Global Fastener News

FEATURE

Star Stainless’ suburban Chicago branch

A year ago Aztech Locknut Company became the first fastener manufacturer to achieve ISO 50001 energy standard certification for its suburban Chicago plant.  This year those insulating blankets for the dock doors may be paying off.  

“Yes we are working today, nice & toasty here!” president Mark Kaindl described the Aztech plant in Aurora, IL. Web: aztechlocknut.com

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport set a record low at 8 a.m. Monday, January 6, 2014, as the thermometer dropped to 16 below zero.  In addition, the wind chill was down to -42 and there was 11.7 inches of snow at O’Hare.

The previous record of -14 was hit in both 1894 and 1988.

While schools throughout Illinois closed, hundreds of flights cancelled and Gov. Pat Quinn declared a state of disaster for the entire state, fastener companies reported they were still in production.

“At least it’s not -29F like today in Norilsk, Russia, where the nickel is mined to produce stainless,” Bruce Wheeler of Star Stainless pointed out.

So Much Closed, But Fastener Companies Open 

• “We are open, and running full production for both shifts,” Bill Vodicka of AllStar Fasteners Inc. in Elk Grove Village, IL, told GlobalFastenerNews.com. “Yes, we are colder than crap, but people still need there parts just like we have promised.”  Web: allstarfasteners.com

• “My employees are tough,” Alina Agresto of Delta Secondary Inc. in Bensenville, IL, declared. She said only one employee didn’t make it in – because his car wouldn’t start.

Employees “all brought their lunch knowing they didn’t want to venture out,” Agresto added.

It was -17 with a -50 wind chill when she left her house Monday morning.  “It’s much worse in Minnesota and the Dakotas,” Agresto ventured.

• “Everybody is at work today and doing fine,” Bob Sachs of XL Screw Corporation of Lincolnshire, IL, reported.  “Due to the extreme cold, I have our employees parking inside the heated truck docks to prevent car problems when they go home later this afternoon.” 

While XL Screw employees were on duty, Sachs noted that the “phones were extremely quiet. I am sure many of our customers stayed home today. I hope it’s the weather putting the freeze on business today.” Web: xlscrew.com 

• Fastener companies were operating, but it was more difficult to be driving a truck. “When you combine the recent snow of the weekend along with today’s wind, it makes for some icy road conditions,” Wheeler explained.  “Because of the negative temperatures, the gross majority of trucking companies servicing Star’s Chicago warehouse have already advised us that they will not be picking up freight from us today. From what I see, it doesn’t look like much of anything will be moving out the door today.” 

• The temperature on her car was -19 and more than a foot of snow had fallen when Jodi Stein of Tom McCall & Associates Executive Search headed to her office in Olympia Fields, IL. “Only a couple of us made it to the office,” Stein said.  

But there was a major problem at work as her “office building has no running water due to frozen pipes,” Stein said.  Web: tmccall.com

• In response to the question on being open, Chicago Hardware & Fixture Co. national sales manager Jim Sullivan declared, “Absolutely!” Web: chicagohardware.com

• Farther east in Ohio, the Industrial Fasteners Institute office was “open and working, but we will probably send staff home a little early,” managing director Rob Harris reported.  Web: indfast.org

• “Yes, we are here,” declared Jim Ruetz, president of All Fasteners and All Tool Sales in Franksville, WI. “It’s a balmy -12 degrees.”  Web: Allfast.com

• “With 18 degree below zero temps & 50 below wind chill, the state of Wisconsin is pretty much in lock down mode,” Georgia Foley of Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association. “Nearly everything is closed.”
Foley had only one phone call in five hours at the STAFDA office.  A member in Tennessee opened the call with “What are you doing at work today?”
“He couldn’t believe we were open,” Foley said. “I told him it was me, myself, and my dog at STAFDA.”
The coldest wind chill in the entire state was in Wausau at -54, and Waukesha – near STAFDA’s headquarters – temperature dropped to -17.Foley was at the STAFDA office from 10 am until 3 pm Monday and later was checking emails from home.  Web: stafda.org

• Despite being headquartered in Minnesota, Bill Unferth termed Lindstrom Metric LLC, “fully operational.”  Web: lindfastgrp.com 

• “Brrrrrrr,” Earnest Machine president Kirk Zehnder described the weather in a single word.  The Ohio headquarters remained open, but Earnest closed its Indianapolis distribution center. The Atlanta facility “is shipping orders that need to go.”  Web: earnestmachine.com

Though most were at work, several noted changes in their personal lives. “I cancelled my run today due to the -27° wind chill,” Zehnder admitted.

Wheeler said Star Stainless was serving hot chocolate “while supplies last” to brave customers picking up freight.

Though Aztech was operating, Kaindl noted his wife called to report the power was out at home. “A different story there!” Kaindl noted before heading home. 

Ruetz noted he is looking forward to the National Fastener Distributors Association’s mid-February meeting in Palm Springs, CA.

On Tuesday, Wheeler said the temperature is supposed to climb to +10, “so I would suspect the worst is behind us and truckers will begin running once again at some point today.”

The weather for the balance of the week is supposed to get a little warmer each day and tomorrow we should be in the teens, Wheeler said.

“Wow, -12Ff in Chicago and  -13F all the way at the top of Alaska in Point Barrow,” Wheeler noted. “I guess it’s safe to call this an Arctic cold front.”

“It is -16 at 1:00 in the afternoon and the sun is as bright as ever,” Sachs observed. “With all of the snow and looking out from the inside, it looks very pretty outside.”

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