Global Fastener News

Lake Erie Screw Expanding
April 29, 1988 FIN – Lake Erie Screw, Cleveland, Ohio, has announced an expansion program encompassing many phases of its operations. According to George Wasmer, president, the expansion represents Lake Erie’s ongoing commitment to providing the highest quality traceable fasteners to OEMs and distributors and also is in responses to a renewed emphasis on basic manufacturing in our own country.
Lake Erie Screw, founded in 1946 by J.C. Wasmer, Sr., is considered one of the most progressive fastener manufactures in the U.S. The company’s product line includes hex head cap screws and structural bolts in Grades 5 and 8 and in metric classes 8.8, 9.8, and 10.9; A325, A490, and Corten structural bolts; and track bolts, sems, and custom formed parts. Fasteners are manufactured in diameters from 1/4″ to 1 1/4″ and in lengths up to 10″.

Jay Hebert, vice president sales, tells FIN that the company’s expansion is in response to greater demands for structural fasteners as a result of the acquisition of RB&W’s structural bolt business. Lake Erie acquired the inventories and all open orders and contracts of that business from RB &W last summer (see FIN, June 10, 1987). You may also recall that during 1986, Lake Erie added new equipment to increase its volume and size range capabilities (see FIN, May 15, 1986).

Lake Erie is currently adding a new National bolt maker, which has been designed to produce larger diameter cap screws. Expected to be on line by the third quarter of 1988, says Hebert, the new bolt maker increases tonnage and allows more flexibility in the production of specials. Also being added at Lake Erie is state-of-the-art die monitoring equipment and process controllers on the heat treating units, which upgrades Lake Erie’s current equipment.

Finally, the company has nearly completed the development of new software packages, which will be used in conjunction with an MRP II approach to planning and scheduling. ©1988/2011 Fastener Industry News

April 29, 1988 FIN – The domestic manufacturer fastener industry in general has so far enjoyed a healthier 1988, and many of the fastener producers in the U.S. have taken or are taking measures to maintain a strong position in the industry. Below are a few companies we’ve heard from recently.

Automatic Fastener Corp., Branford, Connecticut, has put come finishing touches on an expansion program and has also completed a reorganization of its corporate management team.
Automatic Fastener already is rated Spear and Q1, and president Max Schultz set an immediate corporate to continue to earn the highest U.S. manufacturing evaluations, such as Target of Excellence.
The company was founded in 1971 in Westbury, Long Island by its present ownership. Since its move to Branford in the early 1970’s, the company has continually expanded its product lines of rivets, blind rivets, riveting systems, and cold-headed products.
Most recently the company has added equipment capable of producing up to 5/8 in. diameter cold-headed products, including secondary rolling and forming machines,

Members of the recently reorganized management team include both company veterans and some new appointees. Romy Schultz is executive vice president; Peter DePaola, a 10-year company veteran who most recently was vice president manufacturing, has been named vice president sales; and Robert Zuklie recently joined the company as a manufacturing manager, taking over DePaola’s previous duties.

Thomas E. Egan Jr. continues his position as vice president finance and personnel. He’s been with the company for four years. Mark Smola, also with the company for four years, will keep his position as engineering manager.

Other managers include Jim Thorton, who recently joined the company as quality assurance manager; Alfred Klein, manager of systems quality & process improvements; Vincent Rudzinski, who’s been promoted to manager of design and engineering improvements; Frederick Weinder, the company’s new tooling manager; and Victor Fresa, a 12-year veteran at manager of shipping and material handling.

DePaola told FIN that the company has restructured its national sales organization and is actively looking for agents to market to distributors or OEMs in new territories. The address of Automatic Fastener Corp. is Cosgrove Industrial Park, Branford, Ct 06405. Tel: (203) 481-3481. Fax#: (203) 481-8702. ©1988/2011 Fastener Industry News.

Scroll down for the MNP Corp. story.

MNP Adding Design & Engineering Center

April 29, 1988 FIN – MNP Corp. will open a new fastener design and application engineering center in early May for the purpose of providing greater technical services to customers.
Bill MacIntrye, vice president of sales, told FIN that MNP invested heavily in the new lab facility, which houses the latest fastener testing equipment and is manned by a new staff of product engineers and support technicians.

Both static and dynamic testing of fasteners can be accomplished separately or as part of an assembly.

The center will be available to MNP Corp’s fastener manufacturing divisions and also their customers, MacIntyre told FIN. He added that MNP will contract out the design and testing services to other interested parties.

MNP Corp., founded in 1970 and headed by president Larry Berman, has grown from a steel distributor to a major manufacturer and distributor of automotive and industrial fasteners.

MNP’s operations include:

• Steel & Wire, a supplier of processed rod and wire to fastener manufacturers.

• MNP Fastener, which manufactures screw and washer assemblies, as well as indented hex flange bolts, primarily for the automotive market.

•Highland Bolt & Nut, a producer of cap screws for direct and indirect distribution.

• Highland International, a distributor of fasteners from both domestics and imported sources.

• Utica Washers, a producer of high carbon steel conical washers for use in screw and washer assemblies, marketed to both manufacturers and distributors.

• Small Screw Division, a producer of both tapping and machine screws for industrial markets in diameters under 1/4 inch along with small screw and washer assemblies.

• Viking Fasteners, a producer of double ended studs and other special cold formed fasteners for automotive and industrial markets. ©1988/2011 Fastener Industry News.

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