Global Fastener News

PERSPECTIVE: Apex Takes on Aerotight

Jason Sandefur

Editor”s Note: The following column by Phil Matten, editor of Fastener & Fixing Europe, is part of a news column exchange with FIN.
Apex Stainless Fasteners, one of Europe”s largest stainless steel master distributors, has acquired the design, trademark and production equipment for the Aerotight metal self-locking nut from a Leicester-based manufacturer. For Apex, headquartered in Rugby, England, this is a first venture into manufacturing and reflects the strong market position held by the stainless version of the Aerotight nut. Initially, production will continue at the Leicester site, but Apex managing director Paul Lower confirmed that new premises are being sought for the equipment.
“During the first three months we will concentrate on our core product, the Aerotight nut,” explained Lower. “In the last week alone we have received export and domestic orders worth over GBP 50,000, confirming its importance in the market. The machinery we have acquired, though, means we will be able to extend the production range to other machined parts and special nuts in due course.”
Apex recently unveiled a new central warehouse in the UK West Midlands. The 35,000 sq ft facility will house Apex”s stainless steel inventory worth about 5 million pounds (US$9.6 million).
BigHead Arrives in North America
BigHead Bonding Fasteners was recently introduced to North America when EFC International was named master distributor for the company. BigHead fasteners are load-distributed anchors designed for use in plastics, moulding and GRP industries. BigHeads are used extensively in marine applications.
The product was the brainchild of Ken Stanley, an English inventor who was asked in 1966 to develop a method to secure aluminium nameplates onto equipment. Stanley invented the BigHead concept, which was rapidly adopted for securing motorcycle fairings. The company, at which Stanley still works 3 days a week, is based at Poole, on the UK”s south coast. His passion for invention is unabated.
“It”s still fun I enjoy solving customer problems,” he says.
In 2004 the company completed a major investment in new automatic production equipment, all of which is designed and built by BigHead. “There”s nothing on the market that can stand the thrashing we give them,” says Stanley. “Many things are invented in the UK,” he also reflects, “but so few are actually taken to market.”
PCC Ownership Good for Unbrako
Unbrako sales manager for Europe, Alan Rowley, sees positive results coming to Europe as a result of PCC”s management approach, which he describes as “very much, what do you need to do it, here it is, now get on and produce the results.”
Worldwide production of the Unbrako Grade 12.9 standard range is being concentrated at Shannon in Ireland, which Rowley estimates is now 80% cap screw manufacturing. In addition to production transferred from Brazil, investment has been approved for new forging equipment due to be installed shortly.
Major improvements in standard inventory availability are already reaping benefits. “It has improved tremendously,” says Rowley, “with an 80% reduction in arrears in six months.”
European order processing is carried out at Coventry, England, where Rowley is based, but product is shipped direct from Shannon to Unbrako distributors across Europe. “Our objective is to put clear blue water between Unbrako and the importers,” stresses Rowley.
In addition to taming Unbrako”s availability, that means improved customer service management and the development of online technical support.
“We need to reintroduce the Unbrako name, as epitomising the premier qualities of fastener engineering, to today”s young engineers,” says Rowley.
BAFD New Year Conference Focuses on Quality
In a keynote speech at the January conference, British Association of Fastener Distributors Chairman Steve Auld emphasised that after a 2004 dominated by price movements it was crucial the 2005 focus was on product quality. With that objective in mind the main speaker was Jan van Ranst, Group Quality and Technical Manager for the Dutch headquartered Fabory Group. In a detailed presentation, drawing on his personal experience of auditing factories throughout the world, van Ranst identified serious concerns over heat treatment control in some Chinese factories. In addition to discussing decarburisation resulting from poor management of furnace environments, van Ranst illustrated microscopy of recarburisation, where fasteners had clearly been passed back through the furnace. Fabory has A2LA accredited laboratories in Holland and the USA, and recently established a massive warehouse and quality control operation outside Shanghai, China.
Attendance at the one-day conference, held at the British Metalforming Centre in Birmingham, was at an unprecedented level. Delegates also heard presentations on legal issues facing distributors, information and communications technology trends, plus a review of the role of the European Fastener Distributors Association by its secretary, Bernd Stapf. In Annual General Meeting proceedings members formally commended Steve Auld for his leadership in reversing the Association”s trend toward stagnation and crystallising an energetic mission framework on which to rebuild BAFD. \ �2005 FastenerNews.com