FastenersASIA November 2024

ISSN: 2633-9676 print

ISSN: 2633-9684 online

Photo by Marcel Strauss, Unsplash

Industry news

Poland and India expansions for spring manufacturer

Investments have been made at Alcomex’s standard stock door spring operation in Pune, India. Enabling advancements in cutting-edge technology, pro- duction lines, storage and shipping facilities, the recent funding expands capabilities in line with market predictions for the European and American residential and industrial door spring markets. Ola Tengroth, CEO of the Lesjöfors Group, said, “We’re proud to have Alcomex as one of our brands. These recent investments support their and our vision and tactical market growth, all of which has added to our global market expansion and opened new markets for our springs, pressings, gas springs and metal belt manufacture and supply.” Conrad Hietink, managing director of Alcomex, commented, “Since 2016, our share of the European door spring market has grown, and I am so proud of everything our team has achieved. We look forward to ongoing expansion over the next decade.” Headquartered in the Netherlands, with production and distribution centres around the world, Alcomex was acquired by the Lesjöfors Group in 2021. Lesjöfors Group www.lesjoforsab.com

Spring and pressing manufacture Lesjöfors Group has increased its operations in Eastern Europe with the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Poland, alongside its subsidiary Alcomex. Investments have also been made in India. The new production site in Marki, Poland, divides the custom made tension and torsion spring manufacturing specialisms across two dedicated sites and enables the production and assembly of increased spring volumes, in line with customer demand.

Stock at Alcomex’s factory

Montage Partners invests in Military Fasteners Montage Partners, a private equity firm headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, has invested in Military Fasteners), a distributor of mil-spec fasteners primarily to customers in the aerospace and defence industry. Alongside incoming CEO David Ficadenti, Montage Partners is providing capital to further accelerate the company’s expansion. Montage Partners. “Underpinning the company’s rapid growth and success has been a laser focus on exceeding customer expectations with every order placed, day in and day out. We have tremendous respect for what’s been built to date and look forward to driving further innovation and customer success with David at the helm.” Future plans

Fasteners has a truly novel business model in the aerospace and defence industry, and I’m excited to work with director of operations Rebekah Disser and the rest of the team to further accelerate the company’s success.” investments in people, marketing and business development to further expand the company’s market share, as well as opening a distribution facility in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, which will further reduce shipping times and allow the company to better serve customers in major US aerospace and defence hubs such as Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Seattle and Wichita. Ms Disser will remain in her role as director of operations and work with Mr Ficadenti to implement strategic initiatives. Montage Partners www.montagepartners.com Military Fasteners https://military-fasteners.com include

Mr Ficadenti, who has spent the majority of his career in the aerospace and defence industry, was most recently vice president, corporate development and licensing at Honeywell. He held full P&L responsibility for Honeywell’s strategic licensing business and presided over legacy product line monetisation and channel partner repair aftermarket. “I’m thrilled to be partnering with Montage Partners to lead Military Fasteners into the next phase of growth,” stated Mr Ficadenti. “Montage’s people first philosophy aligns with my leadership style and values, and we both take a long-term approach to investing. Military

Military Fasteners was founded in 2016, as a first mover in eCommerce sales, targeting procurement professionals who are “digitally native” and prefer making online purchases. Having a large and diverse fastener part selection readily available for rapid online procurement and fulfilment has led to the company expanding its revenue by nearly five times since 2019. “Military Fasteners plays a critical role in the aerospace and defence supply chain, given the importance of minimising fleet downtime during maintenance, repair and overhaul operations,” said Rob Wolfman, co-managing partner of

Graphics bigstockphoto.com/Artist tereh

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Industry news

Young fastener professional of the year Sherex Fastening Solutions’ Jake Glaser has been named as the Young Fastener Professional of the Year at the Interna- tional Fastener Expo Awards Ceremony.

Mr Glaser commented, “I’m truly honoured to receive this award. I cannot thank our industry family enough for their recognition and for supporting my growth and development over my ten years here with Sherex. I’ve met so many amazing people I am lucky enough to again call my family while working in the world of fasteners.” He follows in the footsteps of Sherex president Adam Pratt, who was named Young Fastener Professional of the Year in 2017. Sherex Fastening Solutions www.sherex.com Bumax segment manager, distribution, said, “After a long road, I am happy to see our agreement finalised. A key challenge in the US has always been the geographic size and diversity of the market. “Bringing together the expertise of both companies, we can now begin the important work of raising awareness of the advantages of Bumax high-strength stainless steel fasteners in the US market and making our products more readily available throughout the region.” Bumax AB www.bumax-fasteners.com

accounts with a focus on heavy truck and eMobility applications – a role he holds today. Since joining Sherex, he has been an active member of the fastener community, involved in Pac-West and NFDA programmes and the Young Fasteners Professionals, where he served as president from 2019 to 2022. He has also been a member of the NFDA board of directors since 2022. “Jake personifies the future of the fastener industry,” said IFE show director Morgan Wilson. “His passion, ingenuity and leadership are remarkable, and we are excited to see his continued impact and success in the fastener industry.”

The exceptional contributions to the fastener industry and recognise individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, innovation and dedication.” After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in communications at the University at Buffalo, Mr Glaser joined Sherex in 2014, and worked his way up to regional sales manager for the Western USA, managing national and international awards “celebrate

Bumax announces new US master distributor Swedish premium fastener manufacturer Bumax AB has appointed Star Stainless Screw Company as its new master distribution partner in the USA. The appointment marks a step forward in the company’s route to market in the USA and is part of its ongoing development strategy for the North America region. so excited to be partnering with Bumax,” said president Tim Roberto. “We feel the quality of product from Bumax, partnered with the reputation Star has for offering the highest of quality of product and service will be a perfect fit. We look forward to our partnership and thank Bumax for their trust in Star’s excellence in distribution.” Jacob Bergström,

Established in 1950, Star Stainless Screw Co is an importer and distributor of fastener products in a range of stainless steel and exotic alloy materials. With a network of distribution centres in strategic locations, Star Stainless is well placed to serve its customer base of fastener and industrial component suppliers across the country.

Star Stainless will be responsible for stocking and supplying the extensive Bumax range of high-strength stainless steel products to fastener distributors and industrial product suppliers throughout the USA. The partnership will improve the availability, accessibility and speed of supply of Bumax products to US customers.

Star Stainless Screw Co www.starstainless.com

“We at Star Stainless Screw Company are

New managing director at spring manufacturer Lesjöfors

to supply springs across exceptionally diverse industries. “We have come a long way since the company’s early days next to Perranporth beach and I am excited to see Luke’s vision take the team to a new level of success. His operational background, customer-focused approach, project execution and leadership skills will take the company from strength to strength.” Lesjöfors AB www.lesjoforsab.com

step. It’s an exciting time for our business and with a team that has an embedded high-performance culture, I’m looking forward to developing our next stages of growth.” Mr Gibbs said, “I could not be prouder of everything the team has achieved over the past 23 years of my leadership. “We have grown twentyfold to become a key supplier to Europe’s automotive aftermarket industry and expanded our manufacturing facilities and capabilities

Luke Smith, formerly operations director, has been promoted to managing director of Lesjöfors Heavy Springs UK, succeeding Michael Gibbs. Mr Gibbs, having grown the company to two major spring manufacturing sites, has been promoted to European operations director for the global Lesjöfors Group. Mr Smith commented, “After five years of driving operational excellence across our operations, I am thrilled to take this next

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November 2024

Products

New panel connecting system Intelligent Fixings has invented a new panel connecting system for the woodworking and furniture industry.

in. It can also be used with handheld routers with a jig/template. The connector creates a strong, invisible joint. The panels pack flat when the components are pre-inserted, to enable furniture to be taken apart and reassembled many times with minimal loss to the joint strength. Koch Group together with Intelligent Fixings has developed a fully automatic way of feeding Peanut3 and inserting it into panels. With solutions for point-to-point single sided machines, as well as fully automatic through-feed machines that can insert the Peanut3 up to 300 times per minute, the solution caters to both small producers and high-volume manufacturers.

Peanut3 reinforced plastic fitting

The intuitive and simple-to-use Peanut®3 Connecting System is a reinforced plastic fitting that is used for the connecting of furniture panels. The specially shaped plastic dowel is inserted and glued into the edge of one panel. The head of the Peanut3 is inserted into a patent pending ramped keyhole that has been routed in the other panel. With the specially routed keyhole, the connector pulls the two panels together as it is moved to its home position. The Peanut3 is a self-clamping single component invisible connector, for bor- ing and insertion machines, that is glued

Intelligent Fixings Ltd www.intelligentfixings.com Koch Technology GmbH & Co KG www.kochtechnology.de

Turkish bolt maker adopts GI inspection system General Inspection has installed the Gi-360T high-speed vision inspection system at a Turkish bolt manufacturing company. The system will provide an upgrade in the company’s quality control processes.

allows for a versatile two-position bowl configuration, for operational flexibility. The dual-purpose vibratory feeder system handles parts with and without heads, reducing changeover time and eliminating the need for multiple machines. The dual metring system ensures smooth and consistent feed of parts into the inspection system, maximising efficiency and minimising downtime. Additional capabilities of the Gi-360T system include an on-track vision station with a high-resolution camera and custom LED illumination for detailed visual inspection of the top of heads and recess features, such as broken punch. station utilises advanced digital eddy-current technology to ensure parts have gone through the heat treatment process. The axial view station uses speciality optics and a smart motor-controlled dial to inspect parts for small head cracks at high speeds, without the need to rotate the parts. General Inspection offers free software updates and Internet support, ensuring expert assistance and regular updates to maintain optimal performance. General Inspection, LLC www.generalinspection.com The super eddy-current

The Gi-360T system features advanced technology, including four-laser-beam, eight-detector 360° laser gauging, which ensures comprehensive dimensional analysis and precise measurements from every angle. Operating on a Windows 11 platform, the system provides a user-friendly interface. An integrated velocity gauge offers accurate length measurements, while the machine’s rail-mounted set-up

Dual-purpose vibratory feeder system

Custom fasteners made easy S&Z Industrial Supply Company is an industrial parts supplier located in Shanghai, China, with a focus on supplying custom and special-design products. The main product range includes fasteners, machined or turned parts, stamping products, springs, plastic and rubbers parts, industrial cables and cast metal products. S&Z’s fasteners are available in a wide range of materials and finishes. Designed to meet high durability and reliability standards, they are tested rigorously for high performance, and all products are manufactured by ISO 9001 and TS16949 certificated companies. Fasteners can be customised to meet exact specifications, via the company’s technical and production teams. S&Z Industrial Supply Company Ltd www.szindustrialsupply.com

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