WCA March 2024

Industry news

Pursuing precision engineering The latest addition to the team at bigHead Fasteners is Henry Bower, who will serve as the new junior maintenance engineer. In this role, Mr Bower supports the manufacturing lines by designing and manufacturing intricate parts for the production team.

On leaving university, Mr Bower applied to bigHead for a permanent role and was taken on in production where, he says, it was satisfying to get back to gaining hands-on experience after the academic rigours of university study. Once a position in engineering became available, “I knew that was where I wanted to be,” he said. “I’d like to learn more about the design and development side of engineering and I feel privileged to be working amongst such revered and experienced engineers.” bigHead Bonding Fasteners Ltd https://bighead.co.uk for installation systems; and Heyco for moulded and stamped products. Sherex’s product lines include rivet nuts, clinch nuts, threaded inserts, Disc-Lock and TEC Series wedge-locking products, and fastener installation systems. PennEngineering www.penn-eng.com Sherex Fastening Solutions www.sherex.com

particular applications, and these unique components also have to be machined and fitted by the maintenance engineers. Mr Bower’s journey with bigHead began with a temporary stint in production, before he left to study for a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Portsmouth, UK. “The practical experience I had gained was really useful once I began to study,” said Mr Bower. “It meant that I had already seen how the theories of mechanical engineering might be applied in the real world.”

Components within the production machines often need replacing due to wear and tear, and the maintenance engineers ensure that the tooling for the wide range of bigHead fasteners is kept precise and efficient. bigHead produces specialist and bespoke fasteners that support customers with

PennEngineering acquires Sherex PennEngineering has announced its acquisition of Sherex Fastening Solutions, a designer, manufacturer and installer of blind rivet nuts and associated fastening solutions. Headquartered in Buffalo, New York, USA, Sherex has production capabilities worldwide. “We are extremely excited to be bringing the expertise of Sherex to the PennEngineering family. Their entre- preneurial spirit and technical acumen, combined with our Atlas product line and broader PennEngineering capabilities, will strengthen our ability to quickly deliver innovative, high-quality fastening solu- tions to our customers around the globe.”

“When combined with our Atlas® rivet nut brand, the Sherex acquisition positions the company to be the premier provider of rivet nuts worldwide,” said Pete George, CEO of PennEngineering.

PennEngineering’s include Pem, Profil, Atlas and PennAuto for mechanically attached fasteners; Haeger brands

Expanded stock to boost growth West Midlands Fasteners, based in Halesowen, UK, has expanded its stock of imported products to meet increased demand.

Competition in the market for fast de livery was increasing with a sharp rise in industrial projects across the UK. As a re sult, West Midlands Fasteners has invest ed in the new imported products, aiming to maximise its sales channels. The com pany has also hired additional staff. As a result, the company recognised the need to switch to an alternative software solution that offered a faster way to pro duce quotes for customers. OGL Soft ware recommended its Profit4 business and stock management software – an ERP (enterprise resource planning) sys tem designed to help merchants digitally transform their operations by supporting multi-channel selling. West Midlands Fasteners sales manager Leon Cunnington commented, “Stock control on our previous system, Sage 200, was not as quick or as accurate as needed so, due to the office team being stretched with increasing customer

The new imported stock range is part of the company’s plans, as a distributor and stockist of industrial fasteners and fixings, to continue recent expansion it has achieved owing to a new software solution that reduces admin time and purchase returns, while increasing stock quote and delivery turnarounds, along with revenue for the company. Established in 1981, West Midlands Fasteners acquired the Parabolt Construction Fixings brand in 2004. Its nationwide distribution and rapid service on special fasteners and security fixings, combined with a close relationship with major manufacturers such as Lindapter and Rawlplug, is used by a global customer base across the construction, pipeline and engineering industries.

The West Midlands Fasteners warehouse

demand, we knew we had to switch from Sage to a more efficient software. […] Using Profit4, we can identify the exact bin location for individual products, which makes life easier. We use it in the warehouse for stock transfers, which are now done in just a few clicks. Using Profit4, we can check whether the stock item requested is available for same- day delivery, if that’s what the customer wants, or whether we need to order it in.” West Midlands Fasteners Ltd www.westmidlandsfasteners.com OGL Software Ltd www.ogl.co.uk

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March 2024