The Würth Group continues its winning streak: The global market leader in the trade with fastening and assembly materials expands sales by 6.5 percent. Adjusted for exchange rates, sales growth even stands at 9.0 percent. The operating result increases to EUR 400 million.

Künzelsau. In the first six months of 2018, the Würth Group reported sales of EUR 6.8 billion. This corresponds to an increase of 6.5 percent. Adjusted for foreign currency effects, growth comes to 9.0 percent. The companies in Germany achieved sales growth of 7.9 percent and total sales of EUR 2.9 billion, while sales growth abroad amounted to 5.4 percent. The Würth Group’s companies in Eastern and Southern Europe are still developing very well, reporting sales growth rates in the double digits. “We still expect that we will be able to report sales and operating result records again in 2018, even if the ifo Business Climate Index has dropped slightly in June and economic forecasts are only cautiously optimistic,” Robert Friedmann, Chairman of the Central Managing Board of the Würth Group, states on the company’s positive outlook for the second half of the year.

Sherex Fastening Solutions, a global leader in engineered fasteners, tooling, and automation, is pleased to announce that their Sherex Taiwan production facility has received IATF 16949:2016 certification.

IATF 16949:2016, which establishes specific quality management system requirements for the automotive market, replaces ISO/TS 16949:2009. To gain accreditation, businesses must possess quality systems that focus on continuous improvement to prevent defects, and eleminate high variation and waste throughout the supply chain.

Solid Pins are common fasteners used for aligning, joining, and assembling multiple components. Solid Pins are most useful where the clamp load of a bolt is not needed. They are also used for specific functions such as locating components, hinges, tamper-resistant designs, etc. READ MORE

Tariffs are dominating the news these days with the story changing almost hourly. What countries or industries will President Trump target next? Who will retaliate?

Freedonia’s new white paper draws upon the experience of its industry analysts to assess the potential impact of the latest tariffs on industries ranging from appliances to wine. This new analysis provides quick, easy to read summaries of how tariffs could impact 20 key US industries.

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

• Brian Goolie,inside sales/customer service, Empire Bolt & Nut, Spokane, Washington
• Laura Lamanna, engineering/quoting, Buckeye Fasteners, Cleveland, Ohio
• David Pawletki, senior applications engineer, Shamrock International, Itasca, Illinois

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:
Jade West, Senior Vice President-Government Relations
National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors

This morning the Supreme Court handed down a decision in the Wayfair case overturning the Quill decision and – finally!! – allowing states to require out-of-state/online sellers to collect state sales taxes.   NAW joined Amicus briefs in this case, and it is a huge victory for our brick-and-mortar businesses.

The World Trade Organization announced today the imposition of new tariffs on certain fastener products imported from the U.S. by European Union countries, effective June 22, 2018:

CN Code	Description	Additional Duty
73181410	Self-tapping screws, of iron or steel (other than stainless (excl. wood screws)	25%
73181491	Spaced-thread screws of iron or steel other than stainless	25%
73181499	Self-tapping screws of iron or steel other than stainless (excl. spaced-thread screws and wood screws)	25%
73181640	Blind rivet nuts of iron or steel other than stainless	25%
73181660	Self-locking nuts of iron or steel other than stainless	25%
73181692	Nuts of iron or steel other than stainless, with an inside diameter <= 12 mm (excl. blind rivet nuts and self-locking nuts)	25%
73181699	Nuts of iron or steel other than stainless, with an inside diameter >= 12 mm (excl. blind rivet nuts and self-locking nuts)	25%

 

You certainly have choice of vendors when sourcing retaining rings, but not all retaining ring suppliers offer the same level of quality, expertise, and trust. Here are 5 points you should consider when choosing your next retaining ring supplier:

EFC International, a leading supplier of engineered fasteners, with their corporate office in St. Louis, Missouri, continues to expand their global presence with the establishment of their office and warehouse in Mexico, EFC Global, S de RL de CV.

“Our recently established legal entity and operations in Mexico, including a warehouse in Querétaro, outside sales engineers, customer service and support staff in Mexico, enables EFC to enhance our service level in the region.  We’re able to respond more quickly and hold inventory in closer proximity to our customer base.  We also are positioned to act as a key channel partner into Mexico for our strategic partner suppliers.   With our locations in the United States, Mexico, Germany, China and South Korea, EFC truly has become a global leader in the supply of engineered fasteners and components.  EFC enables multi-national OEM customers and suppliers to utilize our services on multiple continents, taking advantage of our global network to mitigate supply chain risks and improve local service,” said Mary Becker, Vice President of North American Sales. 

Kelly Cole of Hayes Bolt & Supply (San Diego, California), pictured left, was elected as the 2018-2019 president of the National Fastener Distributors Association. Dan Zehnder of Trinity Logistics Corporation (Waukesha, Wisconsin) will serve as vice president, Bruce Hayes of Sems & Specials (Rockford, Illinois) as associate chair, and Kevin Miller of Bamal Corporation (Charlotte, North Carolina) will remain on the Board as immediate past president.

Four new Board members were elected to serve on the NFDA Board: Adam Derry of Field (Machesney Park, Illinois), Keven Simmer of Wurth DMB Supply (Des Moines, Iowa), Scott Somers of Mid-States Bolt & Screw Company (Flint, Michigan), and Bryan Wheeler of Star Stainless Screw (Wood Dale, Illinois).

Advance Components is now a master stocking distributor of Heyco® Solar Power Components. Heyco® is a worldwide leading manufacturer of wire management products and components. The Heyco® solar line of SunRunner® Clips, SunBundler® and Nytye® Cable Ties, and Liquid Tight Cordgrips set the standard for excellence and high performance in the solar industry.

“Heyco is excited to announce the recent addition of over 220,000 pieces of 28 different SKUs to Advance Components’ offering,” says Tom Marsden, Renewable Energies and Product Sales Manager. “Advance’s outstanding level of service and Heyco’s superior quality in products makes it a no-brainer when choosing a partner for your next solar job.”

Acument is pleased to announce the addition of a new TORX® and fastener licensee to our program, effective immediately. The new licensee is:

Shanghai Autocraft Co., LTD
No. 168, Nanlu High Way
Pudong New Area
China
TEL: +0086 3818 1068
FAX: +0086 3818 1199
www.autocraft-china.com

Shanghai Autocraft Company is allowed to purchase TORX® and TORX PLUS® header tooling at this time. Please inform all appropriate personnel within your company of this new addition and restrictions.

If you have any questions, please contact Jim Wayman, Americas Rep & Licensing Marketing Manager at [email protected] or 815-544-7590, or Gordon Anderson, Autocraft USA President, at [email protected] or 404-328-5969.

ROTOR CLIP OFFERS “RINGS ON WIRE (ROW)” TO HELP ELIMINATE PACKAGING HEADACHES.

Flex-18 Hydro-Pneumatic Tool

Looking for a powerful rivet nut installation tool? Sherex's FLEX-18 Spin-Pull Tool provides a pulling force of 18,000 pounds (80 kN) and up to 15mm (.591 inches) of available stroke. Features and benefits of this tool include: