2018 FASTENER LITERATURE PROFILE

VOLUME 35 / NO 1 JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2019

VOLUME 34 ⁄ NO 6
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 JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2019 VOLUME 35, NUMBER 1

The leading source of information

for fastener professionals.
PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER
FEATURES Tom Massar
tom@fastenerjournal.com
• AFJ STOCK INDEX

No More Broken Promises . . . . . . . . . . 8

VICE PRESIDENT
Markets Fall as Rough October Valerie Massar
by Jason Bader Melts into Volatile November . . . . . 36 valerie@fastenerjournal.com
by Margot Crabtree
EDITOR

• COVER STORY
Jennifer Judy
Fastener Fair USA: • COMPANY PROFILE
jennifer@fastenerjournal.com
Joining the Industry Solon Manufacturing Company PRODUCTION & DESIGN
with Innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Celebrates 70 Years Cyndi Daines
of Innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Rosier • Daines Inc.
cyndi@fastenerjournal.com
• ECONOMIC FORECAST
PRINTING
Prepare for Unique How Fastener Manufacturing Robin Enterprises Co.
Challenges in 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Can Be Improved Through 614.891.0250
by ITR Economics Predictive Maintenance
for Asset Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
WEB DESIGN
Computer Help
by Sean Otto www.123ComputerHelp.com
Controlled Quenching
and Tempering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 480.683.2673
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4 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019

 News from Brighton-Best add more opportunities for the women in
International the industry to be able to receive a formal
Congratulations to Brighton-Best Inter- education in fasteners.”
national for being chosen for the 2018 Best Starting in 2019, WIFI is adding the
Booth Awards, Best Overall Booth at the Joanne Goodman Sherman Scholarship. The
International Fastener Expo, courtesy of scholarship gives one lucky winner the abili-
Fastener News Desk. ty to receive formal fastener education
BBI would like to online and earn certificates. WIFI partnered
welcome Michael with THORS eLearning Solutions, www.
McChesney as the thors.com, to be able to offer a comprehen-
new Territory Sales sive eLearning experience. We know fastener
Manager for the women will be super excited for this new
Southeast Region. If opportunity that WIFI is able to offer.
you would like to WIFI names their scholarships in honor
meet Michael, of women who pioneered this industry, and
please feel free to when Taryn Goodman, niece and treasurer/
email him at mmc- board member of WIFI, mentioned the fami-
Michael McChesney chesney@brighton ly had discussed and wanted to set up a
best.com. scholarship in her honor, we were grateful
Congratulations they chose WIFI as their platform. What a
to James Sayers for great way to honor such an amazing woman.
his promotion to WIFI is grateful to the Goodman-Sherman
Regional Manager family for partnering with WIFI to help the
of Western Canada. betterment of women in the industry.
James is located at
the Vancouver BBI
location and may
while still in high school—joining the oper-
ation full time in 1974. At the outset, she
was responsible for bookkeeping, including
accounts receivables and payables, and also
worked with her father and brother in sales
and managing client accounts.
In 1975, Ms. Sherman purchased the
Elkay Orthopedic Supply Company, a spe-
cialized fastener business, where she served
as president while also continuing her work
in the family company. She sold the busi-
ness in 1981 as Industrial Rivet began to
expand its operations.
In the late 1980s, Ms. Sherman became
co-owner of Industrial Rivet with her broth-
er, Bill Goodman. Together, they grew the
primarily domestic company into a global
distributor, manufacturer and importer with
11 U.S. distribution centers, 10 international
locations and more than 50 employees.
Ms. Sherman focused her time and
expertise on the administrative and opera-
tional areas of the business, overseeing the
continued on page 38

BUSINESS
be reached at jsay-
ers@brightonbest.
James Sayers com.

WANTED
The Fastener
Industry Coalition
(FIC) announced
that Rosa E. Hearn
from BBI is the
new Vice Chairman IHG is looking to purchase
for the 2018 / 2019 fastener manufacturing,
board term. FIC is
a group of 12 distribution or sourcing
National and Re - companies and books
gion al Associa-
Rosa E. Hearn
tions. Originally
of business.
formed in the 1980s, FIC was instrumental in Joanne Goodman Sherman
effecting change to the Fastener Quality Act Confidentiality guaranteed.
in 1999. For more information about FIC, About Joanne Goodman Sherman
visit www.fastenercoalition.org. Joanne Goodman Sherman was the To explore an acquisition,
co-owner, secretary and treasurer for the
please call Ernie at
Industrial Rivet & Fastener Company. Head-
Women in the Fastener Industry quartered in Northvale, New Jersey, it is a 937-434-8100 x202 or
Announces Joanne Goodman family-held global company that has cele- eriling@ihgcapital.com
Sherman Scholarship Starting brated more than 105 years in business.
in 2019 Joanne was instrumental in growing the
“WIFI understood not all fastener women company and adding sales and account vol-
have the ability to travel to attend the Fas- ume.
tener Training Institute for our Ann Bisgyer Ms. Sherman first started working for the
Wolz Scholarship,” said Rosa E. Hearn, company, which was founded by her great-
Chairman of WIFI. “We knew we needed to grandfather in 1912, on a part-time basis

6 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019

 ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES
A family owned business since 1955, ND Industries specializes in the development of innovative
materials and processes which increase the safety and reliability of fastener assemblies.
ND serves a global market with divisions in the continental US, facilities in Taiwan and China, and licensees
around the world. ND’s core business revolves around the application of a wide variety of materials
onto fasteners and assemblies to aid in functions such as locking, sealing, masking, lubricating,
and noise and vibration dampening. ND also manufactures a line of bottled products under the
Vibra-Tite® brand name for MRO and retail use.

ELECTROLOC™
High strength encapsulated epoxy threadlocker for use in electrical
systems where low halogen materials are necessary. Contains small
micrometer microcaps which reduce material extrusion on installation.
ND continues its tradition of cutting edge
EXPAND-A-SLEEVE™ research and development with the
Extruded ND Mastics are pre-applied to fasteners (threaded or non- regular introduction of unique materials
threaded), bound for e-cote cycles. Heat from the process causes the along with competitive brand offsets.
material to expand, sealing large leak paths between fastener and assembly.

THREAD ARMOR® GP
Prevents galvanic corrosion in assemblies with dissimilar metals, such as
aluminum and steel, by electrically insulating the fastener. Specially bonded
to the part, Thread Armor GP is durable, chemical resistant, and non-conductive.

THREAD ARMOR® VC
An advanced anti-galling and lubricating thread coating designed to extend
the life of bolts up to 15 times while under intense torque and high friction
loads. Helps to ensure consistent clamp load. Works well on stainless steel fasteners.

ND PATCH® HI-TEMP
Highest temperature pre-applied nylon threadlocker in the industry.
Unlike the competition, ND’s application process requires only 120°C,
AUTHORIZED preventing plating damage. However, once cross-linked, it can
APPLICATOR withstand temps up to 260°C. Meets MIL-DTL-18240F / QPL-18240.
Did you know that ND is an approved 3M STAY-PUT® WASHERS
applicator? Further proof why ND should be
Whether you’re looking for pre-assembly of parts, temporary
your one stop shop for pre-applied fasteners.
retention, or an alternative to SEMS screws, Stay-Put simplifies the
process by making practically any metal washer self-retaining.
CONTACT US
info@ndindustries.com
THERMOLOC® 1500
www.ndindustries.com ND’s highest temperature chemical threadlocker. Initially performs
www.vibra-tite.com like a vibration dampening compound. Once temperatures reach
750°F (400°C), a secondary activation begins, causing the fastener
to be permanently locked in place. Tested to over 1500°F (850°C).
 BUSINESSADVANTAGE

No More
Broken Promises
by Jason Bader, Executive Advisor, The Distribution Team

So here we are at the start of the new year. While some of you might be opti- some sort of “I hope” or “it would be nice”
mistic about your potential, I suspect that a few of you are stuck in remorse thought process. He made a clear decision
that the company would achieve a specific
over unrealized goals and aspirations. Remember all those lofty projections goal. Rather than wait until the end of 12
for 2018? This was going to be the year that you (fill in the blank). And when months to determine success, he broke
down the goal into monthly pieces. Each
you achieved (blank), how much better your company was going to be, how
month, he was laser focused on hitting the
much more money you were going to make, how many people would look up monthly goal. After a slight miss in Septem-
to you, etc. Yep, that would have been awesome...if you had done it. So, what ber, he buckled down to make up ground in
October. Mission accomplished. He was
will this new year bring? Another lofty goal with similar results? Rather than back on track. Now, a 23-day billing month
dreaming of knocking it out of the park, perhaps we should shoot for a few helped, but the real magic was in the quick
base hits. recognition and course correction.
Wouldn’t it be great if you shipped every-
thing correctly? I am sure that your cus-
If that first paragraph didn’t give it away, I conversations. Bring the delivery drivers in tomers would agree with this notion. Again,
am a Gen Xer. We are cynical to the core and on the exercise. Ask yourself this question: the goal of error-free shipping is too macro
not afraid to use sarcasm to overstate a Would you go out of your way to visit a cof- in size and is really setting the team up for
point. Mission accomplished. I guess that I fee shop where the staff all knew you by first failure. I would rather see a monthly goal of
am ready to get off the hamster wheel of name? cutting the error rate in half. Each month,
lofty goals, procrastination and remorse. We What if your goal was to clean up your the team will identify small barriers to suc-
need to get a few wins under our belt. Suc- item database? When entering the web sell- cess and find ways to eliminate them. By
cess breeds more success. Regret over failed ing arena, many companies realize that their setting smaller attainable goals, we inch
goals will only lead you further down the item descriptions are nothing short of hiero- toward the ultimate desired state of error-
rabbit hole. glyphics. Over years of self-centered data free fulfillment.
Let’s set ourselves up for success this input practices, what we refer to as a prod- The point of this article isn’t to improve
year. Rather than going after the macro goal, uct is frankly unreadable. How could you customer service or double net profit.
I want you to imagine a series of micro suc- break this down into a micro-goal? What if Rather, the whole notion of setting these
cesses. When working with folks on setting you set a goal to clean up one product cate- January proclamations must become part of
goals for their branches, I often help them gory every week? Within a few months, you your past. Banish the macro and embrace
recognize the power of daily gross margin would start to see a way out of the mess the micro. Don’t keep setting yourself up for
targets. These bite-sized milestones, when that was created. In its macro state, the proj- failure. By setting smaller, time-based goals,
communicated to the team, seem attain- ect appears to be insurmountable. By break- you have a much greater chance of making
able. They create an instant feedback loop. ing it down into shorter, time-based goals, notable changes in 2019. How do you eat an
Hit goal, smile. Miss goal, try harder tomor- the impossible becomes possible. elephant? One bite at a time. Good luck,
row. At the end of the month, there are so Last year, I had a client make a conscious and I look forward to being of service in the
many hit goals that team members develop decision to double his net profit. This wasn’t coming year. ■
a taste for success.
Keeping this in mind, what small goal
would make your company better? Perhaps
JASON BADER
you want to improve your customer service. Jason Bader is the principal of The Distribution Team. He is a
Rather than this somewhat subjective ethe- wholistic distribution advisor who is passionate about helping
real macro objective, let’s find a way to business owners solve challenges, generate wealth and achieve
break it down into small pieces. What is personal goals. He can be found speaking at several industry
most people’s favorite word in the English events throughout the year, providing executive coaching serv-
language? Their own first name. For the ices to private clients and letting his thoughts be known in an
month of January, have your team focus on industry publication or two. He can be reached at 503.282.2333
learning and greeting customers by their or via email at jason@distributionteam.com. You can find addi-
first name. Try to work the name into phone
tional resources on his website: www.thedistributionteam.com.

8 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019

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12 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019
American Fastener Journal January/February 2019 13
 ECONOMICFORECAST

Prepare for unique

by ITR Economics challenges in 2019
U.S. Industrial Production is cruising, reaching record highs over the last four months, but declining leading indicators signal caution is prudent in planning for
2019. Annual average Production in October was up 4.0 percent from the year-ago level, the fastest pace of growth since 2011. Of the components, Mining Production
and Manufacturing Production are in accelerating growth trends, while Utilities Production tentatively transitioned to a slowing growth trend. U.S Industrial Pro-
duction is expected to transition to a slowing growth trend in early 2019. U.S. business-to-business activity, as measured by U.S. Nondefense Capital Goods New
Orders (excluding Aircraft), has already entered into a slowing growth trend.
Annual U.S. Exports to the World were at a record high in October. The Exports quarterly growth rate tentatively peaked in May, but more data is needed to
confirm the peak. Slowing growth trends in many major economies abroad could put a damper on export demand during 2019. Tariffs pose a downside risk to
Exports and could lead to higher inflation. However, inflation edged down to 2.2 percent in November, a 0.7 percentage-point drop from a July tentative peak of 2.9
percent. The recent drop in Oil Prices has helped to ease inflation. Inflation is boosting dollar-denominated series, such as U.S. Retail Sales. However, even on a
deflated-basis, U.S. Retail Sales are rising, suggesting a healthy consumer economy. Deflated Retail Sales have already transitioned to Phase C, Slowing Growth.
Plan for lower annual growth rates in markets tied to the consumer sector next year.
In construction markets, annual U.S. Single and Multi Unit Housing Starts both ticked down in October. Our analysis indicates that annual Housing Starts will
decline during 2019. Business-cycle rise is expected to persist for the majority of 2019. However, companies involved in the earlier stages of nonresidential construction
projects could see weaker trends earlier.
Many sectors of the U.S. economy are in or approaching the back side of the business cycle (Slowing Growth or Recession). A change in the business cycle
means you may need to shift your focus and adjust your management decisions. Avoid overexpansion, and make sure your business is right-sized based on expec-
tations for your market. Ensure your prices have kept pace with inflationary pressures this year so that you don’t set yourself up for a period of profitless prosperity
in this coming year, as deteriorating macroeconomic conditions could further compress already squeezed margins. Be more financially conservative; scale back
your budget, focus on cash, and keep a close eye on accounts receivables. Keep up-to-date on market indicators to inform your decision-making, and be proactive
in planning for the unique challenges that 2019 will bring.

U.S. Leading Trends Outside U.S.

U.S. Industrial Indicator Signals Europe & Asia
Production (annual index) (monthly index 1/12 rate-of-change) Industrial Production
Europe ONLY year-over-year growth rate (12/12 rate-of-change)
107.5 8.0 4.5
7.2%

107.0 7.5 4.0

107.3
105.9

2.9%
6.5%
106.9

6.4%

106.5 7.0 3.5

105.6

2.6%
3.5%
6.0%

6.0%
106.4

5.9%

3.4%

3.4%
106.0 6.5 3.0
105.3

3.2%
105.5 6.0 2.5

105.0 5.5 2.0

May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18

• U.S. Total Industrial Production during the 12 months ending in
October was up 4.0 percent from the same period a year ago.
Production will rise into mid-2019. We expect Production will
subsequently decline mildly into early 2020 before growth
resumes through the remainder of that year.
• The U.S. industrial economy is benefiting from growth in the
consumer sector. U.S. Total Retail Sales were up 5.4 percent
from one year ago and are rising at an accelerating pace. How-
ever, the pace of growth for Retail Sales will slow in the latter
half of next year. This will contribute to downward pressure on
Industrial Production. Use growth through the first half of 2019
to prepare for the mild recession expected in the second half
of next year and into 2020. Increase your reserves of cash to
better position your company to invest for the next growth
trend.
• Key Input for Planning: Ensure you know which of your
markets are going into recession and which will just grow at a
slower rate next year.
14 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019
• ITRLI: The ITR Leading Indicator declined in November, contin-
uing the declining trend from the January 2018 peak. This
downward movement indicates that the upcoming slowing rate
of growth in U.S. Industrial Production will persist into at least
the second half of 2019.
• USLI: The October U.S. Conference Board Leading Indicator
1/12 fell 1.3 percentage points from the September reading,
marking the largest month-to-month percentage-point drop
since 2008. We are watching closely to see if this means Sep-
tember is the peak or if October was noise. Whether or not
the downward movement holds, the Indicator 1/12 presents
an upside risk to our U.S. Industrial Production 12/12 outlook.
• PMI: The U.S. Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) 1/12 ticked
up in November. Historically, some volatility is normal in the
PMI 1/12. We are monitoring this series closely for signs of a
sustainable trend reversal. Regardless of whether the gener-
ally declining trend persists or a trend transition is in the
works, the PMI 1/12 indicates that the U.S. Industrial Produc-
tion 12/12 is likely to decline into at least the second half of
2019.
• Key Input for Planning: Revisit your capital expenditure
plans with the expectation of business-cycle decline in U.S.
Industrial Production during the second half of 2019. Take cau-
tion not to overinvest.
• Europe (28 Nations): Annual average Europe Industrial Pro-
duction in September was at the highest point in nearly a
decade. Annual Industrial Production is expanding, but the
pace of growth has edged down over the last five months,
indicating a transition to the back side of the business cycle.
The pace of Industrial Production growth has begun to tick
down in Germany, Italy, France, the U.K., and Spain. Ireland,
which is growing at an accelerating pace, is an exception.
• ITR anticipates business-cycle decline in Europe Industrial Pro-
duction will persist in 2019 and the first half of 2020. Do not
depend on market growth to drive your business next year.
Take responsibility for your individual growth by initiating
strategic plans to try to gain market share.
• Southeast Asia (8 Nations): Annual Southeast Asia Produc-
tion ticked downward in September but was 1.6 percent
higher than the prior year. The ITR Checking Points™ System
indicates that the annual rate-of-change will likely continue to
decline in the near term. Taiwan and Hong Kong are growing at
a steady pace; Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and South Korea
are in slowing growth trends.
• Annual China Industrial Production is growing at a slowing
pace. However, China Manufacturing Products Exports are up,
and the pace of growth is rising. China Crude Steel Production
is in an accelerating growth trend. These trends suggest
growth opportunities are still present in China. Slowing growth
in China Industrial Production is expected to persist during the
majority of 2019; however, recent rise in the China Leading
Indicator rate-of-change poses an upside risk to this outlook.
• Annual Japan Industrial Production edged lower in August and
September. Rate-of-change descent in the Japan Purchasing
Managers Index for Manufacturing indicates rate-of-change
decline in Japan Industrial Production will likely persist through
at least mid-2019.
• Key Input for Planning: Look for ways to cut costs with-
out impacting service quality, and consider changing your
offerings to adapt to changing client needs, as price sensitivity
may increase next year.
 Metalworking
Machinery Stock Market North America
New Orders
billions of dollars
S&P 500 Light Vehicle Production
(12/12 rate-of-change) (1/12 rate-of-change) annual data (millions of units, Ward’s Auto)

10.0 24.0 17.250

9.0 20.0 17.000

16.929
16.835
16.0 16.750

16.831
8.0
8.3%

17.4%
6.4%

16.840

16.804
6.2%

16.761
5.9%

5.9%

15.7%
12.0 16.500
7.8%

7.0

14.0%

5.3%

4.3%
12.2%
6.0 8.0 16.250

5.0 4.0 16.000

May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18

• U.S. Metalworking Machinery New Orders during the 12
months through October totaled $32.7 billion, up 6.2 percent
from a year ago. The New Orders 12MMT will vacillate near
the current level into the middle of next year. New Orders will
then decline through the remainder of 2019 before rising
throughout 2020.
• The U.S. Metal Cutting Machine Tools segment is currently
outperforming the overall Metalworking Machinery sector.
Metal Cutting Machine Tools New Orders were up 22.6 per-
cent and are growing at an accelerating pace. However, our
analysis indicates that the pace of rise for this component will
transition to a slowing trend by early next year. Metal Cutting
Machine Tools will still likely provide more growth opportuni-
ties than other segments during at least the next few quarters,
but recent growth rates will not persist. Budget accordingly.
• Key Input for Planning: Metal Cutting Machine Tools may
be particularly conducive to growth, but plan for the growth
rate to slow by early 2019.
• The S&P 500 Index is down 7.3 percent from the end of Sep-
tember through December 4. The percent decline is slightly
steeper than typical for the initial stages of a declining trend.
October was worse than November, but December is starting
off on a pronounced negative note. Further decline in the short
term is probable, based on: the 1/12 rate-of-change running
below the 12/12; concerns about rising interest rates, trade,
and profitability; the high cyclically adjusted PE; and the nega-
tive technical signal of descending interim peaks and troughs
established since September. That doesn’t mean the market
will decline further “tomorrow,” it means the dust likely hasn’t
settled on this trend yet.
• We maintain that this is not a traditional bear market that is
forming. Our analysis of leading indicators and other variables
does not line up with contracting GDP. A full-fledged bear is
not probable while GDP is ascending (albeit at a slowing
pace).
• Key Input for Planning: The S&P 500 is providing more
discernible warning signs for 2019 but still should not be your
“go-to” leading indicator.
• North America Total Light Vehicle Production in the 12 months
ending in October totaled 16.9 million units, down 1.4 percent
from one year ago. Production is in a recovery trend but will
decline into early 2020. Activity will then expand through the
remainder of that year.
• The U.S. Light Vehicle Month-End Inventory Days Supply
12/12 tentatively transitioned to a rising trend. Rise in this
indicator typically leads decline in Production by about five
months, which suggests that Production will transition to the
back side of the business cycle by early 2019, consistent with
our forecast for this industry. This indicator signals that further
recovery in this sector will be short-lived. Plan for decline to
resume by the second half of next year.
• Key Input for Planning: Keep costs low. We do not antici-
pate much further growth in this market.

Iron and Steel Fastener &

Housing Starts Production Bolt Production
(NAICS 3311/2, Federal (NAICS 3327, Federal Reserve
(annual data, Reserve Board Production Index) Board Production Index)
millions of units) (12/12 rate-of-change) (12/12 rate-of-change)
2.000 7.0 6.5

6.5%

6.5%

6.5%
1.280 6.0 6.0

6.3%
6.3%

6.2%

6.2%
6.1%

5.9%
5.8%

5.8%

1.260 5.0 5.5

5.7%
1.263
1.261

1.261
1.254

1.240 4.0 5.0

1.250

1.250

1.220 3.0 4.5

1.200 2.0 4.0

May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18

• U.S. Single Unit Housing Starts during the 12 months ending
in October were up 6.0 percent from the year-ago level. The
Starts 12MMT ticked down from last month. We expect
decline in Starts to generally persist through the first half of
2019. Rise will then take hold and last through 2020. U.S.
Existing Home Inventory typically dips this time of year. Even
with the decline in Inventory over the last few months, Inven-
tory is 26.7 percent above the record-low Inventory set in
December 2017. The recent rise in Inventory is slowing
demand for new Housing Starts. While Inventory is rising, so
is the Conventional 30-Year Mortgage Rate, up to 4.87 per-
cent in November. Rising Mortgage Rates will put downward
pressure on Starts into at least mid-2019, in line with our
expectations. Lead with optimism as the decline in Starts will
be mild before growth takes around late 2019.
• U.S. Multi Unit Housing Starts during the 12 months through
October totaled 372.1 thousand units, up 3.4 percent on a
year-over-year basis. Multi Unit Starts were trending above
our previous forecast range. We lifted our projections to be
more in line with our macroeconomic expectations, which had
been revised since this forecast’s last release. We raised our
projections for the Housing Starts annual total by 4.0 percent
for 2018 and 8.5 percent for 2019 while leaving 2020 virtually
unchanged. Multi Unit Housing Permits are down 12.6 percent
from the prior year and are suggesting 12/12 decline for
Housing Starts during at least the first half of 2019. Activity
will generally decline through 2019 and into mid-2020. Hous-
ing Starts will begin recovering during the latter half of 2020.
• Key Input for Planning: Plan for diminishing opportunities
in the residential housing market for the majority of 2019.
Look to the nonresidential market in the near term.
• U.S. Iron and Steel Products Production during the 12 months
through October was at a more than three-year high. The pace
of year-over-year Production growth has declined from 6.3 per-
cent in July to 5.7 percent in October, signifying a tentative
transition to a slowing growth trend. Slowing growth could
give way to contraction during the second half of 2019, in line
with expected trends in U.S. Industrial Production.
• Steel production trends vary by market segment. U.S. Equip-
ment Steel Production is rising at a faster pace (up 9.4 per-
cent year-over-year) than overall Iron and Steel Products
Production, but both are in Phase C, Slowing Growth.
Expected decline in annual U.S. Machinery New Orders next
year portends slowing growth or contraction in Equipment
Steel Production. U.S. Nonresidential Construction recently
transitioned to an accelerating growth trend. The benefit of ris-
ing Nonresidential Construction can be seen in U.S. Construc-
tion Steel Production, which, unlike overall Steel Production, is
in Phase B, Accelerating Growth. U.S. Consumer Durable
Steel Production, which includes steel for autos and appli-
ances, is faring worse than other Steel Production segments.
Consumer Durable Steel Production is in Phase D, Recession,
down 4.8 percent from the prior year.
• Key Input for Planning: Nonresidential construction typi-
cally lags the industrial economy. Production tied to nonresi-
dential construction may provide opportunities for growth
while U.S. Industrial Production declines mildly in the second
half of 2019.
• U.S. Fastener and Bolt Production during the 12 months
through October was up 6.5 percent from the prior year. The
pace of annual growth has held steady for the last three
months. The ITR Checking Points™ System indicates that the
pace of growth will likely begin to diminish in the near term.
Most leading indicators suggest the Production growth rate
will peak in the coming quarters, with contraction possible dur-
ing at least a portion of 2019 given our expectations for U.S.
Industrial Production.
• Accelerating rise in U.S. Engines and Power Transmission
Equipment Production is likely contributing to rise in Fastener
and Bolt Production. This boost will likely not last very long, as
Engine and Power Transmission Production will likely enter a
slowing growth trend in early 2019, alongside U.S. Industrial
Production. U.S. Machinery New Orders are in a slowing
growth trend with contraction probable during at least a por-
tion of 2019. Do not expect market growth to propel your
business in 2019, as demand for Fasteners and Bolts will likely
be softer as Machinery New Orders decline next year.
• Key Input for Planning: Avoid overexpansion at the top
of the business cycle; cash flow may be tighter next year.
continued on page 16

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American Fastener Journal January/February 2019 15

xx
 ECONOMIC FORECAST: Prepare for unique challenges in 2019 continued from page 15

Terminology and Methodology

Data Trends
Monthly Moving Total (MMT) vs Monthly Moving Average (MMA):
Averages are used when the data cannot be compounded, such as an
index, percent, price level, or interest rates. Totals are used for things
where it makes sense to add the data together. For example, units sold
or total dollars spent.
3MMT/A and 12MMT/A:
A 3-month or 12-month moving total/average is the total/average of the
monthly data for the most recent 3 and 12 months, respectively. The
3MMT/A illustrates the seasonal changes inherent to the data series.
The 12MMT/A removes seasonal variation in order to derive the underlying
cyclical trend. It is also referred to as the annual total or annual average.
Rates-of-Change
A rate-of-change figure is the ratio comparing a data series during a
specified time period to the same period one year ago. Rates-of-Change
are expressed in terms of the annual percentage change in an MMT or
MMA, 3MMT/A, and actual monthly data.
Rates-of-change reveal whether activity levels are rising or falling compared
to last year. A rate-of-change trend illustrates and measures cyclical change
and trends in the data.
ITR Economics’ three commonly used rates-of-change are the 1/12, 3/12,
and 12/12, which represent the year-over-year percent change of a single
month, 3MMT/A, and 12MMT/A (respectively).
A rate-of-change above 0 indicates the data is higher than one year prior,
while a rate-of-change below 0 indicates the data is below one year earlier.

Growth (B): 12/12 is rising above 0, Business Cycle Slower Growth (C): 12/12 is
data trend is accelerating in its ascent declining but remains above 0, data
and is above the year-ago level. This is trend ascent is slowing or has stopped
the second positive phase of the busi- its rise, but it is still above last year.
ness cycle. This is the first negative phase of
Above year-ago level the business cycle.

Below year-ago level

Recovery (A): 12/12 is rising below Recession (D): 12/12 is below 0,
0 and the data trend is either heading data trend is below the year-ago level
toward a low or is in the early stages of and the rate of decline is intensifying.
recovery. This is the first positive phase This is the second and final negative
of the business cycle. The data trends and rates-of-change identify positions in phase of the business cycle.
the business cycle, those are labeled here A, B, C and D.

Over 100 Years of Service

16 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019

TECHNICALSUPPORT
CONTROLLED
QUENCHING
& TEMPERING
by Guy Avellon, GT Technical Consultants, Ltd.
Previously, we have discussed the steel chemistries of various alloy compositions and their basic relationships with temperature and carbon
content to form the desirable crystalline structures for the mechanical properties needed in the finished product. However, the job is not yet
complete without cooling the heated steel.
Grain size is largely dependent upon the
steel making practice and is an important
factor in governing the mechanical proper-
ties of the steel. A fine austenite grain size
will generally improve toughness, ductility
and fatigue strength but may reduce harden-
ability.
Under slow or moderate cooling rates,
carbon atoms are able to diffuse out of an
austenitic structure to become b.c.c. (body-
centered-cubic). With a further increase in
cooling rate, insufficient time is allowed for
the carbon to diffuse out of solution but
cannot become a b.c.c. form while the car-
bon is trapped in solution. The resultant
structure is martensite, which is a form of
iron in which some carbon is trapped in a
body-centered-tetragonal structure. This
highly distorted lattice structure is the prime
reason for the high hardness of martensite.
The goal of hardening any steel is to pro-
duce a fine grain, fully martensitic
microstructure, as it is much harder than
austenite. Martensite is formed upon cool-
ing. Martensite is formed only from austen-
ite almost instantaneously at relatively low
temperatures. The maximum hardness
obtainable from a steel in the martensitic
condition is a function of the carbon content
only. The minimum cooling rate (ºF or ºC per
second) that will avoid the formation of any
softer products of transformation is known
as the critical cooling rate.
The critical cooling rate is determined by
the chemical composition of the steel, the
Jominy test and the austenitic grain size.
These factors influence how fast steel must
be cooled in order to form only martensite.
How the steel cools will determine its prop-
erties.
18 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019
Before heating and quenching any steel,
a Jominy test must be performed to deter-
mine its hardenability. This is where heat lot
numbers are important, as each heat lot will
have different alloys and/or different chemi-
cal content percentages that will affect the
end results. The end-quench hardenability
test, or the Jominy test, will determine the
hardenability of the steel heat lot. After heat
treating and quenching per standard meth-
ods for that product, hardness readings are
taken at 1/16  intervals from the quenched
end at a depth of 0.015 . Each location on
the test piece represents a certain cooling
rate.
For each steel and alloy, there is a cool-
ing guide called a “Time-Temperature-Trans-
formation” graph, or TTT for short. It is also
known as an Isothermal Transformation Dia-
gram. This is illustrated in Figure 1.
The bottom axis of the graph is the loga-
rithmic time in seconds. It becomes appar-
ent that the cooling rate must be very fast
once the steel cools to 1333º F (723º C) to go
from austenite to martensite. Misjudge the
time, and the structure becomes something
else. The cooling path chosen determines
the structure and properties of the steel.
The combination of heat treating and
quenching refines the structure of the steel
to enhance its physical characteristics. Dur-
ing the quench, the cap screw’s temperature
may be brought from above the upper trans-
formation temperature to 600°F (316ºC) in 2
seconds.
The SAE J429 and several ASTM product
standards specify oil quenching on special
alloys, such as; A354 BD and SAE Grade 8
cap screws, as well as A449 cap screws 1/4 bolt-making procedures. The formation of
through 3/4 diameters. The SAE J429 per-
mits water quench on grades 5 and 5.2.
Larger diameter A449 fasteners may be
quenched in water. The choice of the
quenching liquid is determined by the
amount of heat that must be dissipated, a
function of the cap screw’s cross-sectional
area of diameter, and the steel to be
quenched.
Oil quenchants have been the preferred
medium for controlled and rapid cooling
rates. However, other quench media have
been used and proven effective, such as:
molten salt, soluble oil-water mixture, poly-
mer solutions, water brine and caustic soda
solutions. To achieve specific results, it is
desirable to obtain the greatest quench
severity that can be used without subjecting
the steel to cracking, distortion or excessive
stresses that cannot be overcome by subse-
quent tempering.
After quenching, the tensile strength and
hardness of the cap screw often exceed opti-
mum levels. The SAE J429 specifies a
microstructure of approximately 90 percent
martensite prior to tempering. The ‘as
quenched’ hardnesses are also taken to con-
firm core hardness. Since the hardnesses are
high enough to produce a brittle material,
the cap screws must be ‘softened’ from an
additional heat treating process called tem-
pering.
TEMPERING
Tempering is required to relieve the
internal stresses that are built up during the
initial heat treat hardening process. Temper-
ing is similar to the annealing process car-
ried out on the raw steel wire prior to
martensite also leaves high residual stresses
continued on page 20
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 CONTROLLED QUENCHING & TEMPERING continued from page 18

in the steel. Therefore, hardening is almost ISOTHERMAL TRANSFORMATION DIAGRAM

always followed by tempering or drawing,
which consists of heating the steel to some 800
temperature below the lower critical temper-
ature. Tempering takes the super hardened Eutectoid temperature
martensitic structure and makes the cap
screw less brittle and more ductile and 700
improves its toughness. This treatment also
increases the steel’s shock resistance, and
lowers the tensile strength to desirable lev- 600
els.
Normalizing

THE CRITICAL COOLING RATE

500
Full anneal
IS DETERMINED BY THE
Temperature, °C

Oil
quench
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF
400
THE STEEL, THE JOMINY TEST
Critical
AND THE AUSTENITIC GRAIN cooling rate
300 Water
quench
SIZE. THESE FACTORS Ms

INFLUENCE HOW FAST STEEL

200
MUST BE COOLED IN ORDER

TO FORM ONLY MARTENSITE. M 90

100
HOW THE STEEL COOLS WILL D E C B A
Martensite Martensite Fine Coarse
DETERMINE ITS PROPERTIES. and pearlite pearlite pearlite
0
0.1 1 10 100 10 3 10 4 10 5 5 x 10 5
It is this combination of heat treating,
Time, S
quenching and tempering that imparts a cap
screw with its final physical specifications of Figure 1. Time-Temperature-Transformation graph
hardness, proof load, yield strength and ten-
sile strength. Steel that has a fully marten-
sitic structure before tempering will produce
the highest yield strength, the highest duc-
GUY AVELLON has worked in the MRO industry for 30 years. He has held positions
tility, the highest fatigue strength and the
of engineering, manager of product marketing and quality systems. Prior to his involve-
greatest toughness.
Some high strength specialty bolts begin ment with fasteners, he was heavily involved with metal coatings. He is a member of SAE
life with a steel differing in composition and is Vice-Chairman for the ASTM Fastener Committee. Guy served as Chairman of the
from standard ASTM, ISO or SAE recom- Fastener Test Methods Committee from 1988 to 2018, and in 2005, Guy was presented
mended chemical compositions. The basic with the ASTM Award of Merit. A few years ago, he began GT Technical Consultants,
difference is during the tempering process. serving as an expert witness for law firms, performing fastener training and failure
Unless enhanced alloys are used and special analysis to a variety of industries, as well as ISO auditing and manual preparation. Guy
care is taken with the heat treating process, may be contacted at ExpertBoltGuy@gmail.com. His website is www.BoltFailure.com.
cap screws with higher than standard speci-
fication tensile strength and hardness are
also more brittle. Regardless of the steel
choice, it is the heat treatment that deter-
mines the fastener’s final characteristics
with a 90 to 100 percent martensitic struc-
ture. ■

20 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019

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 INDUSTRYNEWS
STRATEGIC PLANNING:
Something Every Progressive
Fastener Company Should Be Doing
by Lawrence Claus, NNi Training and Consulting, Inc.
Authors Don Peppers and Martha Rogers wrote in their book Extreme Trust: “When your
headlights aren’t on, the best rearview mirror isn’t likely to improve your driving.” Although
this quote was likely intended to address the idea that past experience isn’t a guarantee for
future success, it also speaks to the idea of operating a business without a strategy. If you
don’t have a vision and strategy of where you wish the business to go, it is sort of like driving
at night without your headlights on.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, during
my “former life” as an executive with a fas-
tener manufacturer, I recall each year setting
aside time to develop our company’s Strate-
gic Plan. Months of preparation would cul-
minate in a multiday offsite meeting with
our executive team where we would formu-
late “The Plan.” We would emerge from
these sessions thinking we had our future
well in hand and that our competitors had
better beware.
In reality, our great plans would soon
find their way onto our bookshelves, not to
see the light of day again until the following
year’s strategic planning cycle. Regrettably,
our failure to see these plans through to
completion is an all too common but uni-
versal tale of inattentiveness in the business
world. However, the exercise was not with-
out some positive outcomes. In fact, I
learned that organizations should review the
way they approach and consider the follow-
ing four strategic activities.
Understanding Your
Organization and the
Competition
Without fail, during our Strategic Plan-
ning Weekend, we would gather for a ses-
sion to discuss our competition. These
discussions would normally be loaded with
metaphor and unsubstantiated stories and
be short on facts and substantiated com-
petitor actions. The famed Chinese military
strategist Sun Tzu once said, “If you know the
enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the
22 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019
petition. They should be very careful to
make judgements or take actions from
unsubstantiated and partial information.
They should work hard to gather as much
factual-based and objective information as
possible. A couple of observations and
thoughts:
• Seek to truly understand your own
strengths and weaknesses. Be careful not
result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but to rely too much on your own perspec-
not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also tives. Social psychologists have demon-
suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor strated time and again a form of
yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” cognitive bias known as “primus inter
The truth behind this quote has played pares effect” or “illusory superiority”
itself out many times throughout history, where individuals consistently rate them-
but perhaps in modern times never so selves better than others.
poignantly as the American war in Vietnam.
As one looks back at history, it is clear that This same phenomenon occurs when
the United States did not understand its evaluating the strength of one’s organiza-
enemy or their tactics, and likely only had a tion. I can recall multiple discussions I par-
vague understanding of their own purpose ticipated in evaluating our responsiveness
in the war. The result of this misunderstand- to customers’ needs. We always judged our-
ing of the enemy and themselves will forever selves higher than average, even when all
be seared into U.S. history. the evidence seemed to point to a contrary
In a similar fashion, companies should conclusion.
really understand themselves and the com- continued on page 24
LAWRENCE CLAUS
Laurence Claus is founder and president of NNi Training and
Consulting, Inc. of Green Oaks, Illinois. He has a bachelor’s
degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois
and more than 30 years of experience working various positions
within the fastener and automotive part supplier industries.
Laurence is well versed in ISO9000, TS16949 and AS9100
quality management systems, having served as management
representative for each and overseeing implementation to
certification. Laurence is the Industrial Fasteners Institute’s
director of training. In addition to his engineering degree,
Laurence completed the prestigious Executive Program for
Growing Companies at Stanford University and is a certified
Six Sigma Black Belt from Villanova University. He can be
reached at 847.867.7363 or lsclaus@sbcglobal.net. Learn
more about NNi at www.NNiTraining.com.
 STRATEGIC PLANNING
Therefore, efforts should be made to
access and evaluate external, unbiased feed-
back. This can come from customer report
cards, customer surveys, or feedback
gleaned from social media. This could also
come from direct feedback from your cus-
tomers, which is why participation and feed-
back from your sales force, customer service,
and quality departments is inherently more
valuable than from individuals further
removed from the customer.
• Engage market intelligence sources.
These include market research and data
gathering/analysis entities, which gener-
ate market intelligence in many different
areas. There are several organizations
that perform these sorts of studies for
the fastener industry as well as multiple
sources for specific customer market seg-
ments, such as automotive, aerospace,
and construction. Although these can
supply a treasure trove of market intelli-
gence, for many small companies these
sorts of resources may be beyond their
means to purchase. In such instances
they may be able to get access to some
of this expertise through trade associa-
tions or consortiums that they belong to.
For example, I know that many trade
associations regularly arrange to have
economists and analysts attend their
annual or regional meeting to share
insight with their membership.
• Keep abreast of press releases and
announcements in trade publications to
stay informed with significant happen-
ings at your competitors and in the
industry.
• Use your sales force and other individu-
als who have regular contact with your
customers to keep abreast of what is
happening with your customers, the mar-
ket, and your competitors.
Learn What to Say “No” To
Michael Porter, the Harvard professor
and proclaimed expert on competitive strat-
egy, once said, “The essence of strategy is choosing
what not to do.” This is truly profound. When
planning strategy, we seem to spend a lot of
time and effort on trying to come up with
the best activities to do and rarely spend as
much, if any, time on what to say “no” to.
However, if we could exclude activities, it
likely would assist us in developing concrete
and actionable activities in the things we
want to do.
Although on the surface this may seem
24 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019
continued from page 22
LEARN TO SAY “NO” TO
BUSINESS AND CUSTOMERS
THAT ARE NOT STRATEGIC TO
WHERE YOUR ORGANIZATION
IS HEADING.
like both a commonsense and easy piece of
advice to follow, it is not. It is counterintu-
itive to our established way of thinking and
truly takes a disciplined individual or organi-
zation to pull off successfully. I can no
longer count the number of times that I
have seen organizations wrestle with deci-
sions related to winning or keeping “bad
business.” It is simply not in our nature to
turn away sales or customers, even if they
are not a good fit or eventually destructive
to our business.
Learn to say “no” to business and cus-
tomers that are not strategic to where your
organization is heading.
Consider Strategic Fit
For years, Southwest Airlines has per-
formed better than any of its competitors.
For as many years, it has been subject to
one case study after another. Why? What is
the secret ingredient that has made South-
west Airlines so successful?
Although I have set this up to suggest
that there is a simple explanation to these
questions, there is not. The answer to these
questions is certainly complicated and
multi-level. However, Southwest Airlines
does provide an extraordinary example of
what Michael Porter calls “Strategic Fit.”
Strategic Fit is about combining individual
activities, which on their own may provide
little competitive advantage, together into
one group of bundled and intertwined activ-
ities, which become exceedingly difficult to
copy. This is exactly what Southwest Airlines
has done and done well. It has combined
multiple activities like the reservation expe-
rience, aircraft model choices, route choices,
airport choices, seating procedures, flight
attendant training, and many others to form
a “well-oiled machine” that is very difficult
to copy. If there is any doubt on that score,
just look at the number of traditional air-
lines that have tried and failed to create a
similar low-cost and successful operation.
The Southwest example provides us with
a lesson. For all practical purposes, whether
a fastener manufacturer or fastener distribu-
tor, the processes and activities we do are
similar. However, how can they be combined
and customized just a bit to set one organi-
zation apart from another? As an example, if
it was considered strategic to be able to pro-
vide the shortest lead times in the industry,
what activities could be “fit” together to
accomplish this outcome?
Execute Effectively
American businessman Morris Chang
proffered a wise insight regarding execution
of one’s Strategic Plan. He said, “Without
strategy execution is aimless. Without execution,
strategy is useless.” All too often, plans are
made and never followed up on. The only
way, however, that a strategy is going to take
shape is to execute actions against it. This
can be tough, though, especially if the strat-
egy is taking your organization in a new
direction or requires a significant amount of
risk or change. Therefore, the best tactical
plans are made up of small, reasonably
achievable steps.
CASE STUDY AFTER CASE
STUDY ILLUSTRATES HOW
COMPANIES THAT HAVE
ADOPTED A STRATEGIC PLAN
AND STAYED THE COURSE HAVE
BEEN SUCCESSFUL, WHILE
THOSE THAT HAVE NOT HAVE
FLOUNDERED AND
STRUGGLED.
The bottom line is that every organiza-
tion should be thinking about strategy and
have a Strategic Plan. It doesn’t need to be
voluminous. In fact, the simpler and more
straightforward the better, as a simpler plan
will have much better chances of actually
getting implemented. Case study after case
study illustrates how companies that have
adopted a Strategic Plan and stayed the
course have been successful, while those
that have not have floundered and strug-
gled. So, resurrect your strategic planning,
but not to create a beautiful icon that will
stay on the bookshelf but rather to be some-
thing that is at the heart of what your com-
pany does and helps pave your way to
success. ■
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There are several reasons why bolt s fail.
Most often, the reason is an improper pre-
load (clamp load).
Improper clamp load (preload)
On average, about 15 percent of the
torque translates into clamp load. However,
the amount of clamp load is greatly influ-
enced by the friction scatter and by the
accuracy of the tightening method. In spite
of today’s tightening tools, the assembler
still has influence regarding which clamp
load is ultimately induced into the joint.
Typical Friction coefficients (K-factors):
• Moly lub = 0.10 (0.142)
• Zinc flake coating w/lubricant sealer =
0.11(0.156)
• Zinc plated = 0.125 (0.172)
• Plain = 0.14 (0.190)
This can result in a “too” high clamp load
or “too” low clamp load. Both are serious
and can lead to bolt failure. A too high
clamp load will stretch the bolt beyond its
load capacity. A too low clamp load will
force higher load cycles on the bolt, causing
fatigue failures. Additionally, a too low
28 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019
TECHNICALSUPPORT
WHY MECHANICALLY
SOUND FASTENERS FAIL
by Bruno Marbacher
Although there are several reasons why bolts fail, too quickly one
concludes that the bolts either have flaws or do not have the
required mechanical properties. As these may be possible, the
mechanical integrity should be checked before the joint is further
evaluated.
Large final fracture indicates high preload Small final fracture indicates low preload
continued on page 30
BRUNO MARBACHER
Bruno Marbacher earned his mechanical engineering degree
in Switzerland and holds a business degree. Over the years,
he has held various management positions in quality and
engineering. He started out as a tool and die maker (poly-
mechanic) and then went back to college to get his current
degrees. He has 40 years’ experience in fastening and
assembly technology. During the years in A merica, he has
developed and given numerous seminars on topics related
to the proper use of mechanical fasteners and machine ele-
ments. He also assisted engineers solving fastening/assembly
issues. He has groomed and directed many young engineers in fastening/assembly tech-
nology and now offers his 40 years of experience through writing and lecturing in that field.
 Why Mechanically Sound Fasteners Fail
clamp load can cause bolt loosening. While
a too high preload is almost always critical,
a too low preload is critical in a joint that is
subject to heavy load cycles and/or vibra-
tions.
How to achieve proper
clamp load
First, one must realize that the friction
and the applied tightening methods involve
“scatters.” The friction can fluctuate about
+/–15%. The tightening method, which
includes the tool as well as the assembler,
may fluctuate about +/–10%. Both will result
in +/–25% clamp load scatter. This is typical
for joints using zinc-plated fasteners and a
torque wrench. There are many other factors
that affect the amount of clamp load, but
they are not as critical.
A TOO HIGH CLAMP LOAD WILL
STRETCH THE BOLT BEYOND
ITS LOAD CAPACITY. A TOO
LOW CLAMP LOAD WILL FORCE
HIGHER LOAD CYCLES ON THE
BOLT, CAUSING FATIGUE
FAILURES. ADDITIONALLY, A
TOO LOW CLAMP LOAD CAN
CAUSE BOLT LOOSENING.
WHILE A TOO HIGH PRELOAD IS
ALMOST ALWAYS CRITICAL, A
TOO LOW PRELOAD IS CRITICAL
IN A JOINT THAT IS SUBJECT TO
HEAVY LOAD CYCLES AND/OR
VIBRATIONS.
Typically, one should aim to induce a
clamp load that does not utilize more than
90% of the bolt’s yield strength. Worst-case
scenario, this would mean that with a clamp
load scatter of +/–25%, as little as 40% of the
bolt’s yield strength would be utilized. On
average, it is more likely to be 60–90%. This
is satisfactory when the joint is not subject
30 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019
to heavy load cycles. However, there are sit-
uations where the scatter must be reduced
to prevent bolt failures. This can be
achieved in two principle ways:
1. Reduce the friction scatter by using
coatings with more consistent friction
coefficients.
This can be attained by using a solid film
lubricant or a zinc flake coating with seal-
ers containing lubricating pigments.
Both coatings will typically reduce the
scatter to about half of that of regular
zinc.
2. Use a tightening method that is more
accurate.
Hand tightening and tightening with
impact wrenches results in a clamp load
that fluctuates between +/–40% to +/–60%.
The accuracy of impact tightening is
improved by completing the tightening
process with a torque wrench.
Torque wrenches achieve clamp loads
that scatter between +/–25% and +/–28%.
By measuring the actual friction rather
than using published friction, coefficients
and/or K-factors, the clamp load fluctuation
can be reduced to +/–17% to +/–23 %. There
are various affordable torque / tension
measuring devices available, which can be
used to determine the amount of friction.
Thus, we have a better idea of the resulting
K-factor and can achieve greater accuracy.
Another affordable tightening method is
the torque angle method; with this method
we eliminate the influence of friction. The
achieved clamp load will fluctuate by about
+/–5% to 12%. In this case we turn the nut to
a specified angle. There are now digital
torque angle wrenches and power tools
available. These tools first establish a snug
torque; then the torque angle method can
be used to finish the tightening process.
The costlier methods should be
addressed as well. One of them is the com-
puterized yield point method, and the other
is the ultrasonic load measuring method.
They are typically utilized for highly load
critical applications.
However, the costlier methods do not
have to be utilized. Simply instructing the
assemblers about what happens when the
nut or bolt is rotated is enough. Assemblers
ought to know that if a lubricant must be
continued from page 28
BY MEASURING THE ACTUAL
FRICTION RATHER THAN USING
PUBLISHED FRICTION,
COEFFICIENTS AND/OR
K-FACTORS, THE CLAMP
LOAD FLUCTUATION CAN BE
REDUCED TO +/–17% TO
+/–23%. THERE ARE VARIOUS
AFFORDABLE TORQUE /
TENSION MEASURING DEVICES
AVAILABLE, WHICH CAN BE
USED TO DETERMINE THE
AMOUNT OF FRICTION.
used, it ought to be used always. If no lubri-
cant has been considered for the tightening
torque, one should never use one. The dif-
ference of friction can be between 25 to 40
percent. Assemblers should be aware that
lubricants must be applied to both the
thread and the bearing area of both nuts
and bolts.
Preventing bolt failure
The first step in preventing bolt failure
stemming for an inadequate clamp load is
understanding the behavior of bolted joints.
Acting accordingly on what has been stated
in this article is the second step. Not only
do engineers have to know this, assemblers
ought to be informed and instructed accord-
ingly.
As a final note, the clamp load must be
higher than the maximum induced working
load. Thus, either no or very little additional
load is generated in the bolt, greatly reduc-
ing the risk of fatigue failures. ■
 PURSUING EX

Minneapolis Messenger (Minneapolis, KS) – April 8, 1915

Aztec® Premium Lifting Hardware
In July, G.L. Huyett acquired AZ Lifting Hardware in Phoenix, AZ. Rebranded
as Aztec Lifting Hardware, product is being expanded eastward to a Tennessee
stocking location, and new on-line tools are being developed to make it even easier to
quote custom specials with just a five day lead time. We’ve Come a Long Way, Maybe
Visit huyett.com/AztecLiftingHardware to learn more. In 1915, our founder, Guy Huyett, patented
a razor blade holder to assist dress makers in
cutting fabric, which distressed a journalist

TARIFF in Abilene, KS, enough to condemn the

invention for allowing a bastion of manliness
to be sacrificed to the women’s world. The
article reminds the G.L. Huyett team of the
importance of change in an organization –
not just business change, but cultural change.

Jim Flannery
BC AB SK MB Regional Sales Manager

48 Section 232 Tariff Exclusions Received

AK (319) 427-0405
jflannery@huyett.com

CANADA
WA
G.L. Huyett received 48 Section 232 Tariff Exclusions for stainless steel bar product. Terry May
Prowest Marketing, Inc.
Vancouver, WA
(360) 921-3898
MT ND

An additional 15 exclusions are pending, all of which have passed the public OR
ID SD
MN
WI

comment period with no objections. This is a big win for us and our customers! WY
NE
IA
CA
NV IL
Visit huyett.com/Tariff Exclusions to learn more. Dan Harriger
Vice President – Sales
(440) 263-7259
UT
CO
dan.harriger@huyett.com KS MO
Jason Mizner
Regional Sales Manager

New Regional Sales Managers

(480) 320-8152
jmizner@huyett.com OK
AR
NM
G.L. Huyett Corporate Office AZ MS
During 2018, three new Regional Sales Team members joined our Field Sales Team: Manufacturing and Warehouse

TX
LA

Dewey Oxner in the Mid-Atlantic Region, Jason Mizner in the Southwest and Rocky
G.L. Huyett Tennessee Warehouse
MEXICO
G.L. Huyett Arizona Branch Se Habla Español

Mountain regions, and Kelley Kerr in the Southeastern Region. Para servicio al cliente en Español
llama al 785-392-1000 o escríbenos
a espanol@huyett.com
Chris Bell
Regional Sales Manager
(785) 392-7651
cbell@huyett.com
Visit huyett.com/SalesTeam to learn more.

sales@huyett.com | 785-392-3017 | www.huyett.com

XCELLENCE
* SOME
EXCLUSIONS
APPLY

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2018

ALL WE
B OR D E
RS OV ER $10 *
0

CHARITIES

Communities Building Community

G.L. Huyett Charities gave away more than $70,000 in
donations, including five $1,000 Memorial Scholarships,
over $59,000 in Project Drive Grants, turkeys for a Salvation
Army Dinner on Thanksgiving Day, hams for families in need
through the Ottawa County Ministerial Association, carnival
ride tokens via Ottawa County Love INC, and donations to
the Ottawa County Community Foundation.
Visit huyett.com/GLHuyettCharities to learn more.

$59,000 Awarded to Local Organizations

Project Drive, G.L. Huyett’s Comprehensive Community
Improvement Program, gave grants to 11 Central Kansas
organizations in five communities. Projects included food
service equipment for food banks and elderly care homes;
windows for dilapidated houses; trash cans for a main street;
and book boxes for a “little libraries” program. Since 2007,
more than $235,000 has been awarded for 82 projects in 14
Kansas counties.
Visit huyett.com/ProjectDrive to learn more.

New Community Garden

A volunteer employee
r

ON
QC
PE committee designed and
Joel Glaser
Regional Sales Manager
ME
NB
developed a 40 x 80-foot
(740) 507-2678 NS
jglaser@huyett.com

VT Community Garden in a
NH
MA
NY
RI
wheat field directly south of
MI
PA CT
NJ
G.L. Huyett’s headquarters in
OH Dave Audia

IN
WV VA
DE
MD
Director of Sales
(330) 715-7826
daudia@huyett.com
Minneapolis, KS. Harvested
KY
NC
Dewey Oxner
Regional Sales Manager
crops were distributed to local
TN
non-profit organizations.
(803) 636-6808
doxner@huyett.com
SC
AL GA Terry May

Dan Harriger

Jason Mizner
Visit huyett.com/CommunityGarden Be Part of Something Different
to learn more.
We launched kansasfreeagents.com to introduce potential
Dave Audia

Joel Glaser
Kelley Kerr
FL
Dewey Oxner
Regional Sales Manager
(404) 695-1550
kkerr@huyett.com
Kelley Kerr

Jim Flannery
future employees to our organization and culture.
Chris Bell
Visit kansasfreeagents.com to learn more.
 CUSTOMERSERVICE

Emboldening an
Empowered Team
by John Tschohl

I love this saying by Lee Iacocca:
“LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET OUT
OF THE WAY.”
LEAD
Iacocca, former president of Ford Motor
Company, took over Chrysler when it was
leaning towards bankruptcy. He asked Con-
gress for a loan, arguing that if Chrysler filed
for bankruptcy, the government would have
to spend more on unemployment compen-
sation than on keeping the company in
business. The loan was granted, and a year
later, Iacocca announced Chrysler’s first
profit in many years.
During his turnaround of Chrysler, he
brought the convertible back into fashion
and introduced the minivan.
By leading in this fashion, Iacocca
inspired (emboldened) his people to feel
confident enough to behave in a particular
way. He steadily encouraged them by letting
them know they faced no opposition. They
began to spend time in the process of grow-
ing, of learning of their abilities to turn this
company around, to make a profit, to pay off
debt, to become a member of an empowered
team.
In 1983, Chrysler paid the government
back its $1.5 billion federal government
loans, and in 1984, the company posted
profits of $2.4 billion (higher than in the pre- help a customer, move a project forward, or
vious 60 years combined). How did he do all solve a problem. When you embolden
this? He emboldened his people to be empowered. employees that are empowered to do their
As I travel the world, I am astounded at part in accomplishing the stated objectives,
the lack of Empowerment. This is only sur- they have the framework that they need to
passed by the myth that executives have guide their own actions.
about their level of employee empower-
ment. It’s the one thing they constantly state
as being important. They don’t feel their “BECOME THE KIND OF
employees will follow through and take the
steps necessary to make an empowered LEADER THAT PEOPLE
decision.
WOULD FOLLOW
ATTRACT FOLLOWERS VOLUNTARILY, EVEN IF YOU
If you have set yourself up as the leader,
you need to hire people who aren’t afraid to HAD NO TITLE OR POSITION.
stand out, not afraid to follow you. Unfortu-
nately, most systems are set up to hire those CONDUCT A PERSONAL
who...fit in.
Leaders recognize their need to attract ASSESSMENT AND ASK
followers. Followership is key to under-
standing leadership. To follow, people must
YOURSELF, ‘WOULD
feel confident in the direction in which the I FOLLOW ME?’”
leader is headed. To have this level of confi-
dence, the leader must have clearly commu- —BRIAN TRACY
nicated the overall direction, the key
outcomes desired.
The definition of “Empower” is to give Get out of the way and Embolden
power or authority to, or to authorize (embolden). Empowerment: A good leader recognizes
In the workplace, empowered employees that for their followers to perform most
have the power and the authority to make effectively, they need to understand the big
quick, informed, and on-the-fly decisions to continued on page 35

JOHN TSCHOHL
John Tschohl is a professional speaker, trainer, and consultant. He is the president and founder of Service
Quality Institute (the global leader in customer service) with operations in more than 40 countries. John is
a self-made millionaire, traveling and speaking more than 50 times each year. He is considered to be one
of the foremost authorities on service strategy, success, empowerment and customer service in the world.
John’s monthly strategic newsletter is available online at no charge. He can also be reached on Facebook,
LinkedIn and Twitter.

34 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019

Emboldening an Empowered Team
picture. They also know that their job is to
remove barriers that may have a negative
impact on the employees’ success—not to
micromanage how the employees accom-
plish their work. They communicate, not just
the overall direction, but any information
their followers need to successfully carry out
their responsibilities.
They need to know why the organization
is pursuing the current strategies. Mostly,
they need the assurance that their leader
has confidence in their ability to perform
and produce the desired outcomes.
A leader who emboldens their empow-
ered people also understands that while
money is a motivator, so is praise, recogni-
tion, rewards, a thank you and noticing indi-
vidual contributions. Speaking directly to an
employee about the value that their work
continued from page 34
“LEADERSHIP IS THE ART OF GETTING SOMEONE ELSE
TO DO SOMETHING YOU WANT DONE BECAUSE HE WANTS
TO DO IT.”
—GENERAL DWIGHT EISENHOWER
provides for the organization is a key source inspirational and call out the best from your
of inspiration for the empowered employee. employees.
You can’t provide a raise in pay without
company profitability, but you absolutely “EMBOLDEN YOUR EMPLOYEES
must share the rewards and praise if the
organization is doing well. TO BE EMPOWERED AND...
The actions that you take every day at GET OUT OF THE WAY.”
work are powerful beyond your wildest
dreams. Make sure that your actions are
American Fastener Journal January/February 2019 35
 STOCKINDEX
provided by Trade Trends, Inc.

Markets Fall as Rough October

Melts into Volatile November
October was grim on Wall Street, and stocks endured
their worst monthly loss in seven years. Energy con-
tributed to November’s volatility with concerns about an
oil glut and a slowing global economy contributing to
oversupply. As our trading session ended Nov. 30, 2018,
the Dow industrials enjoyed their largest weekly advance
in two years, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq had the largest
weekly percentage gains in almost seven years, but it did
not save markets from closing in the red.
The Labor Department said that employers added
considerably more jobs in July and August than tallied
earlier. Private payroll processor ADP said that business-
es added 230,000 jobs in September, the largest gain in
seven months; hiring was strong across most major
industries. The unemployment rate is now at 3.7 percent,
a low not seen since December 1969. Separately, the
department said that employers posted the most jobs in
20 years in August, and job openings rose to 7.14 million,
the highest number on records dated to December 2000.
The strong jobs report had investors concerned that Fed
interest rate policy would accelerate.
The Commerce Department reported that factory
orders surged 2.3 in August, the largest jump since Sep-
tember 2017. Year-over-year, orders are up 8.6 percent.
The Federal Reserve reported that industrial production
rose slightly in October, up 0.1 percent for the fifth con-
secutive monthly gain, with an uptick in manufacturing
compensating for downturns in mining and utilities.
The Commerce Department said that consumer
spending was up 0.1 percent in September, the weakest
two-month showing since January, and below the
increase of 0.6 percent expected by economists. The
Commerce Department said that retail sales rose at a
sturdy pace in October, up 0.8 percent, after two months
of small decreases. The Labor Department said that con-
sumer prices rose 0.3 percent in October, with higher
prices for gas, used cars and housing. However, the Com-
merce Department said that consumer spending rose 0.6
percent in October, the fastest rate in seven months.
Separately, the department reported that durable goods
slid by 4.4 percent in October, the biggest drop in 15
months. Consumer confidence rose at the end of Octo-
ber to an 18-year high, to 137.9, from September’s 135.3.
worldwide shuddered, especially technology stocks.
Despite decent economic data, investors have their eyes
on the fall-out from trade tensions.
November’s National Association of Home
Builders / Wells Fargo builder sentiment index fell from
68 in October, to 60. It was the steepest one-month
decline in more than 4.5 years. Analysts polled by
Reuters expected a reading of 67. The Commerce Depart-
ment reported that sales of new homes tumbled 8.9 per-
cent in October; the number of new unsold homes is at
its highest since 2009. Higher mortgage rates continued
to bite into home sales, too.
Continued trade tensions kept markets unsettled. As
our session came to a close, stocks pressed ahead as
Presidents Trump and Xi prepared to engage in trade
talks, a move hoped to untangle the current knot
between the U.S. and China. Despite the upswing in the
market, however, concerns still linger. “In September, the
feeling (in the markets) was more confident,” said
Thomas Martin, portfolio manager at Globalt Invest-
ments. “Third quarter earnings reports, I think, really
started to change that, and the continuing weakness of
data overseas, in Europe and the rest of the world, has
changed that.”
The American Fastener Journal fell in tandem with
the national markets, off 104.51 points, or 4.53 percent,
and closed at 2201.97. Declining issues bested advancing
AFJ MARKET TRENDS
9500
9000
8500
8000
7500
7000
6500
6000
Index Value
issues by a 2-to-1 margin.
W.W. Grainger beat expectations on earnings, but
missed on revenues, and shares tumbled 43.37 points, or
12.13 percent. For the third quarter, Grainger reported net
income of $104.4 million, or $1.82 per share. Adjusted for
one-time items, GWW earned $4.19 per share. Revenue
was $2.83 billion. Analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment
Research expected earnings of $3.96 per share and rev-
enue of $2.85 billion. Grainger closed at 314.04 and was
the top dollar loser.
Dorman Products jumped 10.94 points, or 14.22 per-
cent, after beating estimates on third quarter earnings
and revenue. DORM posted net income of $34 million, or
$1.03 per share; adjusted for one-time items, Dorman
earned $1.06 per share. Revenue was $248 million. Ana-
lysts polled by Zacks expected earnings of $1.04 per
share and revenue of $234.5 million. DORM ended at
87.86 and was the top dollar gainer.
Simpson Manufacturing also beat on earnings but
missed on revenue, and shares slumped 13.96 points, or
19.27 percent. For its third quarter, SSD announced net
income of $44.4 million, or $0.95 per share. Revenue was
$284.2 million. Analysts polled by Zacks expected earn-
ings of $0.91 per share. SSD missed revenue estimates by
3.91 percent. Investment firm Robert W. Baird cut its rat-
ing on Simpson to “neutral” from “outperform.” SSD
closed at 58.50 and was the top percentage loser. ■

Both readings were the highest since September 2000. 5500

Concerns about slowing global growth continued the
slump as China took moves aimed at lowering the costs 5000
of financing and stimulating growth in the midst of the 4500
ongoing trade war. Chinese stocks suffered, and equities 4000
3500
MARGOT CRABTREE 3000
2500
Margot Crabtree
2000
is president of
1500
Trade Trends,
1000
Inc., a financial
500
data services
0
provider. May-18 Jul-18 Sep-18 Nov-18

AFJ Index S&P 500 Nasdaq

36 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019

 11/ 30 /18 9 / 28 /18 Net Percent 52-Week 52-Week Shares Market Cap
Exchange Ticker Company Name Stock Price Stock Price Change Change High Low Outstanding (in thousands)

NYSE AXE Anixter International, Inc. 63.96 70.30 – 6.34 – 9.02% 88.85 56.25 33480 2141380.8

NYSE ARNC Arconic, Inc. 21.48 22.01 – 0.53 – 2.41% 31.17 16.47 483240 10379995.2

NYSE B Barnes Group, Inc. 60.05 71.03 – 10.98 – 15.46% 72.70 52.42 51310 3081165.5

NYSE CVR Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. 31.25 32.50 – 1.25 – 3.85% 34.90 28.70 96.6 3018.75

NASD DORM Dorman Products, Inc. 87.86 76.92 10.94 14.22% 91.32 56.36 32950 2894987

NASD FAST Fastenal Co. 59.26 58.02 1.24 2.14% 61.14 47.37 287060 17011175.6

NYSE ITW Illinois Tool Works, Inc. 139.05 141.12 – 2.07 – 1.47% 179.07 119.38 331800 46136790

NASD LAWS Lawson Products, Inc. 30.80 33.90 – 3.10 – 9.14% 36.90 21.00 8920 274736

NASD KLXI KLX, Inc. 62.99 62.78 0.21 0.33% 69.56 45.23 50750 3196742.5

NYSE MSM MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. 88.59 88.11 0.48 0.54% 99.94 75.34 45410 4022871.9

NYSE NUE Nucor Corp. 60.41 63.45 – 3.04 – 4.79% 70.48 55.55 313930 18964511.3

NASD PKOH Park-Ohio Holdings Corp. 36.06 38.35 – 2.29 – 5.97% 47.90 32.32 12160 438489.6

OTC PERT Permanent Technologies, Inc. 0.03 0.02 0.01 50.00% 0.07 0.01 258420 7752.6

NYSE COL Rockwell Collins 141.04 140.47 0.57 0.41% 142.98 63.66 164370 23182744.8

NYSE SSD Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. 58.50 72.46 – 13.96 – 19.27% 78.36 53.15 45970 2689245

NYSE SWK Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. 130.85 146.44 – 15.59 – 10.65% 176.62 106.41 151060 19766201

NASD TRS TriMas Corp. 29.03 30.40 – 1.37 – 4.51% 31.80 22.70 45810 1329864.3

NYSE GWW WW Grainger, Inc. 314.04 357.41 -43.37 -12.13% 372.06 215.00 56320 17686732.8

Price Price Net Percent

11/ 30 /18 9 / 28 /18 Change Change

American Fastener Journal Index 2,201.97 2,306.48 –104.51 – 4.53%

Dow Jones Industrial Average 25,538.46 26,458.31 – 919.85 – 3.48%
S&P 500 Index 2,760.17 2,913.98 – 153.81 – 5.28%
Nasdaq Composite 7,330.54 8,046.35 –715.81 – 8.90%

GAINERS AND LOSERS

$ Gainer Dorman Products, Inc. 10.94

$ Loser WW Grainger, Inc. – 43.37

% Gainer Permanent Technologies, Inc. 50.00%

% Loser Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. – 19.27%

Advancers 6
Source: Trade Trends, Inc. Decliners 12
509.280.3896

American Fastener Journal January/February 2019 37

 continued from page 6
accounting, human resources, marketing
and customer service departments. In addi-
tion, Ms. Sherman was responsible for the
company’s many brands and copyrights,
working directly with patent lawyers to man-
age and protect Industrial Rivet’s proprietary
products and services. This includes RivetK-
ing®, the brand under which Industrial Rivet
sells its entire product line. She was instru-
mental in bringing Industrial Rivet online in
38 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019
the early days of the Internet—both to sup-
port and drive the Industrial Rivet and Riv-
etKing brands and to streamline the
customer experience.
Joanne Goodman Sherman was named
2010/2011 NAPW Professional Woman of the
Year and passed on October 10, 2016, at the
age of 61. She was a loving and dedicated
mother of Steven and Lisa Sherman, Traci
and Brendon Cohen; grandmother of Jenna,
Alexa and Andrew; daughter of Allen and
Edith Goodman; sister of William and Eva
Goodman; aunt to Keith, Sara, Taryn, Jeff,
Mark, Michael & Zoe.
About THORS
THORS eLearning Solutions was founded
on the mission to provide a solution to the
ever-increasing manufacturing knowledge
gap. THORS is more than just an eLearning
company. THORS has created an ecosystem
of manufacturing knowledge, where we have
brought together the best minds from
across many industries, and provided a plat-
form for your organization to access this
experiential knowledge. Our platform con-
sists of the THORS Academy with our visual-
ly rich, interactive eLearning courses, the
THORS Learning Management System, and
expert-led virtual seminars.
About WIFI
Women in the Fastener (WIFI) Industry
provides opportunities for women in the fas-
tener industry at all levels of experience. We
work together to unite, educate, mentor and
encourage one another, for the express pur-
pose of advancing women in the fastener
industry.
Women in the Fastener Industry would
like to encourage all the WIFI Sisters to
apply for all available scholarships. This
year, the Edith Cameron winner for 2019
Nicole Sedgwick was able to attend the fas-
tener show. This is what she had to say
about the event:
“I am Nikki Sedgwick; I work for Brighton
Best internationals Cleveland team. I was
able to attend the Vegas IFE show this year
thanks to the Edith Cameron scholarship. I
worked the WIFI booth at the show and had
a lot of fun meeting/encouraging women to
become a WIFI Sister. We also had many
WIFI brothers purchase T-shirts to help sup-
port our group. The show is very fast-paced
so you are on your feet all day, but it is total-
ly worth it, and I would not hesitate to do it
again. I was able to meet other distributors
& more of my co-workers from Brighton
Best/Ironclad who came in from UK, Brazil,
and Australia. I am proud to be part of an
organization that strongly supports women;
I encourage all women in the fastener Indus-
try to take part in this amazing group.”
WIFI is also looking for board members
for the 2019 term. If you would like to volun-
teer and be part of the sisterhood, please
email Carrie at president@fastener
women.com.
continued on page 48
HANGER BOLTS?
Hangerbolt.com of course
What about:
PINS?
STUDS?
DOWEL SCREWS?
Hangerbolt.com of course
800-537-7925

MADE IN THE USA!

American Fastener Journal January/February 2019 39

 COMPANY

SOLON
MANUFACTURING CO.
Celebrates 70 Years of Innovation
PROFILE
In 1949, four engineering graduates of Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio, joined together to form
Solon Manufacturing Company in a post-war industrialism era. With a shared vision for innovation, Solon’s
first products were turbulators used in auto parts cleaning machines and conduit benders used to bend
Republic Steel’s electro-mechanical tubing. By the mid-1950s, Solon began developing products around
requirements for Belleville spring washers. The company’s commitment to quality service and products led
to the specification of Solon parts in several high-profile applications, including General Electric’s circuit
breakers and the NASA flight suit worn by John Glenn in 1962.

Today, Solon Manufacturing Co. contin-
ues to thrive on the ideals of its founders—
innovation and passion for the company
and its stakeholders—enduring characteris-
tics that have led to 70 years of successful
business, with 55 employees and three
product lines. Solon® Belleville Springs,
including Solon ® Flange Washers and
Solon® Disc Springs, reduce bolted joint
failures by maintaining the bolt preload.
They are particularly useful where vibration,
differential thermal expansion, relaxation,
bolt creep and bolt yield are problematic.
Solon® Pressure Switches, developed by the
company in the 1960s, are rugged, industrial
controls designed with electro-mechanical
and pneumatic configurations that are used
to detect changes in pressure for fluid and
gas applications. Solon® SF6 Gas Density
Monitors, introduced by Solon in the 1970s,
are specifically designed for high voltage cir-
cuit breakers and provide a reliable and eco-
nomical way to monitor sulfur-hexafluoride
gas density and leakage over a wide temper-
ature range.
Solon products can be found in a wide
variety of industries and applications.
Solon’s explosion-proof pressure switches
were selected as the primary switch used on
the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, and
Solon’s custom differential vacuum switches
are currently in use at the Lawrence Liver-
more National Laboratory (LLNL), National
Ignition Facility (NIF), in California, on the
exterior of the nuclear fusion test chamber,
where they ensure the proper atmosphere is
in place inside the chamber. Additionally,
Solon Belleville Springs and Washers can be
found in applications ranging from ski lifts,
packaging equipment, bulldozers, electrical
substations, fishing reels, skyscrapers, com-
pressors, heat exchangers and valves.
Since moving to Chardon, Ohio, in 1960
(from the original building located in Solon,
Ohio, hence the namesake), Solon Manufac-
turing Co. has expanded its plant and facili-
ties four times to encompass a total of
54,000 square feet of manufacturing and
warehouse space.
Capital investments, process improve-
ments and migrating to the latest ISO
9001:2015 standard have allowed for a more
streamlined and efficient means of produc-
tion in more recent years, and product qual-
ity reaps the benefits of these continuous
improvement initiatives. With the skills and
expertise of its executive leadership team
and team members, under the direction of
company President Diane Popovich, Solon
is always exploring new ways to improve the
customer experience through a shared cor-
porate mission and vision of exceeding
expectations through opportunity and inno-
vation.
Solon Manufacturing Co. is grateful to its
past and current customers, suppliers and
employees for the confidence they have
placed in the organization over the past 70
years.
Founded in 1949, Solon Manufacturing
Company is a global leader in the design
and manufacture of Belleville springs, wash-
ers, industrial pressure switch products, and
SF6 gas density monitoring equipment to
industries in more than 40 countries. ■
See Solon’s timeline, continued on page 41

40
1949 to 2019
American Fastener Journal January/February 2019
SOLON MANUFACTURING COMPANY continued from page 40

American Fastener Journal January/February 2019 41

Zero to Fastened
in Seconds!
Strong-Point.
The right fastener
for any project.
A quality construction project requires precision, speed and
fasteners that perform at a very high level. Your customer’s
reputation depends on it. Kill it when you drill it ™ with
Strong-Point professional grade construction fasteners.

For free samples, or to learn more about our

professional grade construction fasteners, call 800-762-2004
or visit us online at www.intercorpusa.com.
 How Fastener Manufacturing
Can Be Improved Through
Predictive Maintenance
For Asset Efficiency
by Dr. Sean Otto

Fastener equipment manufacturers, engineering, power and process plant owners and operators
commonly face the challenge of keeping their fleet, machinery, and other assets working efficiently,
while also reducing the cost of maintenance and time-sensitive repairs.

Considering the aggressive time-to-mar- North America will continue to be the irrespective of its end applications. The ana-
ket required for industrial fastener products, biggest market for predictive maintenance lytics usually reside on a host of IT plat-
it is crucial to identify the cause of potential solutions. With an estimated market share forms, but these layers are systematically
faults or failures before they have an oppor- of 31.67 percent, North America is expected described as:
tunity to occur. Emerging technologies like to grow its predictive maintenance solutions • Data acquisition and storage (either on
the “internet of things,” big data analytics, at a CAGR of 24.5 percent, maintaining its the cloud or at the edge)
and cloud data storage are enabling more lead from 2017 through 2022. Key players • Data transformation—conversion of raw
vehicles, industrial equipment, and assem- include Bosch, GE, Hitachi, Honeywell and data for machine learning models
bly robots to send condition-based data to a Rockwell Automation, just to name a few. • Condition monitoring—alerts based on
centralized server, making fault detection asset operating limits
easier, more practical, and more direct. Predictive Maintenance • Asset health evaluation — generating
By proactively identifying potential Approach: Increasing diagnostic records based on trend analy-
issues, fastener companies can deploy their Product Availability sis if asset health has already started
maintenance services more effectively and The underlying architecture of a preven- declining
improve equipment up-time. The critical tive maintenance model is fairly uniform continued on page 46
features that help to predict faults or fail-
ures are often buried in structured data,
such as year of production, make, model,
warranty details, as well as unstructured PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE MARKET SHARE 2017–2022
data such as maintenance history and repair
2017 2022
logs.
By leveraging artificial intelligence mod-
els to identify anomalous behavior, the 9.8% 10.4%
information derived from the equipment
sensors can be turned into meaningful and 27.1%
actionable insights for proactive mainte- 10.1% 31.7% 10.9%
nance of assets, thereby preventing inci-
dents that result in asset downtime or
accidents. Commonly known as predictive
maintenance, this added intelligence
enables organizations to forecast when or if 22.3%
functional equipment will fail so that its 25.5%
maintenance and repair can be scheduled
26.1%
before the failure occurs.
26.2%
The Market: North America
Tops Market Share
Due to higher spending by fastener man-
ufacturing companies looking to optimize
operating costs and increase profitability, North America Europe APAC MEA Latin America

44 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019

 Predictive Maintenance For Asset Efficiency
NORTH AMERICA PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE MARKET BY VERTICAL 2017–2022
249.1
IN MILLIONS $
161.7
25.5%
84.28
55.25
Government Aerospace
and Defense
2017 2022
• Prognostics — generating predictions of
failure through machine learning models,
and estimating remaining life
• Decision support system—recommenda-
tions of best actions
• Human interface layer—making all infor-
mation accessible in an easy-to-under-
stand format
Failure prediction, fault diagnosis, fail-
ure-type classification, and recommenda-
tion of relevant maintenance actions are all
a part of predictive maintenance methodol-
ogy.
As fastener customers become increas-
ingly aware of the growing maintenance
costs and downtime caused by the unex-
pected machinery failures, predictive main-
tenance solutions are gaining even more
traction. With the manufacturing, energy
and utilities verticals among the biggest
demand drivers for predictive maintenance,
it is even more critical for equipment manu-
facturers, EPCs and owners/operators to
adopt a predictive maintenance solution to
maintain a competitive advantage.
The bigger players have already been
using this methodology for more than a
decade. Small- and medium-sized compa-
nies in the manufacturing sector also can
reap its advantages by keeping repair costs
low and meeting initial operational costs for
new operations.
While it evidently offers more business
benefits than corrective and preventative
maintenance programs, predictive mainte-
nance is also a step ahead of preventive
maintenance. As maintenance work is
46 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019
293.2
251.3
151.5
112.67
80.94
51.91
Energy Manufacturing Healthcare
and Utilities
FAILURE PREDICTION, FAULT DIAGNOSIS, FAILURE-TYPE
CLASSIFICATION, AND RECOMMENDATION OF RELEVANT
MAINTENANCE ACTIONS ARE ALL A PART OF PREDICTIVE
MAINTENANCE METHODOLOGY.
scheduled at preset intervals, maintenance
technicians are informed of the likelihood of
parts and components failing during the
next work cycle and can take action to mini-
mize downtime.
Gain the Benefits
of Predictive Maintenance
In addition to the advantages of control-
ling repair costs, avoiding warranty costs for
failure recovery, reducing unplanned down-
time and eliminating the causes of failure,
predictive maintenance employs non-intru-
sive testing techniques to evaluate and
compute asset performance trends. Addi-
tional methods used can include thermody-
namics, acoustics, vibration analysis, and
infrared analysis, among others.
The continuous developments in big
data, machine-to-machine communication,
and cloud technology have created new pos-
sibilities for the investigation of information
derived from industrial assets. Condition
monitoring in real-time is viable thanks to
inputs from sensors, actuators, and other
control parameters. What stakeholders need
is a bankable analytics and engineering
service partner who can help them leverage
continued from page 44
175.2
68.2
59.03
35.83
Transportation Others
and Logistics
data science not only to predict embryonic
asset failures, but also to eliminate them
and take action in a timely manner. ■
DR. SEAN OTTO currently leads
business development for Cyient’s
Advanced Analytics team, focused
on designing AI and Machine Learning
models to improve the functionality and
reliability of equipment and systems in
healthcare. Leveraging the expertise of
Cyient, a global equipment engineering
and manufacturing service provider,
and the growing advantages of “internet
of things” and “connected devices,”
Dr. Otto and his analytic teams bridge
the needed gap between technology,
operations and business. His focus is
in completing the “last mile” of AI and
connected experiences in the “internet
of things” where most of the long-term
value is realized for businesses and their
customers.
 Bolts • Nuts • Studs
Sockets • Washers
Bent Bolts
® technical guidance, specifications and draw-
Industrial Bolting
24-7 Emergency Service
Special Metals and Alloys
Over 150 Material Grades
Over 25 Coatings and Platings
Over 250 Machines
10,000 Ton Inventory
Future Stock Programs
Serving Resale Distributors
We Service All Quantities
www.GoASF.com
48 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019
continued from page 38
2019 is going to be a golden year for WIFI.
We will be celebrating our 10-year anniver-
sary. Help us make “10 years” a memorable
year and sponsor us for 2019. For informa-
tion about sponsoring WIFI, please email
chariwoman@fastenerwomen.com.
Rob LaPointe and Carmen
Vertullo Develop AIM
Testing Laboratory
AIM Testing Laboratory is a new compa-
ny developed by Carmen Vertullo and Rob
LaPointe. Their primary focus is consulta-
tion, training and testing of fasteners and
related products. Product offerings include
ings, compliance issues, QMS support, sup-
ply-chain support, on-site training,
mechanical, metallographic, chemical and
nondestructive testing. Their work covers
applications in the Aerospace, Industrial
and Military sectors.
Carmen Vertullo, co-founder of AIM, has
experience in fastener quality assurance,
manufacturing, sales, bolted joint design
and inventory management programs. He
holds a degree in Manufacturing Engineer-
ing Technology and is a member of the
ASTM Committee F16 on Fasteners, the
ASME B18 Fastener Standards Committee
and the Research Council of Structural Con-
nections (RCSC). Carmen is well informed
on compliance issues relating to fastener
supplier, especially California Proposition
65.
Rob LaPointe, co-founder of AIM, is a
noted authority in materials and fastener
technology. With experience in materials
testing combined with degrees in physics
and education, he excels at bringing solu-
tions to the client. He has high-level skills in
physics, materials science and testing
instrumentation. He is a member of the
ASTM E28 Committee on Mechanical Test-
ing and the A01 Committee on Ferrous
Materials.
AIM is located at 1920 Cordell Court #101,
El Cajon, California, 92020. For more infor-
mation, call 909.254.1278, email sales@
aimtestlab.com, or visit aimtestlab.com.
JW Winco Introduces Inch Set
Screws Steel, With Brass or
Nylon Tip
JW Winco, Inc., A Ganter Company, a
leading supplier of standard industrial
machine components, has recently intro-
continued on page 49
continued from page 48

duced WN-913.3 Inch Size Steel Set Screws,

with Brass or Nylon Tip.
These set screws, with a black oxide fin-
ish, are used primarily in applications where
you want to avoid the marring of a shaft or
damaging a soft piece of material, but still
need to secure it in place with the brass or
nylon tipped set screw. They can be used
with a variety of different parts, including
levers, hand knobs, star knobs, and knurled
nuts.
“Those that operate in the area of
machine building, including medical, pack-
aging, and pharmaceutical, and material
machining would find these set screws work
very well for applications within these
industries,” said John Winkler, CEO, Office of
the President at JW Winco.
JW Winco is a manufacturer/distributor of
inch and metric standard parts. JW Winco
offers an extensive selection of plastic, steel
and stainless steel adjustable levers, cabi-
net U-handles, hinges and locking mecha-
nisms, revolving and retractable handles,
hand wheels, hand cranks, tube connection
and conveyor components, construction
tubing, shock absorption mounts, leveling
mounts, hand knobs, spring, ball and index-
ing plungers, jig, fixture and fastening com-
ponents, retaining magnet assemblies,
toggle clamps, casters and wheels, universal
joints, oil sight glasses, and metric tools for
the industrial and commercial equipment
industries. JW Winco’s new website, with
improved 3D CAD and online buying, is
viewable at www.jwwinco.com.
JW Winco, which is ISO 9001:2015 certi-
fied, is located in New Berlin, Wisconsin,
with a brand office in Mexico and a sales
location in Canada. For more information,
contact JW Winco at 800.877.8351, by fax at
800.472.0670, on the web at www.jwwinco.
com, and via email at sales@jwwinco.com.

Intercorp Releases New Product

and Submittal Catalogs
Intercorp, an importer and master dis-
tributor of professional-grade construction
fasteners under the Strong-Point ® and
Strongcon® brands, is pleased to announce
the release of their new product and submit-
tal catalogs.
“Our product and submittal catalogs
have been updated with more than 40 new
product offerings,” said Director of Market-
ing David Harlan. “These two comprehensive
catalogs, with over 700 available fasteners,
give distributors, architects, engineers, spec-
continued on page 57

American Fastener Journal January/February 2019 49

 Index to the Series

FASTENER TRAINING POSTERS

1 Definition of Screw and Thread Terms 24 How To Write a Fastener Description
2 Unified Inch Screw Threads (TPI), Coarse UNC 25 How To Cut Fastener Costs
3 Unified Inch Screw Threads (TPI), Fine UNF 26 Working With Your Heat Treater
4 Coarse vs. Fine Thread Comparisons 27 Alloy Strength Characteristics, Part 1
5 Decimal Equivalents Chart 28 Alloy Strength Characteristics, Part 2
6 Factors Affecting Torque-Tension Relationships 29 Fastener Plating/Coating and Finishes, Part 1
in Bolted Joints
30 Fastener Plating/Coating and Finishes, Part 2
7 Fastener Corrosion
31 Galvanic Corrosion
8 Thread/Screw, Drill & Tap Chart
32 Wrench & Bit Sizes
9 Tensile Strength of Bolts & Hex Head Cap Screws, Part 1
33 Fastener Visuals™: Types of Fasteners
10 Tensile Strength of Bolts & Hex Head Cap Screws, Part 2
34 Fastener Visuals™: Point Styles
11 Mechanical Requirements for Stainless Steel
35 Fastener Visuals™: Rivets, Part 1
& Non-ferrous Fasteners
36 Fastener Visuals™: Rivets, Part 2
12 ASTM and SAE Grade Markings & Mechanical Properties
for Steel Fasteners 37 Fastener Visuals™: Washers, Part 1
13 ASTM, SAE and ISO Grade Markings & Mechanical 38 Fastener Visuals™: Washers, Part 2
Properties for Steel Fasteners
39 Fastener Visuals™: Nuts, Part 1
14 Fastening Application Troubleshooting
40 Fastener Visuals™: Nuts, Part 2
15 Stainless Steels & Exotic Metals
41 Fastener Visuals™: Head Styles, Part 1
16 Non-ferrous Torque Table
42 Fastener Visuals™: Head Styles, Part 2
17 Room Temperature Tensile Strength
43 Fastener Visuals™: Head Styles, Part 3
of Common Fastener Alloys
44 Fastener Visuals™: Head Drives / Drive Recesses, Part 1
18 Weight Conversions
45 Fastener Visuals™: Head Drives / Drive Recesses, Part 2
19 Hex Head Cap Screws, General Information
46 Fastener Visuals™: Head Drives / Drive Recesses, Part 3
20 Torque and Tension in Bolts
47 Standard Size U-bolts & Measuring Studs and Bent Bolts
21 Hardness Conversions for Industrial Fasteners
48 Fastener Abbreviations
22 Cold Heading
23 Thread Galling

Fastener Visuals is a trademark of American Fastener Journal

© 2016 American Fastener Journal. All rights reserved. www.fastenerjournal.com

 Order form

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48 (18 x 24, laminated) posters
providing a sound training and
educational system to learn
about fasteners and fastening
applications, head styles, fastener
types, drive recesses, fastener
abbreviations, cold heading, threads,
torque and tension, platings and
coatings...plus lots more!

□ YES! Please send me a set of 48 Fastener Training Posters. 48

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ABBREVIATIONS
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American Fastener Journal January/February 2019 51

 SALESSUCCESS
Developing
Your Sales
People
by Dave Kahle
Only about five percent of sales organizations invest in developing their sales people. Those that do are
often the industry leaders. Creating and managing a formal program to develop your sales people is one
of your best investments.
Which of these issues are worrying you
these days?
• Keeping the good sales people you have?
• Motivating your sales people?
• Stimulating your sales people to become
more productive?
• Attracting good quality, new sales
people?
If you are concerned about any one of
these issues, you are not alone. These are
near the top of almost every business per-
son’s list these days. With good reason. If
you can positively resolve each of these
issues, you’ll go a long way to profitably
growing your business. If you can’t, you may
have a very rocky road ahead of you.
Now, suppose you could focus on one
initiative that would help positively resolve
each of these issues. With one simple move,
you could help yourself on every one of
these troublesome issues. Is there such an
initiative? IS THERE ONE thing you can do
that will help you keep the good sales peo-
ple you have, motivate your sales people,
stimulate your sales people to become more
productive, and attract good quality candi-
dates?
52 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019
The answer? Of course there is. It’s this:
You can build a systematic approach to
developing your sales people. And in suc-
cessfully accomplishing that one thing you’ll
resolve all the others.
First, a definition. By “development” I
mean this: “Continuous improvement in the
knowledge, processes, skills and tools nec-
essary to be ever more effective and effi-
cient.” I don’t mean that once a month you
have a sales meeting when you talk about
problems, new company policies and proce-
dures or discuss a new product. Those kinds
of meetings are necessary, but hardly suffi-
cient.
Nor does it mean that you expect your
sales people to learn on the job by trial and
error. At best, that is a very time consuming
and costly approach. At worst, it leads to
mediocre performance, confusion and frus-
tration on the part of the sales person as
well as his or her boss. Most companies
who claim to do on-the-job training are
really making an excuse for their lack of abil-
ity to do anything better.
I don’t know of any other sophisticated
area of human labor where it is expected
that every practitioner will figure out how to
do the job well on his/her own. I, for one,
would not want to settle into my seat on an
airplane and have the pilot announce that
he’s figured out how to fly this plane on his
own. Nor do I want to put my life in the
hands of a surgeon who learned a surgical
procedure by trial and error. The list can go
on and on. It includes almost any profession
you can think of: lawyers, teachers, social
workers, ministers, engineers, repair techni-
cians, etc. In every one of these sophisti-
cated jobs, there is a body of knowledge, of
principles and procedures, that the practi-
tioners are expected to master. While all of
these professions expect people to practice,
none of them expect them to learn the basic
principles on their own by trial and error.
Are field sales people somehow differ-
ent? Are their jobs so simple that it’s easy to
learn how to do it well? Or, are they some-
how super-intelligent and able to figure it all
out on their own? Clearly the answer to both
questions is NO. Sales is an incredibly for-
midable profession that offers its practition-
ers a lifetime of challenge. No sales person
is ever as good as he/she could be. And
continued on page 54
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 Developing Your Sales People
sales people are no more or less intelligent
than their counterparts among teachers,
social workers, ministers, and the like.
Not only that, but every other profession
expects its members to continually improve
themselves. Show me a doctor, lawyer, CPA,
teacher, social worker, minister, etc. who has
not gone back for additional training and
development in the last two years, and I’ll
show you one who is either retired or dead.
Show me a sales person that hasn’t invested
in improving themselves in the last two
years, and I’ll show you 80 percent of the
sales people in this country.
Why is that? One major reason is that
most of the companies for whom they work
don’t require continuous improvement. One
of the main reasons they don’t require it is
that they don’t know how to pull it off. So
they busy themselves with “product-ori-
ented” sales meetings and complain often
about unmotivated sales people.
Being systematic about development is
far more extensive than that. Here’s what
your organization might look like after you
have invested in developing your sales peo-
ple.
Picture of the company that
develops its sales people
1 You’d have a structured training
program for all new hires.
There would be a body of knowledge they
would need to acquire, skills and processes
they would need to master, and benchmarks
along the way by which you could measure
their progress. This program would teach
such important practices as:
• developing territory plans
• planning for sales calls
• strategic planning for account
penetration
• relationship building
• prospecting and cold calling
• making appointments
• collecting information
• maintaining good records
• getting organized
• making persuasive presentations
• gaining commitment
• implementing customer’s decision
• following up to assure satisfaction
• penetrating key accounts
2 Once a certain minimum level of
competency is attained—
The sales person would then be required to
continually improve on his/her skills by
54 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019
continued from page 52
investing time and energy in getting better
at the job. You’d make that happen by:
• Requiring monthly or quarterly involve-
ment in “learning experiences.” These
could be anything from classes at the local
university, audio or video training pro-
grams like our sales certification or
continuous improvement programs, to
something as simple as checking a book
out of the company’s library and sharing a
list of good ideas at the next sales
meeting.
• Holding regular developmental sales
meetings in which you focused on a
special behavior or practice and helped
people improve in that one area. That’s the
specific application for our video training
kits.
3 At some point in the development of
a sales person, he/she will likely look
for additional career challenges.
When that happens, the focus of develop-
ment should be on providing the sales per-
son opportunities to expand his/her
competency into areas that can be of assis-
tance to the company in areas other than
sales. This is when some sales people want
to focus on training or coaching others, for
example. They can be channeled into learn-
ing how to do that. Others may want to
expand into management, and should be
encouraged to begin gaining management
skills and practices. Others may want to pur-
sue team leadership, etc.
A comprehensive development system,
then, should account for three things:
1. learning the basic principles, processes
and tools for effective selling
2. continuous improvement in the sophisti-
cated practices of highly effective sales
people
3. opportunities to expand in complemen-
tary careers and learn the skills necessary
to do so
How will this help you retain and attract
good sales people, motivate the ones you
have and improve the productivity of the
entire group?
Which would you want to work for? A
company who doesn’t invest anything in
developing their people, or one who has a
regular, formal and systematic approach
such as the one I described above?
Silly question
Imagine yourself interviewing a prospec-
tive sales person, before and after you’ve
implemented the system described above.
Before that, you say to your candidate, “We
expect you to learn on the job.”
After that, you say, “We have a structured
training program to assure that you master
the basic practices that will ensure your suc-
cess. Then, when you’ve mastered those, we
have a system to stimulate your continuous
career growth so that you are always grow-
ing better at your job. Finally, we have a sys-
tem to help you expand your knowledge and
skills into complementary areas like sales
management, team leadership, and so on, if
you are so inclined.”
Everything else being equal, which com-
pany would you rather work for?
That’s how a development program will
help you attract the right kind of people.
Clearly, the same is true of your current
sales force. Begin to require continuous
improvement, provide the means for them
to do so, and invest in them, and you’ll be
surprised how loyal they become.
This kind of program cannot help but
improve your sales productivity. When all
your sales people know that constant and
measurable improvement is required, most
of them will begin to work on that. And
you’ll begin to see the result in increased
sales and gross profits.
Training and development like the kind
we’re talking about can be one of your best
investments. If only one sales person
acquires only one new account because of
your investment in their development, it’s
likely that one new account will more than
pay for a year’s worth of development costs
by itself.
How to move in the
right direction
Here are some small steps you can take
towards becoming the kind of learning
organization I’ve described.
1 Budget for development.
As simple as it may seem, this one step will
be a major one. Once you have a budget,
you’ll find it much easier to actually spend
that money. The decision will not be “if” but
rather “how.” Also, by budgeting money for
development and then letting your man-
agers know, you will have sent a powerful
message that you are serious about it and
willing to invest some of the company’s
resources in it.
The natural question then is: How much
should you invest? There are some bench-
marks available. The Facing the Forces of Change
continued on page 55
Developing Your Sales People
2000 study found that high-performing
wholesale distributors spent about 2.5 per-
cent of payroll on training, while an ASTD
member survey found that their member
companies averaged 3.2 percent of payroll.
Since training is a smaller issue than devel-
opment, and since sales people can gener-
ally benefit the company more than drivers,
warehouse workers and production person-
nel, I’d suggest a bit higher number. I like to
see 5 percent of payroll invested in continu-
ous development of the sales team.
2 Have your sales managers create
individual development plans with
each sales person.
It is common practice for sales managers to
hold annual goal-setting meetings with their
charges in which performance goals are
identified.
That’s a great opportunity to create
annual development goals and strategies at
the same time. Doing so lets everyone know
continued from page 54
that continuous development is a require- DAVE KAHLE is one of the world’s
ment of the job. leading sales authorities. He’s written
12 books, presented in 47 states and
3 Regularly generate learning
11 countries, and has helped enrich tens
opportunities. of thousands of sales people and transform
Learning opportunities are events at which hundreds of sales organizations. Sign up
sales people are exposed to new ideas or for his free weekly Ezine. His book, How
reminded of good practices. They can to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime, has
encompass a wide range of possibilities, been recognized by three international
from reading a new book on sales strategies, entities as “one of the five best English
having roundtable discussions of success language business books.” Check out his
stories and common problems, to viewing latest book, The Good Book on Business.
our monthly videotape series for inside or
outside sale sales people.
The point is that you generate learning
opportunities on a regular basis, and require
your sales people to take part in them.
While not everyone will gain the same
thing from each event, over time they’ll
understand that you are serious about their
growth, and that their continuous develop-
ment is your priority and their responsibility.
■
American Fastener Journal January/February 2019 55
 PURCHASINGTIPS
WHAT’S THE ROLE OF YOUR
PURCHASING STRATEGY?
Is your purchasing strategy missing a key link?
I have two similar questions for you. One is easy
to answer. The other isn’t.
The first question is: “What is the role
of a purchasing strategy?” The second is:
“What is the role of your purchasing
strategy?”
The universally correct answer to the
first question is: “To support the organi-
zation’s overall strategy.” Easy. But there
is no universally correct answer to the
second question. The specifics needed to
answer that question require a thorough
understanding of your organization and
its overall strategy.
That’s often a key link that’s missing.
Many purchasing departments place top
priority on achieving cost savings. And
that is very appropriate if you’re working
for a mature organization that sees chal-
lenges in maintaining profitability as it
reaches the “decline” phase of its busi-
ness cycle.
But, if the organization’s strategy is to
be the most innovative company in its
56 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019
This information was originally
published in Next Level
Purchasing’s PurchTips
newsletter. Republished with
the written permission of Next
Level Purchasing, Inc. To read
previous editions of PurchTips
or to subscribe to PurchTips
directly for free, visit http://
www.NextLevelPurchasing.com/
free.html.
by Charles Dominick,
SPSM, SPSM2, SPSM3
industry to capture market share, pur- rampant. Sometimes, it’s an embarrass-
chasing cost savings should take a back ment to the profession. I encourage you
seat to supply base innovation. If the to be part of the solution, not part of the
organization’s strategy is to develop a problem. To do so, I recommend that you
brand as the highest-quality company in immerse yourself in understanding your
its industry in order to monopolize a organization’s overall strategy. Then,
niche, quality improvement should be a develop the best answer to this question:
higher priority than cost savings. What should we be doing in purchasing
Mismatches between purchasing to maximize our contribution to that
strategy and organizational strategy run strategy? ■
CHARLES DOMINICK
Charles Dominick is the founder of the Next Level Purchasing
Association, a leading provider of procurement training and
certification. He is also the co-author of “The Procurement Game
Plan: Winning Strategies & Techniques For Supply Management
Professionals.”
Call the Next Level Purchasing Association at 412.294.1990,
or email support@nextlevelpurchasing.com for more information.
 continued from page 49
ifiers, and contractors the tools they need to
complete their projects from start to finish
with confidence. We’re excited about the
value, information and project solutions
these catalogs will bring to construction
professionals throughout our industry.”
To download the new product catalog,
visit: http://www.intercorpusa.com/home/
download-catalog/
To download the new submittal catalog,
visit: http://www.intercorpusa.com/submit-
talcatalog.pdf
Founded in 1988, Intercorp has estab-
lished itself as an industry leader in the fas-
tener distribution business. Their flagship
brand, Strong-Point, is sold by thousands of
distributors to construction professionals
throughout the United States. The brand
consists of a variety of professional-grade
fasteners including: Self-Drilling, Needle
Point, Woodworking, Stainless Steel, Dry-
wall, Post Frame, Outdoor, Concrete, and
Cement Board screws. With an outstanding
AFJ_SPIROL_3rdpg_o_JanFeb2019.indd 1
reputation for customer service, quick deliv-
ery, and superior support for the distribution
channel, Intercorp is unmatched when it
comes to high-quality fasteners.
Semblex Announces Senior
Management Changes
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. Cun-
ningham 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 Compa-
ny, Ltd in early 2014. Previously, Mr. Kim was
a Senior Vice President at Jinhap in South
Korea.
1/2/19 1:18 PM
Simultaneously, Gene Simpson will
assume the role of Senior Vice President
and COO. Mr. Simpson is a 27-year veteran
at Semblex, most recently serving as Vice
President of Engineering & Quality. Report-
ing to Mr. Simpson will be Quality, Engineer-
ing, Sales & Marketing and Operations.
These changes to the company’s senior
management structure demonstrate Jinhap’s
long-term vision, and positions Semblex for
continued growth and success.
Semblex Corporation, headquartered in
Elmhurst, Illinois, is an innovative, cus-
tomer-focused team that creates value
through cold-formed product solutions for
the world’s leading manufacturers. Semblex
is IATF 16949, ISO 9002, ISO 14001, and A2LA
certified. Additional information on Semblex
can be found at www.semblex.com. ■
Tired of doing
ALL the work?
Sourcing parts, dealing with imports,
paying vendors, collecting from
customers, filing taxes or other
forms, and more? Want to focus
on selling?
The solution.
I’m a mergers and acquisitions
professional with a parts supplier
client who partners with small
businesses—like yours—to help shift
your focus to selling and succeeding.
CONFIDENTIALITY GUARANTEED.
Call or email today.
Financial Services Unlimited, Inc.
Gregg McGuire
937-383-4000
gregg@fsui.net
MORE MONEY.
LESS STRESS.
American Fastener Journal January/February 2019 57
 How Distributors
Can Say Goodbye
to Price Shopping
by Rock Rockwell

Whether you’re shopping for a new pair of socks or a front-end loader, low price is a good thing.
But it’s never the only thing.
That should be good news if you are a wholesaler distributor trying to compete with Amazon.

Recently, a distributor told me they don’t
want to participate in a race to the bottom
on price. He’s not alone. In fact, a growing
number of distributors recognize that com-
peting with Amazon on price is a no-win
proposition. (Amazon, after all, has long
been known for sacrificing profitability for
growth.) What’s more, many distributors are
realizing that they shouldn’t try to compete
on that front — because they have much
more to offer than bargain-basement pric-
ing.
WHEN YOU SAVE CUSTOMERS TIME AND GIVE THEM PEACE OF
MIND, CUSTOMERS WILL GO BEYOND PRICE AS A REASON TO KEEP
DOING BUSINESS WITH YOU. THAT’S YOUR BEST BET TO INSULATE
YOURSELF FROM AMAZON.
One of the key things distributors can
provide that Amazon can’t is superior cus-
tomer service. That doesn’t just mean send-
ing a sales rep to rub elbows with the
customer every week — although personal
relationships certainly are part of the equa-
tion. Distributors can offer other more con-
crete advantages, including speedy product
delivery. (Yes, they can compete on this!)
But to do that, distributors need seamless
inventory management and efficient deliv-
ery. One way to achieve that: Automated
inventory replenishment.
Automated inventory replenishment at
the point of use provides distributors with
complete visibility into inventory at the cus-
tomer’s location. When inventory hits a min-
imum, they’re alerted and can restock before
the customer’s shelves go empty. It’s even When you save customers time and give
faster than e-commerce. When product is them peace of mind, customers will go
automatically re-stocked, customers don’t beyond price as a reason to keep doing
even have to go online and click “place business with you. That’s your best bet to
order.” It also keeps the customer off the insulate yourself from Amazon.
internet, where they might stumble on a The advantages for the customer go
competitor’s offer. beyond simple dollars and cents. With
Another benefit of automated inventory inventory stabilized, customers have the
replenishment for customers that will keep peace of mind that comes with knowing they
the conversation away from price: Reduction haven’t fallen victim to bin-stuffing, and that
of inventory levels. We’ve seen some indus- they aren’t at risk for running out of a
trial, construction and medical-supply dis- needed part or piece of equipment.
It’s a Goldilocks situation—not too
much, not too little.
An added bonus: When the distributor’s
team is spending less time manually man-
aging inventory for customers, they can
spend more time maximizing service. And
outstanding service is yet another means to
insulate yourself against Amazon.
Automated inventory replenishment
tributors lower customer inventory levels by offers distributors an efficient and cost-
up to 73 percent. That lowers inventory car- effective means for fighting off Amazon’s
rying costs and saves time for staff that oth- advances into their territory, without engag-
erwise would be tracking inventory, ing in the nearly hopeless battle to offer the
inputting part numbers and ordering. lowest price. ■
ROCK ROCKWELL
Rock Rockwell is CEO of eTurns, a point of use inventory
management system used by distributors to automate inventory
replenishment at the point of use in stockroom and service
trucks. Contact Rockwell at rock@eturns.com, or visit
eturns.com.

58 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019

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 DISTRIBUTOR

How to Profit from OPPORTUNITIES

the 25 Percent Tariff

Increase in 2019
by Nelson Valderrama

ARE YOU READY FOR CHINA IN 2025?

At the 2018 IFE Expo in Las Vegas, Vanessa
Sciarra, Vice President for Legal Affairs and Trade &
Investment Policy, shared insights about China
2025:
Released in 2015, Made in China 2025 is
the government’s 10-year plan to update
China’s manufacturing base by rapidly
developing 10 high-tech industries. Other
major sectors include agricultural technol-
ogy and aerospace engineering. These sec-
tors are central to the so-called fourth
industrial revolution, which refers to the
integration of big data, cloud computing,
and other emerging technologies into
global manufacturing supply chains. In this
regard, Chinese policymakers drew inspira-
tion from the German government’s Industry
4.0 development plan.
And she said, this plan is public, is
known by all developed countries, and the
Chinese government is telling us in our face:
“THIS IS WHAT WE’RE GOING TO DO.”
When I asked Vanessa what’s the biggest
challenge she foresees after dealing with so
many of the big players in multiple indus-
tries in the U.S., she said: “A lot of the exist-
ing supply chain/sourcing chains need to be
rethought.”
That was an “aha” moment for me.
For example, if I ask you: Do you keep
your quote data? If so, what do you do with
it? Besides changing prices for a re-bid or
maybe doing large quote follow-up, I would
say that >50% of the companies are keeping
the quote data system (ERP) for years with-
out leveraging their potential.
Let me ask another question: Do you
measure your win rate (sales/quotes)? Few
people in the industrial distribution do. And
when I ask why, the most honest answer I
get is: “Do you know how much time it
would take to match every order?!”
So let’s fast forward to the year 2020: Do
you think your competitors will wait for you
to leverage your quote data? Certainly not.
Quote and win rate are key for under-
standing and adapting your supply chain by
SKU, vendor and/or commodity so you can
adapt your buying, pricing and sales activi-
ties accordingly.
Tariffs are here to stay, at least till 2020...
The current administration will leverage
section 232 as much as they can to deliver
their agenda, and the president and his staff
have not been shy about challenging the
status quo in this globalized world.
In one of my conversations with business
owners, I had a manufacturing owner tell me
he was happy to hear about this new tariff
because he thought it would make him
more competitive with all the finished prod-
uct imported that has been flooding the U.S.
market—but then he found out that his raw
material will increase significantly, and he
couldn’t figure out how to compete.
Another distributor owner took a very
practical action. She took all their current
prices and increased them 12 percent. I
asked her why 12 percent and not 12.5 per-
cent? Sometimes 0.5 percent seems irrele-
vant, but when you run a business of $45M
in sales, that irrelevant number means
$225K to your bottom line. That’s your kid’s
college tuition, a new vacation home, or
plenty more products for your inventory —
but it’s also a perfect example of why data is
so critical in decision making, if even over
half a percent.
Sports are showing us how to win with less...
I’m going to go on a little detour to the
world of sports to prove my point here:
For all those sports fans out there, you
know statistics are everywhere. Baseball led
continued on page 61

How the 4th industrial revolution would look

for industrial distributors... NELSON VALDERRAMA
As distributors, we spend/invest an enor- Nelson Valderrama is the CEO of Intuilize, which specializes
mous amount of hours quoting parts to our in helping mid-size distributors transform data into profits. For
customers. Sometimes to quote only one more information, contact him by email at nelson@intuilize.com,
part number over the phone, we end up list- or visit www.intuilize.com.
ing hundreds or thousands of items to sub-
mit for a bid or LTA. Quote data is a gold
mine because it allows you to understand
trends of demand, competitors, and to help
feed valuable information to vendor’s supply
chains.

60 American Fastener Journal January/February 2019

How to Profit from the 25 Percent
Tariff Increase in 2019 continued from page 60

the way, with quantitative tactics that you’ve
probably heard about thanks to Michael
Lewis’ book The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
(Moneyball). If you haven’t read it or seen the
film adaptation, it focuses on the Oakland
Athletics’ analytical, evidence-based
approach to assembling a competitive base-
ball team, despite a disadvantaged financial
situation.
While I don’t think anyone believes that
stats will replace coaches or managers in
sports, we have seen numerous examples of
teams proving that learning from data and
using it on the field create competitive
advantages. If you need more proof, just
look at how the Golden State Warriors’ oth-
erworldly second half comebacks are actu-
ally driven by cold hard data.
How do you become like the Warriors
with an Oakland A’s budget?
So by now I hope some readers are start-
ing to wonder how sports analytics can help
you have the team (or business) you need to
win in 2019.
While demonstrating our data platform
to a business owner recently, he said some-
thing that caught my attention:
“What you’re providing is a dream come
true because it means we don’t have to
waste time digging through the data or
crunching numbers to understand which of
the 50 million combinations of pricing
(1,000 customers x 10,000 products x 5 pack-
aging quantities, etc.) are best to find the
low hanging fruit to improve our margins...
but I’m worried about how to integrate the
new price suggestions in our ERP system so
all employees can use this in every quote.”
Like many in this industry, he under-
stood the value of the output, but was hesi-
tant to dive in because of the perceived
complexity of a new and foreign business
process.
That’s exactly why we created Intuilize: to
simplify and shorten the process of trans-
forming data into profits. After seeing the
simplicity of the tool, the potential gains felt
far more reachable to our client, as they
should to any distributor who wants to drive
real competitive advantages.
So, how can you profit from
the 2019 tariff increases?
The distributors who emerge more prof-
itable in the era of tariff increases will be
those who embrace data. Tools like ours
help you see through the clutter, ignore the
shiny things that don’t really matter, and set
your pricing perfectly to optimize your
returns amid a sea of competitors who are
all scrambling to change gears at the very
same time.
We are in the 4th industrial revolution,
and that means leveraging everyday data to
optimize our processes, understand our cus-
tomers and build a competitive advantage.
China 2025 is coming: I suggest you make
sure your business is ready right now. ■

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American Fastener Journal January/February 2019 61

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INDEX of Advertisers
ADVERTISER PAGE PHONE FAX E-MAIL WEBSITE ADDRESS
ACS Manufacturing 61 888-688-7787 847-695-6336 info@e-qual-fast.com www.e-qual-fast.com
Advanced Poly-Packaging, Inc. 38 800-754-4403 330-785-4010 sales@advancedpoly.com www.advancedpoly.com
Alloy & Stainless Fasteners, Inc. 48 713-929-0480 713-466-8899 info@goasf.com www.goasf.com
American Fastener Journal 50 & 51, 62 800-528-1164 614-766-9115 info@fastenerjournal.com www.fastenerjournal.com
AMPG 42 317-472-9000 317-472-9010 sales@ampg.com www.ampg.com
Bradley Group of Companies 3 & 31 800-201-7381 630-443-8421 srogalla@bradleygoc.com www.bradleygroupcoatings.com
Brighton-Best International, Inc. 5 800-275-0050 562-808-8105 info@brightonbest.com www.brightonbest.com
Cavalier Industrial Specialties 49 713-983-0055 713-983-0058 sales@gocav.com www.gocav.com
Computer Insights, Inc. 1 800-539-1233 630-893-4030 dcowhey@ci-inc.com www.ci-inc.com
Darling Bolt Company 10 800-882-0747 586-757-1555 sales@darlingbolt.com www.darlingbolt.com
Doerken Corporation 19 517-522-4600 517-522-8008 info@dorkenusa.com www.dorkenusa.com
Fall River Manufacturing Co., Inc. 17 800-275-6991 508-675-8770 sales@fallrivermfg.com www.fallrivermfg.com
Fastener Fair USA Cover, 11–13, 53 312-809-9260 — fastenerfairusa@mackbrooks.com www.fastenerfair.com/usa
Financial Services Unlimited, Inc. 57 937-383-4000 — gregg@fsui.net www.fsui.net
Ford Fasteners, Inc. 9 800-272-3673 201-487-1919 info@fordfasteners.com www.fordfasteners.com
G.L. Huyett 32 & 33 785-392-3017 785-392-2845 sales@huyett.com www.huyett.com
Hanger Bolt & Stud Company 39 800-537-7925 800-994-2658 sales@hangerbolt.com www.hangerbolt.com
IHG Capital 6 937-434-8100 — eriling@ihgcapital.com www.ihgcapital.com
Intercorp 43 800-762-2004 714-744-4672 sales@intercorpusa.com www.intercorpusa.com
International Fastener Mfg. Expo – IFME 21 203-794-0444 — info@IFME-fastener-mfg-expo.com www.IFME-fastener-mfg-expo.com
J.W. Winco, Inc. 62 800-877-8351 800-472-0670 sales@jwwinco.com www.jwwinco.com
Ken Forging, Inc. 45 888-536-3674 440-992-0360 info@kenforging.com www.kenforging.com
Kinter 26 & IBC 800-323-2389 847-623-0105 sales@kinter.com www.kinter.com
Lok-Mor, Inc. 27 800-843-7230 817-453-2923 sales@lok-mor.com www.lok-mor.com
M W Industries, Inc. 59 800-875-3510 281-233-0449 sales@mwindustries.com www.mwindustries.com
ND Industries 7 & BC 248-288-0000 248-288-0022 info@ndindustries.com www.ndindustries.com
Pivot Point, Inc. 23 800-222-2231 920-349-3253 mail@pivotpins.com www.pivotpins.com
(W.J.) Roberts Company, Inc. 35 781-233-8176 781-231-1456 wjroberts@verizon.net www.wjroberts.com
S&W Manufacturing Co., Inc. 2 & 55 888-538-3548 630-595-2984 swsales@swmanufacturing.com www.swmanufacturing.com
Sarjo Industries, Inc. 39 800-447-2756 845-454-0070 sales@sarjo.com www.sarjo.com
Shear-Loc Products 55 800-775-5668 949-768-8705 sales@shear-loc.com www.shear-loc.com
SPIROL 57 800-321-4679 860-774-0487 info@spirol.com www.spirol.com
Star Stainless Screw Co. 25 973-256-2300 973-256-2423 — —
Tortoise Fastener Co. 62 800-691-8894 — sales@tortoisefastener.com —
UNICORP Electronic Hardware 39 800-526-1389 973-674-3803 sales@unicorpinc.com www.unicorpinc.com
Volt Industrial Plastics, Inc. IFC 800-844-8024 870-449-8707 service@voltplastics.com www.voltplastics.com
Western Wire Products Company 16 800-325-3770 636-305-1119 sales@westernwireprod.com www.westernwireprod.com
Willie Washer Mfg., Inc. 29 847-956-1344 847-956-7943 sales@williewasher.com www.williewasher.com
Win Fasteners 47 +66(0)2 136 6331 +66(0)2 136 6332 youki@winfasteners.co.th www.winfasteners.co.th
Würth Industry of North America 63 877-99 WURTH — info@wurthindustry.com www.wurthindustry.com

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American Fastener Journal
6759 Oakfair Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43235 • Phone 800.528.1164 • Fax 614.766.9115
e-mail tom@fastenerjournal.com • website www.fastenerjournal.com
Canadian & Foreign
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in each category: 1 Year ❑ $59 ❑ $98 ❑ Address change ❑ Charge my (circle one):
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1. Fastener Mfg.
2. Fastener Distributor Card # ______________________________ Exp. Date_____________ Signature ________________________________
3. Manufacturer’s Rep Please Print the Following Clearly
4. Other ________________
Name _____________________________________________________ Title _____________________________________

Company__________________________________________________ ( )
Phone ___________________________________
B TITLE
1. Owner/Partner/Pres./ Address ___________________________________________________ ( )
Fax _____________________________________
Chairman/CEO
2. Vice President/G.M. City _____________________________ State ______ Zip _________ E-mail ___________________________________
3. Purchasing
4. Sales/Marketing Country __________________________ Postal Code _____________
5. Other ________________ American Fastener Journal 010219
BINDER POSTS AND
BARREL BOLTS.
SOLVED.

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STAINLESS STEEL BRASS RAPID ASSEMBLY PLASTIC

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