Global Fastener News

While many might want to forget the past year, 2021 held opportunities for fastener companies willing to adapt to supply chain disruptions and inflationary pressures.

Here are some of the top headlines reported by GlobalFastenerNews.com in the past 12 months.

FINdex Scores Double-Digit Growth
The FINdex increased 10% during the year, lower than the 12.8% rise in stock value by an index of related industrial stocks. Fastenal achieved the highest stock gain, rising 32.1% during the year.

Sachs: ‘Perfect Storm’ Creates Container Shortage
“The cost of the containers have increased dramatically over the past 12 months,” Bob Sachs of XL Screw said.  The shortage is due to a “perfect storm” created by a list of reasons for container shortage.

Supply Disruptions To Continue Through 2022
“2022 is going to mirror 2021 from a supply point of view,” Michael Selman, sales rep for Beta Steel, Beneke Wire and Monarch Metals, told the National Fastener Distributors Association.

Changing Face of Fastener Plating and Coating
It’s easy to assume that plating and coating options for fasteners are “set in stone.” But changes in regulations and standards requires ongoing attention, according to Laurence Claus, founder of NNi Training and Consulting.

MacLean-Fogg Buys Metal 3D Printing Supplier
MacLean Formetrix will be based in the Detroit suburb of Macomb Township.

Brighton-Best Unveils New Vending Program
“Delivers the power of automated distribution by reducing supply cost, controlled product usage and state of the art technology,” the company stated.

Optimas Solutions Increases Onshoring Capacity
The Chun Zu and Formax cold headers will increase production by more than 3 million additional complex parts per month, allow Optimas to further focus on industries that require large diameter complex parts.

Würth Group Tests Hydrogen Vehicles for Company Fleet
Changing over the company’s vehicle fleet to alternative fuel sources is just one of the measures Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG is taking to achieve its goal to be carbon-neutral at all German company sites by 2024.

Exhibitors Report Talking to Customers After Low Expectations at 2021 IFE
Attendee traffic may have been thin, but fewer exhibitors helped the 40th International Fastener Expo in Las Vegas feel less empty.

U.S. & EU Agree To Steel Quotas
The U.S. and European Union have agreed to end a dispute over U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs imposed in 2018, averting a spike in EU retaliatory tariffs, Reuters reports.

U.S. Tariffs Continue to Cost Businesses
Three years after the U.S. placed 25% tariffs on $300 billion in Chinese goods, including fasteners, importers and customers continue to pay more for products, with little relief in sight.