Ian Clarke, executive vice president of OEM Supply at Anixter shares his views and predictions for the future of the fastener industry. Steel may have been in Ian Clarke’s veins for all of his working life. He joined British Steel straight from school and spent 20 years in the steel industry before making the transition to fasteners. He recalls with a smile how he entered the fastener industry....

Specialinsert Srl, established in 1974 initially as a distributor of fastening systems, is celebrating its 40th anniversary with the opening of a brand new and modern headquarters in Turin, Italy. Over the past 40 years, through the management of the founders and now the second generation, Specialinsert has strengthened its production of fastening systems. Through investments in its staff and e...

Alcoa Fastening Systems (AFS) has helped Italian refrigerated truck manufacturer Cold Car SpA significantly reduce its costs by improving the installation efficiency of its low temperature refrigerated truck bodies with the use of the Huck BobTail® lockbolt fasteners. Based in Occimiano, Cold Car SpA was established in 1968 and now employs 180 people. Manufacturing and installing 2,000 bodies p...

EFC International has worked with a commercial refrigeration manufacturer to provide a solution for attaching and supporting wire-rack shelves to sidewalls during the manufacturing process.  Originally the manufacturer was using threaded inserts to attach and support the shelving. However, this solution had inherent problems. EFC International therefore suggested replacing the threaded inserts...

NOF METAL COATINGS GROUP says that after establishing itself as a leading automotive supplier of anti-corrosion protection for metallic parts – based on zinc flake chemical compounds in aqueous phase – it is also now concentrating on the wind power sector. With a reputation of high performing coatings and quality service, NOF METAL COATINGS already has technologies approved by leading wind powe...

NORMA Group has been awarded business from a leading Japanese vehicle and engine manufacturer to develop and fabricate an innovative NORMACONNECT V profile clamp. The clamp will be used in a downsized engine with a turbocharger system for a series of different vehicle platforms. It will help to reduce weight and meet the requirements for tight packaging spaces. “We have just recently increased...

Turkey’s largest fastener producer, Norm Group, has commenced production at its sixth factory, located in Salihli in Manisa province, boosting its total capacity by more than 30%. The new plant, which is approximately 120km east of Izmir where Norm’s other five plants are located, has 12,000m2 covered production space. Employing 160 people it will have a bolt production capacity, on all new mac...

This year, the internationally renowned Global Automotive Lightweight Materials (GALM) Initiative returns to London with the mission of supporting the delivery of aggressive lightweighting by securing the global supply base for aluminium, magnesium, high strength steel and composites; and integrating joining and forming technologies for multi-material manufacturing to enable commercially feasib...

FinnvedenBulten’s Bulten division has signed a strategically important contract for delivery of fasteners to an automotive manufacturer in China. The deal is worth approximately SEK 10 million (1.1 million euros) annually and continues over an unspecified number of years. “Bulten has for a number of years backed a fully owned factory in China with local manufacturing of high quality fasteners....

Balltec Ltd, a designer and manufacturer of high integrity mechanical connectors for use in particularly harsh environments, has fitted RotaBolt® measurement fasteners for the first time on a new offshore chain tensioner system. The RotaBolts have been used on the main structural top yoke beam of the tensioner, which has a load capacity of 1,000 tonnes. Andrew Crowe, senior design engineer at B...