Global Fastener News

Fastener History
2015 FIN – Würth Closing Cardinal Fastener in Ohio; Moving Production to Dokka in Michigan

January 9, 2015 FIN – The Cardinal Fastener plant in Ohio, which opened in 1983 and was acquired by the Würth Group in 2011, will be closed and production shifted to Würth’s Dokka Fasteners plant in Michigan this spring.

Dokka is part of the Würth Hot Forging Group.
“Unfortunately, having two separate plants with similar capabilities located so close together became increasingly difficult to justify,” Würth executive vice president Marc Strandquist explained.
“We appreciate the support of our customers and plan on supporting their needs again after the equipment has been installed and commissioned at the Dokka Fasteners operation.”

Dokka Fasteners is a hot forging and machining operation utilizing automation and robotics throughout the plant north of Detroit which opened in 2010.  
Products from the Michigan plant include bolts from M24 through M72 up to 675 mm in length, as well as studs and threaded rod in sized M16 through M80 and lengths up to 2,300 mm. Dokka also has inhouse heat treat capabilities.
The addition of Cardinal’s equipment to the Auburn Hills Dokka plant will expand its capabilities.
Dokka products are used in “some of the most critical applications and harshest environments,” according to the press announcement.
 
Cardinal received worldwide publicity for its wind energy fastener manufacturing when then President-elect Barack Obama toured the plant en route to his 2009 inauguration. It is believed to be the only presidential visit to a fastener plant. Obama touted Cardinal’s domestic manufacturing of wind energy industry fasteners. (For the story click on Fastener History: 2009 FIN – Wind Turbine Fasteners Create Draw for Industry’s First Presidential Plant Tour.)

The media exposure vaulted then-CEO John Grabner into the national business spotlight. For months after the visit, Grabner appeared on TV broadcasts to discuss renewable energy opportunities and lean manufacturing.
The presidential visit was also good for business, helping Cardinal to nearly double its revenues with wind energy fasteners by supplying more than a dozen wind turbine builders, including the Danish wind manufacturer Vestas and the Spanish Gamesa SA.

But Cardinal struggled to make the necessary investments for growth in the wind energy industry, and had to file for bankruptcy on June 30, 2011. The Chapter 11 filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Cleveland showed Cardinal had been borrowing heavily and was millions of dollars in debt.
Würth acquired Cardinal out of bankruptcy in 2011.

The Cardinal closing press release from Dokka’s director of sales Jim Witucki stated that “our primary focus is to provide our customers with security – security of working with a supplier who is financially secure, a supplier who constantly re-invests capital into our manufacturing and inspection processes, a supplier who effectively manages the sub-supply base, and builds a robust product designed to exceed customer expectations.  Through effective implementation of the Dokka Production System and its inherent quality and LEAN principles, Dokka offers our customers a total commitment to security.” Web: dokkafasteners.us   @2015/2015 Fastener Industry News.
For information on permission to reuse or reprint this article please e-mail: FIN@GlobalFastenerNews.com

State Incentives Led to Michigan Plant in 2010

The Michigan plant was developed using multiple state incentives.
Dokka trained new employees with the Michigan New Jobs Training program, which allows community colleges to collect the income taxes of those new employees to pay for the training.
Marc Strandquist said told the Tribune at the time that the ability to “train a workforce from the ground up” on brand-new equipment made a huge difference. Strandquist told the Tribune that training opportunities at nearby Oakland Community College were the defining factor why his company chose to locate its 100,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Michigan rather than Indiana, Illinois and Missouri.
“We’ve hired 25 people so far and I’m really proud that 12 people were on unemployment at the time we hired them, so we’ve been able to take people off the unemployment roll,” stated Strandquist.
He said Dokka would hire and train 76 workers to produce fasteners for the wind energy market. The $950,000 training costs are covered by the state’s incentive program.
Dokka considered locating in Rockford, IL, but received better incentives from Michigan. Rockford incentives reportedly included offering to build Dokka a new facility. But worker’s comp and property tax rates were high there, WIFR reported.
In 2011, Strandquist described the new plant as “In terms of what we’re going to do here, we do hot forming — heating metal up before forming it — and we’re the first all new hot-forming facility in the U.S. in over 40 years.”
The U.S. Dokka Fasteners had been one of three hot forming companies of the Würth Group: Dokka Fasteners AS of Dokka, Norway, and Cardinal.
The closure comes after Cardinal named a new president, Bill Boak, in 2013 to succeed Grabner. Boak had been a senior level executive at SPS Technologies Inc. and Textron Fastening Inc., where his responsibilities included domestic turnaround and international experience in general management plus sales and marketing.
Also in 2013, Würth Group appointed Strandquist executive vice president of Würth Industry of North America and Witucki – formerly of Nucor Fastener – as Dokka’s director of sales. Email: jwitucki@dokkafasteners.com
Strandquist is responsible for the six industry companies in North America: Würth Action (Riviera Beach, Fla.), Würth Adams (Maple Grove, Minn.), Würth Revcar (Roanoke, Va.), Würth Service Supply (Indianapolis, Ind.), Würth Snider (Louisville, Ky.), and Marine Fasteners (Sanford, Fla.).

While Dokka was issuing a press release, Cardinal employees were announcing the change to customers.  
“Unfortunately, we have just been notified that Cardinal Fastener will be closing and some of the capabilities will be moved to a sister plant, Dokka Fasteners,” inside sales manager Beth Phillips-Perusek wrote to customers. “I want to thank you for your business and support of Cardinal Fastener.  It is an unfortunate development and the staff at Cardinal Fastener wish you all the best.”

Cardinal Fastener manufactures hot formed, short lead time, large diameter fasteners to industry standards and customer blueprints at its plant in the Cleveland suburb of Bedford Heights. Web: CardinalFastener.com
 
Dokka’s U.S. facility is at 2800 Superior Crt., Auburn Hills, MI 48326. Tel: 248 724-2060 Email: sales@dokkafasteners.us  Web: dokkafasteners.us  @2015/2015 Fastener Industry News.
For information on permission to reuse or reprint this article please e-mail: FIN@GlobalFastenerNews.com