Midland Metal Mfg. is excited to announce the acquisition of Mid-America Fittings, Inc. (“MAF”). MAF will be part of a growing distribution platform that includes Anderson Metals, LLC (“Anderson”), Midland Metal Mfg. (“Midland”), and Buchanan Rubber Ltd. (“Buchanan”). The platform is a leading North American manufacturer and distributor of valves, fittings, hoses, couplings, and related products to a variety of end-markets.

"The acquisition of MAF bolsters our capabilities as a leading platform within the specialty distribution and manufacturing arena,” said Vince Hodes, CEO of the platform. “We welcome Scott Shane to the team and look forward to leveraging MAF’s industry expertise and unique manufacturing capabilities, which will allow us to become a one-stop-shop solution for our customers’ stock and custom needs.”

Nautic Partners, LLC (“Nautic”) is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of LindFast Solutions Group (“LindFast”), in partnership with LindFast management.

Headquartered in Blaine, MN, LindFast is a master distributor of specialty fasteners in the North American market serving a broad base of national, regional, and local distribution customers through its metric (Lindstrom) and imperial (Stelfast) product brands. As a master distributor, LindFast provides an important link in the fastener supply chain by offering a deep inventory as a “virtual warehouse” of approximately 130,000 low volume, slow moving SKUs that distribution customers need quickly but are non-economical to inventory and source themselves. These SKUs represent high‐touch, specialty products that can be difficult to source due to their unique length, diameter, thread pitch, metal choice, or finish. In addition to sourcing unique product and providing virtual warehouse services, LindFast provides its distribution customers a range of value‐added services such as break bulk, packaging, kitting, plating, coating, and guaranteed stock programs, among others.

The 8th Fastener Fair Stuttgart, International Exhibition for the Fastener and Fixing Industry, ended last week after three very successful show days at the Stuttgart exhibition grounds in Germany. A total of 12,070 visitors from 90 countries came to Stuttgart to discover the latest trends and products from all areas of fastener and fixing technology and to network with other industry experts. This represents a further growth in visitor numbers by 3% compared to the previous event.

A total of 987 exhibitors from 45 countries presented the complete spectrum of fastener and fixing technologies on a total net exhibition space of 22,200 square metres: industrial fasteners and fixings, construction fixings, assembly and installation systems and fastener manufacturing technology. This represents a further increase in exhibitor numbers by around 10% and a further increase in exhibition space of 5% which resulted in the biggest Fastener Fair Stuttgart to date.

We are pleased to announce the launch of our brand new Sherex website! It has been completely overhauled from top to bottom with additional product listings and a completely new navigation system, designed to help you find the optimal fastener. For more information, go to our website via the link below, or call us at:  (866) 474-3739. 

This article is available courtesy of Caliper.

With the number of jobs and applicants increasing, many professionals are turning to advanced tools such as personality assessments to aid them in the hiring process to determine if potential candidates are the right fit for their company. But what is a personality assessment?

The International Fastener Expo (IFE), the largest and most established business-to-business tradeshow of every type of fastener, machinery and tooling, and industrial-related products in North America, is now accepting speaker submissions from fastener industry professionals and motivational and team building presenters for the Sept. 17-19 show conference schedule. The annual conference schedule features experts on technology, key laws and regulations, business solutions, testing and inspecting, management and leadership, and many more topics affecting the fastener industry.

New at IFE 2018, the conference schedule was expanded to include an additional day and featured 18 educational sessions; IFE 2019 plans to be just as jam-packed. Among the most popular sessions in 2018, Vanessa Sciarra, vice president for legal affairs and trade and investment policy, National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC), presented “U.S. Tariffs and Trade Policies - What to Expect in 2019,” a rundown on current trade policy, to a full house of engaged attendees. Video of her presentation is available for purchase at https://www.fastenershows.com/2019/02/12/us-tariffs-trade-policies-fastener-industry/.

The first edition of Fastener Fair France has recently ended. For two days, on 28 and 29 November, close to 1,500 visitors came to the show. They were mainly Managers (33%), Heads of Department (21%), Buyers (16%) or Engineers (11%), largely from the automotive, distribution, aerospace, mechanical engineering, hardware / DIY, agricultural machinery, maintenance / repair sectors.

A large proportion of them worked for Distributors / Suppliers to users (31%) or Wholesalers / Suppliers to resellers (17%). Many manufacturers also attended the show (33%), as well as users (19%).

This article is available courtesy of Caliper.

If classic movies like Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), Tin Men (1987), Used Cars (1980)—or more recent hits like Wolf of Wall Street (2013)—have taught us anything, it’s that sales is not for those of a weak disposition.

ELMHURST, IL - Semblex Corporation has announced the upcoming retirement of Don
Cunningham, the company’s President since 2010. Mr. Cunningham’s retirement will be
effective at the end of the first quarter, 2019. Mr. Cunningham will then continue as a member
of the Semblex Board of Directors and as a part time advisor to the company.

Jinsoo Kim will succeed Mr. Cunningham as president of Semblex. Mr. Kim has served as Chief
Operating Officer at Semblex since the company’s acquisition by Jinhap Company, Ltd in early
2014. Previously, Mr. Kim was a Senior Vice President at Jinhap in South Korea.

Franksville, Wisc. – February 12, 2019 - All Integrated Solutions (AIS), a division of MSC Industrial Supply Co. (NYSE: MSM), today announced that Jim Ruetz will be stepping down as chief executive officer of AIS, effective April 5, 2019. As part of a planned transition, Nick Ruetz, currently chief operating officer for AIS, will assume leadership of the business as president of AIS.

Nick Ruetz brings 20 years of distribution industry experience to his new role. He has held positions in sales, operations, purchasing and IT, and has served in executive management roles at AIS for six years, including the past four years as chief operating officer.

Midland Metal Mfg. announced that Scott Bardreau has joined the company as Chief Sales Officer for their growing platform of companies, which includes Anderson Metals Corp. and Buchanan Rubber Ltd. Scott Bardreau possesses extensive industry experience across Plumbing and Heating, Industrial, Waterworks, and Irrigation verticals. Bardreau spent the last 12 years with Matco-Norca in the role of Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Prior to Matco-Norca, he served in various management roles at Watts Water Technologies, in both wholesale and retail channels. Bardreau has over 35 years of industry experience. When asked about joining Midland Metal Mfg. Bardreau stated, “ Coming together with Wynnchurch Capital and Midland Metals Mfg. positions us for tremendous growth. There is a belief system here of working together as one across the platform, to build relationships, trust and a history of success with our business partners. It’s extremely exciting.”

Wynnchurch Capital recently merged Midland Metal Mfg, Anderson Metals, and Buchanan Rubber Ltd. into the platform company that serves the industrial distribution markets. CEO Vince Hodes said, “We are excited to welcome Scott onto our team and look forward to leveraging his leadership and expertise into many years of success”.

The National Fastener Distributors Association (NFDA) recently awarded four scholarships for Fastener Training Week, an advanced fastener technical training program produced by the Fastener Training Institute.

• Patrick Garvey, mechanical design engineer, Shamrock International, Itasca IL
• Mason Smith, sales/customer service, Empire Bolt & Screw, Spokane WA
• John St. Onge, incoming inspector, Specialty Bolt & Screw, Agawam MA
• Carola Zabawa, sales and marketing support, Fuller Metric Parts, Surrey BC

Applicants were evaluated based on the recommendation from their employer, personal achievements, work experience, and an essay. Identifying information was redacted, so that the team evaluating the applications did not know the names or employers of those applying.

From Rotor Clip

Pneumatic robotic parallel grippers are used in applications that require automated picking up of parts and assemblies.  They can be configured to grip the outside edges of a work piece, or open out to put pressure on the inside of a work piece.  READ MORE

EFC International, a leading supplier of engineered fasteners, is pleased to announce the approval of Sherex Fastening Solution’s Large Size rivet nuts for use in steel utility poles by a leading energy company. The approval is in accordance with the Specification for Tubular Steel Pole Transmission Line Structures SES-PD-027. The specification covers the minimum requirements for the design, drawings, material, fabrication, welding, coating, inspection, and delivery of tubular steel pole structures.

Sherex Large Size rivet nuts eliminate the welding process and reduce the number of components for installation. They also allow for a safer, one-handed installation of the step bolts in the field. “This is a significant cost savings for pole and tower manufacturers and we are excited to bring this product to the market,” states Paul Musgrove, Industrial and Distribution Sales Manager.

Today we reflect on our memories of Bob Lehman, lifetime member of NFDA.  He was an active contributor to our organization, and will be missed.

Robert (Bob) Allan Lehman, 90, of Chino Hills, California passed away on Saturday, December 29, 2018 with his family by his side.

September 1, 1942 – December 7, 2018

Stone Harbor, New Jersey

Lufasco Inc.

Frederick George Lubker Jr. of Stone Harbor, NJ passed away on Friday, December 7, 2018 at the age of 76. Born in Darby, PA to the late Frederick George Lubker, Sr. and Elizabeth North Lubker, he moved to Stone Harbor in 2000 from West Palm Beach, FL.

Shamrock International is pleased to announce that a stock purchase agreement has been executed with Vaber Industriale to acquire all shares in Vaber on November 26, 2018.

“Vaber provides technical solutions to manufacturers throughout Europe. Shamrock opened our Frankfurt, Germany office last year, and adding the Vaber family to our family helps to anchor our global strategy. Vaber’s product offering and customers are very adjacent to ours, and we are excited to offer Shamrock products to their customers and vice-versa. We share the same company values and both prioritize families first. We truly feel that this transaction will be accretive for both organizations. We look forward to providing a better service offering to all of our customers worldwide.” says Robert Waichulis, CEO of Shamrock International.

Fastener Fair Stuttgart 2019, the world’s leading exhibition for the fastener and fixing industry, will take place from 19 – 21 March 2019 in halls 1, 3 and 5 at the Stuttgart Exhibition Grounds in Germany. Due to a further expansion of the exhibition space this year, offering a total of 22,000 net square metres in total, the exhibition has already exceeded the total stand space of the previous event in 2017. More than 97% of the total available stand space has been booked so far.

Around 900 companies from 40 countries will be present with a stand at the 8^th International Exhibition for the Fastener and Fixing Industry in March 2019. Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France are the major European exhibitor countries. Asian exhibitors mainly come from Turkey, China, India and Taiwan.

The NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence, the research arm of the National Association of WholesalerDistributors (NAW), is pleased to announce the release of Creating Innovations and Shaping the Future of Business: A Look at Commerce, Technology, and Human Forces in Distribution, the first-ever Facing the Forces of Change® challenge paper, based on research to date, including 25 innovation ideas to kick-start internal management discussions.. Please visit www.naw.org/creating-innovations or call 202.872.0885 to learn more and order copies. Quantity discounts of 15–50% apply when ordering two or more copies.

About this Challenge Paper

From Rotor Clip

The next time you see the jaws of an alligator figure open and snap shut or a haunted house monster reach for you as you pass by, chances are you are seeing a pneumatic actuator in action. READ MORE