Global Fastener News

Europe’s Stapf Tells NFDA: Dropping Borders Yields One Set of Fastener Standards for 460 Million Europeans

John Wolz

The European Union means far more than one currency, Bernd Stapf told the National Fastener Distributors Association. Among the many changes for the fastener industry is “one harmonized set of standards” instead of at least 19.

“National borders are history,” declared the Swiss native who coordinates the European Fastener Distributors Association.

The dropping of borders “increases competition,” Stapf acknowledged.

Stapf is retired from a fastener career with Bossard and Borstlap International and now has a role in another result of Europe’s coming together: the German, British, French and Italian fastener distributor associations met in 2000 and the following year EFDA bylaws were approved, The new EFDA met with the manufacturers’ European Industrial Fasteners Institute. The Spanish association joined in 2003.

Stapf noted that half of Europe’s fasteners are sold through distributors, 95% are metric and 65% go to OEMs.

Asia is now supplying 29% of the fasteners. Recent anti-dumping duties against some countries triggered a “sudden increase in imports from [exempt] Malaysia.”

While the North American fastener market is currently driven by construction, Europe is gaining primarily from the automotive and aerospace industries.

European fastener companies are growing larger through acquisitions. Medium-size family-owned companies are using flexibility and personal service to compete.

Eastern Europe provides a market for the future with “250 million consumers.”
E-mail: bernd.stapf@bluewin.ch Web: efda-fastenerdistributors.org �2006 FastenerNews.com