WINTER 2024

In the Winter 2024 issue of 

6 DISTRIBUTOR NEWS 

8 FASTENER SCIENCE: CASE-HARDENING – CREATING 

FASTENERS WITH DURABLE SKIN & FLEXIBLE CORE 

Rob LaPointe 

10 HOW FASTENERS ARE MADE – PART 1: COLD HEADING 

Laurence Claus 

12 WHAT DISTRIBUTORS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT 

TORQUE VARIABLES 

Guy Avellon 

14 COMING SOON FOR FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS: 

AI EVERYWHERE……NO KIDDING 

Joe Dysart 

16 [COVER FEATURE] TAMPER-PRUF SCREWS INC: 

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE 

26 CALIBRATION CYCLES: TIME VS USAGE 

Larry Borowski 

28 HOW MANY EMPLOYEES DOES IT TAKE TO TRASH 

A REPUTATION? 

Robert Footlik 

30 SECURING BOLTED JOINTS 

Bruno Marbacher 

32 M.J. CALLAHAN, INC: THE TRUSTED MANUFACTURERS 

REPRESENTATIVE 

34 UNTHREADED: QUESTIONS RANDOMLY ASKED 

Eric Dudas 

36 EXCITING CHANGES HAPPENING AT FASCOMP 

Stan Lockhart 

38 PENN ENGINEERING: NEW FASTENING INNOVATIONS 

FOR CASTINGS AND SOFT METALS 

Michael J. Rossi 

39 IFE ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF IFE REPLAY 

40 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL CHANGE THE WAY 

DISTRIBUTORS WORK 

Jim Truesdell 

42 THE GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN REMAINS MURKY 

Chris Donnell 

44 BLUE RIBBON FASTENER: NAVIGATING FASTENER 

EXCELLENCE WITH THREE GENERATIONS OF EXPERTISE 

Dennis Cowhey 

46 MWFA: FSTNR WEEK DELIVERS WITH MANY OPPORTUNITIES 

Francesca Lewis 

47 MWFA FSTNR WEEK 2023 SHOW PHOTOS 

48 ENSURING SAFETY & SUCCESS: THE IMPORTANCE OF 

ISO 45001 IN THE FASTENER INDUSTRY 

Scott Mersch 

50 IFI CELEBRATES IMPRESSIVE GROWTH OF 14 NEW 

MEMBERS IN 2023 

52 THE FASTENER EXPERTS MENTOR GROUP: I HAVE A 

FASTENER QUESTION....IS MY PART UP TO IFI STANDARDS 

IF IT LOOKS BAD? 

Your Expert, Mike Robinson 

54 BUILD TRACEABILITY & VISIBILITY IN THE CLOUD 

TO REDUCE RISK 

Lonni Kieffer 

56 SALES TAX SIMPLIFIED 

Dennis Cowhey 

58 SPIROL: BENEFITS OF 420 CHROME STAINLESS STEEL 

COILED SPRING PINS 

Michael Pasko 

60 MFDA HOLDS 26TH ANNUAL GOLF OUTING 

Rob Rundle 

61 HANS FULLER ELECTED PAC-WEST PRESIDENT 

Amy Nijjar 

62 FASTENER TRAINING INSITITUTE PRESENTS 

2024 TRAINING SCHEDULE 

Jo Morris 

64 2023 INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO: A YEAR OF 

UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS! 

65 INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO PHOTOS 

66 OUTDATED SALES PROCESSING AND MANUAL PRICING 

COST MORE THAN YOU THINK 

Nelson Valderrama 

68 ANNOUNCING FASTENER FAIR USA 2024: RETURNING 

TO CLEVELAND, OH 

70 GOEBEL – A SUCCESS STORY: FROM TWO CAR GARAGE 

TO INNOVATIVE WORLD MARKET LEADER 

72 STAFDA ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF ITS EXCELLENCE 

IN DISTRIBUTION SCHOOL 

Georgia H. Foley, CEO

volume 47 // issue #1 

73 STAFDA 47TH ANNUAL TRADE SHOW PHOTOS 

74 PAC-WEST PANELISTS: RELATIONSHIPS BUILD COMPANIES 

John Wolz 

76 THE VALUE OF A TAX MINIMIZATION ANALYSIS 

Roman Basi 

78 HOW BULB TITE RIVETS WORK 

Mike Eichinger 

80 BADER TELLS PAC-WEST: ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE 

STOCKING NEW PRODUCT 

John Wolz 

82 NCFA: LOOKING FORWARD TO 2024 

Mike Robinson 

84 NEWCO PRODUCTS: CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF HARD 

WORK, DEDICATION AND INNOVATION 

86 AMPG RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF “INDIANA’S BEST PLACE 

TO WORK IN MANUFACTURING” 

88 SFA WRAPS UP ITS 49TH YEAR! 

Becky Buddenbohn 

89 SFA 2023 EVENT PHOTOS 

91 UNICORP IS AUTHORIZED ROTORCLIP ROTOREXPRESS ® 

PARTNER 

99 NFDA LOOKS AHEAD TO 2024 

Amy Nijjar 

107 MWFA RUGGED MANIAC 2023 PHOTOS 

118 MWFA: HONORARY NIGHT FOR HALL OF FAME AND 

SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS 


120 PAC-WEST SPRING CONFERENCE & TABLE TOP SHOW 

Amy Nijjar 

131 MWFA SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE BED BUILD PHOTOS 

139 SUBSCRIPTION FORM 

147 MWFA 70TH GOLF OUTING PHOTOS 

150 FASTENER INDUSTRY WEB LINKS 

157 PAC-WEST FALL CONFERENCE PHOTOS 

181 MWFA: UNLOCKING SUCCESS – VALUE ADDED SELLING SEMINAR 


191 DON’T MISS OUR BIG SPRING SHOW ISSUE!

6 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 

Anthony E. DiMaio 

September 19, 1930 - December 3, 2023 

Anthony E. “Tony” DiMaio, 93, of Groveland, 

MA, passed away on Sunday, December 3, 

2023, at Anna Jaques Hospital. 

Tony was born on September 19, 1930, 

to Concetta (Sarni) and Nicholas DiMaio. He 

was raised in East Boston, MA, attended local 

schools, including Boston 

English High School. He 

went on to attend Wentworth 

Institute and Northeastern 

University. 

Tony spent twelve years in 

the 102nd interceptor fighter 

wing of the Air National 

Guard. He was activated in 

the Air Force in 1961 and 

was stationed in Strasbourg 

France. 

Following his military 

career, Tony began a remarkably successful 

career as a Mechanical Engineer. He worked 

on the Mercury Space Program at MIT in 

the nineteen sixties and held executive 

positions with several companies including 

Marson Corporation, Gesipa Fasteners and 

Nylock Corporation. Tony was granted twentysix 

patents over his distinguished career. Later 

in life he and his wife Jean owned Quality 

Market in Barre Vermont for several years. 

Even in retirement he was unable to stay idle, 

he operated a successful consulting business 

and authored numerous articles for industry 

publications until the time of his passing. 

Tony was active in local politics in Georgetown, 

Ma in the nineteen seventies where he served 

as the first Chairman of the Board of Health and 

later served as Water Commissioner. 

Tony was a lifetime member of the Elks Club. 

He enjoyed gardening, cooking Italian food, and 

was known for his gregarious personality and 

boundless sense of humor. 

Tony and Jean loved to travel throughout 

Europe and the United States. 

Tony is survived by his loving wife of 

46 years, Jean (Rogers) 

DiMaio; his children, Stephen 

DiMaio and his wife Donna 

of Georgetown, MA, Adrienne 

Melling of Newburyport, MA, 

Tony DiMaio Jr. of Haverhill, 

MA, Ladonna Maldonado of 

Haverhill, MA, Dean Peterson 

and his wife Nancy of Saint 

Johns, FL, and Trisha Welch 

and her husband Greg of 

Georgetown, MA, his 

grandchildren, Christopher, 

James, Karmen, Tianna, Michael, Jonathan, 

Katie, Nicole, Taylor, Patrick, Cameron, Haylie 

and Kane and numerous great-grandchildren, 

nieces and nephews. 

In addition to his parents, Tony was 

predeceased by his siblings, sisters Thelma 

Giardina, Mary Dion and Eva Montana, his 

brother William DiMaio and sons Nicholas 

DiMaio and Eric DiMaio. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be 

made to National Kidney Foundation, Finance 

Department 30 East 33rd St. New York, NY 

10016. 

The family would like to thank the doctors, 

nurses, and ICU staff at Anna Jaques Hospital 

for their efforts and care during his final days.

8 

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 

Rob LaPointe EXPEDITE TESTING SERVICE 

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. Rob is President/CEO of Expedite Testing Service, 11645 Riverside Drive, 

Suite 127, Lakeside, CA 92040. Tel: 619-736-7872, Cell: 909-254-1278 or visit www.expeditetest.com. 

FASTENER SCIENCE: CASE-HARDENING - CREATING 

FASTENERS WITH A DURABLE SKIN & FLEXIBLE CORE 

Case-hardening of steel is a process which produces 

a thin surface layer with high hardness that surrounds 

an underlying structure of softer material. This gives the 

material the functionality that comes with high hardness, 

such as durability and wear resistance, coupled with 

the attributes of lower hardness, such as ductility and 

toughness. This is a perfectly practical solution to the 

problem of having both a durable and flexible metal product. 

This duality is much the same as principal features of an 

M&M candy. It has a hard candy shell covering a chocolate 

interior (Figure 1). The M&M candy is a nice example of 

the functionality of case-hardening given that it provides a 

solution to a problem by bringing two contrasting features 

together into one product that satisfies a need. Kids want 

a chocolaty treat that melts in their mouths and parents 

want a sweet snack for their kids that doesn’t instantly soil 

dress clothing that is used as a napkin. Thus, the wildly 

successful candy and sales slogan were born;” It melts in 

your mouth, not in your hands.” 

FIGURE 2. THE M&M SLOGAN PROMOTING THE POSITIVE AND 

CONTRASTING ATTRIBUTES OF THE PRODUCT. 

TECHNICAL ARTICLE 

FIGURE 1. PLAIN M&MS HAVE A FLEXIBLE CHOCOLATE INSIDE 

COVERED WITH A DURABLE CANDY SHELL. 

There are many fastener products that need to be 

both durable and flexible. Self-drilling screws, self-tapping 

screws, thread rolling screws, construction screws, pins, 

washers, serrated flange bolts and nuts, set screws and 

many more. These products need to be hard at the surface 

but also remain flexible or ductile to avoid brittle fracture 

during use. Many products, such as self-drilling and threadcutting 

screws need to be harder than the material they are 

used to fasten so that the mating material can be pierced, 

shaped, or distorted to form a mating thread. Products 

such as pins and washers need to have the abrasion 

resistance of a hard metal but have the toughness of a 

softer metal. Case-hardening is an ideal way to bring these 

contrasting features together in one part. 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 90

10 


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. 

HOW FASTENERS ARE MADE - PART 1 

COLD HEADING 

I was recently contracted to conduct some fastener 

training at a shipyard. Sensing that the class they chose, 

one with a significant amount of joint design content , 

was not perfectly suited for them, I reached out to see 

what topics would be most helpful to include. I was not 

surprised to discover that they were more interested in 

fastener technology subject matter than the engineering 

relative to good joint design. This made sense because 

most of the class participants are responsible for existing 

application maintenance rather than vetting new designs. 

I was surprised, however, to find that one of their high 

priority topics was how fasteners are manufactured. 

Although a great topic and one that I particularly enjoy 

teaching, this was unexpected because most users rarely 

prioritize understanding how fasteners are made. More 

out of curiosity than anything else, I inquired further about 

their interest in this specific topic. I was told that many 

in my audience were tasked with procuring fasteners and 

knowing how fasteners are made enhances their decisionmaking 

ability in procuring the right fastener. 

Since this discussion, I have been mulling this over 

and believe that in a larger context there is an important 

lesson to be learned and one that is extremely relevant 

to non-manufacturing fastener distributors. Knowing how 

fasteners are made, including the pros and cons of each 

process step, will really benefit a fastener distributor’s 


sales, application engineering, quality, and procurement 

teams. Individuals serving in these roles can leverage 

the knowledge of the fastener manufacturing process 

to better guide their customers into the best fastener 

choices for intended applications, cost effectiveness, and 

seamless installation. 

For the purposes of this article, we will be limiting 

our discussion to traditional threaded fasteners; bolts, 

screws, studs, and nuts. We will learn that there are 

several ways to produce these types of fasteners, and 

the method chosen by the purchaser ultimately hinges on 

several variables. Making the right procurement decision, 

however, rests on the decision maker’s knowledge of how 

these variables best align with the different manufacturing 

methods. 

Manufacturing these traditional threaded fasteners 

may be relatively simple or require multiple manufacturing 

steps. However, they all begin with one of three 

predominant manufacturing processes: cold heading, 

hot heading, or screw machining. To adequately cover 

this topic, we need to explore each of these methods 

in greater detail. Therefore, we will develop this over a 

two-part series with this first installment focusing on 

fasteners manufactured using cold heading to start the 

process off. Part 2 will explore fasteners that employ hot 

heading and screw machining methods. 


12 


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 TORQUE VARIABLES 

The past several articles have dealt with the theory 

and application of torque to various industries for achieving 

the proper preload and bolt tension in joints. However, as 

we well know, results are not always consistent as there 

are variables involved that will cause assembly errors; 

some are human, others are not. 

When assemblies fail, it is always blamed on the 

fastener and its quality. The following will help both the 

distributor and customer understand these variables to 

prevent future failures. 

There are two major factors which affect joint preload 

and tension: 

Torque, which is a function of friction, because 

anytime there is a change in rotational friction within the 

joint during assembly, preload and tension will be lost or 

drastically changed. 

Embedment will cause an initial decrease in clamp 

load, then a gradual decrease over time. It will also cause 

an increase in rotational friction during assembly. 

Other joint factors include: 

Materials/Grade 

This would include all components of the assembly; 

nut, bolt, washer and joint material. Are all components 

compatible? Is the bolt grade the proper strength for the 

joint material and match the other bolts in the connection? 

Having the incorrect joint material would mean that 

the bolting components would embed themselves into 

the material and lose clamp load during installation and 

continuing with repetitious service loads on the joint. 

The strength of the nut must be able to support 

CONTRIBUTOR ARTICLE 

the load of the bolt. Since nuts come in many different 

grades and dimensions to provide the support to the bolt, 

if the nut cannot support the load of the bolt, the internal 

threads of the nut will deflect and the nut will dilate 

against the joint surface causing weakness of the threads 

and joint. 

Flat washers may or not always be used on some 

applications but it is advisable to use at least one, if not 

two, washers when tightening the nut or bolt; one under 

the nut and the other under the bolt head. For one, the 

washer provides a smooth and consistent surface for the 

bolt or nut to rotate against while tightening. Washers 

should not be stacked unless it is a specially designed 

washer as this will lead to joint relaxation. 

Washers are made in different materials and sizes. 

Using a smaller washer than its recommended inside 

diameter for the bolt diameter will cause a stress load on 

the bolt head by its contacting the fillet radius of the bolt 

head, which could later cause the bolt head to separate. 

The SAE flat washer provides the proper inside diameter 

to fully support the washer face, or bearing surface, of the 

bolt, whereas the inside diameter of the USS washer is 

too wide and will not provide full contact with the washer 

face on standard hex head cap screws.. 

Structural washers (F436) are graded as to their 

hardness and capability of supporting high strength 

bolts without embedment. Most ‘standard’ commercial 

washers are made from low carbon steel which will quickly 

compress under the load of a heat treated bolt. Check the 

hardness, it should be heat treated to 38 – 45 HRC and 

be used with grade 5 (8.8) and stronger bolts. 


14 


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 

COMING SOON FOR FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS: 

AI, EVERYWHERE...NO KIDDING 

Responding to a new hunger for AI, some of the 

biggest titans in software -- including Microsoft, Google 

and Salesforce -- are coming out with new versions of their 

software suites that will be completely reworked by AI. 

The move -- which is expected to offer major gains 

to fastener distributors who use these programs -- has 

been triggered by the staggering popularity ChatGPT, the 

wunderkind AI chatbot from OpenAI. 

Since its release, the bot has continued to stun 

the world with its ability to auto-generate clear, concise, 

intelligent prose to virtually any question posed to it. 

As more than a billion-and-a-half-plus monthly users 

of ChatGPT already know, use of the chatbot involves 

little more than typing-in a question -- and in a matter of 

seconds -- getting back a lucid, erudite text response. 

That ability to respond to virtually any question 

has enabled the wonder-bot to easily pass bar exams, 

medical exams, engineering exams and similar. 

And that’s just for starters. 

ChatGPT, and its underlying software engine, GPT-4, 

has also been harnessed to auto-generate images and 

photos, auto-translate text into multiple languages, autowrite 

and auto-debug computer code, auto-create Web 

sites, auto-create music, auto-explain complex topics, 

auto-solve math problems, auto-serve as a virtual chat 

companion -- and more. 

All of these auto-generated tasks are usually 

completed in a matter of seconds. 

And all are created with nary a complaint by the 

software. 

It’s no wonder that the ChatGPT Web site is 

averaging 1.6 billion visits-per-month, has set a record 


SOME OF THE BIGGEST TITANS IN SOFTWARE ARE COMING OUT 

WITH NEW VERSIONS OF THEIR SUITES THAT WILL BE COMPLETELY 

REWORKED BY AI. 

for creating the fastest-growing user base ever and is 

expected to generate $1 billion in revenue by the close 

of 2024, according to ToolTester.com (www.tooltester. 

com/en/blog/chatgpt-statistics/). 

In a phrase: ChatGPT has set the world’s hair on 

fire. And all the big -- and little -- guns of traditional 

software want in. 

Their plan: Take the magic of ChatGPT and repurpose 

it for use with every software app imaginable. 

“The reality is every company will undergo an 

AI transformation to increase productivity, drive 

efficiency, and deliver incredible customer and employee 

experiences,” says Marc Benioff, CEO, Salesforce. 

In practice, that means changing the focus 

of ChatGPT, or software similar to ChatGPT, from 

attempting to track, analyze and manipulate all the 

world’s knowledge -- and instead focus that same AI on 

tracking, analyzing and manipulating all the knowledge 

generated by a specific company or organization. 


26 


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 

CALIBRATION CYCLES: TIME vs USAGE 

Quite frequently, we get questions about how often 

gages should be calibrated or what calibration cycle 

would we recommend for a particular gage. As an 

accredited calibration laboratory, we are not supposed 

to recommend calibration cycles, but I can share my 

thoughts and experience on the topic. Most users assume 

there is some standard out there that lays out how often 

a common piece of measuring equipment should be 

checked, evaluated, and/or calibrated. Unfortunately, 

these standards do not exist. 

Quality system guidelines found in ISO 9000 or ISO 

9001, and a slew of others, state that a calibration 

frequency must be established for all measuring 

equipment, but the determination of the frequency is left 

to the user. In a perfect world, the calibration frequency 

of a given measuring instrument should be as such that 

it never goes out of tolerance between calibration cycles. 

The rationale is that if a gage comes back from calibration 

as a failure, you do not know when it went out of tolerance 

and you do not know what product you may have checked 

that is now suspect. There is risk assessment tied to a 

calibration cycle. 

Establish Your Calibration Cycle 

Calibration cycles can be set based on an elapsed time 


or the number of times the gage is used. As an example, 

you can establish the rule that all gages and instruments 

will be calibrated on a one year cycle. This method based 

on time is probably the most common and easiest solution 

for setting a cycle, and you can put it on a calendar as a 

reminder. Alternatively, you can set a specified number of 

uses, such as 10 uses, before the instrument will need 

recalibration. This method based only on usage requires 

a bit more attention and upkeep of the cycles. Once such 

method of upkeep could simply be a tag affixed to the gage 

that is written on or tick marked upon every use. Uses can 

be further defined to either be literally every time the gage 

is used, or every job the gage is used on. This is different 

for every company, as some have standard run sizes, while 

others do not. Furthermore, nothing states that you must 

only choose one of these methods, you can actually have 

a mix of time and usage. 

As stated above, the easiest method of choosing a 

calibration cycle is based on time. However, this can 

be more costly in the long run than setting your cycles 

based on usage. The rationale is because most activities 

eventually follow the 80/20 rule. In a quality management 

system, this means that 80% of the company’s inspection 

will be performed using 20% of the instruments owned by 

the company. 


28 


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. 

HOW MANY EMPLOYEES DOES IT TAKE 

TO TRASH A REPUTATION? 

The short and most obvious answer is one…with an 

agenda. All it takes is one employee who deliberately 

sabotages the orders to destroy all your credibility with 

customers. Under normal circumstances, pinpointing 

the culprit is relatively easy and apologizing to the injured 

parties can help overcome the negativity generated. 

However, before judging prematurely, can a company be 

incompetent, fundamentally flawed or stymied by their 

own culture? 

On a recent project, I was the victim of what had all 

the earmarks of a deliberate plan to “teach that engineer 

(me) a lesson he will never forget.” Alternatively, I just 

chose a mechanical contractor poorly. 

The Project 

With the need for replacing two huge up flow 

furnaces in an existing building I manage, possibly in the 

dead of winter, I contracted with a large, well-regarded 

mechanical contractor. Their website was reassuring, 

touting “On Time And On Budget,” a supposedly 

comprehensive “Quality Management Process” and 

“A Reputation Built Over Decades Of Trust.” How 

could I go wrong? 

Thanks to Covid-19 and supply chain problems the 

production schedule for the replacement units kept slipping. 

It started out at 12 weeks from the June 2022 purchase 

date, then went to 16 weeks, 20 weeks, 24 weeks 36 

weeks and finally one year and a week later the demolition 

of the existing units could begin with the arrival of the new 

equipment scheduled for the following day. 


The first hour on the job one look at the forklift that 

the contractor rented was not reassuring. The 26,000- 

pound capacity “beast” had enormous forks and even 

worse, only eight feet of lift for a twenty-two foot high 

lifting job. It was totally unsuitable and only the start 

of a comedy of errors. Once the “professional” union 

pipefitters arrived, they turned into the “Three Stooges” 

and started disassembly of the existing equipment, 

totally trashing it by cutting what should have been 

easily unbolted. At this point, it was obvious that 

something was very wrong. 

I turned to “Louie,” the contractor’s representative 

and said, “If it was winter instead of summer we would 

be having a very different conversation.” Then as the 

initial days unfolded, the “Three Stooges” were joined 

by a “Senior Operations Manager.” He proceeded 

to show them how to use the “beast” in ways that 

completely contradicted the “SAFETY IS OUR FRAME 

OF MIND” section of their website. In two days, 

he violated at least fourteen sections of the OSHA 

Construction Safety Standards…and burned up the 

forklift. Even worse, the vehicle died in a position that 

blocked the drive in door to the building. 

Watching all this I turned to “Louie” and remarked, 

“I certainly am glad that I am paying for this fiasco by 

the job, not the hour.” Strategically this was probably 

a bad move. It incentivized “Louie” to be even more 

creative. His explanations for what was going on could 

be best described as what the farm animals leave 

behind. 


30 


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. 

SECURING BOLTED JOINTS 

Dear Reader, there are numerous locking elements 

and locking features available on the market. They are 

only effective if used properly. To pick the right one, one 

needs to know the reason why screws and nuts stay tight. 

Friction Keeps The Joints Tight 

Simply put, it’s friction that keeps the assembled 

components tight. To effectively use a locking feature, 

one needs to know what the joint could potentially be 

exposed to, then explore the different options. 

There are typically 2 possibilities to maintain the 

locking effect. One is to provide some sort of locking 

feature in the thread. The other is to put some sort of 

locking feature on to the underneath of the head. 

Those locking features may be an integrated part, or 

an addition to screws and nuts. These locking features 

secure against spontaneous loosening by maintaining or 

even increasing friction in the bearing area and or in the 

thread. 

When products are moved from one place to another, 

they are subject to vibrations. This may happen in 

shipping vessels (engine vibration), or trucks (rough roads 

surfaces), thus produce vibrations that are often felt in 

the product being moved. However, most vibration may 

occur when products are used. 

If a fastened joint is not subjected to vibration, it 

generally will not become loose. It may loosen some, 

because the clamped parts are settling in (relax). How 

much depends on the strength of the parts we clamp. The 

amount of clamp load also has an effect. 


Self-Locking Effect 

Whether a screw is self-locking depends on the 

screw’s pitch angle and the coefficient of friction in the 

threads and the bearing areas. Very well-lubricated, 

low friction threads with a very large pitch typically are 

not self-locking. Also, considerations should be made 

to ensure that clamped components are clamped 

tight enough to prevent movement completely. If not, 

slipping in the threads or clamping surface can occur. 

The ratio of the friction self-locking torque versus 

the loosening torque is typically around 7. Even if 

lubricated with molylub (µ = 0,08), the ratio is still 

4.5. The self-locking effect of inch coarse thread 

fasteners is slightly lower. For an 3/8-16 hex cap 

screw the ratio is about 6. 


32 


M.J. CALLAHAN, INC. 

150 Pittsfield Rd, Suite F, Lenox, MA 01240 

TEL 413-237-1144 EMAIL mcallahan@c-msales.com WEB www.www.mjcallahaninc.com 

THE TRUSTED MANUFACTURERS REPRESENTATIVE 

Matthew Callahan’s career in the fastener industry 

started right after college in 1984, when he took an 

inside sales job in a small office in Menands, NY, 

working for Simmons Fasteners. Simmons Fasteners 

were manufacturers of locking devices for display cases, 

NFL travel cases, music cases, and production of 

injection molding parts for the appliance industry. Briefly 

into this career, and with a promising position of Vice 

President of Sales, Simmons was sold in 1987 to South- 

Co Corporation, and he would have to move. Matthew 

decided to reach out to William “Bill” Whitehead, 

owner of Graham & Whitehead of North Reading, 

Massachusetts, to see if there might be an opportunity 

to join their team. As luck would have it, Bill offered an 

interview and Matthew met with Bill and Lyle. He was 

hired the next day as a manufacturer’s representative. 

He left the capital district of New York and set sights on 

Massachusetts. 

Graham & Whitehead, a well established agency 

offered castings, forging, die-castings, as well as 

representing the Microdot companies (which included 

Greer Stop Nut, Everlock Chicago, Central Screworks), 

Erie Bolt, Long-Lok, Safety Socket, and National Rivet. 

In the seven years of selling for the agency, becoming 

partner, Matthew realized that his love was on the 

fastener side of the industry. Unfortunately, the agency 

was headed in an different direction which lead to 

him making another move, one that would put him on 

his own. This was not an easy decision for Matthew. 

His relationship with Lyle and Bill was deeper than 

mentorship, it was friendship. A giant leap of faith 

for him and his very young family in 1994, Matthew 

BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE 

remembers thinking about the huge weight on his 

shoulders and the incredible motivation he felt. He 

secured Semblex Corporation, Safety Socket, Long-Lok, 

and Kendale Industries. His career in the fastener 

industry was well on its way. This by far was one of the 

best decisions he made in his career. His love for the 

fastener industry was his to sell and to spend his efforts 

on growing and developing relationships that have lasted 

his lifetime. 

As time has passed, he has had the opportunity to 

represent some of the finest companies in the industry 

such as: Semblex Coproration (35 years), NYLOK 

Corporation (28 years), Fall River Manufacturing (27 

years), Springfield Spring (24 years), , EFC International 

(28 years), UNICORP (7 years). And, in the last few 

years, he has added Industrial Rivet (Northvale, NJ), 

Norseman/Consolidated Toledo Drill, and Laube Tech 

(importer of specialty components). 


34 


Eric Dudas Fully Threaded Radio 

Eric Dudas co-founded FCH Sourcing Network in 2006 and launched the industry 

renowned Fully Threaded Radio podcast in 2010. With business partner and co-host 

Brian Musker, FCH operates its widely used digital inventory marketing platform, 

and provides data cleansing and formatting services for fastener distributors across 

the industry. FCH also produces the monthly Fastener Distributor Index. Apart from 

industry punditry, Eric ponders the deeper existential aspects of life driving a tractor 

around his small farm in semi-rural northeast Ohio. eric@fastenersclearinghouse.com 

UNTHREADED: 

QUESTIONS RANDOMLY ASKED 

I’m a fan of randomness. That’s not to say I believe 

the universe to be an infinitely sized, disordered accident. 

It’s just that since I reached the conclusion that my 

predominantly fastener-related mind will never understand 

exactly how it all works, the flow of existence might as 

well be random. 

One of the reasons I’m such a big fan is that 

very frequently, seemingly spontaneous events lead to 

amazing things. 

I also love irony, by the way. And it seems to abound 

in this world. Things sometimes unfold in ways that are 

just too perfect to be unplanned. This might interest only 

the small cadre of unthreaded existentialists among us, 

but it amuses me. 

The year Bill Derry was inducted into the Fastener Hall 

of Fame there was only one inductee. He was it. The year 

was 2017. 

That random piece of fastener industry trivia was 

uncovered as I took pause recently to review some 

archived episodes of the Fully Threaded Radio podcast 

while searching for inspiration in the words of a long 

forgotten interview. I stumbled onto exactly that as the 

first click on my quest brought up the segment with Mr. 

Derry just after he had received his award. 

How does this kind of thing happen? I ask myself.As it 

turns out, Bill Derry is a huge advocate of asking questions. 

Bill was a pioneer of the VMI business. Along 

with his brother, Jim, and their team at Field Fastener, 

they intentionally developed their operation around that 


BILL DERRY BELIEVES SUCCESS IS ANYTHING BUT RANDOM. HE WAS 

THE SOLE INDUCTEE TO THE FASTENER HALL OF FAME IN 2017. 

growing business paradigm and created novel processes 

to meet the demands of a market hungry for innovation. 

Their massive success is well known, and it earned Bill 

his place in the pantheon of industry greats. 

You hear plenty of stories about guys who hit it big 

just because they were in the right place at the right time. 

For example, some of the importers who saw a chance 

to get ahead by bringing in low cost product from Asia 

completely revolutionized the fastener industry during 

their time. 

But it was much more than a simple torque of fate 

that built this success. It was anything but random. As Bill 

says during his interview on FTR episode 120, “All Rise”, 

you’ve got to ask questions and also become skilled in 

listening to the answers. 


THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 35 

The New England 

Fastener Distributors 

Association, (NEFDA) 

has established the Board 

of Directors for the 2023- 

2024 year: 

President: Morgan 

Rudolph of Rick Rudolph 

Associates 

Vice President: Rob White 

of SB&W, Inc. 

Chairman: Katie Hogan, 

Arnold Supply, Inc. 

Treasurer: Lisa Breton, DB 

Roberts 

Secretary: Laura Murphy, 

DB Roberts 

The NEFDA held a 

virtual Blueprint Basics 

class, sponsored by 

Crescent Manufacturing, 

on Monday, September 

18th. Jim Speck provided 

a quick, yet comprehensive 

overview of print reading to 

over 35 virtual attendees. 

Stay tuned for the next 

educational session from 

the NEFDA. 

The NEFDA’s mission 

is to advance interest in 

the Fastener Industry by 

promoting the distribution 

of fasteners through those 

who will uphold the image 

of the industry. 

For more information on the 

NEFDA contact them by Tel: 

816-686-8987, Email: nefda@ 

nefda.com or visit them online 

at www.nefda.com.

36 


FASCOMP ELECTRONIC HARDWARE 

1235 Tradeport Drive, Orlando, FL 32824 

TEL 407-226-2112 FAX 407-226-3370 EMAIL sales@fascomp.com WEB www.fascomp.com 

EXCITING CHANGES HAPPENING AT FASCOMP 

by Stan Lockhart 

Fascomp, a leader in electronic hardware and special 

screw machine parts, with headquarters in Orlando Florida 

and a manufacturing facility in Naugatuck, Connecticut is 

pleased to announce that Tom Bello has joined our team 

as Global Sales Manager. “Tom is an industry veteran 

with over fifteen years’ experience in manufacturing and 

distribution, and has the skill set we were looking for to 

help lead Fascomp’s future growth”-Jason Bertone-Vice 

President. Tom’s first order of business at the request of 

management was to assist in revitalizing the company’s 

commitment to using independent sales reps in territories 

that had no coverage. Drawing from his previous work 

experience, Tom was able to connect with agencies that 

he had worked with in the past that had technical and 

application experience. 

Tricia Murty, operating as Murty Associates, 

was added for coverage in Eastern Pennsylvania, New 

Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Tricia has been 

providing sales and technical assistance and marketing 

in the fastener and industrial market since 1990 and 

started her rep agency in 1996. “Fascomp’s philosophy 

is timeless and simple and that is to leverage relationship 

selling with industry professionals who know their markets 

and customers. Not surprising from a company who has 

had the reputation of being “the good guys” by always 

putting the customer first.”-Tricia Murty-Murty Associates. 

Bo Oliver, of Southeast Sales & Engineering, a 

third-generation manufacturer’s representative company 

was added to cover North Carolina, South Carolina, 

Tennessee, and Mississippi with the help of Jackson 

Oliver and Tim Craze. Southeast Sales & Engineering 

is small enough to offer personalized service, but large 

enough to cover all customer needs through design, 

engineering, prototyping, sampling and implementation. 

“We are proud to align ourselves with Fascomp. They have 

an outstanding reputation with their customers and with 


their sales rep organizations”-Bo Oliver-President 

These new additions join an already well-established 

team of existing reps: 

¤ All American Systems - Steve Urhausen, Mike 

Felty, Andrew Urhausen and Laura Nash in Illinois, 

Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. 

¤ Atlas Industrial Marketing - Alan Lindahl in 

Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. 

¤ Ventura Industrial Products, LLC - Jackie 

Ventura in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Upstate NY, and 

Eastern Pennsylvania. 

¤ CJRJ Sales - Rick Jaszek in Canada. 

¤ Steers Associates - Rob Steers in Alabama, 

Georgia, and Florida. 

Tom Bello, as Global Sales Manager, will continue to 

build and strengthen the coverage for Fascomp across 

the US and plans to extend sales 

to other countries utilizing the 

company’s strong inventory 

and global manufacturing 

operations. 

FASCOMP

38 


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 

NEW FASTENING INNOVATIONS FOR CASTINGS AND 

SOFT METALS by Michael J. Rossi, Marketing Services Supervisor 

Innovation in the fastening industry never stops. 

There are always new markets and applications emerging 

that drive engineers and fabricators to seek out new, 

more reliable fastening solutions. 

Case in point: at PennEngineering®, we’ve seen 

an increase in requests for fastening solutions for 

magnesium and aluminum castings. This is particularly 

true of our customers in the automotive electronics 

and consumer electronics markets. And there are good 

reasons why. 

Magnesium is one of the lightest structural metals 

with a density that’s about two-thirds that of aluminum 

and one-fourth that of steel. And despite its low density, 

it has high strength properties that provide structural 

integrity to cast components. Magnesium also has 

excellent machinability and a high thermal conductivity. 

All these characteristics make this material particularly 

suitable for applications in the automotive, aerospace, 

and consumer electronics industries, among other 

industries. 

When it comes to Aluminum castings, one of the 

biggest benefits is that it creates lighter parts, with 

more surface finishing options than other die cast 

alloys. Aluminum alloys used in die casting exhibit good 

strength and durability, and many have inherent corrosion 

resistance. The material also has excellent thermal 

conductivity, making it well-suited for components that 

require efficient heat dissipation. Like magnesium, 

aluminum’s versatility makes it a popular material 

choice for many industries. 

Common Challenges 

Let’s look at the most common customer challenges 

with today’s predominant fastening technologies and 

explore some of the new PennEngineering® innovations 

that are helping many markets overcome these 

challenges. 

One challenge is that threads in cast metal sheets 

are costly to create and require a secondary process. 

Another challenge is that a cast hole that is secondarily 

tapped yields a weak thread because it is brittle. 

Also, fasteners such as helical inserts (a commonly 

used technology) can add significant labor costs and require 

secondary drilling on the cast body for install threads. 

So what’s the end result for many customers that 

are using traditional fastening technologies? They’re 

experiencing limitations in performance, cost, and 

process – a combination that gives them reason 

to explore new, alternative fastening solutions like 

PEM®CastSert press-in inserts. 

PEM ® CastSert Press-In Inserts: 

80% Faster Install Over Other Methods 

The PEM® 300 Series Stainless Steel CastSert 

inserts are designed for use in die-cast alloys and soft 

metals less than HRB 70 / HB 125. They provide strong 

and durable metal threads in die-cast magnesium and 

die-cast aluminum and also extruded aluminum. 

The 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. 

TECHNICAL ARTICLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 110


EMAIL info@fastenershows.com 

WEB www.fastenershows.com 

IFE ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF IFE REPLAY 

IFE Replay: A Year-Round Knowledge Hub for 

Event Attendees and Exhibitors 

We are excited to announce the launch of IFE Replay, 

IFE’s newest video library that redefines the way event 

attendees and exhibitors access and relive the invaluable 

content from the Session Stage at the International 

Fastener Expo. IFE Replay opens the door to on-demand 

access of session recordings, award ceremonies, show 

highlights and more from 2022 and 2023 presentations. 

This new platform has been developed to provide a 

seamless, comprehensive, and immersive experience 

and will empower attendees and exhibitors with a wealth 

of knowledge, ensuring they never miss a moment of the 

SHOW EVENT ARTICLE 

insightful content that IFE has to offer. IFE Replay makes 

it possible to revisit sessions as many times as desired, 

facilitating a deeper understanding and retention of the 

content while also fostering professional growth and 

industry advancements. 

The International Fastener Expo (IFE) is North 

America’s most extensive business-to-business trade 

show for all types of fasteners, machinery & tooling, and 

other industrial products, catering to every level of the 

supply chain. Held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, 

the event consists of a conference program presented 

by endorsing fastener associations and a show floor with 

hundreds of exhibitors from around the world. 

INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO

40 


Jim Truesdell 

James Truesdell is Chairman 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”. 

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL CHANGE 

THE WAY DISTRIBUTORS WORK 

Many years ago, when new computer applications 

were starting to pop up regularly, the Executive group at 

my distribution company determined that we needed to 

have a business plan for our next five years. A number of 

our ownership volunteered to give it a try, after which we 

would compare results and conclusions. As the writer/ 

lawyer/experienced business guy I launched into the 

project confident that I would come up with something 

pretty comprehensive. After all, I had put some pretty 

complex business plans together as part of my academic 

training. I expected it would take a couple of weeks to do 

the job right. 

Two days later I was surprised to find in a sealed 

envelope in my mailbox a detailed business plan which 

had been put together by our “computer guy” on our 

executive team. It was about 25 pages long and it had 

statistics, spreadsheets, table of contents and some 

detailed supporting language. It was clearly much better 

than I envisioned I could do over my expected two week 

project. How could this be? 

Though he didn’t tell me at the time, the “computer 

guy” had gotten hold of one of the first pre-packaged 

“business plan” software in a box programs. All he 

had to do was fill in some blanks answering questions 

with names, products, geographic markets, employee 

censuses, and data from our financial statements and- 


-- BINGO!---- out popped a pretty sophisticated five year 

business plan. Until I figured out what had happened it 

was a bit of a crisis of confidence in my own abilities. 

We are set up now to see this scenario play 

out across the spectrum of industry as AI (artificial 

intelligence) is storming its way into the business 

landscape. First generation AI programs have, in the last 

year, given us a hint of how office work (whether creative 

or repetitive) will be changing in the near future. This 

can bring great efficiencies and increased capabilities 

to our offices. It will leaven the playing field between 

experienced skilled workers and those newcomers who 

are able to rapidly master the ins and outs of the new 

software. We may become less a society of creators and 

more of a society of editors and checkers who review 

written or mathematical policies and projections that are 

produced by machine. Fearing the loss of human creativity 

by those taking “short cuts” some companies are already 

banning its use without written management permission 

or with specific labeling telling that a report or calculations 

are the product of AI. Reportedly, some managers are 

laying low and stealthily using the programs to impress a 

boss or get a leg ahead of others in races for promotions. 

We will probably see this played out even in the small 

business enterprises which onstitute most distribution 

companies. 


42 


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. 

THE GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN REMAINS MURKY 

If you don’t keep up with global supply chain and 

logistic developments, you end up lost, confused and 

second guessing. Prior to and throughout the pandemic 

there were strong indicators on the trajectory of the 

market. While it was truly the toughest time to be an 

importer, or associated with logistics, it was easy to tell 

which direction the industry was heading. 

Today, the logistics industry is incredibly murky: (1) 

the ocean carriers are adapting or instituting specific 

measures to remain profitable, and it seems like they 

change daily; (2) airlines are struggling and grounding 

excess capacity; (3) rail carriers are slow to react to key 

market segments resulting in long standing delays at 

some of the nation’s busiest ports; and (4) the trucking 

industry is struggling to keep up demand as many LTL 

and FTL trucking companies going under. In short, for 

someone like me and in my industry, forecasting any 

potential long-term development is incredibly difficult. 

Then you factor in the slumping economy, difficulty hiring, 

and effectively retaining top talent and its easy to get 

overwhelmed. I have put together a few items to be on the 

lookout for which could pose more trouble down the line. 

Ocean Import And Export 

The ocean market has seen its fair share of turmoil 

over the past several years. I’ve come to realize that 

the industry itself likes drama, it’s built on it. From 


contractual agreements to supporting global economies, 

it’s easy to see that the industry favors strife. When 

things are calm, cool and collected, it is a buyers’ 

market; ocean rates are suppressed and the ocean 

carriers import and export volumes swell. Today we have 

neither, we have seemingly high rates when compared 

with the sluggish import market. On average, a 40’ft 

(FEU) container today cost roughly $700.00 more than 

what they we saw at the end of September. Every year, 

September typically marks one of the higher import 

months due to transport of holiday merchandise. This 

year, September was one of the slowest months over 

the past 3 quarters. Conversely, November is typically 

one of the slowest months, yet the ocean carriers are 

continuing to raise rates. 

How are the ocean carriers able to continue to push 

rates higher? Well, first they are controlling the import 

volumes with blank sailings. Blank sailing is when an 

ocean carrier omits or cancels a sailing, holds the cargo, 

and puts in on the next sailing. We saw an increase 

of 12% in blank sailings for September. As you would 

guess, there are many issues with blank sailings; from 

extending sail dates and delaying delivery schedules to 

putting undue stress on the ports - export cargo or empty 

containers are not being retuned to origin and instead, 

are taking up much needed space in the ocean and rail 

terminals. 


Rotor Clip Company Inc. is pleased to 

announce that it has been awarded the prestigious 

2022 General Motors Supplier Quality Excellence 

Award (SQEA). This accolade is a testament to 

Rotor Clip’s unwavering commitment to delivering 

quality products and services to General Motors 

(GM). 

The GM Supplier Quality Excellence Award 

is granted to suppliers who have demonstrated 

exceptional performance and adherence to 

stringent quality standards throughout the year. 

Rotor Clip’s manufacturing site not only met but 

exceeded these rigorous criteria, earning this 

recognition. 

As a recipient of this esteemed award, Rotor 

Clip joins the ranks of GM’s top-performing supplier 

manufacturing locations. This achievement 

demonstrates the dedication to delivering ‘Quality 

at Volume’ to GM Manufacturing Plants. 

Bruce Rudin, Quality Assurance Manager 

expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “I’m thrilled 

that our commitment to manufacturing the 

highest quality rings, springs and clamps has 

been recognized again with the 2022 GM Supplier 

Quality Excellence Award. This is a testament to 

our team’s dedication to maintaining only the 

highest quality standards across all areas of our 

business.” 

This award also acknowledges the collaborative 

effort and strong partnership between Rotor Clip 

and GM, allowing both companies to achieve new 

heights of success. Rotor Clip remains committed 

to delivering excellence and maintaining the 

highest quality standards, ensuring customer 

satisfaction, and driving success in the automotive 

industry. 

With a commitment to today’s technologies, 

the continued electrification and future technology 

development, Rotor Clip continues to invest in 

product expansion to meet the ever-changing 

needs of the industry. 

Rotor Clip is the global leader in the 

manufacture of retaining rings, wave springs, and 

self-compensating hose clamps. 

For more information contact Rotor Clip Company 

Inc by Tel: 732-469-7333, Email: info@rotorclip.com 

or visit them online at www.rotorclip.com. 

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 43

44 


BLUE RIBBON FASTENER 

8220 Kimball Ave, Skokie, IL 60076 

TEL 847-673-1248 EMAIL info@blueribbonfastener.com WEB www.blueribbonfastener.com 

NAVIGATING FASTENER EXCELLENCE WITH THREE 

GENERATIONS OF EXPERTISE by Dennis Cowhey, President, Computer Insights 

Blue Ribbon Fastener (BRF) supplies North American 

OEMs with high-quality fasteners and industrial hardware. 

As a full-service fastener distributor, they work as an 

extension of your purchasing department to deliver a bestin-class 

supplier network, drive continuous improvement, 

and help you achieve supply chain agility and resiliency. 

Their large inventory and flexible supplier network ensure 

products ship quickly. 

Founded by current President Wally Nathan, BRF 

has been distributing fasteners and hardware to North 

American OEMs out of Chicagoland since 1985. They 

proudly serve leading OEMs in a variety of sectors, 

including lock and safety, furniture, lighting, batteries, 

electronics, and more. 

A Legacy Of Values 

With 71 years and three generations of fastener 

distribution in their DNA, Blue Ribbon strives to embrace 

both generational and technological change. 

Products 

⬡ Bolts 

⬡ Nuts 

⬡ Screws 

⬡ Anchors & Studs 

⬡ Electronic Hardware 

⬡ Clips, Pins, & Rings 

⬡ Rivets 

⬡ Washers 

⬡ Metric 

⬡ Military Hardware 

Industries Served 

No matter your manufacturing sector, BRF can supply 

the fasteners you need. 

Retail Marketing 

BRF supplies a wide range of fasteners for retail pointof-purchase 

(POP) displays and store fixtures. Because 

we work with some of the largest retail marketing and 

store display manufacturers in the business, they keep a 

large inventory of screws, pins, clips, and more in-house 

with a variety of finishes and platings that will fit your 

applications. 

Whether you’re looking for painted fasteners, black 

oxide fasteners, machine screws, hex nuts, flat washers, 

acorn cap nuts, or blind rivets, they have both plastic and 

metal hardware to support your point-of-purchase needs. 

Readily available hardware for half the price of 

leading competitors. 

The Blue RIbbon Advantage: 

⬡ Free samples on all hardware 

⬡ Bulk and prototype quantities 

(No purchase order or line minimums) 

⬡ Same-day quoting 

⬡ Same-day shipping on stock items 

⬡ Cross-border shipping 

⬡ Kitting, painting, and plating 



46 


MID-WEST FASTENER ASSOCIATION 

PO Box 5, Lake Zurich, IL 60047 

TOLL-FREE 1-800-753-8338 TEL 847-438-8338 EMAIL mwfa@mwfa.net WEB www.mwfa.net 

FSTNR WEEK DELIVERS WITH 

MANY OPPORTUNITIES By Francesca Lewis 

The unofficial start of FSTNR week began on 

Saturday, August 19th, with the Rugged Maniac 5K 

obstacle course race. There were 30 fastener industry 

“athletes” that competed and finished together at the 

event, followed by a group lunch in downtown Grayslake, 

IL. Since beginning in 2021, this popular event has 

grown each year, and the Rugged Nuts are already 

looking forward to next year. 

On Sunday, August 20th, the week was launched 

with a Bed Build with Sleep in Heavenly Peace. SHP 

provides beds and the necessary bedding to children in 

need of a bed. Over 100 volunteers gathered at Abbott 

Interfast in Wheeling, IL to build 100 beds. The high 

temperatures did not stop hardworking volunteers from 

spending 6 hours building beds. Plenty of cold water 

and Gatorade was on hand to keep these busy workers 

hydrated but the highlight was when food trucks from 

Cheesies, sponsored by Brighton Best Int’l and Kona 

Shaved Ice, sponsored by BTM Mfg. made their way 

to the build site. They were a welcome site!! We thank 

Abbott Interfast and their crew for their hospitality in 

hosting this event where there was plenty of room to 

accomplish this great task. 

On Monday, August 21st, several companies 

including: Allstar Fasteners, DLP Coatings, SWD Inc, and 

Three J’s Industries, hosted plant tours. While having 

the opportunity to showcase their company they provided 

education in allowing guests to observe processes 

firsthand. Learning more about our industry through 

tours has always been a helpful tool for broadening 

ASSOCIATION ARTICLE 

one’s fastener education. 

The Marriott Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire IL was this 

year’s venue for several of the events. The location 

provided an all-in-one spot creating less travel and a 

central location to meet industry friends after events. 

Tuesday, August 22nd was a busy day beginning 

with a 4-hour Print Reading Seminar taught by Sean 

Collis Quality Lab Manager of Metallurgent Test Lab. 

Record attendance and Sean’s teaching made the 

class informative as well as fun providing a wealth of 

information to the students. 

Later that morning, FSTNR Week hosted a panel 

discussion on artificial intelligence featuring Brandi 

Bertoia- INxSQL Software, Lyndon Lattie-SmartCert, Eric 

Dudas-Fully Threaded Radio, and Jason Therrien-Thunder 

Tech. With AI being a huge buzz word in most industries 

these days it makes sense to make yourself aware of 

the pros and cons and where you can best utilize AI. 

Attendance was an indicator of everyone’s curiosity 

regarding AI. 

The show opened at 1:00pm and featured over 100 

exhibitors, from across the country, providing various 

fastener products, industry services, software, and 

more. The show was busy throughout the day with a 

great attendance keeping exhibitors busy. Exhibitors 

commented on the many decision makers and new 

potential customers they were able to visit with throughout 

the day. At 5:00pm the Retro 80’s Fastener Bash opened 

on the show floor allowing exhibitors to continue meeting 

with attendees in a more social environment. 


MID-WEST FASTENER ASSOCIATION FSTNR WEEK ’23 

41st 

ANNUAL FASTENER SHOW - AUGUST 22, 2023 


48 


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 

ENSURING SAFETY & SUCCESS: THE IMPORTANCE 

OF ISO 45001 IN THE FASTENER INDUSTRY by Scott Mersch 

As the fastener industry gears up for the challenges and 

opportunities that the new year, 2024, holds, companies 

must prioritize their business goals and the well-being 

of their most valuable assets—their employees. In this 

pursuit of excellence, adopting and implementing the ISO 

45001 standard becomes not just a choice but a strategic 

necessity for the fastener industry. This internationally 

recognized standard focuses on occupational health 

and safety management systems, providing a framework 

for organizations to establish, maintain, and continually 

improve their safety performance. 

ISO 45001: A Brief Overview 

ISO 45001 is the first global standard designed to 

improve occupational health and safety (OH&S) within 

organizations. It is a comprehensive framework that 

enables companies to identify and manage OH&S risks, 

reduce workplace accidents, and create a safety culture. 

For the fastener industry, where precision and efficiency 

are paramount, ensuring the health and safety of workers 

is not only an ethical obligation but also a critical 

component of sustainable business practices. 

Why ISO 45001 Matters For The Fastener Industry 

[1] Worker Safety and Well-being: 

¤ Fastener manufacturing often involves intricate 

machinery and processes. ISO 45001 emphasizes 

the need for risk assessment and the implementation 

of measures to ensure employee safety in these 

environments. 

¤ Adhering to ISO 45001 demonstrates a commitment 

to safeguarding workers’ well-being reducing the likelihood 

of workplace accidents and injuries. 


[2] Legal Compliance: Regulatory compliance 

is a significant concern for industries worldwide. ISO 

45001 aligns with legal occupational health and safety 

requirements, helping fastener manufacturers comply 

with regional and international standards. 

[3] Enhanced Reputation and Market 

Competitiveness: Customers and stakeholders 

increasingly value businesses that prioritize safety and 

ethical practices. Achieving ISO 45001 certification 

enhances a company’s reputation and positions it as a 

responsible and reliable partner in the fastener industry. 

[4] Operational Efficiency: ISO 45001 

encourages organizations to continually improve their 

OH&S performance. By identifying and mitigating 

risks, companies in the fastener industry can enhance 

operational efficiency, reduce downtime due to accidents, 

and optimize production processes. 

[5] Risk Management: Fastener manufacturing 

involves various risks, from mechanical hazards to 

chemical exposures. ISO 45001 guides organizations 

in identifying and managing these risks effectively, 

contributing to a safer work environment. 

Considering ISO 45001 In the New Year 

As companies in the fastener industry set their goals 

for the new year, incorporating ISO 45001 into their 

strategic plans is a wise decision. Here’s why: 

[1] Goal Alignment: Safety should be a fundamental 

goal for any organization. Aligning business goals with 

ISO 45001 not only ensures a safer workplace but 

also contributes to achieving broader organizational 

objectives. 



50 


INDUSTRIAL FASTENERS INSTITUTE 

6363 Oak Tree Boulevard, Independence, OH 44131 

TEL 216-241-1482 FAX 216-241-5901 EMAIL info@indfast.org WEB www.indfast.org 

IFI CELEBRATES IMPRESSIVE GROWTH 

OF 14 NEW MEMBERS IN 2023 

The Industrial Fasteners Institute (IFI) proudly 

announces the addition of 14 companies to its esteemed 

membership roster in the year 2023. These new 

members comprise a diverse array of industry-leading 

companies, reflecting IFI’s continued growth as a 

vital hub for fostering collaboration, innovation, and 

excellence within the North American fastener industry. 

The following companies have joined the ranks of IFI 

membership in 2023: 

New Manufacturer Members: 

¤ Chicago Rivet & Machine Company 

¤ CSM Fastener Products 

¤ Indux, SA de CV 

¤ Level 1 Fasteners, Inc. 

New Supplier Members: 

¤ Bluewater Thermal Solutions 

¤ Dimac SRL 

¤ Industrial Steel Treating 

¤ Jehren Industries, Inc. 

¤ King Steel Corporation 

¤ SmartCert 

Additionally, IFI is thrilled to announce the approval 

of its newest members, who were approved by the Board 

of Directors during their November meeting: 

¤ CMC Anchoring Systems (manufacturer) 

¤ Chicago Fastener Manufacturing (manufacturer) 

¤ FPM Heat Treating (supplier) 

¤ Carver Labs (supplier) 

IFI’s membership now stands at 135 manufacturers 

and 60 suppliers – which represents a 10% increase 

in its membership since 2020. When asked why 

IFI has experienced such tremendous growth, Dan 

Walker, Managing Director of IFI said, “IFI is more 

relevant now than ever before for manufacturers and 

their suppliers. We’ve added an array of member 

benefits in recent years that bring an excellent return 

on investment for manufacturers. IFI’s industry leading 

member training, national government affairs, efforts, 

forthcoming apprenticeship program and renewed 

Technical Committee activity are key reasons why 

fastener manufacturers and their suppliers are joining IFI 

in these numbers.” 

IFI’s Chairman, Gene Simpson of Semblex 

Corporation, summed it up this way, “IFI membership 

provides a significant value for our members through 

the tangible benefits we offer. These range from training 

opportunities, economic and benchmarking data, and 

technical support which more than cover the cost of 

your dues. Not only that, IFI members are the leaders in 

this industry, so our meetings and events create great 

opportunities for manufacturing leaders to network with 

their peers and collaborate on meaningful projects and 

initiatives that benefit everyone.” 

As part of IFI membership, companies gain access 

to a wide array of benefits, including: 

¤ Networking Opportunities: Engage with a 

vibrant community of industry professionals, fostering 

collaboration and knowledge exchange. 



INDUSTRIAL FASTENERS INSTITUTE 

INDUSTRIAL FASTENERS INSTITUTE CELEBRATES IMPRESSIVE GROWTH OF 14 NEW MEMBERS IN 2023 from page 50 

¤ Industry Insights and Research: Access to 

cutting-edge trends, economic data, technical research, 

statistics, and best practices, ensuring members stay 

ahead in a rapidly evolving industry. 

¤ Standards and Regulatory Support: Expert 

guidance and advocacy on compliance, standards, and 

regulatory matters impacting fastener manufacturers 

specifically. 

¤ Professional Development: Exclusive access to 

educational resources, workshops, and seminars to enhance 

skill sets and stay updated with industry advancements. 

¤ Enhanced Market Visibility: Amplified brand 

visibility and credibility by affiliating with IFI, a respected 

authority in the fasteners industry. 

The Industrial Fasteners Institute continues to attract 

industry professionals and companies passionate about 

the fasteners industry to join its thriving community, 

fostering collaboration, innovation, and excellence. 

About IFI 

IFI is the leading voice representing the interests 

of the North American manufacturers of mechanical 

fasteners and formed parts, as well as the key suppliers 

to the industry, fostering their working together to shape 

the future of the industry. IFI represents the industry to 

its suppliers, customers, the government, and the publicat-large 

to advance the competitiveness, products, and 

innovative technology of the Member Companies in a 

global marketplace. 

To inquire about IFI membership, contact Dan Walker, 

Managing Director at dwalker@indfast.org or call 216-241- 

1482 for details on eligibility and benefits. 

INDUSTRIAL FASTENERS INSTITUTE

52 


THE FASTENER EXPERTS MENTOR GROUP consists of about 20 fastener professionals in various 

stages of developing and sharing their fastener expertise with the fastener community. They have a virtual 

meeting twice a month, under the direction of CARMEN VERTULLO, CFS. The discussion is unplanned but 

always informative and technically challenging. Many of the questions that are processed by the experts are 

worth sharing, and in the interest of developing their expertise they want to put their answers in writing. 

If you have a fastener question or topic that you would like to put to the experts, or if you would like to join 

the group contact Carmen at carmenv@carverem.com or 619-204-1543. 

I have a fastener question... 

IS MY PART UP TO IFI STANDARDS IF IT LOOKS BAD? 

It’s a normal morning for you, you sit down at your 

desk, open your email sipping your cup of coffee. Then, 

you come across an email from a customer with pictures 

of a fastener that has a defect. You almost spit your sip 

of coffee out because the part looks ugly. How could this 

happen? Why would we ship something like this? Your 

gut reaction is to immediately reply to the customer and 

apologize for sending them bad parts, you need to let 

QC know they need to put a hold on that lot of parts, 

you need to get new parts sent out ASAP…. then your 

fastener expert training kicks in. Is this really a bad part 

even though it cosmetically looks bad? 

YOUR EXPERT 

MIKE 

ROBINSON 

Mike Robinson is a Key Account Manager for 

Lindfast Solutions group with almost 15 years of 

Fastener sales experience. He is currently in his 

second year of “Fastener Expert Training” with 

Carmen Vertullo. 

How do you find out if a part is acceptable per 

fastener standards even if it has a physical appearance 

of being bad? In our fastener world this is called a 

Surface Discontinuity. For inch size ASTM brings these to 

our attention in the ASTM F788 Standard. This standard 

covers bolts, screws, and studs in both inch and metric. 

Surface Discontinuities can occur at any stage of the 

manufacturing process or even during shipping and 

handling. 

There are several kinds of surface discontinuities 

that you need to know about when trying to identify your 

problem fastener: 

¤ Cracks 

¤ Quench Cracks 

¤ Forging Cracks 

¤ Burst 

¤ Shear Burst 

¤ Seams 

¤ Voids 

¤ Tool Marks 

¤ Gouges 

¤ Seams 

¤ Folds 

¤ Thread Laps 

Each one of these discontinuities are defined in 

ASTM F788 and if they are either acceptable or rejectable 

based on the type, size and location of the discontinuity. 

A few of these qualify for immediate rejection, just like 

your gut reaction told you. 

MENTOR ARTICLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 122


54 


ARAMID TECHNOLOGIES 

2200 E Williams Field Rd, Ste 200, Gilbert AZ 85295 

TEL 480-680-7242 EMAIL info@smartcert.tech WEB www.smartcert.tech 

BUILD TRACEABILITY AND VISIBILITY IN THE 

CLOUD TO REDUCE RISK By Lonni Kieffer, Co-Founder 

With a fresh year ahead, many companies are 

prioritizing improved organization and access to vendor 

certifications as an important focus area to reduce 

risk. For some, this means quality certifications such 

as MTRs, PPAPs, and test reports received by vendors. 

For others, it’s vendor compliance, ISO certifications, 

continuous improvement documentation, and vendor 

audits and evaluations. For many, it’s both. 

These documents are often stored in a local drive, 

creating challenges for accessibility and scalability, and 

requiring very specific naming conventions and/or smart 

organization within folders. When multiple people are 

responsible for these efforts, inconsistencies in saving 

and storing documents can create slow response times 

and an inability to get to the information you need, when 

you need it. 

As you approach improvements to organizing any type 

of required vendor documentation, a top consideration 

should be to move documents to the cloud and leverage 

the latest organization and automation tools technology 

has to offer. 

Organizing certs from vendors means greater 

visibility, control, and trust over your supply chain. It can 

strengthen communication internally and with vendors, 

and turn hours-long efforts in accessing, analyzing, and 

using data into mere seconds. 

Companies are using cloud-based platforms 

like SmartCert to store vendor documents, improve 

workflows, reduce manual steps, and upgrade systems 


that require heavy IT oversight. 

Here are five reasons you should consider a 

cloud-based platform to store vendor certifications and 

documents: 

Reduced Risk 

Cloud-based platforms reduce your risk of ransomware 

and hackers by constantly monitoring systems for threats 

and vulnerabilities. These advanced protections and 

securities provide the ability to identify and mitigate risk 

much faster than you could on your own. 

Centralizing vendor certs also makes it easier to 

identify and mitigate security risks. Being able to access 

documents from your authorized supplier list, including 

compliance documents, and ISO certifications, and 

looking up a specific certificate authority, or lot number 

if parts fail or are recalled, can allow for quick action and 

the protection of your business and reputation. 

Increased Efficiency 

Cloud-based platforms offer tools that support 

easier and faster workflows. If documents require a 

signature, stamp, redaction, or update, it’s likely you 

can accomplish these tasks in less time than using a 

third-party tool. For example, SmartCert was built for 

cert transfer and storage, and offers the cert processing 

tools your quality team needs to approve and process 

parts and send and receive compliance documentation 

from suppliers. 


56 


COMPUTER INSIGHTS, INC. 

108 Third Street, Bloomingdale, IL 60108 

TEL 1-800-539-1233 EMAIL sales@ci-inc.com WEB www.ci-inc.com 

SALES TAX SIMPLIFIED 

by Dennis Cowhey 

In 2019, Computer Insights, 

Inc. partnered with Avalara AvaTax to 

eliminate the arduous tasks involved in 

keeping up with sales tax laws. At the 

time, there were approximately 11,000 

standard sales tax jurisdictions in the 

United States. As of this writing, there 

are over 13,000 sales and use tax 

jurisdictions. Each of these jurisdictions 

has multiple tax rates, all of which 

can change monthly depending on 

economic and political circumstances. 

The count of jurisdictions differs 

significantly from state to state. For instance, New 

Jersey, despite its numerous municipalities, only has 

two sales tax jurisdictions, whereas Texas, incredibly, 

has over 1,600. However, a lower number of jurisdictions 

doesn’t necessarily mean reduced complexity, as states 

and localities maintain distinct laws and procedures 

governing sales tax administration, audits, enforcement, 

and notifications of rate adjustments. 

If you are struggling to keep up with the challenges 

associated with sales tax, you need software that takes 

care of it for you. The Business Edge TM 

by Computers 

Insights, with its Avalara AvaTax Certified Integration, 

can eliminate the overhead and headaches associated 

with sales tax. Everything happens automatically in the 

background as you go about your normal day-to-day 

business; every detail is stored automatically and easily 

retrieved when required. 

Do you know where your company has nexus and 

what tax laws affect you? Do you know which of your 

customers’ tax exemption certificates are legitimate and 

haven’t expired? Avalara can help. 

Computer Insights, Inc. Celebrates 

Five Years With Avalara 

The Business Edge TM 

by Computer Insights is a 

full-featured state-of-the-art ERP system that helps 

businesses streamline their business processes in 

every aspect of their business. The Business Edge TM 

eliminates steps from day-to-day activities and provides 

unparalleled reporting and analysis features. 

BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 124


58 


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 

BENEFITS OF 420 CHROME STAINLESS STEEL 

COILED SPRING PINS by Michael Pasko, Applications Engineer 

SPIROL invented the Coiled Spring Pin in 1948. 

Coiled Pins are used in many industries including: 

automotive, medical, heavy equipment, military, 

aerospace, and consumer products. In applications 

requiring a combination of high strength, superior fatigue 

life, and corrosion resistance, 420 martensitic chrome 

stainless steel offers a host of technical benefits and 

provides an overall robust cost-effective solution. 

Strength 

SPIROL’s 420 stainless steel Coiled Spring Pins are 

hardened to values approximating their high carbon steel 

equivalents and share the same minimum rated shear 

strength. This process also develops desired spring 

properties and fatigue resistance. Chrome stainless steel 

Coiled Pins also offer good corrosion protection against 

most common atmospheric and environmental conditions 

without the risk of rapid work hardening associated with 

302/304 austenitic stainless steel. In most cases, 420 

chrome stainless steel Coiled Spring Pins may be used as 

drop in replacements for high carbon steel pins assuming 

galvanic potential has been considered relative to the 

host material. 

Corrosion Resistance 

When corrosion resistant Spring Pins are required, 

there are (2) common options: 

¤ Carbon steel with a sacrificial protective plating or 

coating 

¤ Stainless steel alloys which are inherently corrosion 

resistant 

Platings and coatings provide excellent performance 

though they are consumed over time, whereas 

COILED SPRING PINS ARE OFFERED IN LIGHT, STANDARD AND 

HEAVY DUTY TO MEET APPLICATION-SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS 

stainless steel provides a lifetime of protection providing 

free oxygen is available in the environment (free oxygen 

allows the fastener’s protective chromium oxide layer to 

reform if damaged). For plated and coated parts, once 

the plating or coating is depleted, the carbon steel is left 

unprotected and rapidly corrodes. 

420 martensitic chrome stainless steel provides 

good corrosion resistance in environments, including but 

not limited to: 

¤ Normal atmosphere and humidity 

¤ Steam 

¤ Fresh water 

¤ Alcohol 

¤ Ammonia 

¤ Alkalis 

¤ Mild acids (ex. carbonic) 

¤ Petroleum products such as gasoline, oil, crude, etc. 

¤ Mild detergents & sterilizing solutions 



OBITUARY 

Marc O. Strandquist 

June 5, 1962 - August 

31, 2023 

Marc Strandquist, 61, 

of Jackson, TN, formerly of 

Rockford, passed away on 

Thursday, August 31, 2023. 

Born June 5, 1962, in 

Wurzburg, Germany, the son 

of Jack D. Strandquist and 

Johana Rhineline. 

Marc is survived by his 

wife, Vonda; three wonderful 

children, Erica Strandquist, 

A.J. Strandquist, and Thomas 

(Alyssa) Strandquist; 

grandchildren, Walter and 

Oliver; mother, Johana; 

siblings, Kyle (Kris Curtiss) 

Strandquist and Mike (Mary 

Ellen) Strandquist; sisters-inlaw 

and brothers-in-law; and 

many nieces and nephews. 

Predeceased by his father, 

Jack. 

Graduate of Guilford High 

School, Class of 1980 and 

Southern Illinois University 

with a Bachelor’s Degree in 

1984. Veteran of the U.S. 

Army as an Army officer with 

10 years in the National 

Guard and Army Reserves 

Guard and Army Reserves serving 

in Operation Desert Storm at Ft. 

Benning, GA and retired as Captain. 

Marc married Vonda R. Bridges 

on July 26, 1986. Together they 

celebrated 37 years. 

He was CEO of two large global 

fastener organizations, Wurth 

Industry of North America with 

sales of $850 million and Optimas 

Solutions with sales of $650 

million. Marc was in the fastener 

industry for 37 years in variety 

of roles; both distribution and 

manufacturing. He was President of 

the National Fastener Distribution 

Association. Marc loved mentoring 

people and helping them develop 

on their careers. 

Over his lifetime he was 

involved with many community 

organizations like Chamber of 

Commerce, Junior Achievement 

and the YMCA. He ran Madison 

Ohio YMCA Indian Guides Program 

along with his family being voted 

Family of the Year. Marc coached 

little league baseball for over 

20 years in IL, MI, OH, IN and 

Ontario. He was also a member 

of Concordia Lutheran Church in 

Jackson, TN. 

Marc was a lifelong hunter/ 

fisherman. He loved his hunting 

dogs, especially Gunther. He ran 

a fishing tournament for a large 

group of friends for over ten years. 

Marc dearly loved hanging out with 

the guys. He was a member of the 

Diana Hunt Club in Ontario. 

Marc also enjoyed traveling the 

world and was known for his deep 

trivia knowledge. He loved military 

history and science fiction. Marc 

was an avid Star Trek Fan and a 

lifelong Packer Fan.

60 


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 HOLDS 26TH ANNUAL GOLF OUTING 

by Rob Rundle 

The 26th Annual MFDA Golf Outing, held September 

10, 2023, was a success! Golf Outing Chairmen, 

Ken Schneeloch (McCormick Associates), and Nancy 

Montesano (McCormick Associates) hosted this year’s 

event at Wild Turkey Golf Course, one of Crystal Springs 

Golf & Resort’s five world class championship courses 

in Northern New Jersey. Although a bit of rain arrived late 

on the course, the golfers enjoyed a competitive game of 

golf, along with good food, prizes and camaraderie. 

All profits from this event helped to kick off the 

2024 MFDA Scholarship Drive. This event provides 

yearly scholarships to deserving children of parents 

working in the fastener industry wishing to seek a higher 

education. Distributors, suppliers, manufacturer reps, 

and ancillary companies came together on this day to 

support this annual event. 

This year’s awards table was covered with a large 

selection of donated prizes for both the raffle and golf 

winners, in addition to golf shirts for all the golfers. These 

prizes were made possible thanks to the generosity of 

ND Industries – golf tees and bags; Kanebridge Corp. – 

a sleeve of balls for each golfer and an Odyssey Putter; 


North East Fasteners – sound bar and two gift cards; 

Brighton Best – a tent; EFC International – Cooler. 

A special thanks to the following companies for 

sponsoring holes: 

¤ Advance Components 

¤ Aluminum Fastener Supply Co., Inc. 

¤ Big Bolt, LLC 

¤ Brighton-Best International 

¤ Captive Fastener Corp. 

¤ Diversified Rack & Shelving 

¤ EFC International 

¤ Eurolink FSS 

¤ Fastbolt Corp. - A Div. Of AFC Industries 

¤ Ford Fasteners, Inc. 

¤ Huyett 

¤ Industrial Rivet & Fastener 

¤ Kanebridge Corporation 

¤ Lee S. Johnson Associates Inc. 

¤ McCormick Associates, Inc. 

¤ Metric & Multistandard Corp. 

¤ North East Fasteners Corporation 



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 

HANS FULLER ELECTED PAC-WEST PRESIDENT by Amy Nijjar 

Hans Fuller of Fuller Metric (Surrey, British Columbia) 

was elected to serve a second year as president of the 

Pacific-West Fastener Association at a recent meeting of 

the Pac-West Board of Directors. 

George Martinez of Brighton-Best International 

(Long Beach, California) was elected as the association’s 

vice president, and Ryan McCaffrey of Pacific Coast 

Bolt (Santa Fe Springs, California) was elected as 

secretary/treasurer. Clay Weaver of Industrial Threaded 

Products (Rancho Cucamonga, California) will continue as 

immediate past president. 

Mallory Nichols of Advance Components (Carrollton, 

Texas), TJ McFarland of Goebel Fasteners (Houston, 

Texas), Carl Spackman of Copper State Bolt & Nut Co. 

(Phoenix, Arizona), and Patty Trautmann of Beawest 

Fasteners (Kent, Washington) were elected by the Pac- 

West membership to serve three-year terms on the Board 

of Directors. 


Other members of the Pac-West Board are Joe Cenk 

of H.W. Eckhardt (Huntington Beach, California), Aaron 

Jones of Star Stainless Screw (Seattle, WA), Alfonso 

Ramirez of Southwest Fastener (Phoenix, Arizona), and 

Michael Yandoli of M&M Fasteners Supply (Valencia, CA). 

Thank you to retiring Board members Mark Thomas 

Cordova of Centennial Bolt (Denver, Colorado), Marisa 

Mudge of Mudge Fasteners (Corona, California), and 

Ken Rosenblatt of Hi-Q Fasteners (Santa Fe Springs, 

California). 

PACIFIC-WEST FASTENER ASSOCIATION

62 


Jo Morris Marketing Director, Fastener Training Institute ® 

FASTENER TRAINING INSTITUTE ® 

1545 N. Columbus Avenue, Glendale, CA 91202 

TEL 562-473-5373 FAX 661-449-3232 

EMAIL info@fastenertraining.org WEB www.fastenertraining.org 

FASTENER TRAINING INSTITUTE PRESENTS 

2024 TRAINING SCHEDULE 

With a robust schedule, expert instructors and a 

commitment to ongoing fastener education, Fastener 

Training Institute is your go-to for fastener training. We 

are ready for 2024! 

Make plans to keep yourself or your employees up 

to date with everything from the basics to the highly 

specialized. With a variety of class options, you can keep 

your knowledge current and strong. 

Certified Fastener Specialist Training 

Our flagship offering takes industry professionals 

on a journey to become a Certified Fastener Specialist 

(CFS). It is the most noteworthy measurement of 

technical aptitude for fastener professionals. Our 

admiration is immense for all who make the commitment 

to the program, including the more than 1,500 alumni 

to-date. We applaud the professionals and businesses 

who invest in advancing the fastener and manufacturing 

industries by improving safety and championing 

professional development through this education. 

There are two routes to become a CFS: an intensive 

week-long class, Fastener Training Week; or single-day 

CFS designated classes that can be taken in any order 

and at any time. 

2024 Fastener Training Weeks 

April 8-12: Fastener Training Week in Cleveland at 

Brighton Best International 

August 19-23: Fastener Training Week in Chicago 

November 11-15: Fastener Training Week in Cleveland 


at Industrial Fastener Institute 

2024 CFS Single-Day Classes in Los Angeles, CA* 

February 6: Fastener Specifications & Terminology (CFS 1) 

April 2: Understanding the Bolted Joint (CFS 2) 

June 25: Dimensional and Material Specifications (CFS 3) 

July 16: Fastener Quality Assurance, Print Reading and & 

Inspection (CFS 4) 

August 6: Fastener Manufacturing, Quality Lab, Processor 

Tours (CFS 5,6,7) 

*Class dates, locations and instructors are subject to 

change. Visit our website at www.fasteneringtraining.org for 

the most up-to-date training schedule. 

In addition to advanced CFS training, we will host plenty 

of other in-person day classes, live webinars and continue 

to provide access to our extensive online learning library of 

recorded webinars. And, of course, we will be at Fastener Fair 

USA and International Fastener Expo! Find the entire training 

schedule at www.fastenertraining.org under “training”. 

Extra special thanks to our ongoing sustaining 

sponsor, Wurth Industries North America, for supporting our 

commitment to fastener 

training. We look forward 

to seeing you in 2024! 

JO MORRIS | FASTENER TRAINING INSTITUTE

64 


EMAIL info@fastenershows.com 

WEB www.fastenershows.com 

2023 INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO: 

A YEAR OF UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS! 

The 2023 International Fastener Expo, the premier 

gathering for fastener professionals, recently concluded 

its annual event with resounding success. This year’s 

event, held from October 9 – 11, at Mandalay Bay in 

Las Vegas, NV brought together over 4,300 industry 

exhibitors and attendees from around the world. The 

event featured a wide range of activities, including the 

annual Golf Tournament, Welcome Reception Party, 

bustling expo floor, diverse educational sessions, and 

award ceremony, all designed to facilitate networking 

and knowledge sharing within the fastener industry. 

The 2023 International Fastener Expo kicked off with 

an unforgettable Golf Tournament at the scenic Bali Hai 

Golf Club. Participants, 145 players across 37 teams, 

enjoyed a day of friendly competition, networking, and 

views of the Las Vegas Strip. The tournament fostered 

camaraderie among industry professionals, setting the 

tone for the productive days to come. Congratulations to 

the winners of the 2023 IFE Golf Tournament: 

First Place: Brandon Chapman, Jesse Schaefer, 


Jason Klapowich, Larry Briffett – Fastening House Inc. 

Second Place: Michael Morrissey, Chris Berner, Dan 

Finucan, Kent Shutey – American Ring 

Third Place: Jack Dobek, Dennis Doyle, Ryan Cooper, 

Eric Mason – B&D Cold Headed Products 

Longest Drive Men: Chris Berner – American Ring 

Longest Drive Women: Erin Waidelich – Aircraft 

Fasteners Int’l 

Closest to the Pin Men: Steve Delis – Fastener Tool 

Closest to the Pin Women: Erin Waidelich – Aircraft 

Fasteners Int’l 

The Welcome Reception at Mandalay Bay’s Daylight 

Pool, held on the eve of the expo floor opening, brought 

over 1,000 fastener professionals out for a night of great 

networking, drinks and dancing, and some warm Las 

Vegas weather! Poolside cabanas housed gatherings of 

industry associations, Hall of Fame and Young Fastener 

Professional of the Year inductees, and the always 

popular cigar rolling. 


INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO 

MANDALAY BAY, LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 10-11, 2023 


66 


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 

OUTDATED SALES PROCESSING AND MANUAL 

PRICING COST MORE THAN YOU THINK 

You’ll find hidden cash by revisiting your company’s 

internal operations. You’ll unlock cash flow potential 

with a better grasp of the industry, data-based decisions, 

and state-of-the-art technology. 

The 2024 budgets might be set by now, or you 

might be fine-tuning the last details! CEOs, Controllers, 

Sales and Inventory Managers, and all those functions 

that make financial decisions have wrestled individually 

with the organization’s goals and impending costs since 

late summer. Of course, each department has “special” 

needs, but they eventually collaborate and compromise. 

In my conversation with multiple distributors during 

STAFDA 2023 in San Antonio, I confirmed the sense 

that we have pulled out of the pandemic economy. 

Now, we are working through a still shaky business 

environment with some markets growing, some flat, and 

some declining. Owners, investors, and managers don’t 

like uncertainty. They know their budgets won’t work 

without new strategies and powerful tools for managing 

inventory, sales, and pricing. 

I like to show them how to find the cash they want 

in-house. Effective, efficient, and innovative processes 

will unlock their needed cash flow potential. But this 

won’t happen with outdated sales processes, manual 

pricing strategies, and legacy tools. 

Who Needs The Money? 

I have worked with multiple distributors, supporting 

them through their growth from a mid-sized local provider 


to a multi-regional power. And I am still amazed by the 

thousands of items and hundreds of vendors they deal 

with daily. These companies worried about cash when 

they were small, and they worry about it now. 

Any business needs confidence in its ability to 

cover daily expenses, meet its financial obligations, and 

invest in its future. When they feel threatened, some 

businesses will focus on the obvious cuts in labor, 

compensation, and administrative expenses. But as we 

say in Texas, “They’re chasing the wrong dog!” 

¤ Like so many companies, wholesale 

distributorships began as small operations. Familyowned 

and operated, they may have specialized in 

handling a single product line or serving a niche 

market. Small distributors provided convenience to 

manufacturers and customers, and their size allowed for 

prompt and personal service. 

Small distributors grew by adding related lines and 

accessories. They opened markets related to their core 

customer base. They developed processes and pricing 

strategies to increase their customers’ experience. I 

don’t think they realized then, but this is reactive, not 

proactive. It is adaptive but not strategic. 

¤ Like many pivotal business strategies, a 

lot depends on processes and operations. I respect 

those order takers and salespeople who juggle daily 

responsibilities. They negotiate vendor terms, strengthen 

customer relationships, and price products to satisfy 

customer demand and return a profit to the company. 


68 


ANNOUNCING FASTENER FAIR USA 2024: 

RETURNING TO CLEVELAND, OH 

In the bustling heart of Cleveland, Ohio, Fastener 

Fair USA 2024 is gearing up to be an unmatched event 

for professionals in the fastener industry. Set to take 

place at the renowned Huntington Convention Center of 

Cleveland on May 22-23, this premier exhibition provides 

a unique opportunity for innovation, networking, and 

business growth for the entire fastener supply chain 

across every segment of the market. 

Get ready for an exhibit hall that’s shaping up 

to surpass the buzz and business that took place 

in 2023, bringing in more cutting-edge products and 

innovative technologies from leading manufacturers 

and suppliers. The eagerly anticipated Opening Night 

Networking Party will be returning and taking place at 

the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! This special event 

is perfect for attendees to connect and network with 

industry peers and colleagues in a relaxed atmosphere 

while enjoying food, drinks and live music. Along with 

invaluable education opportunities designed to enhance 


your industry knowledge, the new Fastener Club Loyalty 

Program providing exclusive benefits to those who attend 

year after year, and more, this event is a must-attend if 

you’re looking to stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of 

fasteners. 

Registration for Fastener Fair USA 2024 opens 

early 2024. By RSVPing to attend the event, you will 

be the first to know when registration opens. Early 

registrants will have access to discounted early-bird 

pricing and be able to secure their spot at the Opening 

Night Networking Party (where space is limited!). Don’t 

miss out on the latest innovations, technologies, and 

networking opportunities that Fastener Fair USA has to 

offer and get ready to unlock the full potential of your 

business in 2024 and beyond. 

RSVP to Attend Today, visit www.fastenerfairusa.com/ 

en-us/PRE-REGISTER. 

Interested in Exhibiting? Contact Allison Honkofsky at 

Allison.Honkofsky@rxglobal.com to learn more. 

FASTENER FAIR USA

70 


GOEBEL FASTENERS INC. 

5650 Guhn Rd Suite 110, Houston, Texas 77040 

TEL 713-393-7007 FAX 713-393-7084 EMAIL sales@goebelfasteners.com WEB www.goebelfasteners.com 

GOEBEL - A SUCCESS STORY: FROM TWO CAR 

GARAGE TO INNOVATIVE WORLD MARKET LEADER 

Founded in 1979 by Brigitte Goebel and Klaus Arens, 

the Goebel Group started in a small two car garage 

located near Düsseldorf, Germany. They both recognized 

a need in the market for new fastener options that would 

turn the tide in industry; this awareness paired with their 

dedication to quality would be the foundation they would 

build on. Their perseverance paid off when a German 

railway company, known today as Deutsche Bahn AG, 

placed its first order for rivets that would be used in the 

manufacturing of passenger railcar interiors. They are 

still a customer to this day and the rivets can be found 

in most of their railcars that travel throughout Europe. 

The Goebel Group is led by Marcel Goebel who is 

headquartered out of Düsseldorf, Germany. His son 

Elias Goebel is the third generation and has been 

learning the ins and outs of the organization to be able 

to drive the group to the next level of growth. Part of 

this plan was a sizeable reshoring process that included 

the assets acquisition of a production facility and those 

machines were brought back to the facility in Germany 

where they are currently undergoing full restoration down 

to the frame then being rebuilt like new. Elias is leading 

the new production factory expansion with the end result 

being a “Made in Germany” product series of blind 

rivets. 

For over forty years our dedication has not waivered, 

resulting in exponential growth on a global scale with 

continued success. The Goebel Group has been a 

family owned company since the beginning, developing 

a reputation worldwide for its innovative fastener 

technology. Today the business has grown to include 

a multicultural team of employees, patented product 

innovations, expansion of subsidiaries, and further 

investment into reshoring manufacturing efforts. With six 

subsidiaries worldwide we serve our valued customers 

with a network of distribution partners. 

“Made in Germany” is critical for Goebel’s mission 

to become the preferred supplier to their customers. At 

the beginning of the 3rd quarter of 2024, Goebel GmbH 

will start production of various blind rivets in Germany. 

With continuous efforts, investment and passion of the 

management & team, GOEBEL continues to evolve as 

one of the market leaders in the fastener industry and 

the fourth ever manufacturer of blind rivets in Germany. 

The production facility will have environmental and 

energy friendly features, use of the latest solar energy 

technology (Goebel has invested in 776 solar panels, 

PV generator power 318 KWp) to reduce CO2 emissions 

(CO2 savings per year ca. 170t). Sustainability is 

important to us! 

The production will take place in two shifts five days 

a week and will have the capacity to produce 294 million 

units per year upon first launch of phase one. Continued 

investment into 70+ dedicated production machinery 

groups the forecast for phase two will be to increase 

capacity to 1 billion blind rivets per year. 




41st 



72 


SPECIALTY TOOLS & FASTENERS DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION 

PO Box 44, 500 Elm Grove Rd., Ste. 2I0, Elm Grove, Wl 53122 

TEL 1-800-352-2981 EMAIL info@stafda.org WEB www.stafda.org 

STAFDA ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF ITS 

EXCELLENCE IN DISTRIBUTION SCHOOL by Georgia H. Foley, CEO 

For the past 23 years, the Specialty Tools & 

Fasteners Distributors Association (STAFDA) has been a 

co-sponsoring association of the University of Innovative 

Distribution (UID), held each March in Indianapolis. It’s 

a four-day management school for professionals in 

distribution and the supply chain. 

However, in February 2023, the 

company managing UID terminated 

their contract leaving the future of UID 

in limbo. Because of the value and 

importance of this program, STAFDA 

recently announced its ‘Excellence 

in Distribution’ school for all 

professionals in the construction 

and industrial space. 

STAFDA’s CEO, Georgia Foley, stated, “UID was 

originally called the University of Industrial Distribution 

and catered to our industry. But a management decision 

was made a few years ago to expand into other nonindustrial 

channels of distribution and the name was 

changed from ‘Industrial’ to ‘Innovative.’ This is being 

reflected in UID surveys. Many people want a return to the 

core curriculum of distribution and the supply chain. They 

also want a shorter program and speakers to give their 

‘best 90 minutes’ of coursework rather than a half, or full 

day, program dedicated to one subject.” 

‘Excellence in Distribution’ will be held March 12-14 in 

Nashville. Foley stated, “The 2.5 days of quality education 

at the Hilton Nashville will be taught by experts serving 

our industry covering key topics: outside sales, branch 

management, HR, profitability, warehousing and inventory, 

the Infrastructure Act, and trending topics like AI. ALL 

companies in the construction and industrial channel are 


encouraged to attend, not just STAFDA members. We’re 

all in this space together and ‘Excellence’ is designed for 

the betterment of our industry.” 

STAFDA has prior experience: From the mid-80s to 

1999, the Association ran a management school called 

“Excellence in Management” originally held 

at Texas A&M, then the University of 

Colorado-Boulder, and finally Purdue 

University. 

‘Excellence’ sessions will end at 

Noon on Thursday, March 14, but 

for those who want a fun diversion 

before heading home, an optional 

tour of Jack Daniels will be offered. 

Lynchburg Tennessee is only 90 

minutes away and seeing how Jack handles distribution can 

be a unique way to close out the experience. 

STAFDA members will receive preferential pricing, 

but ‘Excellence’ is designed to serve the construction, 

industrial, fastener, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, LBM, 

safety, concrete, or any other market in the construction 

channel. It’ll be open to distributors, manufacturers, rep 

agents, general contractors, industry buying groups, and 

any professional who wants to learn and grow in their 

career. Registration opened November 20 from www. 

excelindist.org. 

In addition, STAFDA continues to offer free, one hour, 

monthly webinars covering pertinent business topics. 

January’s topic is “Attracting & Hiring New Generation 

Talent” and February’s program is “OSHA Regulations 

Update: What’s New and What’s Upcoming.” 

For more information on STAFDA, please visit www. 

stafda.org or contact the office at 800-352-2981. 

SPECIALTY TOOLS & FASTENERS DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION

STAFDA 47th 

ANNUAL CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW 

SAN ANTONIO, TX - NOVEMBER 5-7, 2023

74 


GLOBALFASTENERNEWS.COM 

by JOHN WOLZ EDITOR 

editor@globalfastenernews.com 

BADER TELLS PAC-WEST: ASK QUESTIONS 

BEFORE STOCKING NEW PRODUCT 

To prevent dead stock make it hard to bring new 

items into stock, consultant Jason Bader told the Pacific- 

West Fastener Association. 

New items are the #1 cause of dead stock, Bader 

finds. 

Avoid emotional additions. “It is the emotional side of 

a salesperson who says, ‘I’ll bet I can sell that.’” 

The #1 buyer of soon-to-be-unsold inventory? Owners 

of distributorships, Bader finds. 

Ask questions before adding new items to the 

inventory. Who is going to buy it? Will there be training 

support? Who else sells it? Is there a sell-through 

guarantee? 

Is the supplier offering any guarantees? “Spend with 

people who want to back up,” Bader advised. 

If it is a new product, what is the launch date? What 

are expected margins? Will this supersede an item? Is 

there a sell-through guarantee? What is the intended 

margin? What is the training plan? 

Before adding a new product to inventory, “you must 

list more than one customer,” Bader said. 

And sometimes the purchaser has to say “No.” 

Bader, of the Distribution Team, has 30 years 

experience in distribution. He was the 2003 president of 

the Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributor Association. 

Bader demonstrated using gross margin from stock 

sales (GMROI) and inventory turns to calculate inventory 

investment. Measure by buyers and product lines in each 

branch, he said. You need the data to make inventory 

decisions, he said. 

One step to reducing dead stock is appointing a dead 

stock manager who will take a non-emotional response to 

inventory, Bader suggested. Make it an incentive-based 


pay position. It could be a part-time job for a retiree. 

Another step is verbiage. Bader said changes in titles 

can make a point: From “buyer” or “purchasing agent” 

to “inventory investor” or “director of investments” can 

motivate. 

Also “let software do its job,” Bader added. 

Distributors are using only 15% of software capability, 

Bader finds. 

It isn’t just inventory that costs. “Sometimes we keep 

customers around that shouldn’t be,” Bader said. “I’m ok 

with losing a few.” 

Distributors should develop a “hit list” calculating the 

number of times a product is purchased. Anything less 

than four hits a year is a candidate for non-stocking. 

There is a cost of holding inventory, Bader 

emphasized. “Every bin location is rentable property.” It 

is an “opportunity cost.” 

¤ For new suppliers, ask about freight terms, 

payment, expected margins and liability insurance, 

goal of low teens in two years? 

¤ A certain amount of dead stock is inevitable, 

Bader acknowledged. “You are not going to get down 

to zero. We gamble. Customers change,” he cited as 

reasons. 

¤ Don’t use “cookie cutter” approaches to stocking 

in different locations. There are geographic preferences, 

Bader advised. 

¤ Additional steps in reducing dead stock: Can 

you return to vendor? Hold customers accountable? Peer 

networking .. can you help each other out? Charitable 

contribution? 

Ultimately, what can a distributor do with dead stock? 

“Dump it,” Bader declared. 

GLOBALFASTENERNEWS.COM


76 


Roman Basi 

Roman Basi is the President of The Center for Financial, Legal & Tax Planning, Inc. Roman graduated 

from Milliken University obtaining a Bachelor’s of Science Degree with a minor in Psychology. He 

earned an MBA from Southern Illinois University with an emphasis in Accounting and recevied his 

JD degree from Southern Illinois University. Roman is a licensed CPA as well as being a licensed 

attorney in Illinois, Missouri and Florida and is in high demand for his expertise in financial, legal 

and tax matters. His areas of expertise include mergers and acquisitions, contracts, real estate law, 

tax and estate planning. Visit www.taxplanning.com or call The Center at 618-997-3436. 

THE VALUE OF A TAX MINIMIZATION ANALYSIS 

When selling a business, most business owners 

are curious as to how much cash they would walk away 

with. More specifically, what tax impact would they incur, 

and what would be the best structure and allocation to 

minimize the tax impact? How would one get the answer 

to all these questions? A Tax Minimization Analysis (TMA) 

is your one-stop shop for all the above. A TMA will analyze 

multiple factors that play a vital role in the outcome of 

selling a business. 

An M&A transaction is often an overwhelming process. 

They have a multitude of variables that could drastically 

influence the outcome. These variables include but 

are certainly not limited to the overall structure of the 

transaction, the asset/stock basis of the selling company, 

ownership configurations, real estate involvement, multiple 

entity involvement, liabilities paid at closing, purchase 

price adjustments, earn-outs, consulting fees, recaptured 

depreciation, and the federal, state, and local tax impact. 

The sooner that all variables in the transaction are 

understood, the better suited your counsel will be to 

understand how to best combat or strategically fully use 

such variables possible. This is to ensure that you did 

not invest your life into a business to give thirty to fifty 

percent away in taxes when sold. The example below 

provides some insight into the value of a TMA. While a 

TMA typically pays for itself through the minimization of 

tax savings, there is also a possibility that the findings 


in a TMA could pay for the merger and acquisition (M&A) 

team that you engage for the transaction. 

For example, let us say your business deals with 

complex licensing or regulation and the buyer is looking 

to pursue an asset sale for the benefits of immediate 

depreciation. With a TMA, your counsel would be able to 

analyze and determine which structure would best apply 

to this transaction, whether it be an asset, stock, or in 

this case a potential 338(h)(10) sale. Using a TMA, you 

can calculate the tax effect of each sale type (asset, 

stock, and 338(h)(10)) to determine what structure would 

be the most beneficial from a tax standpoint. 

Under this example, the TMA may determine that 

the 338(h)10 will best overcome the complexities of 

assigning licenses or permits while also providing the 

paramount tax outcome for the seller and possibly the 

buyer. The professionals at The Center have forty-plus 

years of M&A experience and realize the importance of 

analyzing every factor that plays a role in the outcome 

of a transaction. Furthermore, we use the TMA to evolve 

several factors as the transaction progresses to give the 

business owner full insight and transparency. 

This insight provides a sense of comfort to sellers 

and offers a strategic advantage in achieving the desired 

result. A successful TMA allows the client and counsel to 

engage in an open dialogue regarding goals and pursue 

the best possible transaction structure. 

ROMAN BASI


78 


BAY SUPPLY A DIVISION OF BAY FASTENING SYSTEMS 

30 Banfi Plaza North, Farmingdale, NY 11735 

TEL 516-294-4100 FAX 516-294-3448 EMAIL info@baysupply.com WEB www.baysupply.com 

HOW BULB TITE RIVETS WORK 

By Mike Eichinger, COO 

When we think about constructing ships or airplanes, 

we may visualize large industrial equipment and machinery 

compiling sizable masses of metal. However, the smallest 

pieces of hardware can make a big difference in the 

functionality of these common commercial products. 

One example of a minuscule but mighty fastener 

product frequently employed in these fields (among many 

others) is the bulb tite rivet. These essential pieces 

of hardware have a wide range of uses in countless 

industries, which we discuss in detail later. We also 

address the features that make bulb tite rivets so 

versatile. 

Multiple varieties of blind rivets exist, and their 

general purpose is to fasten sheets, plates, or beams 

together using a bolt-and-lock mechanism. Bulb tite rivets 

employ a unique three-legged head design that distributes 

the clamp load more evenly than traditional rivets. 

Benefits Of Bulb Tite Rivet Design 

This distinctive design means bulbing rivets can be 

applied in myriad ways throughout numerous industries. 

For example, this rivet type is particularly useful when 

working with ductile metal or plastics due to more 

even pressure distribution. Bulbing rivet product lines 

from reputable brands such as GESIPA offer extensive 

benefits, including: 

¤ High Strength: Because of their three-legged 

structure, these rivets can typically withstand significant 

pressure. A lower chance of failure in high shear loads 

gives them a strength superior to traditional blind rivets. 

Their composition also makes bulb tite rivets virtually 

vibration-resistant. 

¤ Superior Clamping: This rivet option delivers an 

evenly distributed clamp load due to an increased surface 

area. Bulb tite rivets provide a high clamp load over a 

broader bearing surface compared to conventional blind 

rivets, which also gives them high clamping strength. 

¤ Wide Grip Range: Bulb tite rivets can be used 

for affixing materials of various thicknesses thanks to 

their wide grip range. When you’re working with materials 

thicker than ¼ inch, this capability facilitates a much 

more comprehensive thickness range. The legs can bend 

if necessary, making these rivets particularly valuable for 

curved surfaces. 

¤ Watertight Seal: Properly adding a neoprene 

sealing washer effectively keeps out moisture, allowing 

these rivets to withstand weather-related corrosion. The 

rivet head features a crown that, when crimped with the 

installation tool nose tip, prevents the accumulation of 

dirt and moisture. Employing a rubber washer and crown 

crimp effectively seals the rivet head off from leaks. 

¤ Variety of Finishes: This advantage is purely 

stylistic but only adds to the versatility of applications of 

bulbing rivets. With so many head styles to choose from, 

installers can more easily modify the outward appearance 

of the rivet. For example, Bay Supply offers a selection 

of bulbing rivets in color-matched plastic finishes for 

unlimited customization potential. 



BAY SUPPLY HOW BULB TITE RIVETS WORK from page 78 

Bulb Tite Rivet Applications 

These little pieces of equipment certainly have 

numerous benefits and functions, so be sure to verify 

which type of rivet is most appropriate for your project 

before getting started. Although their versatility means 

application possibilities are seemingly endless, consider 

the following information to determine the proper 

hardware for the job. 

Bulb tite rivets are generally ideal for flexible or 

brittle materials that cause other fasteners to fail. They 

can securely fasten more pliable materials, such as 

wood, rubber, or plastic. The weatherproof seal makes 

them ideal for withstanding inclement conditions, making 

bulb tite rivets particularly useful in transportation 

infrastructure. 

Some everyday use cases include: 

¤ Submarines and shipbuilding 

¤ Aircraft and aviation 

¤ Shipping containers 

¤ Truck, trailer, and bus production 

¤ Trapezoidal sheet metal roofs 

Shaveable Bulb Tite Rivets 

One variety of bulb tite blind rivets features a 

malleable head for even further aesthetic customization. 

This shaveable head allows you to alter the hardware’s 

appearance with a special head-shaving tool. This 

capability offers a more sleek and seamless finish in 

many use cases. 

Sourcing Premium Bulb Tite Rivets 

Bulb tite rivets, like numerous other pieces of 

hardware, come in a variety of head styles, lengths, grip 

ranges, and diameters to meet diverse market needs. 

But quality fastening equipment starts with a reliable 

supplier that stocks only premium products. 

BAY SUPPLY

80 


GLOBALFASTENERNEWS.COM 

by JOHN WOLZ EDITOR 

editor@globalfastenernews.com 

PAC-WEST PANELISTS: 

RELATIONSHIPS BUILD COMPANIES 

Four Pacific-West Fastener Association panelists 

with successful fastener careers credited relationships 

for company growth. 

Russ Doran cited an example of how relationships 

developed in an association pay off. He had a cooling 

tower customer desperate for specialized fasteners. 

Through his industry relationships he found a supplier 

who could “ship by end of week.” 

“Relationships are invaluable,” Doran said. Beyond 

supplies, relationships can yield “meaningful ideas,” 

Doran added. 

“Relationships = priceless,” Wheeler agreed. He 

credited his success in business on relationships. He 

recalled a customer needing a fastener and was having 

trouble sourcing it. Wheeler happened to be in Taiwan 

when contacted by the customer. Wheeler turned to the 

manufacturer he was visiting and had been promoting 

turnaround time. Wheeler challenged the manufacturer 

to “prove it to me” and asked him to supply the fastener 

and airship it to Wheeler’s U.S. customer. Before 

the end of the week Wheeler was able to contact the 

customer and announce the shipment was on a plane. 

“That’s the value of relationships,” Wheeler declared. 

It is more than customers, employees and 

suppliers, Andy Cohn said. In addition to executives at 

the headquarters, Cohn added your relationships with 

branches can be important too. “Listen to reps,” Cohn 

added. 

Part of relationships is humans answering phones, 

Cohn finds. 

Doran said he had a policy of “always meeting the 

cold call customer.” 

Doran cautioned “don’t burn bridges.” A local 

distributor might lose a customer to a “big business” 

moving into the territory, but that customer may find out 

the change to a “jet vs. a school bus” isn’t how they 

work best. 

Ron Stanley promoted participating in fastener 

associations such as Pac-West to develop relationships. 

The Panelists 

Andy Cohn started in fasteners as a warehouseman 

for Bay City Screw in 1974. He acquired Duncan Bolt in 

1988. 

When he started, purchase orders were written and 

sent by mail. Employees were worried about the first 

computers in distributorships, Cohn recalled. “What are 

you going to need salespeople for?” they worried. 

Russ Doran, who had been president of Würth 

Timberline until 2014, started in the industry in 1990 

with A&I Bolt & Nut. Doran recalled counter sales 

dominating A&I’d business until Fastenal entered the 

local market. A&I then expanded into packaging and 

VMI. 

BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 136

82 


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 

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2024 

by Mike Robinson - NCFA President 

Welcome to the onset of an exciting new year with 

the North Coast Fastener Association (NCFA). As we 

bid adieu to an eventful 2023, we extend our deepest 

gratitude to our members for their 

unwavering support, enthusiasm, 

and active participation in 

shaping our Fastener Family 

at the NCFA. 

The past year was marked 

by remarkable achievements 

and unforgettable events. 

Our association thrived due 

to the collective dedication of 

our members, a vibrant atmosphere 

through engaging events and collaborative 

initiatives. 

The stage is set for an even more exhilarating 

year ahead. Our calendar is packed with a lineup of 

signature events that have become synonymous with 

the NCFA experience. Get ready to mark your calendars 

for the anticipated return of the Distributor Social, 

Night at the Ballpark, Spring Dinner, Screw Open, 

the spectacular Holiday Bash, and some new events 

that we are finalizing the details on! These gatherings 

promise to surpass expectations, offering bigger, 

bolder, and more engaging experiences compared to 


previous years. 

Our commitment to fostering strong relationships 

and providing opportunities for networking and growth 

remains our #1 goal at the NCFA. With 

each event, we aim to further nurture 

connections, share insights, and 

propel the fastener industry 

forward, building a thriving 

community that supports and 

encourages each member’s 

success. 

Keep an eye on our social 

media platforms and watch your 

inboxes for more detailed updates. 

We will be sharing exciting news about 

event schedules, special activities, and how you can 

participate to make the most of this promising year. 

With great anticipation, we eagerly await the 

journey that lies ahead in 2024. The North Coast 

Fastener Association is poised to make this year a 

testament to unity, growth, and shared success. We 

wholeheartedly welcome each member to be part of 

this dynamic and fulfilling journey. 

Let’s embark on this exciting chapter together, 

uniting and growing as a community in the fastener 

industry! 

NORTH COAST FASTENER ASSOCIATION

84 


NEWCO PRODUCTS 

21612 Marilla St, Chatsworth, CA 91311 

TEL 818-341-9216 EMAIL info@newcoproducts.com WEB www.newcoproducts.com 

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF HARD WORK, 

DEDICATION AND INNOVATION 

In the early 1980s, Neil Mangia embarked on a 

career shift, transitioning from working on Classic and 

Exotic Cars since the 1970s to establishing his own 

business. Dissatisfied with the scarcity of specialized 

supplies in the market, Neil founded Newco Products 

in 1985 after recognizing the unmet needs within the 

automotive industry. 

With a decade of experience servicing prestigious 

brands like Ferrari and Lamborghini, Neil expanded 

beyond catering solely to Classic Cars. Venturing into 

outside sales, he collaborated with Garages, Body Shops, 

Dealerships, and more, identifying and fulfilling their 

business requirements. Newco Products diversified 

its offerings to include German Hoses, Swedish and 

German Hose Clamps, and Body Clips, presenting a 

comprehensive catalog showcased in a distinctive black 

case. 

The advent of the internet in 1997 prompted Neil to 

embrace technology, leading to the establishment of www. 

newcoproducts.com. The online platform, complemented 

by a retail-style store, marked a significant leap in 

Newco’s accessibility and reach. As the product line 

expanded, so did the need for a warehouse, driven by the 

growing demand for hard-to-find inventory. 

Recognizing the evolving landscape, Neil delved into 

the intricacies of Asian cars, understanding the nuances 

between Metric DIN and JIS fasteners. Newco Products, 

with its commitment to providing specialized items, began 

importing JIS fasteners, catering to the unique needs 

of Asian car mechanics. The company’s dedication to 

maintaining a substantial inventory of elusive items set it 

apart from larger warehouse box stores. 

NEIL WORKING IN THE PITS WITH THE FERRARI 

FORMULA 1 TEAM IN THE 70S. 

The journey continued with Newco’s foray into diverse 

sectors, from Wind Turbines and Industrial Supply to 

becoming an OEM Supplier and serving the needs of 

Classic Car enthusiasts. The company’s adaptability and 

commitment to excellence manifested in the introduction 

of M5 JIS Flange Bolts and various sizes of M6 and M8, 

JISB 1189, addressing another gap in the market. 

As Newco Products commemorates its 40-year 

milestone, it stands as a testament to Neil’s relentless 

work ethic and dedication. The company’s evolution 

mirrors the dynamic shifts in the automotive and industrial 

landscape which has resulted in a rich accumulation of 

expertise and a wide range of products. Newco Products 

continues to showcase decades of hard work, innovation, 

and a steadfast commitment to meeting the unique 

needs of their customers with competitive prices and 

outstanding customer service. 


NEWCO PRODUCTS


Huyett is proud to announce their acquisition 

of all the assets and business of Big H Corporation 

(Big H), doing business as PacFas and Mobile 

Fasteners, in South Houston, TX. 

The acquisition marks a significant step in 

Huyett’s growth strategy as the Company will 

offer 45,000 additional SKUs, many of which 

are threaded fasteners that are new to Huyett’s 

product line. 

Big H was founded by Buddy Beaman in 1974 

and, over the next 49 years, expanded into 

84,000 square feet of industrial space near I-45 

and Hobby Airport in South Houston, Texas - just 

miles from the Houston Port. 

The acquisition of Big H solidifies Huyett’s 

market presence as a master distributor of 

industrial fasteners. Timothy O’Keeffe, CEO of 

Huyett, states that incorporating Big H’s expertise 

and established customer relationships into 

Huyett’s operations represents a significant 

step forward in the Company’s growth strategy. 

This move will lay the perfect foundation for a 

seamless transition into 45,000 new SKUs, 

largely consisting of threaded fasteners that 

Huyett previously was not offering. 

“We are excited to welcome Big H Corporation 

into the Huyett family. We look forward to 

continuing the Big H legacy and delivering 

unparalleled products and services to our 

customers.” Timothy O’Keeffe, Huyett’s CEO 

O’Keeffe stated, “We are excited to welcome 

Big H Corporation into the Huyett family. We 

look forward to continuing the Big H legacy and 

delivering unparalleled products and services to 

our customers.” O’Keeffe further noted plans to 

expand the machine shop in Houston, as has 

been done in Phoenix, Arizona, and Minneapolis, 

Kansas, “We like to complement standard parts 

with the ability to do custom work, and with the 

ease of use of our e-commerce site, we look 

forward to taking Big H to North America.” 

Howard “Buddy” Beaman, Big H CEO and 

shareholder, stated, “We hand-picked Huyett as 

the buyer of Big H and the legacy of family values 

that we have tried to build. 

In an era of private equity and financial buyers, 

we found Huyett to be personal, high-class, and 

committed to building upon that legacy with their 

Culture of Excellence. They have been extraordinary 

to deal with.” 

For existing Big H customers, there will be no 

interruption of shipments or immediate changes in 

service quality. Huyett is committed to significantly 

elevating its distributor engagement with its field sales 

force and powerful data analytics. As expressed by Dan 

Harriger, Huyett Vice President of Sales, “This will be a 

win for our suppliers and a win for our customers.” 

Founded in 1906 by Guy Huyett, the company is 

one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in 

Kansas. Huyett is an ISO 9001 certified manufacturer, 

master distributor and importer of non-threaded and 

engineered fasteners, grease fittings, and premium 

lifting hardware. 

For more information contact Huyett by Tel: 785- 

392-3017, Fax: 785-392-2845, Email: sales@huyett. 

com or visit them online at www.huyett.com.

86 


ACCURATE MANUFACTURED 

PRODUCTS GROUP 

8090 Woodland Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46278 TEL 317-472-9000 EMAIL sales@ampg.com WEB www.ampg.com 

AMPG RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF “INDIANA’S BEST 

PLACES TO WORK IN MANUFACTURING” 

AMPG was recently recognized as one of “Indiana’s 

Best Places To Work in Manufacturing” for 2023. The 

award program was built to identify manufacturing 

employers in Indiana who are doing things right and 

creating cultures that make employees proud to be a 

part of them. Companies were selected through employer 

reports and comprehensive employee surveys in this 

Chamber of Commerce led effort. 

“Building on our popular Best Places to Work event, 

we’re excited to continue this program to highlight 

manufacturers that are striving to improve the lives of 

their team members,” says Indiana Chamber President 

and CEO Kevin Brinegar. “These companies embody the 

traits of a good employer, which starts with valuing and 

respecting workers.” 

AMPG began in Plainview NY in 1987 and moved to 

Indianapolis Indiana in 2004 in order to find the skilled 

machinists that are the foundation of our success. We are 

especially proud of our employee retention (as of 2023 all 

of our core team members will have over 15 years with the 

company), and the families second generation has over 

19 years’ experience. We have a unique training method 

that allows us to grow our manufacturing capabilities to 

match our product and sales plan. 

AMPG has a unique culture of “hands off” management 

where the employee responsible for the work gets to make 

the decisions about the best way to accomplish it. A small 


staff manages a large number of automated machines 

that run 24/7/365. About 50,000 different items run 

across 70 spindles with an average run quantity of 125 

units, so data and automation are used by all employees 

to accomplish on time delivery metrics of over 90%. We 

continually work at providing a workplace where trust and 

honesty are valued, and where our employees display 

an unfailingly positive attitude towards themselves, their 

co-workers, and our customers. 

Our dedication to our employees is evidenced by 

their longevity and the numerous safety and healthiest 

employer awards we have won over the years. With only 

66 employees AMPG offers many more benefits than 

much larger companies, and the opportunity exists for 

all employees to design and achieve their own career 

path. Our shop gains both from the continual investments 

in the newest technology and machine tools, as well 

as our investments in our people who continually do 

things that our machine tool manufacturers say cannot 

be done. We invest in the newest technologies to aid 

our employees in their day-to-day tasks like obtaining 

automatic door openers on our CNC machines and 

advancing in automation with the aid of Cobalt robotic 

arms. AMPG is also one of the first in Indiana to receive 

the exoskeleton Apogee to revolutionize workplace safety 

in providing advanced physical support for tasks such as 

lifting, unloading and static holds. 

ACCURATE MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS GROUP

88 


SOUTHWESTERN FASTENER ASSOCIATION 

PO Box 173994, Arlington, TX 76003 TEL 817-269-0436 EMAIL info@southwesternfastener.org WEB www.southwestfastener.org 

SFA WRAPS UP ITS 49th YEAR By Becky Buddenbohn 

The Southwestern Fastener Association is happy 

to report many successes of our 49th year as we 

look forward to celebrating 50 years supporting and 

encouraging Fastener connections in our region! 

Some of the activities enjoyed this year include 

a Spring Clay Shoot in the DFW area, Distribution 

Appreciation dinner during a violent spring storm, a fun 

and highly competitive Houston Astros/Texas Rangers 

outing, a Houston Conference as well as a very heated 

(excuse the pun!) golf tournament in the Houston 

summer! 

We are proud to provide a college scholarship to 

William M Allen of Mississippi State University! We hope 

to expand our scholarship program in the coming year to 

include more worthy recipients. 


Our association is also proud to support Sleep in 

Heavenly Peace, donating to fellow association’s bed 

build and planning to host a Sleep in Heavenly Peace 

Bed Build of our own in 2024 in DFW! We support the 

mission that “No kid sleeps on the floor in my town!” 

Please check out this great cause: www.shpbeds.org 

2023 comes to a close with SFA hosting their 

annual DFW Canned Food Drive, this year coupled 

with Axe Throwing, Tacos and Happy Hour fun and the 

Houston area Toy Drive where we, once again, try to 

make an impact in our community while enjoying time 

with our Fastener friends. Please stay tuned to see what 

opportunities lie ahead as we begin our 50th year! 

Please check the website for details and registration 

form. www.southwesternfastener.org. 

SOUTHWESTERN FASTENER ASSOCIATION 

SOUTHWESTERN FASTENER ASSOCIATION CELEBRATES 

THE MANY SUCCESSFUL EVENTS OF 2023


90 


ROB LaPOINTE CASE-HARDENING – CREATING FASTENERS WITH A DURABLE SKIN & FLEXIBLE CORE from page 8 

You may be wondering why durability and flexibility are 

contrasting features. Let’s take a moment to explain the 

relationship between durability and flexibility in carbon 

steel. When we think of durability, we think of something 

that resists change. “A diamond is forever” as De Beers 

says. Diamonds may not last forever, but they are very 

durable. The durability of diamonds is due to their 

hardness and resistance to corrosion. The durability of 

carbon steel is also related to its hardness. The harder 

the steel, the more durable it is. The harder the steel, the 

greater its resistance to being scratched or bent. Along 

with this durability due to hardness, comes brittleness. 

Brittleness is the tendency to break rather than bend. 

High hardness steel can withstand high forces and not 

bend or change shape, but when it reaches its breaking 

point, it fails by fracture without much bending. This is 

why high hardness is desirable in steel that is required 

to cut and shape other materials or in parts that must 

move against one another with minimum wear. 

The harder the steel, the greater its resistance to 

being scratched or bent. Along with this durability due to 

hardness, comes brittleness. Brittleness is the tendency 

to break rather than bend. High hardness steel can 

withstand high forces and not bend or change shape, 

but when it reaches its breaking point, it fails by fracture 

without much bending. This is why high hardness is 

desirable in steel that is required to cut and shape other 

materials or in parts that must move against one another 

with minimum wear. 

FIGURE 4. A MAN PULLING TAFFY, SHOWING ITS DUCTILE NATURE 

FIGURE 3 SELF-DRILLING SCREWS THAT ARE CASE-HARDENED TO 

DRILL THROUGH AND FASTEN SOFTER METAL. 

Flexibility is the characteristic of being able to 

distort an object’s shape without compromising its 

structure. Flexible materials like rubber can be distorted 

significantly without breaking. Carbon steel with low 

hardness has this feature. It can be bent or distorted to 

the point that it changes its original shape and does not 

fail due to fracture. It stretches. This is the opposite of 

brittleness and is usually called ductility. One can think 

of taffy, the sweet and sticky candy (Figure 4), as being 

ductile. Taffy can be stretched out thinner and thinner 

before it breaks. Soft steel that is flexible will not hold up 

very well if it needs to continuously rub against another 

part. It will change its shape and wear out. 

Some fasteners need this dual nature to properly 

perform the fastening job for which they’re intended. 

Construction screws need to be durable to penetrate 

a variety of materials while remaining flexible to be 

stressed or bent without breaking. Thread forming 

and tapping screws need to have a durable and hard 

cutting edge and still be able to absorb impact without 

fracture. The cutting end of a self-drilling screw (Figure 

3) is essentially a drill bit on the end of a screw; this 

eliminates the need for one of the tools to do the job. 

The drill bit and the screw in one. Genius! 



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 IS AN AUTHORIZED ROTOR CLIP ROTOREXPRESS ® 

PARTNER 

Unicorp Electronic Hardware is proud to announce that 

we are now selling retaining rings, wave springs, and hose 

clamps through our Electro Hardware affiliate division, as 

an official Rotorclip Master Distributor & Rotorexpress® 

partner. Electro Hardware is the first Rotorexpress® 

partner on the East Coast of the United States. 

Unicorp Electronic Hardware also offers 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. 

The Unicorp product lines consist of: Standoffs & 

Spacers, Male-Female Standoffs, Male-Male Standoffs, 

Jackscrews, Swage Standoffs, Captive Screws and 


Retainers, Insulating Shoulder & Flat Washers, NAS/ 

MS Hardware, Shoulder Screws, Plastic Circuit Board 

Supports, Nylon Fasteners, Dowel Pins, Thumbscrews 

& Thumbnuts, Self-Clinching Fasteners, Cable Ties, 24 

styles of Handles, Fixed, Folding, Rack- Panel & Ferrules, 

& Retaining Rings. 

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 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. 

UNICORP ELECTRONIC HARDWARE

92 


LAURENCE CLAUS HOW FASTENERS ARE MADE - PART 1: COLD HEADING from page 10 

In many cases a fastener made with one of these 

three methods may employ many of the same or similar 

subsequent manufacturing steps. Take for example a 

socket head cap screw, the threading, heat treating, and 

surface finishing may be similar or identical regardless 

of the way the blank was formed. The only truly different 

manufacturing method is the one employed to create 

the blank. Depending on size, material, and quantity all 

three of the above methods of manufacturing the blank 

are viable, but only one may be best. Therefore, when 

addressing this question of how a fastener is made, the 

most significant differentiator is which of these three 

processes was employed. Although we will touch on 

many of the multiple steps to manufacture a fastener, 

the primary focus of this series will be to explore these 

three primary processes. 

Although there are multiple factors that go into 

the decision of which process to choose; part size 

(diameter), order quantity, and material type are the 

primary factors utilized to make a decision. Realistically, 

most fasteners consumed in North America are produced 

in large quantities in steel and between about #4 (M3) 

diameter and ½” (M13) diameter. These are all factors 

which favor cold heading, so that it is safe to assert that 

of the three different processes, a fastener is most likely 

going to be cold headed. 

So, what is cold heading? Obviously the introduction 

of the word “cold” suggests that temperature is involved. 

In fact, that is a good observation although the word 

itself may be a little misleading. In simple terms, 

“cold” means that there is no specific and purposeful 

introduction of heat. In other words, in cold heading 

the raw material is introduced into the cold heading 

machine at room temperature. In part 2 we will explore 

warm and hot heading and see how the addition of heat 

changes the formability equation and can be utilized 

to manufacture parts that are large diameter or made 

of difficult to form material. In Cold Heading, however, 

we rely on the ability of the material to form without 

additional heat input. In the heading process material is 

moved and repositioned to create the desired geometric 

form of the finished part. Although the finished shape, 

especially on simpler parts, can often be achieved from 

just the forming process, occasionally parts possess 

complexities that necessitate secondary operations. 

Parts that emerge from Cold Heading complete are 

considered to be Net Shape (See Figure 1) and those 

that may require additional processing to finish the 

blank are considered Near Net Shape (See Figure 2). To 

achieve these transformations, Cold Heading must follow 

certain established “rules” about how much material 

can be moved at any one time. Thus volume control is 

an important limitation for cold heading manufacturers 

and dictates what machines and how many times they 

must actually strike the part to get to Net or Near Net 

Shape. Since the process involves moving the material, 

it produces no waste except for those parts that receive 

a trim or piercing operation. 

FIGURE 1: NET SHAPE EXAMPLE (LEFT IMAGE = NET SHAPE BLANK) 

FIGURE 2: NEAR NET SHAPE EXAMPLE (UPPER IMAGE = NEAR NET 

SHAPE BLANK, LOWER IMAGE = FINAL NET SHAPE) 


94 


GUY AVELLON WHAT DISTRIBUTORS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TORQUE VARIABLES from page 12 

The manufacturing of bolts have been fairly error 

proof with in-process inspections as well as final 

inspections and other quality measures to monitor 

heat treatment and check for gouges, bursts, surface 

roughness and perpendicularity. Therefore, a bolt that 

has an interference fit with the hole in the joint is a 

human error who did not make the correct size hole. 

There is always the chance for threads to nick. This 

will be the result of how the bolts are transferred during 

heat treatment and during surface coatings. 

Platings And Coatings 

If the bolt is electroplated, the thread crests will 

have a greater amount of deposited material than any 

other part of the bolt due to the “Christmas tree’ effect. 

The nut is also affected by this phenomenon as the first 

lead thread will receive more plating deposit than the 

rest of the threads. This leads to a situation where a 

small thread nick on the bolt could prevent the nut from 

being threaded onto the bolt when you factor both areas 

of build-up. 

Consider the types of coatings and keep them 

consistent on all parts. Electrodeposited coatings include 

zinc, zinc alloy, nickel and cadmium. Zinc phosphate is 

by immersion or spraying and provides some minimal 

level of corrosion resistance. 

Hot dip galvanizing is done by immersion of the parts 

into a molten zinc bath which coats the parts as they are 

dragged through the bath. Due to the temperatures of 

the molten zinc, the hardness of the product subjected 

to the molten zinc is limited to prevent annealing of 

any hardened parts. The heavy hot dip coating provides 

maximum outdoor service against normal atmospheric 

corrosion. Mechanical zinc coating is a slightly thinner 

coating and is performed by immersion of the parts in a 

slurry of zinc metal flakes which are impinged onto the 

parts by glass or ceramic beads. 

Organic or zinc-rich dip-spin coatings are available in 

various thicknesses according to the type of corrosion 

resistance required. Many will exceed 1,000 hours 

of salt spray resistance. The increased resistance is 

provided from a variety of top coatings. Therefore, a 

product may have several coating thicknesses which 

need to be considered when mating it with certain thread 

types. Sometimes nuts may have to be overtapped or 

tapped after coating. 

Every different type of surface finish will provide a 

unique ‘k’ factor. This is what determines the friction 

variables in the torque output. The ‘k’ will vary from 

0.05 to 30.0, depending upon the type of oil used, wax 

coatings, top coats, heat treat scale, thickness, etc. 

Upper And Lower Surfaces 

The joint material must be able to withstand the 

type and strength of fasteners used. Naturally, if the 

materials are too soft or too thin to support the preload 

of the fasteners, embedment will occur that can lead to 

fatigue failure of the fasteners. 

For new joint assemblies; are the materials 

compatible to avoid galvanic reactions? Will the design 

of the joint allow for complete drainage to avoid standing 

water? Are the materials flat? Have the materials been 

painted or coated prior to assembly, which may affect 

joint slippage and shear factors. 

When a bolt replacement or joint repair is necessary, 

inspect the joint for corrosion. Is there any corrosion or 

other compressible material between the joint that will 

affect clamp load? Keep the area under the bolt head 

and nut clean and free from surface contaminants. 

Tapped And Hole Clearance 

Is the entrance to the bolt hole clean and free from 

burrs, metal shavings and other debris? Is there cutting 

or tapping fluid present that may affect torque? Too 

much cutting fluid left inside a tapped hole will prevent a 

cap screw from being properly tightened. The end of the 

cap screw will be tightened against the oil and not the 

joint. If a cap screw has broken inside a tapped hole, 

check for thread deformity or other damage from the 

breakage. It is always a good idea to retap the threads. 

Lubricants 

This would include any viscous material or chemical 

locking compound on or around the fasteners. All oils 

are lubricants; their viscosities will determine their ‘k’ 

number for torque. 



GUY AVELLON WHAT DISTRIBUTORS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TORQUE VARIABLES from page 94 

All locking chemicals are lubricants. This includes 

the ones purchased with dry chemicals already applied 

to the threads and to the liquid chemicals which are to 

be applied by the user. The viscosity of the liquid locking 

chemicals change by how fast they set up, which affects 

the torque output as they are being tightened. 

Depending upon the torque applied and size of the 

bolt, the amount of an applied lubricant can affect the 

torque. Lubricants should be placed only on the threads. 

Too much under the bolt head or against the nut and 

washer will affect the torque. 

Temperature 

An increase in operating temperature for most 

lubricants will decrease their effectiveness. In this case, 

metallic based lubricants are the most effective because 

if the carrier evaporates, there are enough metal particles 

left to keep the part lubricated for easy disassembly and 

to keep it from ‘freezing’ in place within highly corrosive 

environments. Molecules expand with heat and contract 

with a cold ambient temperature. If the temperatures are 

different from installation to operating, make the proper 

adjustments. Each material, from the bolt to the joint, has 

its own coefficient of thermal expansion rate. 

Contaminants 

Corrosion products, excessive sealants, locking 

compounds, dirt, debris, and metal shavings (tapped 

holes), will all increase or decrease friction. Keep the 

components clean and free of contaminants. 

Be Consistent 

As with any assembly, consistency with all factors 

will yield favorable and repeatable results. There are more 

variables to discuss that have to deal with how the bolts 

are installed. That will be for the next article. 

GUY AVELLON

96 


JOE DYSART COMING SOON FOR FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS: AI, EVERYWHERE... NO KIDDING from page 14 

Essentially: ChatGPT has ingested virtually all the 

world’s knowledge by reading and cataloging everything 

it could find that was published on the Internet through 

September, 2022 -- as well as reading and cataloging 

countless digitized libraries of knowledge. 

In contrast, software companies like Microsoft, 

Google and Salesforce want to use ChatGPT-like AI to 

ingest all the propriety data held by a specific company 

-- and then use that AI to track, analyze and manipulate 

that company data in the same ways that ChatGPT can. 

The only fly-in-the-ointment: There’s going to be a 

bit of a wait for fastener distributors before all these 

promised dreams are fully realized. 

For example: For the most part, these AI makeovers by 

Microsoft, Google and Salesforce are in experimental form. 

Specifically, Microsoft is still test-driving a major AI 

retread of Microsoft 365 among a tiny sampling of its 

customers -- indicating that a release of the final product, 

dubbed ‘Microsoft Copilot,’ will most likely appear in Q4 

2023 or early 2024. 

Meanwhile, Salesforce is engaging in a similar AI 

rework of its sales, service and marketing software suite. 

And it’s also indicating a similar release timeline for its 

new AI interface, “Salesforce Einstein Copilot.” 

And even though Google made waves in late Summer 

2023 by officially declaring that its ‘Duet AI for Google 

Workspace’ was ‘generally available,’ many features of its 

new AI will still need to be ‘rolled-out’ over time, according 

to Aparna Pappu, vice president, Google Workspace. 

Even so: If delivery dates for the full-blown AI makeovers 

are still a little hazy, this much is certain for fastener 

distributors: Users of these software suites are being 

promised an entirely new level of flexibility and creativity 

once the new AI is 

firmly embedded. 

Also certain: While 

the marketing 

claims of the AI 

makeovers may 

fall a bit short 

once the software 

suites have been 

fully reworked, 

GOOGLE CEO SUNDAR PICHAI IS NECK- 

AND-NECK WITH ITS AI ANSWER TO 

MICROSOFT’S AI REBOOT. 

the AI facelifts 

promise to be 

spectacular if 

they merely match 

the myriad AI 

capabilities already 

documented by 

more than a billion 

users of ChatGPT. 

Yet another 

certainty: Given 

the far-reaching 

-- and oversized 

-- influence that 

Microsoft, Google 

and Salesforce 

have over software 

MICROSOFT CEO NADELLA SATYA -- THE 

EXCLUSIVE LICENSOR OF CHATGPT 

TECH -- IS SITTING IN THE CATBIRD 

SEAT WITH MICROSOFT’S AI MAKEOVER. 

users and makers alike, their move into AI is sure to 

trigger the rest of the software industry to continue to get 

in gear and release their own AI upgrades of their own 

software packages and platforms as soon as possible. 

In the meantime, here’s a rundown for your fastener 

distributorship on the coming transformation of the 

offerings from trendsetters Google, Microsoft and 

Salesforce: 

¤ Microsoft 365 Copilot ($30/user/month, current 

base of paying users: 345 million paid customers) (www. 

news.microsoft.com/reinventing-productivity): As the 

primary investor in OpenAI -- the maker of ChatGPT -- 

Microsoft is in the catbird seat when it comes to bringing 

the magic of ChatGPT to traditional software. 

Overall, Microsoft is promising its AI transformation of 

Microsoft 365 will enable users to converse and work with 

the suite in a holistic way. 

It will also allow users to simultaneously auto-draw 

data from a number of 365 applications when engaging 

in a specific task -- such as putting together an email, 

document, presentation, spreadsheet or similar. 

And the rework is promising to essentially trigger the 

entire Microsoft 365 suite to be much more creative on 

every level. 

With Microsoft Teams, for example, the AI makeover 

will enable fastener distributors to capture a recording of 

a missed video meeting, for example, ask for a meeting 

summary in text form, itemize the key points made at 

the meeting and then highlight the points made at the 

meeting that the user agrees with or disagrees with -- 

based on what the AI has found in the user’s other data 

stored in Microsoft 365. 


98 


LARRY BOROWSKI CALIBRATION CYCLES: TIME vs USAGE from page 26 

This would indicate that the 20% of the most 

frequently used instruments should be calibrated more 

often than the less frequently used 80%. If all the 

instruments are being calibrated on the same cycle 

based only on elapsed time, then the most frequently 

used gages are probably not being calibrated often 

enough, while the bulk of the gages are being calibrated 

too frequently. Furthermore, some gages may not even 

be used in between calibration cycles. 

Most quality systems will require each instrument or 

gage to have a unique identifier that should be affixed to 

the instrument. This can either be permanently etched 

or printed on a sticker and affixed to the gage. Each 

instrument typically also needs a sticker or indication 

of when it was last calibrated and when it is due for the 

next calibration. This is most easily done by date (i.e. 

time based), but can also be done based on usage if 

you have a method of tracking. Take a threaded plug 

gage for instance. Time does not wear a plug gage out, 

usage does. A calibration cycle based on usage for a 

threaded plug gage is probably the most efficient and 

cost effective way to meet this requirement. Sometimes 

usage is not practical, so time is the best solution. 

Take a caliper used by a machinist as an example. 

The machinist uses their caliper every day, multiple 

times a day. If they had to track usage every time they 

picked up the caliper to spot check a feature, they would 

spend more time tracking usage than measuring parts. 

In this case, time would be the best calibration cycle, 

and you may even institute weekly or monthly in process 

checks that can be performed at the operator level. This 

could simply be the operator measuring a 1.0” gage 

block or known size gage pin on a regular schedule to 

help reduce the risk of going out of specification between 

formal calibration cycles. 

Adjusting Your Calibration Cycles 

Nothing says you cannot adjust your calibration cycles 

on a regular basis. In fact, I would encourage you to 

adjust your calibration cycles based on findings during 

calibration. This both helps optimizing time and money 

spent on maintaining a quality program. If a gage is 

found to be out of specification during a calibration cycle, 

the instrument should be adjusted back into compliance 

if applicable, then the cycle shortened. If an instrument 

has a history of 2 or 3 calibrations never going out 

of adjustment, then it might make sense to decrease 

the frequency of calibration based on what history is 

showing you. By continually adjusting your calibration 

cycles based on historical data, you can save time and 

money by not calibrating gages that don’t need to be 

calibrated. You can also save the same, by not chasing 

down suspect product because you don’t know when 

your instrument fell out of tolerance, nor what may have 

been checked since the last passing calibration. 

I believe the most cost effective calibration systems 

use a mixture of calibration cycles based on time and 

usage, and are continually audited to optimize these 

cycles. It takes time and energy to build a good efficient 

quality system, but once established, and monitored, the 

cost savings over the years can be substantial in both 

time and money. 

LARRY BOROWSKI | GREENSLADE & COMPANY INC


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 2024 by Amy Nijjar 

The National Fastener Distributors Association has 

announced the 2024 calendar of events: 

March 20, 2024 

May 15, 2024 

June 12-14, 2024 

October 2, 2024 


CEO/Executive Virtual 

Roundtable Discussions 

Virtual Program 

Annual Meeting/ESPS, Irving, TX 

Virtual Program 

October 16-18, 2024 Executive Summit 

December 5, 2024 

San Diego, CA 

NFDA/YFP Virtual Holiday 

Celebration 

Be sure to save the dates! For more information about 

NFDA and its activities, visit www.nfda-fastener.org 

Join Us For The YFP/NFDA Virtual Holiday 

Celebration 

Please join us for this fun and festive virtual event 

on December 14, 2023. Be ready to enjoy some spirits, 

play some classic holiday trivia on an easy-to-use 

platform, socialize with industry peers, and enjoy the jolly 

holiday mood. 

Attendees registered by December 6th will receive a 

complimentary gift package (while supplies last). 

It’s sure to be a good time for all! This event is free, 

but registration is required. 

Register today at www.nfda-fastener.org. 

NATIONAL FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION

102 


ROBERT FOOTLIK HOW MANY EMPLOYEES DOES IT TAKE TO TRASH A REPUTATION? from page 28 

No apologies, no practical suggestions and no desire 

to hear what the customer had to say about how to do the 

job better, safer and easier. I panicked and consulted my 

most trusty team, my two sons. 

With a more objective perspective, they reminded me 

that it was June 2023, the weather was hot and there was 

no real need for heat for at least four months. We decided 

the best strategy was to let the game play out. It would be 

cheaper than litigation and way more entertaining. They 

were right. The mechanical contractor provided a multi-act 

play with a plot that included idiocy, more excuses that 

were obviously ridiculous, procrastination, equivocation 

and theater of the absurd, followed by the obligatory 

extortion. Only paying more money for “unspecified 

extras” got the job moving again after two months of 

procrastination. 

At the start of the third month of a five working day 

job, real riggers who had done this assembly before 

showed up and were duly followed by pipefitters who did 

a reasonably good job putting the equipment together, 

sort of. While all this was happening, my role was to play 

dumb, keep a straight face and be the “bad cop” with 

pointed emails. My older son played the “good cop” who 

“straightened out the problems. His younger brother who 

was our advisor, strategist and if necessary the “worst 

cop” waited in the wings. 

With the furnace modules stacked, assembled and 

piped the next act was the “Oops” scene. Apparently, the 

“PROJECT PLANNING TEAM” mentioned on the website 

was not consulted and the unit was fitted with the wrong 

gas regulator. This led to a delay while the right regulator 

(more than twice the size) was procured and mis-installed. 

Then another week was lost debating whether an outdoor 

roof vent would be required, despite the bold type warning 

in the regulator installation manual that demanded a 

vented line lest the building blow up. 

By the first week of October, 100+ working days 

after the five day project was started, there was still no 

heat. Why? Because despite clear directions from the 

manufacturer the smaller factory fitted regulator that 

should have remained in place downstream of the larger 

regulator had been removed. Even worse, the fitters took 

the Original Manufacturer Equipment (OEM) regulators 

back to the shop with them and lost them. When the 

long awaited factory technician arrived he took one look 

at the units and absolutely would not turn on the gas 

and “commission” the new equipment. The excessive 

gas pressure would have destroyed all the solenoids and 

sensors, and possibly caused a high pressure and highly 

explosive leak. 

With a heroic, but needlessly inefficient effort, the 

pipe fitter who on site was able to drive for two hours back 

to the shop, search for the missing regulators, actually 

find only one (out of two) and then go to a supply house, 

obtain the necessary fittings and get one unit operating. 

This after wasting nearly three hours standing around, 

making calls and failing to convince someone from 

headquarters to save all his chasing around by simply 

sending the parts to him by Uber (way more cost effective) 

while he performed the preliminary piping work. 

The tech stayed well past the time he should have left 

to catch a flight to his next assignment and while he was 

comfortable testing the unit, he “red flagged” it until final 

venting connections could be made. The second furnace 

was not touched and was still inert. That was over a week 

ago. 

With the weather turning colder there was still no heat 

for the tenants, no schedule for finishing the rest of the 

work and no reschedule for the tech was communicated. 

After contacting the contractor, the “Project Coordinator” 

replied that she would schedule the final piping for the day 

before the tech arrives…once we are again on the tech’s 

schedule. This, of course, precludes getting the tech back 

if there is a change in his schedule. 

Yesterday, October 25, 2023 the heat was finally 

turned on, but not before the wrongly piped pilot gas line 

was moved to the proper connections. 

How would you feel at this point? 



Endries International is pleased to 

announce the acquisition of the Viscan Group 

(“Viscan”). 

Founded in 1992 by Sylvain Baril and 

headquartered in Joliette, Quebec, Viscan is a 

leading supplier of specialized screws, general 

fasteners and related components. Viscan 

offers over 25,000 unique SKUs, including 

proprietary components, and provides a 

variety of value-add services, including vendor 

managed inventory solutions as well as 

custom transformation or “secondary” process 

operations (i.e. kitting, painting, plating), which 

are all performed in-house. 

Viscan’s existing associates together with 

its leadership, Sylvain Baril, Catherine Baril 

and Michael Baril will continue managing daily 

operations. 

“It is a great honor to have been selected 

by the Baril family to acquire the business they 

founded and have grown so successfully”, 

said Steve Endries, Chairman of the Board of 

Directors for Endries. “The trust that they have 

placed in us is not something that we take 

lightly; we look forward to working with this 

talented leadership group.” 

“We are thrilled to welcome the Viscan 

team into the Endries organization. With their 

commitment to customers, industry knowledge 

and complementary culture, we expect the 

transition to be seamless. As with prior 

acquisitions that we have made, the addition 

of Viscan will make Endries not only bigger, 

but better, by expanding existing operations 

in Canada and providing new opportunities 

for growth throughout North America. We are 

excited to welcome Viscan associates into our 

family” said Michael Knight, President and CEO 

of Endries International. 

“Joining forces with Endries will expand our 

potential and together, I am confident that we 

will reach unparalleled heights. I am genuinely 

excited for what the future holds not only for 

our business, but for our customers who will 

benefit from enhanced services and a wider 

product range,” said Viscan’s founder, Sylvain Baril. 

Endries is a leading distributor of fasteners and 

Class-C parts serving industrial Original Equipment 

Manufacturers (OEM’s) and the Industrial 

marketplace worldwide. From its headquarters 

in Brillion, WI and eleven U.S. and international 

distribution centers, Endries provides over 

500,000 SKUs to its customer base. Endries 

operates primarily through a vendor managed 

inventory model, managing C-part categories for its 

customers across diverse industrial end markets. 

Endries partners with customers through robust 

replenishment systems that provide products and 

support services, which are critical to maintaining 

their manufacturing processes. 

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.

104 


BRUNO MARBACHER SECURING BOLTED JOINTS from page 30 

Screws and nuts have only 2 areas where friction is 

effective: 

¤ Underneath the head and/or the bearing 

area of a nut 

¤ In the threads 

The 3 Common Ways Bolted Joints 

Become Loose 

Straight-loosening (slacking) of bolted joints - 

When the clamped parts have a too low surface hardness, 

the joint may relax excessively or the nut and/or screw 

head may embed into the clamped parts. Both scenarios 

are causing bolt loosening. Rough surfaces of joint 

members, thick coatings, or thick hot dip galvanized layers 

may also lead to joint loosening. 

To Prevent Clamp Load Loss 

Surface roughness must be reduced or locking 

elements such as Belleville washers, split lock washers 

or wavy washers must be utilized to compensate for clamp 

load loss. 

Because of their spring effect, they can compensate for 

a possible relaxation of the bolted joint or a drop in clamp 

load. This does only work with low strength fasteners such 

as machine screws etc. The element’s spring load must 

be higher than the clamp load. 

A further option is to use Joint member materials 

with higher surface hardness. If that is not an option, 

a large diameter hard washer ought to be used. In any 

event, testing and/or calculating whether the diameter or 

hardness in the bearing area is sufficient to deal with the 

induced surface pressure is necessary. 

The ideal option is using flange bolts and or flange 

nuts, they have a larger bearing area. Thus, reducing the 

surface pressure on the clamped parts. This results in 

less preload loss; a loosening of the joint occurs less 

often or not at all. 

Rotational (spontaneous) loosening of screws 

or nuts - Fasteners rotate loose (turn), when clamped 

parts vibrate. Dynamic shear forces act on the bolted joint 

causing the joint members to slip back and forth. This will 

prompt screws and nuts to rotate, reducing the preload to 

zero. 

Loss of screws or nuts, coming apart - Under 

constant dynamic forces the screws/nuts slack off until 

they fall apart. Generally, rotational loosening precedes 

this action. 

To Prevent Rotational Loosening 

A simple way to maintain the self-locking effect is to 

increase the clamping range to about 5 times the screw’s 

diameter. Because the bolt shank is longer the bolt head 

and/or nut can follow the sliding of the joint members 

without causing wobbling and sliding in the critical areas. 

There are of course cases where increasing the clamping 

range is not possible. That being the case, there are two 

basic ways to prevent rotational loosening. 

Ways To Address Loosening 

Once one has determined the potential cause for 

loosening one can go about finding a locking element 

that prevents it. Choosing the right element is crucial so 

let us look at the individual situation and find the proper 

element. 





106 


M.J. CALLAHAN THE TRUSTED MANUFACTURERS’ REPRESENTATIVE from page 32 

Not only has he had the pleasure of representing these 

excellent companies, but in the Matthew Callahan fashion, 

he has established and maintained true friendships, 

attended weddings, retirement parties, witnessed changes 

in leadership, and changes in economic times. Matthew 

has incredible charism and ability to engage all levels of 

Corporate America. He is a true fixer of problems and 

often spends countless hours making sure customer and 

company are well taken care of. 

With millions of highway miles, Matthew enjoys the 

road the best. He loves meeting with the customer to 

see their project first hand and discuss ideas, details, and 

logistics. The energy and excitement is what drives him 

to continue to chase opportunities in New England, Mid 

Atlantic, and Canada. 

In March 2023, he was approached by his son, 

Christian, asking if he could join the agency. He was 

never more proud, and so now, M.J. Callahan has an “& 

Son” after it. Christian brings prior sales knowledge with 

him from NEFCO, and is learning everyday what it takes 

to be a successful salesman. In December, Christian 

will attend the Fastener Institute Training in California to 

educate himself further. 

Matthew and his wife, Lisa of 35 years, live in western 

Massachusetts with their dogs. Matthew has recently 

become a grandfather and is enjoying the pleasure of time 

spent with him. He continues to play golf, ski, maintain 

the property, and build model airplanes, in his spare 

time. Currently, Matthew is serving on the New England 

Fastener Distributor Association Board of Director’s, and 

enjoys it very much. 

The joys in life come from good friends, good health, 

and the knowledge that you are making a difference every 

day. 

M.J. CALLAHAN, INC.

MWFA RUGGED MANIAC 2023 - THE LAST OBSTACLE 

THE “RUGGED NUTS” REPRESENT - AUGUST 19, 2023

108 


ERIC DUDAS UNTHREADED: QUESTIONS RANDOMLY ASKED from page 108 

And it was through the process of intentionally using 

the answers to the questions he put to his mentors and 

his customers that he developed the winning formula for 

Field. 

Bill shares several other of his suggestions for 

success during the segment, and it’s well worth a listen if 

you’re searching for inspiration. www.fullythreaded.com/ 

episode-120-all-rise/ 

With Bill’s sage advice fresh in mind, I recalled a 

lingering question that arose after producing FTR episode 

193, “Haul of Fame”. 

We often include what’s called an “easter egg” at the 

end of our podcasts. These are short clips tagged on after 

the closing theme that usually relate in some way to the 

theme of the episode, an auditory palate cleanser if you 

will. 

This time the egg was a cut from FTR episode 102, 

“Paver Savers”. It documents the day back in 2016 when 

the Traveling Salesman put out the call to save the Hall 

of Fame bricks from certain destruction. They were being 

torn up during a construction project at the Columbus 

Convention Center, site of the original National Industrial 

Fastener Show. 

On that chilly January morning we raced to Columbus 

and rescued the bricks, many engraved with the names 

of the past hall of fame inductees. The pile of paver 

bricks was almost too heavy for my 1500 Silverado, but 

somehow we managed to make it back up north to the 

Solution Industries warehouse in Brook Park, Ohio without 

blowing a spring, and we offloaded the precious cargo 

there for safekeeping. 

Having no real way to display or maintain the pavers, 

it was a short time later that the Fastener Industry 

Coalition made the decision to locate as many of the 

award recipients as possible and to present them with 

their engraved bricks. 

That extremely thoughtful and well-intended project 

by the FIC took some time to complete, and many of 

the bricks found their way to their namesakes or their 

families. But a portion of them were never identified or 

returned, and there was a pallet of material left over. 

THIS FLOCK CONTEMPLATES THE OBVIOUS, BUT DOESN’T SEEM TO 

RECOGNIZE THE CLEAR IRONY OF THE SITUATION. 

My question is: What happened to the remaining Hall 

of Fame bricks? 

Sadly, the answer to this may be lost with the sands 

of time. Solution changed ownership and moved to a new 

location, and I haven’t yet found the person who knows. 

So the question will remain a mystery for the moment 

along with questions such as: 

When FedEx loses a shipment, where does it go? 

Will we ever see an end to the scourge of hydrogen 

embrittlement? 

Why do people always seem to run out of sex bolts on 

Saturday nights? 

As with the unfathomable riddles of creation, we 

don’t know the answers, although we have our suspicions 

about some of them. Especially that last one. But the 

point is that in our seemingly random universe, and in the 

sometimes screwy fastener business contained within 

it, we still have control to the extent that we gather the 

right information, use it intentionally, and like Bill Derry, 

develop our own true grit. 

It doesn’t hurt to keep a sense of irony either. Now 

get out there and sell some screws. 

ERIC DUDAS




110 


PENN ENGINEERING NEW FASTENING INNOVATIONS FOR CASTINGS AND SOFT METALS from page 38 

More About CastSert 

¤ Designed for flush installation with flat punch 

and anvil into blind holes or thru-holes 

¤ Depth of knurl allows engagement with as-cast 

draft angle holes or drilled holes 

¤ Process cost savings vs. coil inserts or 

thread tapping 

¤ Installed by simply pressing the inserts into 

drilled or “as-cast” holes; installation is 

accomplished using any standard press at 

any time during the production process 

¤ Symmetric for auto-feed capabilities 

¤ Pull-out performance varies based on panel 

material, length of engagement, and draft angle 

¤ Available in thread sizes #2-56 to 1/4-20/ 

M2.5 to M6 in two lengths per thread size 

Top Advantages 

When it comes to performance benefits, CastSert 

inserts produce greater torque resistance and higher 

pullout strength when compared to other common 

fastening solutions on the market. 

The total installed cost of CastSert inserts is 

lower than competitors’ solutions, thanks to its quick 

one-step installation and ability to be automatically 

fed. Competitive solutions require significant manual 

installation with several process steps and tools. In fact, 

helical inserts require a different set of tools for each 

thread size. 

Application preparation is another advantage, as 

no prep is required. CastSert inserts can be quickly 

installed into an as-cast or simple drilled hole. 

Performance is another key advantage of CastSert 

inserts. There are no loose chip concerns from tapping 

a brittle metal, and no broken tang to remove. They offer 

high torque-out strength – a 12.9 bolt will break before 

the CastSert insert pins. 

Markets And Applications 

As mentioned earlier, the versatility of PEM® 

CastSert press-in inserts make them a viable fastening 

option for many different markets and applications – in 

most any instance where castings and threads are 

used. 

For the automotive industry, they’re a smart 

fastening solution for applications such as engine blocks 

and battery trays. For datacom and telecom, they can 

be used in server switches. Applications in consumer 

electronics and other consumer products can also reap 

the benefits of CastSert inserts. 

PENN ENGINEERING

DACO Precision, a 

leader in custom stampings 

and special washers 

has increased their 

manufacturing capabilities 

to include 3 Fanuc Robodrills 

for production drilling, 

tapping and milling on nut 

plates and bus bars. The 

company has also made 

a significant investment in 

quality by adding a Keyence 

IM-8000 series imaging 

system to aid in geometric 

dimensioning and tolerance 

control. 

DACO is an employee 

owned company with over 

35 years of supply expertise 

to the distribution market 

for custom stamping and 

assemblies along with 

a full line of ROHS and 

REACH compliant machinery 

bushings and fender 

washers. Plans are under 

way to increase their stock 

offering in both packaged 

quantities and bulk for these 

product lines. DACO has long 

been recognized for their 

excellence in manufacturing 

by designing and building 

their own tooling to produce 

metal parts per print by 

stamping, CNC machining 

and laser cutting. 

For more infomation 

about Daco Precision, 

contact them at 8565 US-45, 

Kewaskum, WI 53040. Visit 

the company’s website at 

www.daco-precision.com or 

contact their local sales reps at 

www.allamericansystems.com. 


112 


JIM TRUESDELL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL CHANGE THE WAY DISTRIBUTORS WORK from page 40 

What Initial Uses Of AI Will Impact The 

Way Wholesale Distributors Manage Their 

Businesses? 

Customer demand forecasting and inventory 

management will become more advanced. This will 

be accomplished by algorithms using historical data, 

market trends and outside variables to come up with 

more precise projections. Robotics and automated 

warehouses will improve how product is packaged 

and sent out to the customer. Robots will roam the 

warehouse aisles recognizing product and carrying out 

various functions without closely controlled human 

direction. Labor intensive tasks will be replaced by 

automated functions. AI will coordinate with sensors 

to monitor equipment and predict needed maintenance 

before breakdowns and slowdowns occur. Logistics and 

route optimization will find the best delivery routes and 

analyze traffic patterns, weather, and other factors to 

insure the most efficient delivery. Pricing will be guided 

by analysis of data, of market trends, competitors, 

historical data and changing customer behavior to come 

up with optimal pricing strategies. Analytics will drive 

better decisions and minimize chances of fraud and 

shrinkage. (DCKAP, “Artificial Intelligence and Industrial 

Distribution: How Does the Future Look?”, May 24, 2003) 

Balancing the benefits with the challenges a 

company faces, there are certain obstacles that must be 

overcome. These include: 

[1] Problems with Data Quality—Since the 

algorithms on which it is based rely on data inputted, if 

it is incomplete or inaccurate, or if it is outdated it can 

degrade the quality of results. 

[2] Employees may resist the changes required, 

either because it threatens to devalue the human skills 

they may have proudly developed, or it may require 

learning curves to deal with the new capabilities. 

[3] The AI might take actions conflicting with company 

values or departing from the mission of the organization. 

[4] Initial investment may be costly which may 

dissuade some companies from adopting AI 

[5] Cybersecurity will be a concern and may require 

additional protections against unauthorized intrusions. 

(www.laceupsolutions.com “AI in Distribution and 

Wholesale Operation: How Can It Help”, 11/6/23) 

Of course, from a macro standpoint our society is 

worried about the long term effects of AI in that the 

technology could be put to improper use by bad or 

rogue actors to disrupt existing infrastructure in acts of 

terrorism, or even aggressive nationalist actions. There 

may be decisions reached and actions taken without the 

transparency needed to verify they are based on sound 

reasoning. There may be no infusion of ethics in decision 

making and government regulation may run behind the 

pace of product development. Most disturbing of all, 

what if the AI begins to get out of control and threatens 

to take actions inconsistent with the welfare of the 

humans who created it or maintained it. It brings chilling 

thoughts of sci-fi fiction scenarios where machines take 

over the world. 

In response to these potential concerns, in November 

2023 Great Britain hosted the historical Bletchley Park 

summit. Many of the leading technological nations’ 

governments sent leaders to consider international 

policies and agreements to put curbs and controls on 

AI development. The UK, the US, the EU, Australia and 

China and twenty-three other countries signed up to 

what was called the “Bletchley Declaration” agreeing to 

work together on AI safety research. There was not yet 

agreement over what international standards should look 

like or who would be responsible for them. 

Artificial intelligence is an concept that is exploding 

across the business scene right now. It is said that in a 

few years business, and the skills needed by managers, will 

radically change because of this. Distributors’ associations 

and company managements will need to be integrally 

involved and ready to deal with its challenges. 

JIM TRUESDELL


114 


CHRIS DONNELL THE GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN REMAINS MURKY from page 42 

Another way the carriers are able to push rates 

higher is by limiting or changing sailing schedules by 

omitting strategic ports on both sides of the supply chain, 

or by limiting excess capacity in markets globally. As an 

example, Southeast Asia has continued to show positive 

development, with Bangkok, Vietnam and Cambodia 

struggling to find enough capacity thus causing sailing 

delays. Bangkok’s ocean capacity is typically booked more 

than a month out so finding last minute capacity on a 

vessel for those importers is nearly impossible. 

Despite all of this, some of the drama surrounding the 

ocean industry is not directly related to the ocean carrier. 

For instance, water levels in the Panama Canal have been 

an issue since early summer. This is causing massive 

delays on both sides of the canal. It is also keeping rates 

strong into the west coast as more and more carriers 

impose strict weight restrictions for container cargo 

moving through the canal. Being a true “NUTS and BOLTS” 

guy for the past 20+ years, this puts a lot of strain on my 

clients as well as myself in providing not only consistent 

container utilization but also ensuring their product isn’t 

delayed. It was easier getting container space during the 

pandemic than it is now for the East Coast. I truly feel for 

my clients who call the Northeast home because there is 

no fluid rail service from the West Coast, which limits their 

options. For those in the Southeast there are options and, 

surprisingly, the costs are not overly inflated to Atlanta, 

Charlotte, and Mobile to name a few. 

Containerized ocean exports are strong as our dollar 

still remains on the low side. We have seen exports grow 

about 4% year over year and that trend should continue 

for the foreseeable future. We’re also seeing a growing 

trend in export volumes to Europe, the Caribbean and 

central and south America. The commodity groups which 

have best supported this growth are perishables, textiles, 

garments and industrial building supplies. 

For the immediate future, the ocean market will 

remain clouded as carriers start to take ownership of their 

new, much larger, and more environmentally safe vessels. 

It will be interesting to see how or what they are going to 

do with the smaller, less economic vessels. Will they go 

by way of scrap, will they continue to push those vessels 

to the private chartering sector, or will they just convert 

those to areas of the world that need more support, such 

as South East Asia. 

Air Import And Export 

This industry has completely flip-flopped from a few 

years ago. Since 2020, the air market was dominated 

by air cargo. Passengers and their cargo took a close 

second. Today, air import cargo continues to decline, and 

carriers are taking serious steps to curb their losses. 

The first step is to redefine their routes. Some carriers 

stopped offering direct service and are now moving cargo 

via multiple hubs to ensure all available capacity on each 

plane is used. We’re seeing this happen in the busiest 

hub cities like Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore as 

well as the smaller hub cities. 

Rates (for the most part) are on the rise, much like with 

ocean however this is really tied to market and seasonable 

expectations as more and more companies are buying 

smaller amounts and transporting it by air. For the larger 

market segments, we’ve seen rates increase by more than 

a $1.00 USD per kilo with restrictions such as longer transit 

times and cancelled flights altogether. These air rates 

should remain elevated until mid-December then we should 

see a steady decrease through Chinese New Year into 

early February. At that point we should see a quick increase 

immediately followed by an equally quick decrease. 

The air export market continues to be strong with 

China and Europe dominating the market. Rates have 

remained steady with little to no increases. In some 

instances, we’ve seen substantial decreases including 

to some trade lanes sporting less than $0.60 per kilo 

which tells you where the volumes and capacity is truly 

needed. 



RETRO 80’S BASH - AUGUST 22, 2023

116 


BLUE RIBBON FASTENER NAVIGATING FASTENER EXCELLENCE WITH THREE GENERATIONS OF EXPERTISE from page 44 

Contract Manufacturing 

Contract manufacturing requires all types of fasteners 

in different materials, finishes, and platings. BRF supplies 

OEMs in this sector with a wide variety of screws, bolts, 

clips, electronic hardware, and custom parts. 

Whether you’re working with tooling, injection molding, 

metal fabricating, finishing, or assembly, BRF will source 

what you need for your product manufacturing project and 

deliver it quickly. Get the same hardware for half the price 

of leading competitors. 




⬡ 12-month blanket orders 

⬡ Pull-ins/Push outs 

⬡ Weekly releases 

⬡ Custom products 


Consumer Products 

BRF supplies a wide range of fasteners for consumer 

products and final goods manufacturing. We keep a 

large inventory of screws, bolts, pins, clips, and more 

in stock with a variety of finishes and platings, including 

stainless steel, brass, nylon, copper, and aluminum. 

Whether you’re building furniture, appliances, tools, locks, 

doors, or seating, we supply the hardware you need. 

Readily available hardware for half the price of leading 

competitors. 









Aerospace 

The aerospace manufacturing sector requires 

high-grade, corrosion-resistant fasteners. We partner 

with both domestic and international manufacturers to 

distribute a variety of bolts, rivets, nuts, washers, and 

other components for use in your most mission-critical 

aerospace or astronautics projects, including commercial 

aircraft, space, and defense manufacturing. 

Do you need hardware to be certified all the way 

through the supply chain? We provide material certifications 

& certificates of conformance for all fasteners and 

secondary processes—including stainless steel screws, 

black oxide bolts, electronic hardware, and any parts 

that need a nylon patch or tamper-resistant drive. We 

supply these certifications with the packing slip and keep 

electronic copies in our ERP, The Business Edge TM 

by 

Computer Insights, Inc. Get the same hardware for half 

the price of leading competitors. 










Brighton-Best International and Parker 

Fasteners have announced the formation of a 

strategic partnership at the International Fastener 

Expo (IFE) Show in Las Vegas, NV starting in 

2024.. This partnership is likely to revolutionize the 

fastener industry by having quicker lead times on 

Domestic Stainless Sockets. 

Parker Fasteners, a manufacturer with a 

strong foothold in the domestic market, has been 

operational for over a decade and has earned a 

reputation for being customer-centric. Brighton-Best 

International has been operational for nearly 100 

years and is known for its commitment to socket 

products and national high levels of stock. 

The agreement will focus on promoting the 

expansion of BBI’s stainless steel lines. The 

partnership is expected to support distributor 

companies to expand their reach and increase their 

revenue and product offering of stainless steel. 

Brighton-Best International is largest supplier 

of wholesale fasteners in North America servicing 

distribution since 1925. With 20 US locations 

and 31 locations globally, Brighton-Best is the 

value-driven, global leader in fastener distribution 

providing fasteners to all aspects of industry 

including construction, electrical, industrial and 

OEM applications. BBI’s family of brands include 

Proferred, U.S. Anchor and Ironclad Performance 

Wear. With award winning Hand Tools, Gloves and 

Drywall Screws, BBI is the largest master distributor 

of fasteners in the USA. 

Parker Fasteners, is a premier cold heading 

manufacturer located in Buckeye, Arizona who 

sources all raw materials from American sources, 

including DFARS compliance. Parker takes great pride 

in making quality socket drive fasteners, meeting 

customer product specifications, and delivering on or 

before promised due dates. An experienced master 

cold header-men and operating managers offer 

combined industry experience of over 200 years. 

Parker nurtures this unique depth of experience and 

a high level of innovation to provide quality customer 

support and strong growth. 

To learn more about Brighton-Best visit them 

online at www.brightonbest.com and to learn more 

about Parker Fasteners visit them online at www. 

parkerfasteners.com 


118 





HONORARY NIGHT FOR OUR HALL OF FAME 

AND SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS By Francesca Lewis 

On the evening of Thursday, November 2nd, the 

Midwest Fastener Association (MWFA) hosted its highly 

anticipated annual Dinner Meeting and Awards Ceremony 

at Belvedere Banquets in Elk Grove Village. The night 

commenced with a warm welcome during a cocktail hour 

where guests had the opportunity to check in and cast 

their votes for next year’s Board of Directors. 

The evening’s highlights were marked by the induction 

of esteemed individuals and companies into the MWFA’s 

2023 Hall of Fame. This year, the Company Award 

was granted to Abbott Interfast, a business with a 

remarkable history. Founded in 1948 by Martin Binder, 

the company was later led by his son, Richard Binder, 

and is currently guided by his grandson, Jeff Binder. 

Abbott Interfast began its journey on North Clark Street 

in Chicago, operating as Abbott Screw & Manufacturing 

Co. In 1967, they acquired Continental Screw Machine, 

eventually relocating to Wheeling, where they became 

renowned for manufacturing fasteners, including Multi 

Spindle Acme & Davenports, and distributing locknuts. 

Abbott Interfast’s commitment to the industry and the 

association’s endeavors is evident in their consistent 

support, spanning 75 years, making them one of the 

original exhibitors at the CBNSA/MWFA Fasteners Shows. 

In addition to Abbott Interfast’s recognition, the 

MWFA proudly inducted three remarkable individuals into 

the Hall of Fame this year: Bob O’Brien, Rich Pease, and 

Bruce Wheeler. 

Bob O’Brien, a seasoned veteran in the fastener 

industry, has been a vital part of Certified Fastener & 

Industrial Supply (CFIS) for over two decades and boasts 

more than 40 years of industry experience. Beyond his role 


as a certified internal ISO auditor, Bob actively contributes 

to the quality processes at CFIS. He has served in various 

positions on the MWFA Board, including President and 

Treasurer, and played a crucial role in transitioning the 

association from the CBNSA to MWFA. Bob’s unwavering 

commitment to the association’s success makes him a 

respected figure within the industry. 

Rich Pease, the CEO and owner of RK Products, 

is celebrated for his exceptional sales and product 

marketing skills. He is not only a leader in his field but 

also a dedicated educator who believes in empowering 

individuals through knowledge. Rich has served as 

President of the MWFA (2010) and sat on the Board of 

Directors from 2006 to 2016, contributing significantly as 

the Education Chairman. Under his guidance, the MWFA 

witnessed educational programs of a higher caliber, with 

specialized instructors and a wide range of classes. 

Bruce Wheeler embarked on his journey in 1973, 

working in the warehouse of Star Stainless Screw 

Company in Totowa, NJ. Over the years, he played a crucial 

role in every department within the company. His journey 

began working alongside his father in the warehouse, and 

he later transitioned to the Sales Department, where he 

dedicated nearly a decade. When Star Stainless expanded 

into the Midwest, Bruce relocated from New Jersey to the 

Wood Dale, IL branch as the Branch Manager. In Illinois, 

he remained an active member of the Chicago Bolt, Nut & 

Screw Association and continued his involvement with the 

MWFA until his retirement. Bruce’s impact was enduring, 

and he played a pivotal role in launching the Raul Torres 

Memorial Scholarship, which remains a testament to his 

dedication. 



41st 



120 


IMSM ENSURING SAFETY AND SUCCESS: THE IMPORTANCE OF ISO 45001 IN THE FASTENER INDUSTRY from page 48 

[2] Employee Engagement: The beginning of the 

year is an opportune time to engage employees in safety 

initiatives. Involving them in adopting ISO 45001 fosters a 

sense of ownership and a shared commitment to creating 

a secure work environment. 

[3] Continuous Improvement: ISO 45001 promotes 

a culture of continuous improvement. Setting goals for ISO 

45001 certification at the start of the year establishes a 

framework for enhancing safety processes and practices 

continuously. 

In the fastener industry, where precision and safety are 

integral to success, ISO 45001 is not just a certification; 

it is a commitment to the well-being of employees and 

the sustainability of the business. As the industry sets 

its sights on the opportunities and challenges of the new 

year, integrating ISO 45001 into organizational goals is a 

strategic move that ensures a safer, more efficient, and 

competitive future. 

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. 

IMSM offers a fixed fee, fixed time frame process 

to help companies achieve the prestigious ISO 

Certifications. 

IMSM LTD. 

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 

PAC-WEST SPRING CONFERENCE & TABLETOP SHOW by Amy Nijjar 

Registration is now open for the 2024 Spring 

Conference and Tabletop Show! Non-members can get 

the member rate though November 30. 

Pac-West will only be holding one conference in 

2024. The Spring Conference will feature next-level 

education, a tabletop show with more than 70 vendors, 

a fun spouse outing, and exciting optional activities 

including golf and an Anaheim Ducks hockey game. It will 

be the best Pac-West networking event of the year. 

When: March 6-8, 2024 

Where: The Westin Anaheim Resort, 1030 West 

Katella Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92802 

Register today at www.pac-west.org 

Pac-West 2024 Event Calendar 

Save the date for these upcoming Pac-West events: 


March 6-8, 2024 Spring Conference & Tabletop 

Show, Anaheim, CA 

April 18, 2024 After Hours, San Diego, CA 

May 16, 2024 Spring Dinner Meeting & Vendor 

Showcase, La Mirada, CA 

June 20, 2024 After Hours, Vancouver, BC 

September 26, 2024 After Hours, Denver, CO 

October 10, 2024 Fall Dinner Meeting and Vendor 

Showcase, La Mirada, CA 

November 7, 2024 After Hours, Bay Area, CA 

December 12, 2024 Holiday Party, La Mirada, CA 

March 12-14, 2025 Spring Conference & Tabletop 

Show, Anaheim, CA 

For more information on Pac-West and its activities, or 

to view the full event schedule, visit www.pac-west.org. 

PACIFIC-WEST FASTENER ASSOCIATION

122 


FASTENER EXPERTS MENTOR GROUP MIKE ROBINSON: IS MY PART UP TO IFI STANDARDS IF IT LOOKS BAD? from page 52 

Quench Cracks of any depth, length, or location 

are not acceptable per ASTM F788 at all. 

Before you immediately identify your ugly part as a 

quench crack, check the location of it and make sure it 

is not a forging crack. Forging cracks are not a cause for 

immediate rejection per ASTM F788 like quench cracks 

are. Per the specification forging cracks can be present, 

as long as they are within the acceptable dimensions. 

These dimensions are identified within ASTM F788. The 

length, width, and depth all need to be measured to 

see if they fall within the acceptable dimensions. If they 

are small enough, then the parts are still considered 

acceptable, and you can rest assured the parts will still 

perform the way they are intended to. 

When forging (both hot and cold), presses are pushing 

material into a die to form a shape. Think back to when 

you would push playdoe into it’s round container and then 

take it out. There might be part of it that didn’t quite “fill 

in” on the round sides of the container. This would be 

considered a Void in the forging process. Voids are defined 

as a shallow pocket or hollow that’s on the surface of the 

fastener and acceptable with certain limits. In the forging 

process this can be caused by several factors including 

rust, chips, burrs, or lack of material. These are acceptable 

and within specification as long as these Voids fall within 

the acceptable limits. Just like the other discontinuities, 

these are also measured by the depth of the voids but 

unlike cracks you also need to factor in the specified 

minimum bearing surface area if the void is on the bearing 

surface under the head of the bolt or screw. 



SMARTCERT BUILD TRACEABILITY AND VISIBILITY IN THE CLOUD TO REDUCE RISK from page 54 

Improved Compliance 

Maintaining compliance with industry regulations 

can be streamlined when documents are shared and 

maintained in a cloud-based network. Updates to 

requirements can be completed and updated from your 

suppliers or to your customers in real-time, reducing the 

burden on your team and improving communication with 

your supply chain. 

Automated Processes 

Cloud-based platforms often include automation for 

many of the ‘paperwork’ tasks associated with vendor 

documents. Look for tools built by the industry, for the 

industry, to gain efficiencies in common workflows and take 

advantage of the latest tools and technology. SmartCert 

recently launched OCR technology to read documents and 

generate dynamic, searchable data specific to a supplier, 

or lot. This saves manual steps for creating SmartCerts 

and enables quick access to documents by expanding 

the search criteria with data pulled directly from the 

documents you store. 

Reduced Costs 

Local servers are expensive to maintain and expose 

your company to the risk of malicious attacks. Storage 

in the cloud is a minimal expense and provides many 

tools that come with separate costs, including enhanced 

security, encryption, malware & virus scanning, and back 

up and redundancy of your documents. 

The industry is moving forward with the tools and 

technology that support reducing costs, improving 

efficiency and security, and reducing risk. Cloud-based 

platforms play a critical role with these goals and are a 

key strategy for the future of your business. 

SMARTCERT BY ARAMID TECHNOLOGIES

124 


COMPUTER INSIGHTS INC. SALES TAX SIMPLIFIED from page 56 

Benefits include intuitive vendormanaged 

inventory systems, direct 

connections to master distributors with 

the Fastener Supply Chain Network, 

wireless warehouse options, lot and 

location tracking, integrated quality and 

inspection, and much more. 


became a 

certified Avalara AvaTax integration in 

2019. When activated, the connection 

talks to Avalara as you work without any 

extra effort being demanded of you. This 

frees up time you are spending managing sales taxes, 

allowing you to focus on more important things. 

Sales tax is automatically calculated based on the 

product type and customer taxability by ship-to address. 

If an order requires different sales tax rules applied 

to different line items, you can handle that with a single 

click of a button. 

Do you sell to companies that require custom tax 

rules? The Business Edge TM 

makes setting up custom tax 

rules easy; after they are created, they are automatically 

used when applicable. You do not have to worry about 

remembering who has special requirements. 

Addresses are validated as you enter them through 

Avalara and the database from the USPS. As you use 

your existing addresses as ship-to locations, the system 

will validate them. Validating addresses ensures the 

taxes calculated are accurate. If you are shipping to 

worksites that do not have addresses, like New Mexico 

oil and gas wells, the system can calculate sales taxes 

based on the latitude and longitude. 

Avalara Certified Implementation Partner 

Information is available where you need it and when you 

need it. For example, if a customer asks why you charged 

them what you did for sales tax, you can easily see 

the detailed tax jurisdiction breakdown. Summary and 

detailed tax reports are available for review. Avalara can 

prepare and file your returns while distributing payments 

to all tax jurisdictions on your behalf or you can use The 

Business Edge TM 

intuitive sales tax reports to file and 

remit your own taxes. 

Who Is Avalara? 

Avalara helps businesses get tax compliance right by 

partnering with leading ERP systems like The Business 

Edge. TM 

Avalara is a publicly-traded company and was 

ranked one of the fastest growing companies in North 

America on Deloitte’s 2018 Technology Fast 500. 

The Benefits of Avalara 

Avalara’s cloud based features are provided as an 

a la carte subscription service. You can sign up for just 

what you need. 

¤ Calculate Taxes - Per line item based on 

geo locations, entity-use, and product 

classifications. 



Patriot Bolt, a leading innovator in the 

specialty fastener manufacturing industry, 

proudly announces the successful production of 

the world’s largest hex nut in the vibrant city of 

Houston, Texas. This monumental achievement 

reflects the company’s commitment to pushing 

the boundaries of engineering and contributing 

to the local industrial landscape. The world’s 

largest hex nut, Big Tex The Incredible Hex, 

is a symbol of strength and quality and is a 

testament to the capabilities and craftsmanship 

that define American manufacturing. 

Unveiling a Symbol of Strength and Precision 

- Measuring approximately 16 feet in height, 

our record-breaking hex nut surpasses all 

expectations. Crafted together with another 

local manufacturing company, JK Welding, this 

colossal hex nut stands as a testament to our 

dedication to excellence in manufacturing. 

A Showcase of Engineering Mastery - “The 

world’s largest hex nut belongs in the State of 

Texas, Kris Kolb, President” 

Patriot Bolt has been a driving force in the 

manufacturing industry, consistently delivering 

innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs 

of our clients. With a focus on quality, reliability, 

and customer service we have established 

ourselves as leaders in the field. 

For more information contact Patriot Bolt by 

Tel: 281-581-0176, email: sales@patriotbolt.com 

or visit them online at www.patriotbolt.com. 

Crescent Manufacturing was one of 19 

companies recognized for shaping Connecticut’s 

export landscape at the Made in Connecticut: 

2023 Manufacturing Summit. The Connecticut 

District Export Council, in collaboration with 

CBIA, CONNSTEP, and READYCT, honored us 

with the prestigious Connecticut Export Award, 

a testament to our six decades of unwavering 

commitment to excellence and innovation. This 

recognition comes at a time when the global 

market is increasingly competitive, making this 

award even more meaningful. Executive Vice 

President, Bruce J. Penn, accepted the award on 

behalf of Crescent. 

“It was an honor to receive this reward on 

behalf of Crescent Mfg. It was a lot of effort by a 

lot of people to be where we are at this point in 

time!” Penn commented. 

For more information about Crescent 

Manufacturing, contact them by Tel: 860-673-2591, 

email: sales@crescentmanufacturing.com or visit 

them online at www.crescentmanufacturing.com.

126 


SPIROL BENEFITS OF 420 CHROME STAINLESS STEEL COILED SPRING PINS from page 58 

THIS GRAPH SHOWS HOW TIME IMPACTS THE CORROSION 

RESISTANCE OF COATED STEEL COMPARED WITH STAINLESS STEEL 

While 302/304 austenitic stainless steel Coiled 

Pins provide excellent corrosion protection, this material 

is not an appropriate solution when the pin will be 

subject to dynamic loads, or where strength and fatigue 

resistance must equal or exceed that of high carbon 

steel. Alternatively, 420 martensitic chrome stainless 

steel provides an exceptional combination of strength 

and fatigue resistance - in addition to its inherent 

corrosion resistance. 

Fatigue Life 

420 chrome stainless steel provides enhanced 

fatigue life – an important consideration given that 

Coiled Spring Pins are often intended to function as 

dynamic elements within many applications. A unique 

characteristic of Coiled Spring Pins is that their flexibility 

after installation protects host holes and assemblies by 

dampening vibration and shock loading. For the purpose 

of comparison, Coiled Pins of the same duty (i.e. material 

thickness) produced from material of equal dimensions, 

were tested in the three standard materials: 

¤ MBK – Standard duty, high carbon steel, 

plain finish 

¤ MCK – Standard duty, 420 chrome stainless steel, 

plain finish 

¤ MDK – Standard duty, 300 series austenitic 

stainless steel, plain finish 

Resultant trend lines demonstrate 420 chrome 

stainless steels superiority in fatigue when tested at 

increasing percentages of assigned minimum double 

shear strength. 

DATA FOR COMPARATIVE PURPOSES ONLY – CONDITIONS IN THIS 

TEST DO NOT INFER PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS IN ANY 

APPLICATION AS VARIED LOAD, HOST MATERIALS, HOLE SIZE, AND 

SHEAR PLANE QUALITY/CLEARANCE WILL IMPACT PERFORMANCE 

Summary 

Coiled Sprint Pins mnufactured from 420 chrome 

stainless steel are an excellent material choice where 

high strength, moderate corrosion protection, and 

superior fatigue life are critical. 

Additional benefits to consider include: 

¤ Excellent cost / benefit relationship in 

performance applications 

¤ High wear resistance 

¤ Good tensile and creep strength at moderately 

elevated temperatures 

¤ Oxidation & erosion resistant 

¤ Improved component cleanliness as compared 

to high carbon steel 

¤ Reduced potential for mixed product & debris as 

compared to plated and coated carbon steel 

product 

SPIROL is a leading manufacturer of a diverse line 

of engineered components for fastening and joining, 

including Coiled Spring Pins, Slotted Spring Pins, Solid 

Pins, Disc Springs, Alignment Dowels and Bushings, 

Spacers, Compression Limiters, Threaded Inserts for 

Plastics, Precision Shims, and Installation Equipment. 

Since 1948, SPIROL has been providing technical 

expertise in fastening, joining and assembly to the 

world’s leading manufacturers. 

SPIROL INTERNATIONAL CORP.

INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO - WELCOME RECEPTION 

MANDALAY BAY, LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 9, 2023 


128 


MFDA HOLDS 26TH ANNUAL GOLF OUTING from page 60 

Longest Drive AND Closest to the Pin: 

¤ Charlie Poggi – Team Fastar; 

The pre-golf Golf Cocktail party was a wonderful 

evening watching the sunset over the mountains of 

North Jersey. Our sponsors and contributors make this 

event one of the most popular events! Thank you to the 

following sponsors! 

¤ Nylok LLC/Aerospace Div. 

¤ One Stop Packaging, LLC 

¤ Richard Manno & Co. 

¤ Rick Rudolph Associates 

¤ Screws Industries, Inc. 

¤ Solution Industries 

¤ Star Stainless Screw Co. 

¤ Stelfast Inc. 

¤ Strong Point Fasteners 

¤ Tortoise Fasteners 

¤ Tower Fasteners 

¤ Vogelsang Fastener Solutions 

¤ XL Screw Corporation 

¤ Yellow Woods & Roads Less Traveled 

¤ Zago Manufacturing Co., Inc. 

This year’s event was a traditional four-man scramble. 

Everyone played their best! Awards were given to winners 

in the following categories. Congratulations to all! 

Our Cocktail Sponsors 

¤ Brighton-Best International 

¤ Diversified Rack & Shelving 

¤ Eurolink FSS 

¤ Fall River Manufacturing Co. 

¤ Ford Fasteners 

¤ Kanebridge Corporation 

¤ Lubker Distribution 

¤ Richard Manno & Co. 

¤ Star Stainless Screw Co. 

¤ Stelfast Inc. 

¤ Vogelsang Fastener Solutions 

¤ XL Screw Corporation 

Men’s Lowest Gross 

¤ 1st Place: Team Fastar: Kenny Plac and Gang; 

¤ 2nd Place: Team North East Fasteners: Martin 

Van Linter, Pat Shea, Jason Webster, & Rich Kowalszyk. 

Cocktail Contributors 

¤ McCormick Associates 

¤ North East Fasteners 

¤ Rick Rudolph Associates 

¤ Screws Industries 

The MFDA would like to express its gratitude 

and appreciation to all the players and supporters who 

made this 26th year a success! 

METROPOLITAN FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION


GOEBEL FASTENERS A SUCCESS STORY: FROM TWO CAR GARAGE TO INNOVATIVE WORLD MARKET LEADER from page 70 

The entire production facility will be 

linked via FactoryNet which is a process 

monitoring system to allow transparent 

visibility of all production lines, output, 

and if to stop any non-conforming parts. 

The data is pushed to the ERP software 

to increase efficiencies across the 

organization to include cost savings for 

our customers. 

The GOEBEL Group’s fast and 

first-class in-house tooling department 

guarantees the shortest possible turnaround time for tools 

to support the production machines; paired with our QC 

management system in accordance to ISO 9001:2015, 

which includes full documentation control of all production 

stages with lot traceability. All packaged parts will include 

a QR code through which the customer can download 

the complete certification package for the selected batch 

to his smart device. To provide the best comprehensive 

service to our customers we provide 

extensive QC testing and value add 

services to improve the sales process. 

An all-inclusive package from Goebel 

reduces many extra costs, especially in 

C-parts management, as well as followup 

costs, keeping those to a minimum. 

The mission at Goebel is to 

provide a lean and efficient supply 

chain offering to our customers paired 

with unsurpassed after-sales customer 

service. Choose Goebel as your manufacturing partner 

to experience the difference; our “Made in Germany” 

reshoring process will be a game changer and our German 

engineering will reinforce our “Quality the First Time” 

tagline. We look forward to reducing lead times, improving 

our capacity and growing our specials division to include 

coatings, painted parts, and made-to-print R&D projects to 

better serve our customers. 

GOEBEL FASTENERS INC

130 


MWFA FSTNR WEEK DELIVERS WITH MANY OPPORTUNITIES from page 46 

Many donned their 80’s attire (even those not old 

enough to remember the 80’s!!). The show became a 

party, and the industry always enjoys a party, so it was a 

great mix. 

Wednesday, August 23rd featured the 70th MWFA 

Golf Outing. It may have been the hottest outing ever 

at 100 degrees!!! Still golfers weren’t going to miss a 

MWFA Golf Outing!! Over 140 golfers came out to endure 

the heat. Golfers were presented with commemorative 

70th anniversary golf umbrellas as a thank you for 70 

great outings! Water may have been the biggest seller 

that day!! Congratulations to our winning teams: First 

Place: B&D Cold Heading Jack Dobek, Tim Quick, Ryan 

Cooper, Gage Fasbender. Second Place teams tied SWD 

(Matt Delawder, Mike Endres, Chip Holler, Joe Zucchero) 

and Component Technologies (John Paris, Ron Jarvis, 

Marc Goddard, Rob Crowder). And a big congratulations 

to Mike McLaughlin of BTM Mfg. for his hole in one. It 

may not have been on the hole in one sponsored hole 

but an impressive highlight of the day!! 

The week wound down with the MWFA Mixer on 

Thursday at Real Time Sports. This was a social event 

providing drinks, appetizers, and prizes. Raffle prizes 

were provided by Abbott Interfast, Volt Industrial Plastics, 

XL Screw, and MWFA. Once again the heat continued so 

the patio event was moved indoors but it was still a fun 

evening of networking in the industry. 

The week also included Fastener Training Institute’s 

Fastener Training. Student’s attended a week of intensive 

fastener education. After completing the training and 

passing a final exam, attendees are eligible for the 

Certified Fastener Specialist (CFS) designation. 

The week may have been the hottest week of the year 

in Chicago, but it didn’t stop the industry from gathering 

every chance provided. The week provided amazing 

networking opportunities, great product sourcing, new 

vendor relationships, catching up with industry friends 

and more!! Thank you to everyone who met in the 

heart of the fastener industry to celebrate the fastener 

industry. Watch for 2024 plans!! 

Thank You To Our FSTNR Week Sponsors 

FSTNR Week was an amazing event. Thank you 

to everyone who participated in making it an industry 

success. Thank you to our FSTNR Week Sponsors who 

sponsored all events throughout the week. We are 

already looking forward to next year’s event. 

MID-WEST FASTENER ASSOCIATION

MWFA SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE BED BUILDING EVENT 

AT ABBOTT-INTERFAST, WHEELING, IL - AUGUST 20, 2023

132 


IFE 2023 INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO: A YEAR OF UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS! from page 64 

We would like to thank our Welcome Reception 

sponsors B&D Cold Headed Products, Continental Aero, 

and Parker Fasteners. 

The expo floor was a hive of activity, featuring 

over 100 first time exhibitors and 700 exhibitors in 

total showcasing the latest products, services, and 

technologies in the fastener industry. Attendees had the 

opportunity to explore and see first-hand the cutting-edge 

solutions available, engage with suppliers, and discover 

new market opportunities. The energetic atmosphere 

reflected the enthusiasm and forward-thinking that 

defines the fastener industry. 

One of the standout features of the 2023 

International Fastener Expo was its extensive educational 

program. The Expo Hall opened its doors early for a 

keynote presentation led by Jake Hall, the Manufacturing 

Millennial, that dove into the future of manufacturing, 

touching on topics like automation and the new 

workforce. Industry experts led informative sessions, a 

full-day training from FTI, and fireside chats on a wide 

array of subject matter, including innovation in fastener 

technology, industry trends, and best practices. The 

wide range of educational opportunities ensured that 

attendees could customize their experience to meet their 

specific needs and interests. 

Keeping to tradition, IFE 2023 featured its Hall 

of Fame and Young Fastener Professional of the Year 

award ceremony on Tuesday afternoon. Inductees were 

celebrated and cheered on by their peers, colleagues, 

and family! Congratulations to the 2023 award recipients: 

2023 Hall of Fame 

¤ Bob Baer, Abbott Interfast 

¤ Eric Dudas and Brian Musker, Fasteners Clearing 

House and Fully Threaded Radio 

¤ George Hunt III, Brighton-Best International 

2023 Young Fastener Professionals of the Year 

¤ Mallory Cravens Nichols, Advance Components 

¤ Mike Robinson, Lindfast Solutions Group 

Commenting on the success of the event, IFE Show 

Director, Morgan Wilson said, “I’m excited to share a 

recap of remarkable achievement for IFE 2023 – the 

show was one of the largest in the past 5 years, proving 

the true testament of face-to-face networking within our 

fastener community, our special events left unforgettable 

memories, our education programs inspired and 

empowered, and our full expo floor was a marketplace 

of innovation and opportunity from around the world. 

Together, we created an impressive experience that set 

new standards in the industry.” 

The 2023 International Fastener Expo achieved 

its goal of providing a platform for professionals in the 

fastener industry to connect, learn, and collaborate. 

For more information and updates on next year’s 

event, please visit www.fastenershows.com. 

INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO




134 


NELSON VALDERRAMA OUTDATED SALES PROCESSING AND MANUAL PRICING COST MORE THAN YOU THINK from page 66 

I still marvel at their ability to answer calls, take notes, 

maintain calendars, and follow through. I’ve been even more 

impressed that a single person often handles all these 

tasks. However, I also see problems with this operation. 

What’s Wrong With Tradition? 

Tradition certainly has its place. It standardizes 

procedures that affect inventory and pricing. I’m 

concerned, however, with how it can become inflexible. 

Standard operating procedures often miss sales and 

pricing opportunities. They risk underpricing unnecessarily 

or incorrectly. And they feed inconsistencies across the 

related business functions. 

Standard operating procedures may determine a 

distributor’s operational behavior. They may keep everyone 

on the same page and following the same direction. 

To me, this discipline limits innovation, collaboration, 

and development. It does not recognize the need to 

revise strategies for changing how markets and evolving 

consumer demands. Traditional methods risk becoming a 

legacy that businesses find hard to shake. 

What Do Outdated Processes And Manual 

Pricing Strategies Cost? 

We are almost a quarter through this 21st century, 

marked by fluctuating economic environments. Distributors 

can’t survive and grow by sitting put and holding tight. Passive 

postures and cautious moves will not reduce challenges. 

Wholesale distributors must implement resilient 

administrative and operational approaches, using 

comprehensive data-based information gleaned from historical 

transactions and current market trends. When distributors rely 

on outdated sales processing, manual pricing, and inventory 

replenishment procedures, they surrender to market forces 

and lose their competitive advantage. 

They effectively give up strategy to legacy behaviors 

and “tribal” knowledge. They leave decisions to an 

“old timer’s” memory and gut feelings. These legacy 

approaches originated in Accounting principles, disciplines 

that inform standard spreadsheets and Enterprise 

Project Management (EPM) and Customer Relationship 

Management (CRM) software. 

However, these systems are one-way; people enter 

data that other company functions need. They do not 

look outward or forward. They don’t have ready access 

to data on seasonal trends, customer buying patterns, 

or accurate forecasting. Squeezed between sell-side and 

buy-side pressures, they fall back on what they know. 

However, falling back is no way to lead. 

The customer buying model has changed in ability and 

potential. Consumers know much more about B2B, B2C, 

and e-commerce operations. Buyers have access to databased 

product and company reviews. They have broader 

access to available and competitive sellers. And they have 

all the details needed to make a buying decision. 

There’s Money In That Inventory, But … 

Calling inventory an “asset” also presents some 

problems. The distributor may “possess” inventory, but its 

value depends on its ability to move from supplier to end 

user. Wholesale distributors need the foresight and tools 

to drive that movement effectively and efficiently. 

I always think of the difference between booking 

flights or hotels through a travel agency and online sites. 

The travel agency offers pleasant personal service, but 

booking online is fast and convenient. People have moved 

toward booking online because they can do so from 

anywhere at anytime, compare prices and reviews, and 

explore a wide range of options and bundled discounts. 

Moving inventory is a distributor’s core function, too 

important to leave to “old school” methods. The ability 

to manage operations with real-time, data-driven, and 

accurate information will increase working capital, reduce 

operations costs, and maximize margins. 

What You Need! 

Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) 

can optimize wholesale distribution, saving more money 

than you think. These game-changing technologies dive 

deep into a distributor’s transaction history, screening it 

for decisions made across product lines, sales channels, 

and customer segments. 


136 


GLOBALFASTENERNEWS.COM PAC-WEST PANELISTS: RELATIONSHIPS BUILD COMPANIES from page 80 

Bruce Wheeler took a temporary fastener job 

to pacify his father in 1973. Then fasteners were 

measured on the Johnson balance scales and he often 

put a few extra fasteners in each until caught by his 

father. His first sales territory was Detroit when sales 

people ripped out pages from Yellow Pages to find 

potential customers to call on. Wheeler headed Star 

Stainless from 2014 until retiring. 

Ron Stanley initially went from college to another 

industry, but was drawn back to Empire Bolt & Screw 

by his father - the Empire founder – Larry Stanley. Ron 

Stanley is still active with Empire – which marked its 

50th anniversary in 2022. 

All four panelists have held multiple fastener 

association board roles. 

Distributors once dealt with nearly all domestic 

manufacturers such as Bethlehem Steel, RB&W and 

Camera. But as imports became less expensive, 

distributors had to buy to be competitive. 

Cohn noted that the U.S. Fastener Quality Act of 

the 1990s validated imports because specifications 

were required of all manufacturers, which equalized 

imports. 

Doran recalled growth in imports was partly due 

to a change from foreign government-owned plants 

where the fasteners shipped may be “floor sweep” to 

privately-owned manufacturers meeting standards. 

¤ The panelists emphasized education throughout 

the company. Stanley encouraged sending employees 

to Fastener Training Institute programs. Overall, 3% of 

staff time should be in education, Stanley advised. 

Wheeler suggested a half-an-hour, once-a-week of 

“screw school.” Beyond training employees, “You’ll 

learn who doesn’t want to learn,” Wheeler pointed out. 

Doran cited a result of education avoids another 

problem: “We all get a black eye when we have a 

failure.” 

¤ Doran said that while “cleaning up inventory is 

the least likable thing to do,” inventory control is vital 

to the success of a distributorship. 

Cohn observed that failure to manage inventory 

means it “goes in the back of the warehouse until you 

die or sell it.” 

¤ Every company has a culture, Wheeler said. 

The culture is either “driven from the top or employeedriven.” 

“You as the leader set the tone and lead by 

example,” Wheeler said. 

Acknowledge that sometimes a customer sets 

culture, Cohn said. 

Stanley advised looking to the women on your staff 

for developing capable employees as a source of good 

employees not developed in previous generations. His 

comment drew applause at the Pac-West session, 

which included many women active in the industry. 

He recalled his wife, banking executive Heidi 

Stanley, being asked at banking meetings, “What bank 

is your husband with?” 

Wheeler: Look for the employees having trouble 

with their jobs. “Work real hard with that individual,” he 

suggested, but added, “some just have to be fired” in 

the end. 

Looking ahead, Stanley said today’s leaders need 

to be aware future generations will have different value 

systems than the outgoing boomers. 

Wheeler, who acknowledged work dominated his 

early career, recommended establishing a “work/life 

balance.” 

GLOBALFASTENERNEWS.COM


The NEFCO Corporation, a leading valueadded 

supply partner to the construction trades, 

has opened a new Orangefield branch location 

in the Chicago, IL market to further support and 

service the professional contractor trades in the 

Windy City. An Orangefield is NEFCO’s in-house 

term for a new organic branch location. Chicago 

is NEFCO’s thirteenth Orangefield opening and 

twenty-sixth branch overall. The Chicago facility is 

NEFCO’s first location in the state of Illinois, further 

highlighting NEFCO’s commitment to providing 

industry-leading service to contractors across the 

country. The new Chicago facility is located at 

8905 West 187th Street, Suite 400, Mokena, IL 

60448, and will provide customers with access 

to local inventories and enhanced value-added 

services. The 37,000+ square foot location, 

consisting of warehouse and office space, will 

include an extensive inventory of SHARP® – Strut 

channel & fittings, Hardware, Anchors, threaded 

Rod and Pipe hangers — as well as a broad mix 

of power tools, safety equipment, and general 

jobsite supplies. “We have had our eyes on the 

Chicago market for many years and are thrilled 

to open a local Chicago metro branch as we 

continue to bring NEFCO’s unparalleled service 

and expertise throughout the Midwest,” states 

NEFCO’s President & CEO Matthew Gelles. “Our 

exceptional team is committed to partnering 

with contractors throughout the Chicago metro 

area and helping our customers succeed in their 

various projects”. 

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 26 locations 

throughout the United States, 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 at Tel: 1-800-969-0285, Email: 

Inquiries@nefcocorp.com or visit them online at 

www.gonefco.com. 

AFC Industries has acquired Muscatine, Iowa 

based White Distribution & Supply, LLC. 

For over 26 years White Distribution and Supply 

(WDS) has been providing a broad range of products, 

inventory management, and LEAN solutions to a 

broad range of customers who are themselves 

leaders in their respective markets. 

WDS CEO John MacQuarrie said, “Over the past 

several years our team has continued to make 

investments that ensure we are positioned to supply 

excellent service to our customers and opportunities 

for our employees and supplier partners. We see this 

as a continuation of that strategy.” 

AFC CEO Kevin Godin said, “We are always 

excited when we can partner with businesses that 

have the same core commitments we have, are 

managed by a team of industry professionals, and 

that add or strengthen our capabilities. WDS checks 

all those boxes, and together we will be stronger and 

better positioned to grow and be successful.” 

For more information about AFC Industries visit 

them online at www.afcind.com.

138 



TABLE 1 CARBON CONTENT OF LOW-ALLOY STEEL 

Most case-hardened products are made from lowalloy 

carbon steel. Low-alloy carbon steel is an alloy of 

iron and carbon along with many other elements, but 

principally manganese, sulfur, and phosphorus. Carbon 

is the principal element that allows the metal to achieve 

high hardness. The ability to be hardenable is due to the 

geometry created by the bonding structure of carbon and 

iron in the crystal lattice. Low-alloy carbon steel can be 

subdivided into low, medium, and high-carbon steel. See 

Table 1 for the carbon content and classification of lowalloy 

carbon steel. 

Most case-hardened fasteners are produced from 

low carbon steel with a carbon percentage by weight of 

0.15-0.25 which falls into the low-carbon steel category. 

Medium-carbon steel can also be used, especially if the 

core hardness of the fastener needs to be a bit higher 

than the annealed hardness of steel. If the core hardness 

needs to be higher, the material can be through-hardened 

first and then case-hardened. 

Types Of Case-Hardening 

The term “case” in case-hardening comes from the 

process itself. Case-hardening requires the diffusion of 

carbon or nitrogen into the surface of the steel to raise 

the carbon or nitride content of the outside of the material 

to a required depth, usually a few hundred microns (a few 

thousandths of an inch). This is done by creating a carbon 

or nitrogen-rich atmosphere to surround the steel while 

being heated. Early case-hardening used organic material 

to produce carbon monoxide (CO) when burned and would 

be kept close to the steel by means of a “case” which 

isolated the steel and carbon-rich atmosphere from the 

atmosphere of the furnace itself. The organic material was 

usually comprised of horns or hoofs of animals. So, the 

term “case-hardened” literally means hardened in a case. 

The term “case” has also come to be known as the layer 

or shell of harder material around a softer core, such as 

a case of harder material surrounding softer material as 

illustrated in Figure 5. 

FIGURE 5. A CROSS-SECTION OF A SERRATED FLANGE BOLT THAT 

IS CASE-HARDENED SO THE SERRATIONS WILL CUT INTO THE 

BEARING SURFACE TO ACHIEVE RESISTANCE TO LOOSENING. 

Carburizing is done by placing steel (usually lowcarbon) 

in an atmosphere rich in carbon monoxide. 

Carbon monoxide could be pumped into the furnace, or 

a case filled with materials to produce carbon monoxide 

could be used. The furnace is brought to a temperature 

of about 1700 °F (927 °C) and held there for the amount 

of time needed for carbon to diffuse into the material to 

the required depth. A general rule is 0.1 mm per hour 

for carbon penetration. The material is then quenched 

to achieve its maximum hardness. If a lower hardness is 

required, it is then heated to a tempering temperature and 

held until the desired hardness is reached. 

Nitriding is done by introducing nitrogen to the surface 

and allowing it to diffuse into the material. This is usually 

done by placing the material in contact with ammonia 

(NH 3 ) which will thermally decompose into nitrogen 

and hydrogen, introducing nitrogen gas to the material 

(Figure 7). In the steel, the diffusing nitrogen reacts with 

the nitride forming elements (aluminum, chromium, and 

molybdenum) which harden the steel. 



140 



The Primary Advantages Of Cold Heading 

[1] Process Speed - cold heading is conducted on 

fast running machines that can produce many parts every 

minute. Thus, cold headers general run from about 60 

parts per minute to 300 parts per minute. Naturally there 

are exceptions as older machines or those running large 

diameter parts run at slower speeds while some newer 

machines for smaller or short parts can run as fast as 

600 parts per minute. 

[2] No Scrap - although the cold heading process 

may include a trimming or piercing operation which 

does generate a small amount of designed scrap, most 

screws and bolts are a simple head and shank and can 

be formed complete without trimming (thus, no scrap). 

By contrast, some screw machined parts may generate 

70-80% scrap. 

[3] Added Strength - truly one of the biggest 

advantages of cold heading is the strength it adds to 

parts. Since the material is moved around, the original 

axial grain structure is “bent around” at geometric 

transitions, like heads and collars. To help illustrate 

this concept, consider the everyday example of a piece 

of wood. If the wood is cut in such a way that it follows 

the direction of the tree trunk it came from, so that all 

the grain is aligned straight up and down, a strategically 

applied load might be able to break the wood along the 

grain with no more than an ordinary amount of effort. 

Now imagine that the wood has been cut from a spot in 

the trunk where a branch had been located. The grain 

is no longer straight up and down, but rather curled 

around the intersection where the branch and trunk 

came together. That curled and curved grain takes an 

exceptional amount of effort to break, simply because 

this curled grain alignment is stronger (See Figure 3). 

Likewise, geometric features like heads, flanges, and 

collars result in the raw material’s axial grain alignment 

being bent and curled around. The result are features 

that are far less vulnerable than those formed without 

altering grain alignment. 

FIGURE 3: IMAGE SHOWING GRAIN LINES BENDING AROUND FLANGE 

The Cold Heading Process 

It would be a disservice to discuss this process 

without first commenting on the importance of raw 

materials. Even though one may be awed by the 

experience of standing next to a cold heading machine 

in action, it is hard to truly appreciate all that is going 

on in the machine. The amount of force being applied 

to generate the desired material movement is quite 

extreme, often measured in tons of force. Therefore, it 

should probably come as no surprise that manufacturers 

must battle a couple of potential problems, such as parts 

cracking, material not behaving in a predictable manner, 

parts getting stuck in tooling, and tools breaking. To 

combat such problems, cold headers cannot use just any 

raw material, but rather depend on Cold Heading Quality 

(CHQ) wire and rod. CHQ wire and rod are premium 

products specifically formulated to address the following 

concerns of cold headers: 

¤ Uniform and highly deformable microstructure 

(CHQ wire and rod is relatively free of non-metallic 

inclusions, possesses consistent grain structure, and is 

usually spheroidized annealed.) 

¤ The surface is clean and devoid of scale 

or oxidation which would be detrimental to tooling, 

formability, and the resulting surface condition of the 

finished part. 


142 



With Microsoft Powerpoint, you’ll be able to chat 

with Powerpoint to say create a five-slide presentation 

based on a Word document you have, using relevant 

stock photos. Not completely satisfied with the result? 

No problem. You’ll be able to chat with the app some 

more, and ask for edits and revisions repeatedly until you 

get exactly what you want. 

With Excel, creative types at fastener distributorships 

who are sometimes put-off by the software’s highly 

analytic approach will be able to use Excel in a more 

right-brain way. 

Says Microsoft’s Jared Spataro, vice president, 

modern work and business applications, Microsoft: 

“What Copilot could do, potentially, is simply make Excel 

a tool for non-Excel people. 

“That’s an enormous shift in the way people work. 

Being able to ask Excel to identify key trends in sales 

data and report them in natural language — that could 

be sent up the chain of command to an executive, say — 

would be an enormous time-saver to a lot of people and 

allow you to look smarter, too.” 

Meanwhile, with Outlook, users can look forward to 

chatting with the app to say draft a response to an email, 

ask for more detail on certain points made in that email 

and then render an email response in their name using 

a specific writing tone -- such as professional or casual. 

Users will also be able to ask Outlook to create text 

summaries of emails they missed while they were out of 

the office. 

And they’ll also be able to ask the AI to auto-flag the 

most important emails. 

With Word, fastener distributors will be able to say 

draft a two-page document -- using data from a Word 

document and data from an Excel file. 

And then, users will be able to use chat to request 

edits of the resulting draft. Those would include requests 

such as ‘make the third paragraph more concise’ -- or 

‘change the tone of the document to make the writing 

sound friendlier.’ 

With Business Chat, users will be able to get text 

summaries of the chats -- along with references to emails 

and documents they have in storage that are relevant to 

any specific topic that’s discussed in those chats. 

Business Chat will also generate what the next 

important milestone will be for a project, what the 

associated 

risks 

are -- and what the 

potential solutions 

to those risks 

might be. 

¤ Google Duet 

AI for Workspace 

(currently free, final 

pricing still being 

worked-out, current 

base of paying 

users: 10 million 

(www.workspace. 

google.com/blog/product-announcements/duet-ai-inworkspace-now-available) 

As with Microsoft 365 Copilot, Google’s Duet AI for 

Workspace is also promising that users will be able to 

work with and manipulate data from many applications 

simultaneously. 

And Google is promising that users will be able to be 

much more creative and much more effective overall with 

their Google Workspace data and applications. 

Says Google’s Pappu: “Imagine you’re a financial 

analyst and you get an email at 5 PM from your boss 

asking for a presentation on Q3 performance by 8 AM 

tomorrow — we’ve all been there. 

“Instead of scrambling through forecasts in Sheets, 

P&L Docs, Monthly Business Review Slides and reading 

emails from the regional sales leads, you’ll soon be able 

to simply ask Duet AI to do the heavy lifting with a prompt 

like ‘create a summary of Q3 performance.’ 

“Duet AI can create a whole new presentation -- 

complete with text, charts, and images -- based on your 

relevant content in Drive and Gmail.” 

Bottom-line, Pappu says: “A last-minute request 

that once called for an all-nighter can now be completed 

before dinner time.” 

SALESFORCE’S CEO MARC BENIOFF IS 

PROMISING SWEEPING AI CHANGES IN 

HIS COMPANY’S SOFTWARE SUITE. 

As far as what fastener distributors can expect from 

Google’s new AI in terms of its impact on specific apps: 

With Google Meet -- Google’s video meeting software 

-- users will be able to use the AI to punch-up the overall 

look of the video image of themselves onscreen. 

Google Meet will also be able to take text meeting 

notes that can be sent to all meeting attendees and give 

latecomers to a meeting a ‘summary so far.’ 





144 



Lessons To Be Learned 

“Louie” might have wanted to teach me a lesson or 

two, and he did. Here is what I learned, and what “Louie” 

should have learned. 

¤ “Louie” is a bully or incompetent. It was readily 

apparent that he drew all the “actors” into his plot, 

even though they might not have wanted to participate. 

Alternatively, “Louie” and his employer were totally 

incompetent. 

¤ Adding “Louie’s” CEO to the email chain did not 

change the game. Either my email was blocked or the boss 

was also a willing participant. “Louie” did ask that I omit 

the boss from my contact list. I did not comply. 

¤ The “Three Stooges” were the biggest losers 

in this comedy. Their professionalism and skills were 

denigrated and their reputations (if not their conscience) 

were trashed just as they trashed the existing equipment. 

¤ A “Senior Operations Manager” who was a lousy 

actor, a worse liar and an idiot on a forklift could easily have 

cost someone their limbs or life. He proved himself to be a 

“loose cannon” and dangerous on the job site. 

¤ My tenants’ employees who watched this farce 

unfold were angry at the way the contractor’s employees 

worked, goofed off and left for long lunch hours. 

¤ Even the pipefitters who operated professionally 

resented their role. They could not say anything, but their 

attitudes and hints were apologetic. The “Three Stooges” 

never returned. 

¤ A real hero was the rigger who started to climb 

into a fall protection suit as a costume, thought better of it, 

removed the gear and just got the job done. Before he left, 

he admitted that he had assembled this type of equipment 

many times before, but, “Never under these (unspecified) 

circumstances.” 

¤ “Louie’s” game had real consequences for his 

employer. Lost time, squandered resources, pipefitters 

and others who could have been working more productively 

elsewhere, etc. 

¤ Two of the professional pipefitters showed up 

without tools. To me this was totally incomprehensible until 

they made a supply house run and returned with new 36” 

aluminum wrenches and a bright red “tri-stand” stand pipe 

vise purchased against this job. Time to check the billing! 

¤ One of the tenants uses his space for finished 

goods that come from his nearby factory where there is 

production piping, chillers, boilers, compressors, etc. Can 

you guess how anxious he would be to use this contractor? 

“Louie” should care, but will never know how he lost a job. 

¤ This same contractor is doing a job for a large 

hospital where I know the CEO. Might I suggest that they 

audit the time cards, billing and extras? 

¤ Under no circumstances would I ever recommend 

this contractor, or his employees to even my worst enemy. 

¤ My late Father would never have the patience to 

see this through. His reaction on day one would have been 

to “pin Louie’s ears back.” Dad might have been right. 

On the day of the final commissioning, I brought 

cookies to the tenants as a thank you for their patience 

and understanding. They were regularly updated regarding 

what was going on, often with direct quotes from “Louie’s” 

emails. Their cooperation was greatly appreciated and 

communication with them was vital to finally getting things 

done. 

Early on, I said to “Louie,” “An Engineer doesn’t point 

fingers in the middle of a project. The blame game and 

finger pointing come after the project is done.” 

Had “Louie” been at the commissioning party to receive 

final payment for the job there indeed there would have 

been finger pointing. It would have come from the tenants, 

not me…and only one finger raised…unanimously. 

Think “Louie” will learn anything? 

A Few More Questions 

Why did my sons tell me to go along with this farce and 

why did I agree? 

Because we all wanted to see just how far it would go, 

how long it would take and whether this was “Louie’s” play, 

systemic to the mechanical contractor, normal operating 

procedure or was Dad paranoia? Along the journey, I took 

many time-stamped photos, documented much of the job 

and we followed our own scripted actions/reactions. We 

have reached our own conclusions. What do you think? 




My sons were also astonished that Dad was able to 

maintain character through this theater of the absurd. 

There were a couple of times I almost lost it. So much 

was blatantly ridiculous keeping a straight face was 

difficult. 

By the way, my other son’s employer has a vested 

interest in the outcome of this project along with many 

of the contractor’s municipal, state and federal projects. 

If this situation was a systemic plot that constitutes 

racketeering, perhaps a deeper audit might be in order. 

The “jury is out” on this aspect, but “Louie” and his boss 

might just learn a whole lot more about how his game, 

or false advertising on a website can have unintended 

consequences. 

Supposedly, the mechanical contractor is in the 

process of selling out and retiring. If you were the buyer 

how would you feel about the assets you are about to 

acquire? 

Should there have been at least an apology for the 

delays and mistakes? I am still waiting. 

The Lesson For You 

Never, ever condone or participate in any “game” 

that is at a customer’s expense. No matter how much 

fun it might seem the consequences can be both 

unexpected and far reaching. 

And, if the problems I experienced are systemic 

to your current employer, you would be wise to seek 

another employer before their incompetence destroys 

your career. 

Yes, indeed all it takes to destroy trust is one bad 

actor. 

ROBERT FOOTLIK

146 



To prevent wobbling, we must eliminate thread play. 

This can be accomplished by either using a locking 

adhesive or thread-forming screws. 

A locking adhesive fills up the empty spaces between 

the mating threads, which eliminates thread play and 

consequently, wobbling. As a result, friction is maintained 

in the thread, therefore precluding rotational loosening. 

Locking adhesive only cures under the absence of air. 

Too much play prevents curing. The type of adhesive 

to be used is dependent upon the amount of space 

between the mating threads. 

Thread forming screws produce their own “play-free” 

mating thread, thus the same effect as with a locking 

adhesive is achieved. 

Another way to prevent this type of loosening is to use 

a locking element placed underneath the screw’s head. 

Split Lock Washers 

Split lock washers are locking elements that effectively 

lock screws of property class 4.8, 5.8 (~grade 2) and 

lower. They are also suitable for nuts of class 5 (grade 

2) and lower. This type of locking element may still work 

on nuts of class 8 (grade 5), provided they are not heat 

treated. They must be able to bite into the clamped parts 

as well as into the bearing areas of nuts and bolts. 

Toothed And Serrated Lock Washers 

The teeth are made by first stamping slots, they thus 

created teeth that are twisted to produce the serrated 

edges. 

Internal serrated lock washers are recommended for 

applications where plated screws are used to clamp 

plated parts. They are also well suited for screws with 

small heads and or nuts. Furthermore, they should not 

be used in garment machinery, the exposed teeth may 

damage fabrics during production. 

These types of washers do not offer the same locking 

effect as the ribbed lock washers. They can be used for 

screws up to property class 6.8 (~ grade 2). They can 

prevent the rotational loosening but not the backing-off 

of loosened screws and/or nuts. 

During assembly the serrated teeth are almost 

flattened out. They are not as effective when re-used. 

Ribbed Lock Washer Larger OD 

The ribbed lock washer, type Rip-Lock has a much 

larger outside diameter. It covers large clearance holes 

and elongated holes. The screw’s head or the nut always 

lies on top of the ribbed side. 

The bottom side of this washer has no ridges. The 

large washer diameter produces enough friction on the 

clamped part to prevent the washer from turning. 

These types of lock washers are an excellent choice 

for using in conveyer systems, pallet racks, elevator 

guiding rails, etc 

Ribbed Lock Washers (Ribs Both Sides) 

A “ribbed lock washer” can considerably increase 

friction. These locking elements are generally dished and 

thus springy. Hence, they can compensate for relaxation 

also. 

Like the conical and split lock washer, ribbed lock 

washers are made of hardened spring steel. 

These types of ribbed lock washers are corrugated on 

both sides. The ridges are designed in such a way that 

they anchor themselves into the clamped parts as well 

as the bolt head’s bearing area, thus resisting back-off. 

They are suitable up to a property class 10.9 (~ grade 

8). They are highly effective to counteract rotational 

loosening. 




FSTNR WEEK 70th 

GOLF OUTING - AUGUST 23, 2023 


148 


CHRIS DONNELL THE GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN REMAINS MURKY from page 114 

Intermodal/Rail 

This might come as a shock, but troubles are brewing 

in the intermodal and rail industries. We’re seeing growing 

concerns with rail / slot car availability at multiple ports, 

none more so than Tacoma with critical delays of up to 

9 days to get on the rail. These delays are caused by 

the lack of available equipment at the ports - so they 

just sit. We all know what happens when containers sit; 

they end up getting buried. As more and more vessels 

call on the port each day, the bigger the que gets for 

IPI cargo. The same can be said for export cargo. The 

volume of containers arriving at the ports creates a 

massive bottleneck throughout the West Coast. These 

delays, as well as how long they will last, are solely on 

the rail carriers - companies like Burlington Northern and 

Union Pacific. If these issues aren’t resolved quickly, 

importers and exporters can expect further delays at 

critical rail ramps like Minneapolis, Chicago, Kansas City, 

Indianapolis, Cleveland, and others. Another issue to keep 

in the back of your mind: with winter coming, many carriers 

will adapt their yearly weight restriction for rail movement. 

This will be more prevalent out of Canada but will also 

impact cargo entering the United States. This restriction 

will remain in place until early spring 2024. 

Drayage, OTR, And Local Trucking 

As I mentioned in my previous columns, this industry 

remains without question the most difficult to forecast. 

Volumes are all over the place; from one month to another 

we’ve seen volume swings of more than 4% up or down. 

This is not due to development. This is due to local, 

regional and national carriers succumbing to bankruptcy, 

local and regional displacement, or corporate buy-outs. 

With this industry still reeling from lack of available 

drivers, each closing, resulting in even less drivers, 

puts a lot of stress on the current handlers of domestic 

and international cargo. As a result, we are seeing a 

growing trend of rejections increasing. There is some 

positive movement though. There used to be a shortage 

of 170,000 drivers. Our current calculation indicates 

a shortage of 80,000. Drivers are still needed but the 

numbers are trending in the right direction. 

Another issue this industry is facing is the cost of 

diesel fuel across America. As of November 10th, the 

average cost of diesel is $4.366 cents per gallon, almost 

$2.00 higher than regular gas, and $2.00 per gallon 

higher than in 2021. With the winter coming we forecast 

that rates will continue to go up and down until spring. 

The high costs of fuel continue to be one of the major 

factors in rising costs, as well as companies going out of 

business. 

Economists are predicting a substantial growth in the 

truckload sector over the next 3 to 5 years including an 

increase in total revenues of almost 1 trillion US dollars. 

We are also seeing more emphasis by our government 

in growing and revitalizing the long haul, over-the-road 

industry. The industry is slated to receive upwards of 3 

to 8 billion dollars in local and regional funding, as well 

as over 50 billion from the infrastructure bill passed last 

year. When those funds become available or what they 

will be used for is anyone’s guess, but it’s a step in the 

right direction. Another benefit the industry is seeing today 

is the advancement of freight execution and booking 

software which is providing drivers with more flexibility 

based on their needs and wants. This software also takes 

away a lot of the risks involved with moving cargo and 

getting the drivers paid. 

In closing, the global supply chain continues its 

march forward, albeit with multiple issues on both sides 

of the pond. Forecasting what the transportation and 

logistics industry is going to do next has become much 

more difficult as the issues at the moment are more 

isolated but are taking on a lot more outside involvement. 

Make no mistake about it, we will not see ocean, air or 

domestic rates increase like we did during the pandemic, 

but we will continue to have hiccups that make it difficult 

to effectively manage and support a smooth global supply 

chain. Just remain diligent in your quest to keep up on 

current events and their impacts and I assure you, you will 

be fine. 

CHRIS DONNELL



GOLF OUTING - AUGUST 23, 2023 


fastenerlinks 

THE DEFINITIVE WEB DIRECTORY FOR THE INDUSTRY 

BRINGING YOU THE FASTENER INDUSTRY IN A CLICK! 

www.linkmagazine.com

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154 


Eurolink Fastener Supply Service is 

pleased to announce the addition of two new 

manufacturer sales representative firms to our 

already amazing nationwide sales force. 

Beginning January 1, 2024, these strategic 

partnerships will significantly enhance our 

presence in the West, Southwest, and Rocky 

Mountain states, and help us to improve service 

for our valued clients in these regions. 

With a commitment to excellence and a proven 

track record in driving sales growth, Budd Sales 

(Tom Buddenbaum) and Desert Distribution (John 

Wachman, Jo Morris, & David Palmquist) bring 

a wealth of experience and industry knowledge 

to our expanding network. Their dedication to 

customer satisfaction aligns seamlessly with 

our core values, and we are confident that 

these partnerships will contribute to mutually 

beneficial relationships. We look forward to the 

increased opportunities and collaboration that 

these partnerships will bring, ultimately delivering 

unparalleled service and support to our customers 

in their represented states. 

Eurolink is the premier US distributor of metric 

fasteners and specializes in complimenting and 

extending your basic fastener lines with hardto-find 

metric fasteners manufactured to both 

DIN and ISO standards. As the nation’s leading 

source for hard-to-find metric fasteners, Eurolink 

offers access to more than 100,000 quality 

C-class parts from countries such as Germany, 

Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Spain, France, and 

Great Britain. Regardless of your required size, 

material, or finish, Eurolink has the European 

resources to meet your demands. 

Eurolink delivers its greatest value through 

our sharp focus on sourcing and supplying 

those difficult, hard-to-find metric fasteners 

manufactured to both DIN and ISO standards. 

For further information contact Eurolink Fastener 

Supply Service at 840 South Buncombe Road, 

Greer, SC 29650. Tel: 864-801-0505, Fax: 864- 

801-3606, Email: sales@eurolinkfss.com or visit 

them online at www.eurolinkfss.com.




156 


COMPUTER INSIGHTS INC. SALES TAX SIMPLIFIED from page 124 

The Benefits of Avalara Continued.... 

¤ File & Remit Taxes - Avalara can prepare and 

file your returns while distributing payments to 

all tax jurisdictions on your behalf. 

¤ Manage Certificates - Taxes will 

automatically be omitted from exempt sales 

while managing exemption documents. 

¤ Evaluate Your Nexus - Based on your sales 

history, Avalara can show you where you are 

obligated to file taxes and they can get you 

registered. 

¤ Address Validation - The Business Edge’s TM 

event driven address validation means this 

can usually be added with no additional 

cost. 

What People Are Saying.... 

“Projects come down to people and technology. 

We appreciate the collaboration between Avalara and 

Computer Insights, as well as our Monroe accounting and 

implementation teams. The entire team had a win-win-win 

attitude. The technical implementation is saving Monroe 

a ton of time processing sales tax across our different 

state and local jurisdictions. As more states and local 

jurisdictions put the onus on businesses to collect tax, 

these partnerships are going to be essential for industrial 

distributors” 

- Dan Hutchinson, CFO Monroe Engineering LLC. 

“Avalara has great customer service. Their people are 

very personable and they keep reaching out to make sure 

you are moving along in the setup. Now that we have it 

working in TBE, we like that Avalara not only gets the tax 

correct, but it also does an address check which helps us 

reduce shipping errors.” 

- Ralph Keepers, Director IT & Avionics, Spencer Aircraft 

“Avalara integration through The Business Edge has 

cut time spent on sales tax and compliance by over 80%. 

Every aspect of the process is smoother, from Avalara 

specifying correct tax jurisdictions and tax rates, to 

remitting sales tax payments to countless jurisdictions 

across the country. Handling sales tax across multiple 

states was one of our biggest headaches. Now, thanks to 

Avalara and Computer Insights, it’s not even a concern.” 

- Scott Habetz, Owner, STS Industrial, Inc. 

Get Connected 

If you are already lucky enough to be using The 

Business Edge TM 

by Computer Insights you are only a 

few phone calls away from enabling your system to take 

advantage of all of the Avalara time saving features. 

Are you looking for an ERP system that will help you 

run your business more efficiently? 

Sales and Use Tax Calculations For 


Avalara AvaTax automatically calculates sales and 

use tax for transactions, invoices, and other activity 

powered by The Business Edge. TM 

You’re going to save a lot of time. 

More Information 

It’s powerful stuff. 

For more about Avalara contact Ian Zwit, Sales 

Executive, at Avalara, 255 South King St, Suite 1800, 

Seattle, WA 98104. Tel: (877) 314-2607, email: ian.zwit@ 

avalara.com or visit them online at www.avalara.com. 

For more about The Business Edge TM 

contact Dennis 

Cowhey, President, at Computer Insights, Inc., Tel: (800) 

539-1233, email: sales@ci-inc.com or www.ci-inc.com. 

COMPUTER INSIGHTS, INC.

PAC-WEST FASTENER ASSOCIATION - FALL CONFERENCE 

RECEPTION & DINNER CRUISE - SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

158 


MWFA HONORARY NIGHT FOR OUR HALL OF FAME AND SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS from page 118 

Following the awards presentation, the event featured 

an inspiring and heartfelt speech by Dirk Beveridge. 

Dirk, a prominent advocate for change and innovation, 

is renowned as one of the nation’s foremost speakers. 

His address was truly exceptional, offering original, 

well-proven, and sometimes disruptive insights. Dirk’s 

enthusiasm and unwavering commitment to excellence 

encouraged the audience to step out of their comfort 

zones and embrace the necessity of change. 

The evening continued with the presentation of 

awards to the 2023 Scholarship winners. This year, it 

was a moment of celebration as the MWFA reached an 

impressive milestone, awarding a cumulative total of 

$939,000 in scholarship funds since the inception of 

the program. These scholarships, ranging from $500 to 

$5,500, have been awarded to 145 member companies, 

totaling 636 scholarships. This annual event reflects the 

MWFA’s commitment to giving back to its members and 

fostering the future of the industry. 

Congratulations to our scholarship winners. 

$5,500 XL Screw Corporation Scholarship 

(Donated by XL Screw Corporation) 

¤ Elizabeth Brett - Crystal Engineering 

$4,500 Richard S. Piskoty Memorial 

Scholarship 

(Donated by Clarcorp Industrial Sales) 

¤ Ellie Shaw - Brighton-Best International 

$4,000 Raul Torres Memorial Scholarship 

(Donated by Star Stainless and Fall River Mfg.) 

¤ Duc Nguyen - Star Stainless 

$4,000 Brighton-Best International Scholarship 

(Donated by Brighton-Best International) 

¤ Kylie Klug - Ken Forging 

$3,000 SHMF/Brian Christianson Scholarship 

(Donated by South Holland Metal Finishing) 

¤ Robert Zita - SWD Inc. 

$2,500 SWD Inc. Scholarship 

(Donated by SWD Inc.) 

¤ Vincent Dimora - Wurth Industrial 

$2,500 BTM Scholarship 

(Donated by BTM Manufacturing 

¤ Robert Alzamora - Komar Screw 

$2,000 Abbott Interfast Scholarship 

(Donated by Abbott Interfast) 

¤ Jacob Nash - All American Systems 

$2,000 Endries International Scholarship 

(Donated by Endries International) 

¤ Eli Woelffer - Endries International 

$2,000 Continental-Aero Scholarship 

(Donated by Continental-Aero) 

¤ Jamie Jender - GF&D Systems 

$2,000 Fastener Fair Scholarship 

(Donated by Fastener Fair) 

¤ Alexander Sturm - XL Screw Corporation 

$2,000 Mike& Carol O’Connor Scholarship 

(Donated by Mike & Carol O’Connor) 

¤ Madalynn Vodicka - MW Components 

$2,000 Hi-Tech Scholarship 

(Donated by Hi-Tech) 

¤ Yadira Dominguez - SWD Inc. 

$1,500 MWFA Scholarships 

¤ Roman Culos - Darling Bolt 

¤ Connor Meyer - Endries International 

¤ Maebelle Weiss - Tru-Pack 

¤ Megan Stover - Ken Forging 

¤ Sean Sherrill - Abbott Interfast 



160 



For those of you that are on the manufacturing end of 

our fasteners you know how many variables are calculated 

and come into play daily. Whether it is the using 

quality material, new tooling, heat treating at specific 

temperatures, and many others. Even a subtle change 

in just one of these variables can cause a big change in 

the fasteners being manufactured. Bursts are a perfect 

example of this. If the material has impurities, inclusions 

or inconsistencies in composition it weakens the material 

which can cause Burst during the forging process. If the 

dies on the press are not controlled properly (misaligned, 

worn, etc.) it can cause internal stresses that create 

microcracks that turn into Burst. If your heat treatment 

has a variation in temperature or time, it can heat the 

material unevenly and leaves the potential to create 

bursts. Many times, burst and shear burst are some of 

the ugliest discontinuities you can come across. These 

are usually an open break in the metal on the fastener. 

Cosmetically these can look so bad that I instantly follow 

my gut and start the rejection process before QC hits the 

breaks on me and helps do our due diligence. Even though 

it looks awful, doesn’t mean that its integrity has been 

compromised. With bursts there are many factors you 

need to consider when evaluating them. On hex heads if 

the burst extends from the flats to the crown or from the 

flats to the bearing surface, it is an immediate rejection. 

If it reduces the WAF (width across the flats) below the 

minimum requirement, there will also be an immediate 

rejection. They still leave room for plenty of acceptable 

bursts, if they are under the measurements allowed by 

ASTM F788. 

Much like burst, seams are also a result because of a 

change in one of the many variables in 

the manufacturing process. Whether 

the consistancy in the material 

chemistry, tooling or speed on a press, 

or one of the hundred other variables, 

seams on your fastener are created 

because of this. These are quite 

prevalent within the fastener world 

and are not a reason to immediately 

reject a part. A majority of the time 

you will see a seam on the shank of a 

bolt/screw/stud, but occasionally you 

will find them extending into the head 

or flange as well. 




So, there you have it – the ABCs (or should I say ASTM 

F788s?) of fastener imperfections. It’s like the fastener’s 

secret language, and now you’re in on it. But wait, 

there’s more! If your customers start throwing around ISO 

standards like they’re confetti, fear not. Just flip through 

the pages of ISO 6157, Sections 1-3, and boom! All your 

measurements, rejection criteria, and specifications are 

right there, waiting to be 

your guide. 

The next time you’re 

sipping your coffee and 

those ‘ugly fastener’ 

pictures hit your inbox, 

remember: Don’t judge 

a fastener by its looks. 

It might just be a 

misunderstood superhero of the engineering world. I didn’t 

get a chance to walk you through folds, laps, tool marks, 

nicks, and gouges but fear not, they are all covered under 

ASTM F788 and hopefully I will get a chance to write about 

those next time. 

Thanks for taking this wild ride through ASTM F788 

with me, Fastener Friends! 

FASTENER MENTOR EXPERTS GROUP

162 



Electronics 

The industrial electronics manufacturing and 

telecommunications sectors require high-quality 

electronic hardware. BRF partners with domestic and 

international manufacturers to distribute a variety of 

standoffs, spacers, thumbscrews, ball studs, panel nuts, 

shoulder bolts, and other components for use in all types 

of electronics assembly applications, including mobile 

devices, televisions, batteries, cable and wire support, 

circuit boards, LED assemblies, and more. Get the same 

hardware for half the price of leading competitors. 









Lighting 

BRF supplies a wide range of fasteners for light 

fixture, LED, and artificial lighting manufacturing. We keep 

a large inventory of screws, washers, nylon fasteners, 

bolts, and more in-house with a variety of finishes, 

including stainless and green zinc finishes. Whether 

you’re manufacturing lighting products for automotive, 

residential, commercial, or industrial clients, we have 

both plastic and metal hardware to support your needs. 

Readily available hardware for half the price of leading 

competitors. 









Don’t See Your Industry Listed? 

BRF services more than 500 OEMs from all types of 

manufacturing sectors. Contact them to learn about our 

additional specialties. 

Beyond Fasteners: The Full-Service Experience 

Through a variety of custom solutions, including 

secondary processes (kitting, painting, plating, patching, 

etc.), inventory management, engineered solutions, 

demand planning, and forecasting, 

BRF will help you boost efficiency and reduce the total 

cost of ownership. 

Technology Gives BRF A Competitive Edge 

In Serviing Its Customers 

BRF leverages features in The Business Edge TM 

Computer Insights, Inc. to provide its customers with 

unparalleled service. BRF operates a wireless warehouse 

to ensure on-time deliveries with no human error in order 

fulfillment. 

by 





164 


NELSON VALDERRAMA OUTDATED SALES PROCESSING AND MANUAL PRICING COST MORE THAN YOU THINK from page 134 

They provide decision-makers in sales, inventory, 

purchasing, and delivery departments with real-time 

ready access to the same information accessible to 

c-suite executives. Everyone can work from the same 

page. Several of our clients feel this capability alone 

makes the investment worthwhile. 

By delving into your transaction history, these 

groundbreaking technologies have the power to build 

sales and pricing recommendations based on accurate 

and relevant historical records: 

¤ what items were ordered when, 

¤ the supplier’s charge for the quantity ordered and 

¤ the price the customer paid at that time. 

The technology thus avoids human error and 

replaces the “tribal” knowledge that made decisions 

with written notes, personal memory, and gut feelings. 

AI/ML simplifies and optimizes complex workflows with 

strategic advice on: 

¤ Reducing inventory carrying costs that tie up cash 

¤ Improving supplier negotiations for better 

payment terms and upfront discounts. 

¤ Ensuring sufficient ready inventory to avoid 

stockouts and disappointed customers. 

¤ Forecasting customer demand accurately despite 

changing market factors and competitor strategies. 

¤ Tracking inventory turnover to identify slowmoving 

SKUs, promote discounts, and trigger 

replenishment orders. 

¤ Liquidating obsolete and excess inventory to 

generate cash. 

AI/ML tools allow all decision makers and affected 

functions to share the information, reducing tedious 

administrative tasks and democratizing the work. Through 

advanced analysis of your business’s transactional data, AI/ 

ML empowers your organization to achieve meaningful goals. 

Distributors can say “goodbye” to manual sales 

administration and tribal guesswork and “hello” to a 

more effective and data-driven inventory and pricing 

strategies. 

What Hard Times Teach! 

As fluctuating demand, high production costs, 

and inflation impact the distribution sector, CEOs, 

Controllers, and Sales and Inventory Managers must 

optimize operations with real-time data. Wholesale 

distributors must embrace the strategies, tools, 

and technologies that allocate cash to productive 

uses, fuel growth, and weather financial challenges 

effectively. The distributors that survived the pandemic 

impact didn’t do it by hunkering down and covering 

their heads. They made their own opportunities. 

Distributors did well if they quickly adapted 

to change with flexibility. They looked at markets 

differently, finding opportunities in market gaps and 

unmet customer needs. They lead their teams to 

streamline operations and reduce costs without 

compromising quality. Instead of laying people off, 

they trained and developed them in networking, 

collaboration, and mentoring. 

Distributors saw value added in customer 

feedback. The inputs revealed changing needs and 

preferences. The information encouraged distributors 

to pursue innovative solutions. And it drove them to 

examine their operations for large and small gaps they 

could close with cost-effective and efficient practices. 

Wholesale Distributors Beware: It’s Time 

For Decisiveness! 

Optimized management orchestrates a wholesale 

distributor’s complex array of products to maximize 

cost-effectiveness. Maintaining readiness requires 

accurate demand forecasting. Wholesale distribution 

can longer rely on spreadsheets or tribal knowledge. 

Businesses must leverage the advanced analytics 

of AI/ML technologies to predict consumer trends and 

prompt the necessary pricing strategies. It’s time for 

distributors to invest in a holistic approach, integrating 

technology, data-driven insights, and collaborative 

relationships. 

NELSON VALDERRAMA



GOLF OUTING - AUGUST 23, 2023

166 



FIGURE 6. CARBURIZING BY FILLING A CASE WITH MATERIALS TO 

PRODUCE CO GAS. 

The temperature range for nitriding is 1022-1122 °F 

(550-606 °C). Nitriding does not require quenching, so 

it produces a minimum amount of distortion to the part 

and avoids any hazards of quenching such as cracking. 

Nitriding produces a high surface hardness, so wear 

resistance is very good. 

Carbonitriding is done by introducing carbon and 

nitrogen into the material to form austinite which 

transforms into martensite during quenching. The 

new martensitic microstructure in the surface of the 

material provides superior physical characteristics 

such as durability, wear resistance and ductility. 

Carbonitriding produces a harder case than carburizing, 

and this is done at a lower temperature. This is 

particularly beneficial for small parts as it produces 

less distortion. 

There are other methods for case-hardening carbon 

steel including cyaniding, nitrocarburizing and flame 

hardening that I won’t take the time to cover in this 

article. 

FIGURE 8. CASE-HARDENING BY CARBONITRIDING. 

Specifications and Testing 

Many of the fasteners produced that are casehardened 

are done so in accordance with ASME 

B18.6.3 or SAE J78. These standards provide casehardness 

requirements such as surface hardness, 

core hardness and case depth. Both standards refer 

to SAE J423 for testing methods to measuring these 

features for the case-hardening process including 

carburizing, nitriding, and carbonitriding as well as 

cyaniding and flame-hardened methods. 

SAE J423 covers three different methods for 

determining the case-hardness of steel including 

chemical methods, mechanical methods, and visual 

methods. 

¤ Chemical methods include determining the 

carbon content of the steel at specific depths below 

the surface to reveal the depth of carbon penetration. 

This method is applicable only to carburized casehardening. 

FIGURE 7. CASE-HARDENING CARBON STEEL BY NITRIDING. 

FIGURE 9. HARDNESS TRAVERSE ON THREAD FLANK SHOWING THE 

MATERIAL’S HARDNESS DECREASING AS DEPTH INCREASES. 




FIGURE 10. A CASE-HARDENED 

GEAR SHOWING A DARKER 

REGION THAT IS HARDER THAN 

THE LIGHTER REGION. 

¤ Mechanical 

methods include a 

hardness traverse from 

the surface to the core 

of the part to reveal 

surface 

hardness, 

core hardness and 

the depth to which the 

case-hardening 

has 

penetrated the part. 

Figure 9 shows a hardness traverse on the flank 

of a fastener thread. Notice that the hardness 

indentations get larger as measurments are taken 

toward the interior of the part (toward the right in 

the picture). The larger indentations indicate a lower 

hardness. 

¤ Visual methods include macroscopic and 

microscopic visual determination of case depth. 

Figure 10 shows a gear that has been etched to 

reveal the case-hardened region. The case-hardened 

region appears darker on the gear. Notice the teath 

crests and roots are hardened. 

Case-hardening is an essential process for producing 

fasteners and other parts that require both durability 

and flexibility as performance characteristics. Thread 

forming and self-drilling screws as well as many other 

fastener types can function well because we can 

produce metal that is both hard and soft at the same 

time. It is a process that can tailor both hardness 

and depth of hardness for applications that require 

superior wear resistance coupled with high toughness 

such as engine and aircraft components. 

ROB LaPOINTE / EXPEDITE TESTING SERVICE

168 



¤ The surface is coated with top performing surface 

lubrication to prevent parts from galling in the tool that 

might prematurely destroy or render it inoperable. 

¤ Dimensional variability has been reduced to a 

minimum. 

Cut-off 

The first operation in the cold heading machine is 

to cut off a piece of the continuous raw material wire or 

rod (See Figure 4). This is accomplished with a cutting 

knife that shears through the material. The more flat and 

square this sheared cut-off surface is the higher quality 

the final part will be. Since the surface is sheared it 

will be subject to some degree of irregularity. The more 

irregular the starting surface, the more likely that the 

point end will display cupping and irregularity. When 

working with small cut-offs such as those generated to 

form a nut, the surface is often drooping on one end or 

exhibiting severe irregularity and the first step or two in 

the process is to square up the cut-off (See Figure 5). 

Upsetting 

Heads are formed by upsetting, the first of the 

forming mechanisms possible in cold heading. Upsetting 

is essentially aggregating material from a smaller 

diameter to a larger diameter. On fasteners it is the 

way that we form heads, flanges, and collars. As with 

all the cold heading processes there are limitations on 

how much material can be moved with a single blow of 

the machine. Therefore, the upset feature on most parts 

is formed by striking the part more than once. Even the 

most basic cold forming process strikes the part twice 

and, thus, industry veterans often refer to these steps 

as the “first upset blow” and the “final upset blow” (See 

Figure 6). 

FIGURE 6: EXAMPLE OF ONE-DIE TWO-BLOW PART- MIDDLE PART IS 

FIRST UPSET BLOW AND RIGHTMOST PART IS FINAL UPSET BLOW 

FIGURE 4: EXAMPLE OF WIRE CUT-OFF (IRREGULAR SHEARED FACE) 

FIGURE 5: FIRST FEW PROGRESSIONS OF FLANGE NUT- LEFTMOST 

IMAGE IS CUT-OFF AND PROGRESSIONS TO RIGHT ARE STARTING TO 

SQUARE-OFF THE CUT-OFF 

Extrusion 

The second forming mechanism is extrusion. 

Extrusion is the movement of material in either a forward 

or reverse direction. There are three distinctly different 

extrusion processes that can be employed. An Open 

Extrusion is a forward extrusion process and results in 

going from a larger diameter to a smaller diameter (See 

Figure 7). In an Open Extrusion the portion of the tool 

where the extrusion is taking place is usually near the 

front of the tool. As such, the part is not entirely confined 

in either the punch or die and too much pushing pressure 

would likely buckle it. 





170 



Meanwhile, if you’re too busy to attend the meeting, 

you’ll still be able to program Google Meet to ‘attend the 

meeting for me’ and ‘deliver my message to the meeting.’ 

With Google Chat, fastener distributors will be able 

to ask questions about Google Chat content, get a text 

summary of documents shared in the chat and catch-up 

on missed chats. 

“We’re also making it easier to build larger 

communities across Chat -- with support for up to 

500,000 participants,” says Google’s Pappu. 

With Gmail, you’ll be able to use AI to auto-write 

emails and email responses. 

And Gmail will also be able to auto-generate instant 

text replies to emails with a single tap. 

Programmers working at fastener distributorships 

who use Google Workspace will be able to task Duet AI 

to offer basic, auto-codewriting assistance that can be 

triggered by a simple text input. 

Plus, Google is also promising that Duet AI will 

analyze the computer code you’re working on and 

either finish that code for you -- or make suggested, 

performance-enhancing changes. 

Even better: The AI will also look for vulnerabilities in 

the computer code you write and suggest fixes. 

¤ Salesforce Einstein Copilot: (current base 

of paying users: 150,000, pricing not available) (www. 

salesforce.com/news/press-releases/2023/09/12/ 

ai-einstein-news-dreamforce/): Salesforce’s AI rework-inprogress 

for its sales, service and marketing software is 

also promising a more holistic and creative use of all the 

suite’s apps. 

If you’re already using Salesforce at your fastener 

distributorship, you’ll be able to use the soon-to-beavailable 

Einstein Copilot to draw on all apps to get an 

answer to a specific question posed via chat for example. 

And you’ll be able to use all data from all apps to 

accomplish specific tasks such as digital storefronts, 

drafting custom code, creating data visualizations, or 

providing sales associates with recommended steps 

to close deals faster. In terms of the AI’s impact on 

Salesforce’s specific uses: 

With Sales, you’ll be able to better research accounts, 

auto-prep for meetings and update account information. 

The AI will also automatically summarize video calls with 

customers and extract highlights, customer sentiment 

and offer recommended next steps to close a sale. 

Sales emails can be auto-generated with the new AI. 

And contract clauses can be automatically drafted and 

embedded in the contracts your fastener distributorship 

uses with partners and customers. 

With Service, you’ll be able to auto-generate emails, 

SMS messages, live chat and/or social media responses 

to customers. 

And you’ll be able to provide reliable answers 

to customers -- based on all the data stored in your 

company database. 

Service teams will also be able to resolve customer 

issues faster by using answers auto-generated by the AI. 

And they’ll be able to seamlessly integrate those 

answers into their flow of work and autonomously 

compete tasks like auto-summarizing intricate support 

cases and field work orders. 

With Marketing, you’ll be able to auto-generate 

emails and Web site landing pages and customer 

contact forms can also be forged that automatically 

populate each customer’s unified profile. 

In addition, fastener distributors will also be able to 

auto-generate follow-up surveys to help increase longterm 

customer engagement and purchasing. 

With Commerce, you’ll be able to auto-generate 

a digital storefront, auto-manage complex tasks like 

maintaining multi-product data and auto-create product 

descriptions in multiple languages. 

Plus, all digital storefronts with be automatically 

optimized for search engine discovery. 

And you’ll also be able to edit digital storefront 

design simply by chatting with Salesforce. 

With Code Development, programmers at fastener 

distributors will be able to transform natural language 

prompts into Apex code, suggest more effective and 

accurate code and proactively scan for code vulnerabilities 

– all from within the developer environment. 

And with Salesforce’s business intelligence app, 

Tableau, you’ll be able to quickly go from raw data to 

actionable insights using a conversational interface. 

The kicker to all this new AI enhancement: By early 

2024, all of these changes to all the software suites are 

expected to be fully realized. 

As to what we’ll see in say January 2025 -- once the 

blazingly fast evolution of AI gets an additional year to 

mature and grow ever-more sophisticated: One can only 

wonder. 

JOE DYSART




172 



Ribbed Split Lock Washers 

Ribbed split lock washers lock in a similar fashion to 

ribbed lock washers. However, they are less stable than 

the ribbed washers and there is always the risk that the 

split lock washers open during installation, thus losing 

their effectiveness. The risk is particularly high when the 

screw head sits on the open ends. 

NordLock Locking Washers 

A special type of serrated locking washer is the 

NordLock washer. There are always 2 washers needed, 

jointly they provide the locking effect. 

When a fastened joint is tightened, the serration of the 

two lock washers will line up. If the screw is subjected to 

vibration and as a result wants to come loose the washer 

will rotate slightly. 

Since, however the serration angle () is larger than 

the thread helix angle (), the loosening of the screw 

is reliably prevented through the “increase in washer 

thickness” of the double washer. 

To make sure they always are placed correctly, 

Nordlock washers are pre-glued. 

Nord-Lock X-series washers also have a spring effect, 

thus secure against rotational loosening and loosening 

due to relaxation. 

Serrated Flange Screws And Nuts 

Normal flange screws/nuts are already more immune 

to vibration than normal hex cap screws and hex nuts 

due to their larger bearing area diameter. 

If the flange is also ribbed or toothed, its friction 

on the surface of the clamped part is considerably 

increased. Serrations under the screw head dig into 

the clamped member when tightening. Loosening of the 

screw becomes more difficult. 

The teeth are directed against rotational loosening of 

the screw/ nut and are therefore a very good safeguard. 

However, they can only be used effectively if the screw 

is sufficiently hard and if the surface of the clamped part 

is not too hard. 

An improved version of the 

serrated flange bolt is the 

one that is furnished with 

ribs. They do not have any 

teeth on the lower side of the 

flange, but radial ribs on the 

entire bearing surface. 

After tightening the ribs have penetrated, they produce 

enough additional friction against a spontaneous 

loosening. However, they do not damage the surface of 

the clamped part during maintenance and repairs. 

Typically, the ribbed screws /nuts are harder than 

separated ones. Their strength corresponds approximately 

to class 10.9/10. 

To Prevent Screws And Nut From Separating 

If a screw or a nut has become somewhat loosened, 

there is no longer a locking effect in the bearing area. 

There is a risk that the fastener will continue to back out. 

That is when fasteners who have locking features in the 

thread come in. These locking features do not prevent 

the initial rotational loosening of joined elements. If 

there are intense vibrations acting on the clamped parts. 

a certain amount of loosening is to be expected. 





174 



The Fastener Supply Chain Network integration built 

into The Business Edge TM 

connects BRF with core vendors, 

ensuring inventory access, drop-ship, same-day quoting, 

and seamless order processing. 

The Business Edge TM ShipEngine integration 

streamlines BRF’s shipping processes; this saves time 

and money while eliminating mistakes. 

Vendor Consolidation 

BRF’s fastener analysts will examine your flow of 

materials and historical purchasing data to forecast future 

demand and create an optimal mix of fastener vendors. 

This ensures you avoid unnecessary costs and maximize 

the value of your fastener spend. 

Benefits 

⬡ Minimize overall touchpoints and bring down 

administrative costs. 

⬡ Consolidate shipping to reduce freight costs. 

⬡ Increase partnership with the 20% of vendors 

that deliver 80% of value. 

⬡ Receive uniform payment terms across a 

wider number of parts. 

Fixed Pricing Programs 

Stock & Release Program 

Blanket orders that allow us to procure hardware and 

dole it out release-by-release over 12 months. 

⬡ Improves cash flow (Free Fastener Financing!) 

⬡ Guarantees pricing & on-time delivery 

Safety Stock Program 

Requires a contractual agreement on a minimum 

amount of inventory for an agreed-upon number of items. 

This also locks in pricing from 12 months. 

⬡ Improves Cashflow 

⬡ Guarantees Pricing & Inventory 

⬡ It doesn’t require a pre-scheduled release program. 

Additional Services 

Drop Shipping 

A way to minimize freight and reduce lead times when 

shipping to different parts of the country. 

⬡ Expands Inventory Available 

⬡ Significantly Reduces Lead Times 

⬡ Reduces Freight Costs 

Secondary Processes 

Your operation requires more than just Off-the-shelf 

products. We offer several secondary processes to modify 

parts to meet engineering & production requirements, 

including: 

⬡ Kitting (Poly-Bagging) 

⬡ Painting 

⬡ Plating 

⬡ Patching 

Client Testimonials 

“Blue Ribbon’s pricing has been beneficial for the 

company, but it’s their day-to-day communication that has 

been wonderful for me personally. I jokingly call my BRF 

rep my ‘best friend,’ but it really does feel like a friend 

connection because I have that trust and comfort level 

with them. They have become my go-to supplier.” 

- Jennifer Flake, Buyer, Keytronic 

“Blue Ribbon’s superior communication is always 

appreciated. They respond within minutes, and if they 

are aware of a potential delay or change in material, they 

notify us right away.” 

- Carla Quimby, Buyer, Marshall Excelsior Company 

More Information 

Blue Ribbon Fastener is located at 8220 Kimball 

Ave, Skokie, IL 60076. Contact Wally Nathan, President, 

for more information at (847) 673-1248, info@ 

blueribbonfastener.com or visit them online at www. 

blueribbonfastener.com. 

Computer Insights, Inc. is located at 108 3rd Street, 

Unit 4, Bloomingdale, IL 60108. Contact Dennis Cowhey, 

President, for more information at (800) 539-1233, 

email sales@ci-inc.com or online at www.ci-inc.com. 

BLUE RIBBON FASTENER


41st 



176 



As a result, Open Extrusion processes are only able 

to give about 30-35% reductions in area. In the second 

forward extrusion, the part is entirely confined in the die 

before any force is exerted on it. Since it is supported 

by this confinement in the tool it can be pushed much 

harder and cold headers can achieve 70 to 75% 

reductions of area. This is known as a Trapped or Impact 

Extrusion (See Figure 8). Finally, when a part is confined 

and a pin is shoved into it, the result is that material will 

flow backward along the pin. This is known as Reverse 

or Backward Extrusion. Reverse Extrusion is how cold 

headers can form hollow parts, nuts, and internal drive 

recesses (See Figure 9). 

FIGURE 7: EXAMPLE OF OPEN EXTRUSION 

FIGURE 8: EXAMPLE OF TRAPPED EXTRUSION 

FIGURE 10: EXAMPLE OF TRIMMED SQUARE HEAD 

Piercing and Trimming 

Although the cold heading process is inherently 

free of scrap, there are two exceptions. Parts with nonround 

heads such as hex or square heads are created 

by forming a fully round disk and then trimming it with a 

tool that shears the desired shape (See Figure 10). On 

hex and square head bolts and screws the advantage of 

a trimmed head is better engagement with the drive tool. 

The disadvantage of trimming, however, is the generation 

of some scrap and the necessity to have a station in the 

cold heading machine to accomplish the trimming. In a 

similar vein when creating a part with a through hole or 

passage, such as a nut, it is most common for the hole 

or hollow cylinder to be formed from both faces of the 

part, resulting in a center web that separates the two 

sides. In the final forming station, a pin is sent through 

the part shearing this web and piercing a small slug 

of scrap material (See Figure 11). Once again, a small 

amount of scrap is generated but it is far less than if a 

hole were to be drilled through the part. 

FIGURE 9: EXAMPLE OF REVERSE EXTRUSION IN A NUT 

FIGURE 11: EXAMPLE OF PIERCED SLUG – UPPER LEFT SHOWS 

BEFORE PIERCING AND UPPER RIGHT SHOWS AFTER PIERCING 



41st 

ANNUAL FASTENER SHOW - AUGUST 22, 2023

178 



Prevailing Torque Nuts 

Nuts can be secured against separating from the bolt 

thread with a locking ring or slightly deformed threads. The 

locking feature never extends over the entire height of the 

nuts. The locking effect is always limited to a few threads 

at the top side of the nut. The remainder of the nut thread 

is free spinning. 

Nuts with a nylon locking insert can only be used up to 

120°C. Some special plastics can withstand temperatures 

up to 180°C. Nuts with a metal locking element can be 

used at higher temperatures. Lock nuts come in a variety 

of designs. 

¤ Nylon ring that lies on the top side of a nut 

with a crimped edge. 

¤ Elastic plates instead of a nylon ring 

¤ The top side of the nut is pressed into a 

slightly oval shape. 

¤ 3 depressions on 3 flats to deform nut in the middle. 

The inner diameter of the locking segment is always 

slightly smaller than that of the major diameter of the 

screw thread in the following nuts. Nuts with nylon locking 

inserts can be re-used 2-3 times. 

Screws With A Locking Element In The Thread 

The nylon thread locking patch is practically always 

a Nylon (polyamide) coating, a soft elastic synthetic 

material. 

Typically, nylon is fused on to a pre-determined, heated 

thread area as a fine powder. The high temperature of 

the thread surface allows a layer of the powder to soften 

immediately and to stick to the screw’s thread. 

Thus, there is a small 

soft polyamide patch on 

the screw thread that 

jams into the mating 

thread. An already 

loosened screw will no 

longer rotate loose. A 

360° nylon patch not only locks but also seals. 

The nylon patch can be directly applied to the area 

where it must be effective. 

In general, the first 2-3 threads at the end of the 

thread are left free of coating. Thus, the screw can be 

started without difficulty when driving it into the mating 

thread. 

Slotted Nuts 

The following nuts have a unique design. They 

become locked through partial differences in thread 

pitch. The advantages are that the nuts do not have to be 

taller than standard, and, for certain designs, the screw 

can be run in from both sides of the nut: 

The “normal” nut is slotted laterally from one side 

and then pressed together. Hence, a partial thread pitch 

feature is formed in the nut. The nut springs apart when 

the screw is turned into this slot and the prevailing 

torque is created. 

Castle Nuts 

This type of nut can also prevent the complete 

separation of fasteners. The pin that is subsequently 

inserted secures the assembled nut – however, this 

requires a hole to be cross drilled into the screw’s thread. 

Conclusion 

This article provides ideas on how to address bolted 

joint loosening. We will address some of the locking 

methods in more detail in an upcoming article. 

BRUNO MARBACHER



MANDALAY BAY, LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 10-11, 2023

180 



Cold Heading Machines 

Cold heading machines are quite varied in design and 

capabilities. There are both general purpose machines 

that can be used to make a wide variety of parts and 

machines that are specialized to make only a single 

type of part. Regardless of how they are used, and the 

different features offered by different manufacturers, the 

fundamentals are pretty much the same. Cold heading 

machines have a stationary (non-moving) side which 

houses the Dies. The other side of the machine moves 

back and forth and houses the Punches. As the moving 

side of the machine approaches the stationary side, 

the punch contacts the part which applies the force to 

upset, extrude, or trim/pierce. The more times this cycle 

can be repeated on the same part, the more complex 

a part we can produce. Thus, machines are generally 

differentiated by how many tons of force they can exert, 

how many opportunities they have to strike a part, and 

how long a part they can produce. Machines, therefore, 

are described by how many blows they can land on a 

part and whether they are a short, medium, or long 

stroke machine. The longer the stroke the longer the 

part that can be accommodated. Long bolts are made 

on long stroke machines while parts like nuts are made 

on short stroke machines. As for the number of blows, 

machines are described with terms like “one-die twoblow” 

or “four-die four-blow” machines. In a one-die twoblow 

machine the part only goes into one die but is hit 

twice by different punches. Likewise, a four-die four-blow 

machine introduces a part to four different dies where 

it gets struck only once in each die. Simple screws only 

require a head to be developed on a shank and, thus, 

normally are made on a one-die two-blow machine. In 

contrast, a more complicated part like a full bodied, trim 

hex head bolt might need three or four different stations 

to accommodate upsetting, extrusion, and trimming. 

Secondary Operations 

Although simple screws are almost always entirely 

formed to their net shape, more complicated parts 

that possess grooves, rings, holes, extremely close 

tolerance features, extra smooth surfaces, and other 

special features may only be able to be made to near net 

shape. These parts will require one or more subsequent 

secondary operations to achieve net shape results. 

Common secondary operations include: 

¤ Pointing/chamfering (See Figure 12) 

¤ Shaving/machining (See Figure 13) 

¤ Trimming 

¤ Slotting (See Figure 14) 

¤ Re-heading 

¤ Broaching (See Figure 15) 

¤ Drilling (See Figure 16) 

¤ Grinding (See Figure 17) 

FIGURE 12: EXAMPLE OF AEROSPACE PART WITH SHAVED 

CHAMFERED POINT 

FIGURE 13: EXAMPLE OF COLD HEADED PART WITH SHAVED HEAD 

AND UNDERHEAD GROOVE 

FIGURE 14: EXAMPLE OF CUT SLOT 






UNLOCKING SUCCESS: VALUE-ADDED 

SELLING SEMINAR By Francesca Lewis 

Imagine being in a competitive market but still managing 

to outsell your competition while keeping your profits intact. 

It might sound too good to be true, but that’s precisely what 

Value-Added Selling is all about. This seminar introduced 

attendees to a fresh approach to selling that can be a gamechanger 

in today’s sales landscape. 

On November 2, 2023, Value-Added Sales Seminar, 

led by renowned expert, Paul Reilly, aimed to equip 

attendees with the knowledge and tools necessary to 

stand out in a competitive market. It addressed the 

questions that sales professionals frequently grapple 

with: What sets you apart from your competitors? How 

can you retain customers and inspire loyalty? Can you 

compete aggressively while maintaining profitability? The 

answer, according to the seminar, is a resounding ‘yes’ 

through Value-Added Selling. 

The presentation, held at Belvedere Banquets, wasn’t 

your typical corporate stuffy affair. It was a dynamic, 

engaging event that aimed to give attendees practical ideas 

to implement a powerful go-to-market strategy. The daylong 

training covered essential topics, like Understanding 

and Defining Value, as well as Mastering the Art of 

Communicating Your Value. The group participated in a 

handful of exercises and discussions. Paul is energetic, 

insightful, and delivered an amazing seminar. 

The MWFA believes that education is a priority and 

hosting these educational seminars are a testament to 

our commitment to help all professionals in our industry 

gain the tools and knowledge to excel. 

2024 MWFA Board Announced 

President: Jake Davis - BTM Manufacturing 

Vice President: Jill Lewis - Integrated Packaging 


Treasurer: 

Secretary: 

Directors: 

Alternates: 

George Hunt III - Brighton Best Int’l 

Bobby Wegner - Beacon Fasteners 

Bob Baer - Abbott Interfast LLC 

Glen Brin - Innovative Components Inc. 

Matt Delawder - SWD Inc. 

David Gawlik - Stelfast Inc. 

Cory Wing - Wing-Hamlin Co., Inc. 

Rich Cavoto - Metric & Multistandard 

Michelle Curry - Sems and Specials Inc. 

Jen Kushnir - Stelfast Inc. 

Wayne Wishnew - XL Screw Corporation 

Executive Director: Francesca Lewis 

2024 Events Calendar 

February 22 Dinner Meeting at Putt Shack 

March TBD 

May TBD 

June 5 

July 11 

August 18-22 

November 7 

December 12 

Oak Brook, IL 

Fascination with Fasteners Seminar 

Essentials of Metallurgy Seminar 

Screwed Up Open Golf Outing 

Milwaukee Meeting 

FSTNR Week 

Lincolnshire Marriott Resort, 

Lincolnshire, IL 

Scholarship Awards Dinner Meeting 

Holiday Party at Medinah Banquets, 

Addison, IL 

MWFA Welcomes New Members 

Coda/Cambridge Resources - Glendale Heights, IL 

EazyStock - Chicago, IL 

Nord-Lock Group - Clinton, PA 

Vogelsang Fastener Solutions - Lakewood, NJ 

Cable Ties Unlimited - Brunswick, OH 


182 



FIGURE 15: EXAMPLE OF BROACHED SLOTS AND FLATS 

Thread Rolling 

Like Cold Heading, Thread Rolling is a material 

displacement process. In other words, material is moved 

to create threads. This develops a strength advantage 

over cut threads. As described earlier about the cold 

forming process, thread rolling “curves” the grain making 

it stronger (See Figure 18). Thus, rolled threads are 

considered stronger than cut threads. In addition to 

the strength advantage, thread rolling is fast, producing 

parts at equal or greater speeds as cold heading. 

FIGURE 18: ROLLED VERSUS CUT THREADS 

FIGURE 16: EXAMPLE OF DRILLED BANJO BOLT 

FIGURE 17: EXAMPLE OF PRECISION CENTERLESS-GROUND 

SHOULDER 

Parts that feature any of these secondary operation 

processes are more costly to produce than parts made to 

net shape. Therefore, net shape parts are always more 

desirable than near net shape parts and even though 

some forming technologies have been developed which 

provide new forming techniques that negate the need for 

secondary operations, there are still many cases where 

secondary operations are simply unavoidable. 

For most fasteners thread rolling is accomplished by 

rotating and squeezing a part between two flat plates. 

There are grooves in these plates that match the thread 

profile and desired helix angle and as the blank rotates 

between them, it is squeezed to form the threads. 

In this process, there is only one part produced with 

each repetition, although many of these machines are 

operating at lightening speeds. Another method is to 

squeeze the blank between either two or three rotating 

dies. These are known as cylindrical rollers. Once again, 

they produce one part per cycle and are slower than flat 

die rollers. Finally, there are Planetary Thread Rollers. In 

these machines there is a fully round rotating die and 

a stationary hemispherical die. Parts rotate through the 

length of the hemispherical die. A big advantage of these 

machines is that they can accommodate several parts in 

the die at one time, generating high part output. 

Heat Treatment 

Thermal treatments are used to generate desired 

mechanical and/or physical properties, usually to make 

the parts stronger, although there are several processes 

that make parts less strong or restore workability. 


INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO - WELCOME RECEPTION 

MANDALAY BAY, LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 9, 2023

184 



The most common heat treatment process for bolts 

and screws is known as “Quench and Temper” and 

makes parts stronger. Parts that are described as Grade 

5 or Grade 8 on inch fasteners or Property Class 8.8 or 

10.9 on metric fasteners are all examples of medium and 

high strength fasteners that have been quenched and 

tempered. Some other fasteners, especially small thread 

forming fasteners, are commonly case hardened. The case 

hardening process is a thermal process that strengthens 

just the outer surface. And finally, some fasteners, like 

rivets, undergo annealing. Instead of receiving a quench, 

annealed parts cool slowly forming a different atomic 

structure than quench and tempered parts. In this case, 

the structure is soft and possesses significant ductility. 

Plating and Coatings 

Most fasteners today receive some form of surface 

finish. The service environment and user requirements 

ultimately define what the best choices might be. Clearly 

the most common reason to apply a plating or coating 

is to provide protection against corrosion or oxidation. 

However, there are other reasons that designers specify 

different finishes, such as appearance, identification, and 

torque control/lubrication to name a few. Surface finishes 

can fall into several families: 

¤ Electroplating 

¤ Mechanical Plating 

¤ Metallic Flake Coatings 

¤ Paint 

¤ Hot Dip Galvanizing 

¤ Oxides 

¤ Others 

The application methods vary extensively from one 

finish or family to the next. Some are very common with 

many viable applicators to choose from, while applicators 

for others are far more limited. Each finish has its own 

list of pros and cons, which often makes selection a 

challenge to the designer. 

Sorting and Packaging 

As user expectation of part quality and lot integrity 

has increased, more and more fasteners are being sorted 

today. Sorting is an area that has seen and continues 

to experience significant technical advancement. With 

improvements in high definition cameras and computer 

controllers sorting machines can discriminate and find 

flaws today that were impossible just a few years ago. 

Most modern sorting equipment uses cameras, although 

mechanical sorting is still utilized, especially when seeking 

to simply cull out mixed or foreign material. 

The final operation is to put the finished fasteners 

in a package. This is often done in conjunction with 

sorting. In most cases fasteners are packaged in bulk 

and by weight. That means that a desired number of 

fasteners is correlated to a given weight. The box or 

packaging container is set on a scale and filled until it 

achieves the set point weight. This can be done manually, 

semi-manually (such as part of a sorting operation) 

or completely automatically. Although generally quite 

accurate, this method will be subject to variation and 

scale precision, so that part counts, especially on smaller 

parts, are not always exact. 

Summary 

The manufacturing process to cold head and finish 

fasteners is a fascinating one. I can still vividly recall the 

first time I ever toured a fastener manufacturing facility. I 

was awed by the amount of activity going on around me, 

forming machines that sounded sort of like machine guns 

hammering one part out after another, thread rollers, 

feeder bowls, material handlers zipping around. Everything 

seemed to be in motion. It was exciting and awe inspiring 

at the same time. If you are a fastener distributor and 

have never had the opportunity to engage in such a tour, 

make an opportunity to do so. Not only is it exhilarating 

but it could be critical to you or your company’s success. 

Knowing how the product you are selling is made 

is critically important to understanding what you are 

procuring and then being able to assist your customer in 

making wise procurement choices. 

In Part 2 we will explore fasteners made by Hot 

Heading and Screw Machining. 

LAURENCE CLAUS

advertisers index 

# 

3Q, INC. 95 

Premier fastener sourcing and distribution. 

ITW Shakeproof – Made in The USA double 

coil lock washers, split lock washers, clevis 

pins and bolts. Painted head screws. Mill 

shipments – Import. 

Tel (630) 405-8492 

Email: sales@3Q-Inc.com 

A 

ABBOTT METAL WORKS 57 

Comprehensive CNC machining services 

cater to the diverse needs of our clients. 

Tel (847) 459-6200 

www.aicfast.com 

ACS MANUFACTURING, INC 159 

Formed spring steel fasteners 

Tel (888) NUTS-R-US 

Email: info@acsmanufacturing.com 

ALBANY STEEL & BRASS 55 

Specialty Tapping Screws - Swageform 

Tel (312) 733-1900 

Email: sales@albanysteel.com 

ALL AMERICAN WASHER WERKS 103 

Quality producers of washers and stampings 

Tel (847) 566-9091 

Email: sales@washerwerks.com 

ALPHA-GRAINGER MFG. CO. 135 

Electronic hardware, captive screws, 

shoulder screws, spacers & standoffs 

Tel (508) 520-4005 

www.agmi.com 

ALUMINUM FASTENER SUPPLY 100, 101 

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 113 

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: sales@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 

B 

BAY SUPPLY 3 

Have you joined Bay Supply’s Marketplace Yet? 

Join the 400+ Manufacturers and Distributors 

already connecting with 44,000 Sourcing 

Professionals FOR FREE! We’ve developed 

the most powerful RFQ software application 

available in our industry. Join today! 

Tel (800) 718-8818 

Email: help@baysupply.com 

BRADLEY COATINGS 121 

Our proprietary applications of thread 

lockers, sealants and nylon patches are 

renowned for their effectiveness and 

reliability. We use brand names you can 

trust including Loctite Driloc and 3M Scotch- 

Grip, Precote, all applied in our quality 

assured processes. 

Tel (800) 201-7381 

Email: coatingpros@bradleygoc.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 a full line of 

stainless products. 

Tel (800) 275-0050 

www.brightonbest.com 

BRIKKSEN STAINLESS 9 

Full line of stainless-steel inch and metric. 

Tel (800) 962-1614 

Email: sales@brikksen.com 

C 

CARVER LABS 161 

Fastener testing and consultation. With 

13 dedicated in-house labs and external 

partners, we have your needs covered. 

Tel (619) 204-1543 

Email: carmenv@carverem.com 

THE CENTER FOR FINANCIAL, 

LEGAL & TAX PLANNING, INC. 179 

Thinking of buying, selling or transferring 

your business? The center is the one-stop 

shop for all of your business needs. 

Tel (618) 997-3436 

Email: rbasi@taxplanning.com 

CHICAGO HARDWARE & FIXTURE CO. 139 

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


D 

DARLING BOLT 189 

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 

DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 191 

Tel (800) 356-1639 

Email: tracey@linkmagazine.com 

E 

EDSON MANUFACTURING, INC. 2 

US manufacturer of stamped and extruded 

blind rivets, structural specialty eyelets. 

302, 304, 305, 316 alloy, Monel, aluminum, 

steel, stainless, copper, brass, mill spec/ 

IFI/DFARS/ISO 9001 reach compliant. A 

complete line of import fasteners/ rivet 

nuts/ hand and pneumatic tools. 

Tel (203) 879-2529 

Email: CustomerService@edsonmfg.com 

E & T FASTENERS, INC 97 

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 

EXPEDITE TESTING SERVICE 167 

Fast and efficient testing solutions. 

Delivering excellence, on-time. 

Tel (619) 736-7872 

www.expeditetest.com 

E-Z LOK 53 

Thread inserts for metal, wood and plastic 

Tel (800) 234-5613 

Email: sales@ezlok.com 

F 

FALL RIVER MFG CO., INC. 27 

Manufacturers of Stainless steel & nonferrous 

fasteners 

Tel (800) 275-6991 

Email: sales@fallrivermfg.com 

FASCOMP ELECTRONIC HARDWARE 37 

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. 35 

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 150 

FCH SOURCING NETWORK 137 

(Tel) 877-332-7836 

Email: eric@fastenersclearinghouse.com 

FIXI SRL 93 

Specialized in fastening systems and related 

tools. Threaded inserts, blind rivets, selfclinching 

fasteners, fasteners for plastic, 

wire inserts, inserts for tubes and inserts for 

stone and solid surfaces. 

Tel (011) 707-2398 

Email: info@fixi.it 

FORD FASTENERS, INC. 15 

Celebrating 60 years of providing 410 

stainless steel screws, sheet metal screws, 

self-drilling screws, self-piercing screws, and 

EPDM bonded sealing washers. 

Tel (800) 272-3673 

Email: info@fordfasteners.com 

G 

GF&D SYSTEMS 77 

‘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 154 

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 

GRAPHIKA CREATIVE 185 

Marketing solutions tailored for the Fastener 

Industry. Web, digital, email marketing, 

exhibitions, point of sale and corporate 

branding. Graphika - your off-site, in-house 

comprehensive marketing department. 

Tel (224) 489-9533 

Email: lee@graphikacreative.com 

GREENSLADE & COMPANY, INC. 99 

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 67 

USA Hanger bolts, studs, dowel screws, pins. 

Tel (800) 537-7925 

Email: sales@hangerbolt.com 

HANSON RIVET & SUPPLY CO. 49 

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


I 

INDUSTRIAL RIVET & FASTENER CO. 33 

One name, one number, one source for 

rivets and RivetKing FreeSet Series. 

Tel (800) BUY-RIVET 

Email: info@rivet.com 

INTEGRATED PACKAGING 75 

Parts are electronically counted, heatsealed 

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 

Your expert-grade fastener supplier for 

the professional advantage. Premium selfdrilling, 

drywall, needle-point, pole gripper, 

stainless steel, outdoor, concrete, cement 

board, woodworking and special application. 

Tel (800) 762-2004 

www.intercorpusa.com 

ISC – INTERCONTINENTAL SALES 49 

Fastener and Building Related Products. Same 

day shipping, free private labeling, no minimums 

Tel (800) 741-4278 

Email: info@isc-sales.com 

INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO 64 

September 9-11, 2024 – Las Vegas, NV. 

500+ Exhibitors at the Largest B2B Expo 

for Fasteners, Tooling & Machinery in North 

America. 

www.fastenershows.com 

INTERNATIONAL FASTENERS, INC. 129 

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 SOFTWARE 87 

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, USA 43 

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 

www.jlanfranco.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 83 

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 145 

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 world’s Best Brands in 

fasteners. By any measure, by any size, by any 

finish, by any quantity and in any material. 

Tel (800) 328-2430 

www.lindfastgrp.com 

M 

BRUNO MARBACHER 147 

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 25 

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 125 

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 INDUSTRIES, INC – TEXAS 69 

Washers, special fasteners, and metal 

stamping for over 45 years. ISO 9001:2015 

certified. 

Tel (800) 875-3510 

Email: sales@mwindustries.com 

N 

NEWCO PRODUCTS 85 

JIS indented hex flange bolts, 7603 metric 

sealing washers, JCIS micro screws, pan & 

flat head phil and many more products. Over 

35 years in business. 

Tel (818) 341-9216 

Email: info@newcoproducts.com 

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 31 

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 113 

50+ new NAS Series of parts now available 

to quote immediately, with all parts being 

made directly to NAS specifications. 

Tel (203) 888-2133 

Email: info@rafhdwe.com 

RHS STAINLESS 75 

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. 39 

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 

R&R ENGINEERING CO. 111 

Bent bolts, wire forms. Quality craftsmanship. 

Tel (800) 979-1921 

Email: sales@randrengineering.com 

S 

SCREW & SUPPLY CO. INC. 117 

Tamper-resistant security screws made in USA. 

Tel (800) 223-1316 

Email: customerservice@screwsupply.com 

SEMS AND SPECIALS 159 

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 (800) 888-7367 

Email: sales@semsandspecials.com 

SHEAR-LOC PRODUCTS 43 

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 59 

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 

STAR STAINLESS SCREW CO. 45 

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 139 

SUPERIOR WASHER & GASKET CORP. 23 

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. 

FRONT COVER, 16 

Leader in Security Screws since 1974. 

Tel (562) 531-9340 

Email: sales@tamperpruf.net 

TORTOISE FASTENER CO. 61 

Slow moving hex heads. Stainless, brass, 

silicon bronze, aluminum, nickel-copper and 

alloy 20 hex. 

Tel (800) 691-8894 

TUTTLE MANUFACTURING 187 

Anchors, bent bolt specials, spade bolts, 

acme threaded bars. 

Tel (847) 381-7713 

Email: tuttlemfg@gmail.com 

U 

UC COMPONENTS 79 

Clean-Critical Fastener and Seal Solutions. 

HV, UHV, Cleanroom Ready Fasteners and 

seals. RediVac® clean-packaged screws and 

O-rings. Custom products and prototypes. 

Tel (408) 782-1929 

Email: sales@uccomponents.com 

UMETA OF AMERICA 89 

Complete lubrication equipment, grease 

fittings and accessories line. Made in 

Germany for over 80 years. OEM quality and 

ISO 9001 certified. 

Tel (704) 966-0724 

Email: usa@umeta.com 

UNICORP 91 

Manufacturer of electronic hardware, 

fasteners and handles since 1971. 

Tel (973) 674-1700 

Email: sales@unicorpinc.com 

V 

VIRGINIA FASTENERS 57 

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. 

INSIDE FRONT COVER 

US made plastic fasteners, all types & 

quantities, custom molding since 1992. 

Over 100 million parts in stock. 

Tel (800) 844-8024 

Email: sales@voltplastics.com 

W 

WILLIE WASHER MFG. 141 

Domestic manufacturer of fender, spring, 

tab and flat washers, 

Tel (847) 956-1344 

Email: sales@williewasher.com 

X 

XL SCREW CORPORATION 123 

Importer of standard fasteners - hex cap 

screws, bolts, nuts, locknuts, sheet metal 

screws, self-drilling 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

WINTER 2024

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