to show, there are
many design options which allow designers to choose the
best solution for their application. The design steps are
relatively simple, although most suppliers of these products
will be very happy to assist customers in choosing the
correct retaining ring for their unique needs.
LAURENCE CLAUS

164
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
BRUNO MARBACHER THREAD FORMING SCREWS FOR COST-EFFICIENT FASTENING IN METAL AND PLASTIC from page 148
Self-Piercing Screws
Self-piercing screws are special fasteners that are
designed to pierce thin sheet metals and then tap their
own mating threads as they are driven into the material.
They are essentially the same as self-tapping screws
but have extra-sharp points that allow them to penetrate
sheet metal. Self-piercing screws are known by numerous
other names, including zip, needlepoint, saber point,
sprint point, speed point, and twin fast screws.
A self-piercing screw can penetrate materials and
create its threads simultaneously. They will ‘pierce’
through thin sheet metal and do not require predrilling.
Flow Drill Screws (FDS)
FDS screws are designed for thin-walled sheet metals.
They have a tapered point, which pierces a hole and
extrudes it. The screw point rotates at a speed of 2000
- 4000 rpms on the thin-walled sheet and generates
frictional heat. After a short period, enough heat is
generated to allow penetration of the screw’s point. It then
forms an extruded hole. The next step is forming a thread.
When the sheet metal cools, it shrinks and thus firmly
encloses the screw. This results in a vibration resistant
joint with an increased load-bearing capacity.
Conclusion
Although tapping screws have been invented years ago
there are still wide usages. They are still frequently used to
fasten sheet metals. There are some recent inventions but
for the most part the ordinary tapping screws are still applied
for appliances, automotive etc. There will be further articles
about thread forming screws for metals and plastics.
BRUNO MARBACHER

INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO
MANDALAY BAY, LAS VEGAS - OCTOBER 18-19, 2022
CONTINUED ON PAGE 166

INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO
MANDALAY BAY, LAS VEGAS - OCTOBER 18-19, 2022
CONTINUED ON PAGE 168

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 167
CLASS C COMPONENTS DISTRIBUTION EXPERTS TAKE THE HEADACHE OUT OF SOURCING from page 152
⬢ Promote from within the Organization
⬢ Quality: ISO 9001:2008 Certification in June of
2010; ISO 9001:2015 Certification in April of 2018; ISO
9001:2015 Re-Certification in April of 2022.
⬢ Epic customer service. Calls are answered with
voices, not voicemails.
On-Site Customer Kitting Solutions
Class C Components provides a comprehensive range
of kitting services on-site. They package individual parts of
your product into a kit and deliver the kits for packaging or
to the end user for final assembly. Kits can contain mixed
product types as well as kits within kits (sub-kits). Their
knowledgeable and experienced team assembles kits
accurately, efficiently, and to your specifications.
Kitting Services Increase Efficiency
When manufacturers compile and kit their own
parts, they can lose considerable time and productivity
in the process. Class C Components can manage the
time-consuming, complex tasks involved in the kitting
process with their on-site kitting services. They prevent
lost and misplaced parts, unnecessary errors, confusion,
and delay. Their kitting services streamline the entire
process, saving you time, increasing productivity, and
helping to contribute to a smooth business operation.
The distribution experts at Class C Components can help
you improve your competitiveness by delivering reduced
assembly costs, more efficient space utilization, and
faster production cycles.
What People Are Saying
“Our organization wanted to gain better insight into
costs on our shop floor. Class C had all of the data
available for us that was captured through their VMI
software. Now we get a monthly report of every VMI item
consumed by fill location, and that information enables us
to evaluate our consumption and make better business
decisions. Using this information our team discovered that
we were consuming an excessive amount of gloves on our
shop floor. The team at Class C brought multiple vendors
to our factory to recommend gloves that are more durable
or suited for specific processes instead of the same
disposable glove across all departments. The result is a
40% reduction in our spend on gloves each month.”
CFO @ Company A
“As always we are super impressed with the VMI
program that Class C offers. Class C serves 3 locations
for us and does a fantastic job. Everyone at Class C from
the driver to sales and management are dedicated to the
success of the program and our company! We are heading
into year 5 and look forward to many more with Class C.
Thank you!”
Senior Buyer @ Company B
“We are a remanufacturer and have done business
with Class C for many years and we purchase everything
from fasteners to cleaning and safety products with over a
thousand part #’s they keep track of and inventory for us.
They have worked with us to set up min / max levels
on all of our product and have made it truly an easy
process with very little hands on from us and they have
the capability to provide us usage reports on whatever we
need & if there is an issue they come with a solution.
Director of Operations @ Company C
More Information
Class C Components can be reached
at 6825 Sunwood Drive NW, Ramsey,
MN 55303. Contact them for more
information at (763) 535-0400 or online at
www.classccomponents.com.
Computer Insights, Inc. can be
reached at 108 3rd Street, Unit 4,
Bloomingdale, IL 60108. Contact Dennis
Cowhey, President, at (800) 539-1233,
email sales@ci-inc.com or online at www.ci-inc.com.
CLASS C COMPONENTS

INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO
MANDALAY BAY, LAS VEGAS - OCTOBER 18-19, 2022

advertisers index
A
ACS MANUFACTURING, INC 51
Formed spring steel fasteners
Tel (888) NUTS-R-US
Email: info@acsmanufacturing.com
AIM TESTING LABORATORY 143
AIM Testing Laboratory is an integrated business
partner. AIM’s technical experts support your
staff and understand your processes so they
can provide the correct knowledge and guidance
when and where you need it.
Tel (619) 396-2046
Email: info@aimtestlab.com
ALBANY STEEL & BRASS 53
Specialty Tapping Screws - Swageform
Tel (312) 733-1900
Email: sales@albanysteel.com
ALL AMERICAN WASHER WERKS 93
Quality producers of washers and stampings
Tel (847) 566-9091
Email: sales@washerwerks.com
ALLOY & STAINLESS FASTENERS 86, 101
Supplies special metal fasteners in over 150
material grades with over 25 coatings and platings
using over 300 machines with a 10,000 ton
inventory and Emergency 24-7 On Call Service.
Tel (713) 466-3031
Email: info@GoASF.com
ALPHA-GRAINGER MFG. CO. 25
Electronic hardware, captive screws,
shoulder screws, spacers & standoffs
Tel (508) 520-4005
ALUMINUM FASTENER SUPPLY
INSIDE FRONT COVER, 113
The only exclusive aluminum fastener supplier
of made in the USA products. 6,500 line items
in stock with same day shipping. It’s all we do!
Tel (800) 526-0341
Email: info@alumfast.com
AMERICAN BELLEVILLE 37
Belleville Washers, Belleville Springs, Disc
Springs, Flange Washers, precision-machined
custom components. Stamping, CNC lathe
and mill machining, grinding, heat treating.
Tel (440) 721-8350
Email: lriga@AmericanBelleville.com
AMERICAN IMPERIAL SCREW CORP. 81
Push on hats, push on bolt retainers, locknuts,
self-treading locknuts and washers, regular
washer locknuts, push-on retainer fasteners
and wing nuts, adhesives and metal anchors.
Tel (800) 431-2391
Email: jay@discountscrews.com
AMPG
INSIDE BACK COVER
Domestic manufacturer of shoulder screws,
button head sex bolts, flat head sex bolts,
prairie bolts, non-standard flat washers, and
machined specialties from stock.
Tel (317) 472-9000
Email: sales@ampg.com
AUTO BOLT 69
American cold-heading bolt manufacturer
serving many industries including automotive,
truck/trailer, heavy construction, agriculture,
military, material handling and more.
Tel (216) 881-3913
Email: quotes@autoboltusa.com
B
BAR STOCK SPECIALTIES 101
Metal bar processing; drawing, peeling, grinding
and cutting. Long length stainless bar to 60ft.
Tel (713) 849-0055
Email: info@GoBarStock.com
BAY SUPPLY 3
Fastener & Tooling Super Warehouse. Top brands
at bottom prices. Ships to 200+ countries.
Tel (800) 718-8818
Email: info@baysupply.com
BRIGHTON-BEST INTERNATIONAL
OUTSIDE BACK COVER
Socket & square head set screws, hex keys,
L-Nine products, Grade 8 hex head, shoulder
bolts, pipe plugs, dowel springs, nuts &
metrics, hand tools and full stainless line.
Tel (800) 275-0050
www.brightonbest.com
BRIKKSEN STAINLESS
FRONT COVER, 16
Full line of stainless-steel inch and metric.
Tel (800) 962-1614
Email: sales@brikksen.com
C
CARVER LASER AND SECONDARY 51
Turn inexpensive off-the-shelf fasteners into
value-added made-to-print special parts.
Short to medium run flat and formed metal
parts made complete. Going that extra mile
with customer service that is second-to-none.
Tel (619) 204-1543
Email: carmen@carverem.com
CAVALIER INDUSTRIAL SPECIALTIES
87, 101
Manufacturers machined parts per drawing,
quality detailed fasteners, and custom
manufactured studs. We support customers’
requirements with CNC machining, upset
forging and thread rolling.
Tel (713) 983-0055
Email: sales@GoCAV.com
CHICAGO HARDWARE & FIXTURE CO. 125
Mfrs of Wire Rope and Chain Fittings, Industrial
and Marine Hardware and Allied Products
Tel (847) 455-6609
Email: info@chicagohardware.com
COMPUTER INSIGHTS 19
The Business Edge – The simple solution with
a proven step-by-step method for unlocking
your fastener company’s potential.
Tel (800) 539-1233
Email: sales@ci-inc.com
CRESCENT MANUFACTURING 119
Over 60 years of manufacturing expertise in
the field of miniature screws and miniature
fasteners, Crescent offers distributors an
established source for Aerospace, Military,
Commercial, and Special Engineered needs.
Tel (860) 673-5983
Email: sales@crescentmanufacturing.com
D
DARLING BOLT 71
Supplier of US, metric and stainless-steel
fasteners including nuts, bolts, screws,
washers, hardware assortments and
specialty auto body fasteners.
Tel (800) 882-0747
Email: sales@darlingbolt.com

advertisers index
D
DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 175
Tel (800) 356-1639
Email: tracey@linkmagazine.com
E
ELGIN FASTENER GROUP 2
Selection. Service. Success. Discover the
Elgin Advantage
Email: quotes@elginfastener.com
E & T FASTENERS, INC 57
Molded, machined, and stamped plastic
fasteners - uts, bolts, washers - Kynar, Teflon,
PVC, Nylon, and Polypropylene. Low minimums.
Tel (800) 650-4707
Email: eric@fastenercomponents.com
E-Z LOK 121
Thread inserts for metal, wood and plastic
Tel (800) 234-5613
Email: sales@ezlok.com
F
FALL RIVER MFG CO., INC. 23
Manufacturers of Stainless steel & nonferrous
fasteners
Tel (800) 275-6991
Email: sales@fallrivermfg.com
FASCOMP ELECTRONIC HARDWARE 85
Male-female standoffs, female standoffs,
male-male standoffs, spacers, shoulder
screws, captive screws, thumbscrews,
swage standoffs and spacers, handles and
ferrules.
Tel (407) 226-2112
Email: sales@fascomp.com
FASTAR, INC. 55
Coiled and Slotted spring pins, dowel pins,
cotter pins, taper pins, grooved & special
pins
Tel (845) 369-7990
Email: fastar@optonline.net
FASTENER WEBSITE LINKS 136
FCH SOURCING NETWORK 141
(Tel) 877-332-7836
Email: eric@fastenersclearinghouse.com
FORD FASTENERS, INC. 15
410 stainless screws, sheet metal, selfdrillers,
thread cutters, self-piercing, EPDM
washers.
Tel (800) 272-FORD (3673)
Email: info@fordfasteners.com
G
GF&D SYSTEMS 107
‘One-stop’ for grease fittings and
accessories. Couplers and hose whips,
grease fitting caps, grease guns, custom
designed fittings, assortments, private
labeling, custom kitting.
Tel (800) 360-1318
Email: sales@gfdsystems.com
GLOBALFASTENERNEWS.COM 157
GOEBEL FASTENERS, INC. 7
Innovative fastener solutions: blind rivets,
self-tapping/drilling screws, toggles,
strapping, wing seals, tools & safety and
insulation accessories.
Tel (713) 393-7007
Email: sales@goebelfasteners.com
GOLDEN RULE FASTENERS, INC. 115
Particle board screws, post frame screws,
metal building drill screws up to 5/16”
diameter, pipe flashings, butyl tape, closure
strips and more.
Tel (334) 283-4030
Email: grfast@centurytel.net
GRAPHIKA CREATIVE 169
Marketing solutions tailored for the
Fastener Industry. Web, digital, email
marketing, exhibitions, point of sale and
corporate branding. Graphika - your offsite,
in-house comprehensive marketing
department.
Tel (224) 489-9533
Email: lee@graphikacreative.com
GREENSLADE & COMPANY, INC. 61
Fastener inspection equipment, innovative
gage design, and dimensional calibration.
Tel (817) 870-8888
Email: sales@greensladeandcompany.com
GROWERMETAL USA, LLC. 63
Growermetal USA, an American branch of a
leading European washer manufacturer since
1950, provides standard washers (ASME, AREA
standards) and customized special blanked parts.
Tel (440) 773-4948
Email: info@growermetal-usa.com
H
HANGER BOLT & STUD CO 91
USA Hanger bolts, studs, dowel screws, pins.
Tel (800) 537-7925
Email: sales@hangerbolt.com
HANSON RIVET & SUPPLY CO. 75
Rivets, threaded inserts, riveting tools,
riveting machines, washers
Tel (800) 777-4838
I
ICS FLANGE 41
Stocks flange bolts and nuts in Grade 5, 8, 8.8
and 10.9 in steel and stainless in any finish.
Tel (800) 231-0360
Email: matt.daleiden@
innovativecomponentsales.com
INDUSTRIAL FASTENERS INSTITUTE 135
2021 Edition IFI Book of Fastener Standards
is now available in hard cover and online
format. www.indfast.org/shop
Tel (216) 241-1482
Email: techinfo@indfast.org
INDUSTRIAL RIVET & FASTENER CO. 45
One name, one number, one source for
rivets and RivetKing FreeSet Series.
Tel (800) BUY-RIVET
Email: info@rivet.com
INTEGRATED PACKAGING 89
Parts are electronically counted, heat-sealed in
our poly-bags, and labeled with identification
information on every bag, with accurate optical
counting mechanisms and printers for SKUs.
Tel (847) 439-5730
Email: sales@integratedpack.com
INTERCORP 1
Premium self-drilling, drywall, needle-point, pole
gripper, stainless steel, outdoor, concrete, cement
board, woodworking and special application.
Tel (800) 762-2004

advertisers index
I
ISC – INTERCONTINENTAL SALES 75
Fastener and Building Related Products.
Same day shipping, free private labeling, no
minimums
Tel (800) 741-4278
Email: info@isc-sales.com
INTERNATIONAL FASTENERS, INC. 99
Daggerz construction fasteners. Self-drill,
drywall, deck, wood, concrete, clip, needle
point screws, post frame and aluminum
industry screws, EDPM bonded washers,
bits & threaded rod.
Tel (888) 241-0203
Email: sales@daggerz.com
INxSQL
INSERT
Full-featured, easy-to-use ERP distribution
software designed and optimized for the
Fastener Industry.
Tel (877) 446-9775
Email: sales@inxsql.com
J
J. LANFRANCO FASTENER SYSTEMS 93
Manufacturer of self-locking nuts, t-bolts,
and other safety critical hardware. Available
in carbon steel, stainless steel and exotics.
DFAR compliant. 40 years of experience and
trusted worldwide.
Tel (855) 694-3250
Email: mlamarche@jlanfranco.com
JOHAN SMIT FASTENERS 101
Manufacturer and supplier of steel nuts in
the petro-chemical, steel construction and
energy market.
Tel +31(0)786230088
Email: info@johsmit.com
K
KEN FORGING 21
Domestic manufacturer of eyebolts, nut
eyebolts, rod ends, turnbuckles & fittings,
eye nuts, pad eyes, D-rings, c-clamps &
screws, swivel hoist ring. Custom forgings up
to 250 lbs.
Tel (888) 536-3674
Email: sales@kenforging.com
KINTER ® 43
X-mas tree clips, binder posts and screws,
binder rings, steel barrel bolts and screws,
wall anchors.
Tel (800) 323-2389
Email: sales@kinter.com
L
LELAND INDUSTRIES INC 147
Manufacturer of bolts, nuts, screws in
carbon or stainless. Custom threading and
specials. U-Bolts and Anchors.
Tel (800) 263-3393
Email: info@lelandindustries.com
LINDFAST SOLUTIONS GROUP 29
Bringing you the worlds Best Brands in
fasteners. By any measure, by any size,
by any finish, by any quantity and in any
material.
Tel (800) 328-2430
Email: sales@lindfastgrp.com
M
BRUNO MARBACHER 149
With over 40 years of experience in the
fastener industry, and a recently retired
Director of Application Engineering, Bruno
is available to assist and resolve critical and
lingering fastening/assembly/quality issues.
Email: brunomarbacher4@gmail.com
MAR-BRO MANUFACTURING 33
Domestic manufacturer of standards,
specials, MS and NAS fasteners.
Specializing in A286, 12 pt flange and hex
flange fasteners.
Tel (602) 278-8197
Email: sales@mar-bro.com
MEHTA TRADING INTERNATIONAL 141
The complete MILL stainless fastener
source.
Tel (972) 642-1012
Email: corp@mehtati.com
METRIC & MULTISTANDARD 13
Providing quality metric industrial products
and exceptional customer service since
1963
Tel (800) 431-2792
MW COMPONENTS 83
Precision manufacturer offering over 40,000
in-stock, ready-to-ship designs and custom
manufacturing for springs, fasteners,
bellows and more.
Tel (713) 641-4600
Email: hfsales@mwcomponents.com
MW INDUSTRIES, INC – TEXAS 95
Washers, special fasteners, and metal stamping
for over 45 years. ISO 9001:2015 certified.
Tel (800) 875-3510
Email: sales@mwindustries.com
N
NORTH EAST FASTENERS (NEF) 11
AS9100 certified, supplying IFI, ANSI, MS, NAS,
NASM, AN, DIN, JIS, JCIS high quality fasteners
for commercial, military and aerospace.
Tel (860) 589-3242
Email: nef@nef1.com
P
PIVOT POINT 39
Pins - clevis, cotter pins, quick release,
locking - wire rope lanyards, stock and
specials and award-winning inventions
Tel (800) 222-2231
Email: mail@pivotpins.com
R
RAF ELECTRONIC HARDWARE 117
Domestic standoffs, spacers, male-females, swage,
male-male and modified parts. NAS fasteners.
Tel (203) 888-2133
Email: info@rafhdwe.com
RHS STAINLESS 37
Stocking a full range of domestic/DFARS
stainless pitch diameters and standard
diameters. Non-standard and custom lengths
are also available. Supplying nationwide.
Tel (610) 997-7604
Email: sales@rhsstainless.com
W.J. ROBERTS CO. 89
Spacers and standoffs. Hex and rounds
3/16 to 5/8 diameter. Standoffs in brass,
aluminum, steel and stainless steel.
Tel (781) 233-8176
Email: sales@wjroberts.com

advertisers index
R
ROTOR CLIP 31
The only manufacturer of every style of
Retaining Ring (tapered section, constant
section, spiral rings). Wave Springs and
Self-Compensating Hose Clamps. We offer
a full line of inch, metric, DIN, ANSI and
JIS parts. Also support assembly through
installation tooling, including applicators,
pliers, dispensers, and automated assembly
equipment available.
Tel (732) 469-7333
Email: info@rotorclip.com
R&R ENGINEERING CO. 90
Bent bolts, wire forms. Quality
craftsmanship.
Tel (800) 979-1921
Email: sales@randrengineering.com
S
SCREW & SUPPLY CO. INC. 97
Tamper-resistant security screws made in
USA.
Tel (800) 223-1316
Email: customerservice@screwsupply.com
SEMS AND SPECIALS 111
Your trusted source for sems and specials
since 1991. A cold forming manufacturer
of fasteners, we offer a diverse portfolio of
products ranging from standard commercial
fasteners to custom specials and ending
with Class II military hardware.
Tel (815) 874-0000
Email: sales@semsandspecials.com
SETKO FASTENERS 59
Domestic manufactured and imported
socket products. Standards or specials. Mill
shipments and blanket orders. Zinc plated
sockets, nylon patches, drilling, etc.
Tel (630) 800-6377
Email: sales@setkofasteners.com
SHEAR-LOC PRODUCTS 82
The original instant thumbscrews. The
ultimate socket head cap screw accessory.
Over 5000 combinations. Inch and Metric.
Tel (800) 775-5668
Email: sales@shear-loc.com
SPIROL 129
Coiled and Slotted Spring Pins, Solid
Pins, Disc Springs, Alignment Dowels and
Bushings, Spacers, Compression Limiters,
Threaded Inserts and Shims.
Tel (800) 321-4679
Email: info@spirol.com
SRC SPECIAL RIVETS CORP. 155
Blind Rivets. Company Rep: Tony DiMaio.
Tel & Fax (978) 521-0277
STAR STAINLESS SCREW CO. 47
Sockets, screws, nuts, bolts, washers, rod, pins,
full line of mil-spec fasteners and more. Star
Stainless is a division of Lindfast Solutions Group.
Tel (630) 595-3440
www.starstainless.com
SUBSCRIPTION FORM 103
SUPERIOR WASHER & GASKET CORP. 27
Your “single source supplier” for Made in the USA
washer and gasket products for the last 50 years.
Tel (631) 273-8282
Email: swg@superiorwasher.com
T
TAMPER-PRUF SCREW, INC. 163
Leader in Security Screws since 1974.
Tel (562) 531-9340
Email: tamperpruf90723@sbcglobal.net
TORTOISE FASTENER CO. 59
Specialty source for slow moving hex heads.
Stainless, brass, silicon bronze, aluminum,
nickel-copper and alloy 20 hex heads.
Tel (800) 691-8894
TUTTLE MANUFACTURING 173
Anchors, bent bolt specials, spade bolts,
acme threaded bars.
Tel (847) 381-7713
Email: tuttlemfg@gmail.com
U
UC COMPONENTS 125
Clean-Critical Fastener and Seal Solutions.
HV, UHV, Cleanroom Ready Fasteners and
seals in just about any size, material and
finish. RediVac® clean-packaged screws and
O-rings. Custom products and prototypes.
Tel (408) 782-1929
Email: sales@uccomponents.com
UMETA OF AMERICA 84
Supplier of OEM quality grease fittings and
guns
Tel (800) 595-5747
Fax (704) 799-1923
UNICORP 79
Manufacturer of electronic hardware,
fasteners and handles since 1971.
Tel (973) 674-1700
Email: sales@unicorpinc.com
V
VIRGINIA FASTENERS 147
Specializing in HDG timber, hex, carriage,
lag bolts, tie rods, nuts and washers.
Tel (800) 368-3430
Email: sales@vafasteners.com
VOLT INDUSTRIAL PLASTICS, INC. 9
US made plastic fasteners, all types &
quantities, custom molding since 1992.
Over 100 million parts in stock with
worldwide shipping.
Tel (800) 844-8024
Email: sales@voltplastics.com
W
WILLIE WASHER MFG. 171
Domestic manufacturer of fender, spring,
tab and flat washers,
Tel (847) 956-1344
Email: sales@williewasher.com
X
XL SCREW CORPORATION 105
Importer of standard fasteners - hex
cap screws, bolts, nuts, locknuts, thread
forming screws, sheet metal screws, selfdrilling
screws, machine screws, washers
and anchors, metrics and mill shipments.
Over 14,000 imported products in stock.
America’s finest quality imported threaded
fasteners since 1968.
Tel (800) 323-7367
Email: xlw@xlscrew.com