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World Industrial Fastener Demand to Rise 5.4% Yearly Through 2018

According to the industry study, World Industrial Fasteners, produced by The Freedonia Group, Cleveland, OH, USA, worldwide demand for industrial fasteners is forecast to climb 5.4% annually through 2018 to US$93.8 billion, accelerating from the 2008-2013 pace. Increases in motor vehicle, machinery

and other durable goods production will all support growth in fastener markets as the global economy expands and fixed

investment expenditures rise. In addition, product prices will climb at a faster pace than during the 2008-2013 period, boosting demand in value terms.

Industrial fastener market gains are expected to be strong in both develop-ing and developed regions through 2018. However, advances in developing areas including the Asia/Pacific and Africa/Mideast regions, Central and South America and Eastern Europe, will outpace demand in the USA, western Europe and Japan. Sales gains will be driven by healthy economic growth and ongoing industrialization efforts in most developing nations, resulting in higher manufacturing output and fixed investment spending. Rising living standards in these areas will help fuel demand for motor vehicles and other fastener-containing durable goods.

Motor vehicle original equipment manufacturing, the biggest market for industrial fasteners, will post the largest value gains through 2018. In addition, rising fixed investment spending and industry output will boost demand for fasteners used in machinery applications, the second largest market. Although it is comparatively small in absolute terms, the construction market will register the strongest increases in percentage terms through 2018, spurred by an acceleration in construction expenditures worldwide.

Standard externally threaded fasteners accounted for half of industrial fastener sales in 2013 and will record the largest dollar gains through 2018, bolstered by continued strength in motor vehicle production and a pickup in overall durable goods manufacturing activity. However, the largest advances in percentage terms will be posted by standard internally threaded and nonthreaded fasteners, supported by an acceleration in construction spending growth and sustained increases in global aerospace equipment output. www.freedoniagroup.com

China & USA Driving Automotive GrowthEckehart Rotter, Head of Department Press at the German Association Industry (VDA), Berlin, Germany, reports

that in November 2014, the three major automotive markets all expanded again, although at different speeds: China increased by 7.7% and the USA by 4.5%, while Western Europe recorded growth of only 1%. Sales of new cars decreased in Brazil -3%, in Russia -1% and in Japan -10%. By contrast, India achieved market growth of 5.4%.

In the new European Union (EU) Member States, new car registrations climbed by a good 5% in November 2014 to 70,200 new cars. Double-digit growth was seen in the markets in Estonia (+26%), Hungary (+19%), Latvia (+13%), the Czech Republic (+11%) and Cyprus (+11%). Poland, which is the largest individual automotive market of all of the new EU Member States, increased by just 1%. www.vda.de

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Tl: +1 330 864 2122 • Fx: +1 330 864 5298www.fastenertech.com

Chip Lippincott PublisherMike McNulty VP & Editor Jim Masar Senior EditorTom Hutchinson Global Sales Manager

Presented by:

January 19, 2015Volume 1, Issue 1

Eckehart Rotter

Mid Continent Nail Expansion .........................2Dumping: Korea, Malaysia, Oman, Vietnam ..2Lighter Composite Planes ................................3MWFA Elects 2015 Board .................................4Reshoring Index® Drops ..................................4Cardinal Fastener Closing ...............................5YFP Conducting Market Research ...................5Brighton-Best Adds Personnel & Expands .....6Anixter Weighing Options ................................6Sems and Specials Adds Equipment .............. 7Fastener Distributor Index (FDI) ........................ 7Gilchrist Foundation Scholarships ...................8

Page 2

BUSINESS & MARKET REPORTJanuary 19, 2015

NotebookHillman Group Capital Trust announces cash distribution on securities

James P. Waters, CEO of The Hillman Companies, Inc., Cincin-nati, OH, USA, announced a cash distribution de-clared by Hillman Group Capital Trust for the month of December 2014, in the amount of US$0.241667 for each Trust Pre-ferred Security. The distribution was paid December 31, 2014, to holders of record December 22, 2014.

Hillman is a leading value-add-ed distributor consisting of fasten-ers, key duplication systems, en-graved tags and related hardware to over 26,000 retail customers in the USA, Canada, Mexico, South America and Australia including home improvement centers, mass merchants, national and regional hardware stores and other retailers.

www.hillmangroup.com

Tree Island taps into the screw fastener market

Tree Island Steel, Canada’s larg-est manufacturer of nails added a line of quality screws to its construc-tion fastener line-up for 2014.

Tree Island’s line-up includes flooring, construction, drywall and decking screws in a variety of sizes and thread types. The screw line is available in do-it-yourself and bulk pail packaging to meet the needs of the market.

“We believe that retailers want a high-quality product from a com-pany recognized in the fastener

industry. Tree Is-land Steel is that

source.” stated Alan Graham, Canadian Sales Manager for Resi-dential Construction Products for Tree Island Steel.

Tree Island Steel currently manu-facturers over 400 types and sizes of nails for the market.

DOC Preliminarily Finds Dumping of Imports of Steel Nails from Korea, Malaysia, Oman, Vietnam & Not from TaiwanOn December 18, 2014, the De-partment of Commerce (DOC) an-nounced its affirmative preliminary determinations in the antidumping duty (AD) investigations of imports of cer-tain steel nails from Korea, Malaysia, Oman and Vietnam, and its negative preliminary determination in the AD investigation of imports of certain steel nails from Taiwan.DOC determined that certain steel nails from Korea, Malaysia, Oman and Vietnam have been sold in the USA at dumping margins ranging from 2.13% to 12.38%, 2.14% to 39.35%, 9.07% and 93.42% to 323.99%, respectively. DOC did not find dumping of imports of certain steel nails from Taiwan.In the Korea investigation, mandatory respondents, Daejin Steel Co. and Jinheung Steel Corp. received pre-liminary dumping margins of 12.38% and 2.13%. All other producers/export-ers in Korea received a preliminary dumping margin of 7.26%.In the Malaysia investigation, manda-tory respondents, Inmax Sdn. Bhd., Region International Co. (its affiliated

producer Region System Sdn. Bhd.) and Tag Fasteners Sdn. Bhd. re-ceived preliminary dumping margins of 2.14%, 2.56% and 39.35%, respec-tively. All other producers/exporters in Malaysia got a preliminary dumping margin of 2.20%. Tag Fasteners Sdn. Bhd. failed to respond to DOC’s ques-tionnaire, so got a margin of 39.35%.In the Oman investigation, mandatory respondent, Oman Fasteners, LLC re-ceived a preliminary dumping margin of 9.07%. All other producers/exporters in Oman got a dumping margin of 9.07%.In Vietnam, mandatory respondents Region Industries Co., and its af-filiated exporter Region International Co., and United Nail Products Co. received preliminary dumping margins of 103.88% and 93.42%, respectively. Separate rate applicant Kosteel Vina Ltd. Co. received a preliminary dump-ing margin of 98.65%. All other produc-ers/exporters received a preliminary dumping margin of 323.99%.DOC will announce its final determina-tions on or about May 11, 2015.

trade.gov

Mid Continent Nail Plans US$5 Million ExpansionMid Continent Nail, in Poplar Bluff Industrial Park, Broseley, MO, USA, has announced plans for a nearly US$5 million expan-sion project and the hiring of 91 workers. The firm said it will install a new line in its original 118,000 ft2 plant. Equipment has been ordered and will be installed as soon as possible. Mid Continent Nail has 400 em-ployees in its main nail manufac-turing facility. “This good news is really exciting to all of us,” said Steve Halter, President of the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Com-merce and Poplar Bluff Indus-tries. “The new jobs will be an additional US$2.4 million annual payroll in our community.” In February 2012, Deacero US Inc., based in Monterrey, Mexico, purchased Mid Continent Nail and announced plans to in-crease production while adding 100 jobs. At that time, around 300 workers were employed. Mid Continent Nail, a division of Mid Continent Steel & Wire, is the largest bulk pallet nail maker in the USA and is the largest sup-plier of nails to the wooden pallet and crating industry.

www.magnumfasteners.com

BUSINESS & MARKET REPORT

Notebook

Page 3

Lighter Composite Planes Could Reduce Carbon Emissions Up to 15%A study, by the Universities of Sheffield, Cambridge and UCL (University College London), is the first to carry out a compre-hensive life cycle assessment (LCA) of a composite plane, such as the Boeing Dreamliner 787 or Airbus 350, and extrapolate the results to the global fleet. The study compares the results to the traditional and heavier aluminum planes. Emissions during the manufacture of com-posite planes are over double those of aluminum planes. But because the lighter aircraft use significantly less fuel, these increased emissions are offset after just a few international flights. Over its lifetime, a com-posite plane creates up to 20% fewer CO2 emissions than its aluminum equivalent. The study shows that the fuel consumption savings with com-posites far outweigh the in-creased environmental impact from their manufacture. The study research estimated that by 2050, composite planes could reduce emissions from the global fleet by 14% to 15% relative to a fleet that maintains its existing aluminum-based configuration.

www.cam.ac.uk

“We believe our expansion into screws will provide our customers with an enhanced and value-add-ed product mix,” stated Graham.

www.treeisland.com

Wurth Louis moves forward with new Director of Sales

As part of Brea, CA, USA-based Wurth Louis and Company’s long-term strategic plan, Rob Berrett has been promoted to Director of Sales overseeing the organization’s sales efforts company-wide. Prior to this, Berrett was Regional Manager of the Mountain Region, consisting of branches in Idaho, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona.

“Rob has successfully man-aged Wurth Louis and Company’s Mountain Region, and has elevated the level of service we provide to our customers,” said Vito Mancini, President and CEO.

Berrett has been with Wurth Louis and Company since 2004, and prior to that worked at Machinery Hard-ware Supply for 18 years.

In addition to his sales and management role, Berrett has con-tributed his talents to Wurth Louis and Company’s new product com-mittee, pricing committee, vendor distribution councils and has served as a mentor to Wurth Louis and Company’s new managers.

Wurth Louis and Company is a leading provider of surfacing, hard-ware, shop supply, woodworking machinery and coating products. The Würth Group is reportedly the world’s largest trading company of fasteners and assembly technology.

www.wurthlac.com

TriMas is moving some fasteneroperations to Mexico

TriMas Corporation, Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA, a diversified global manufacturer of engineered and applied products, recently an-

nounced its final decision to move a portion of the gasket and fas-tener operations from its Lamons Houston facility to a new facility in

Mexico. The move to Mexico will im-

prove the Lamons global operating model and enhance the competive-ness of the business.

This transition is expected to be completed over the next 12 to 18 months.

TriMas provides engineered and applied products for growing mar-kets worldwide. The firm is orga-nized into six reportable segments: Packaging, Energy, Aerospace, Engineered Components, Cequent APEA and Cequent Americas.

www.trimascorp.com

SPIROL Receives 2014 GM Supplier Award for 3rd Year

For the third consecutive year, SPIROL Industries Ltd., Windsor, Ontario, Canada, has received the General Motors Supplier Quality Excellence Award.

The award was received on behalf of the entire SPIROL team by Daniel McLean, Quality Manager and Chris Stanton, Operations Man-ager. General Motors (GM) has 2300 North American suppliers and SPIROL was one of 80 companies to receive the award all three years.

According to GM, “Suppliers who receive this award have met or exceeded a stringent set of quality performance criteria and have achieved the cross-functional support of the entire GM organiza-tion. The award recognizes those suppliers who have demonstrated the highest levels of quality perfor-mance over the past 12 months.”

Each supplier who won the award met 13 quality criteria over a period of 12 months with one no-table criterion being: “Zero-Number of defects in parts and components

January 19, 2015

Volt Industrial Plastics, Inc.80 Industry Lane, Flippin, AR 72634, USA

Contact: Heidi Volltrauer, COOToll-Free: +1 800 844 8024

Toll-Free Fax: +1 877 453 8707Web Site: www.voltplastics.comE-Mail: heidi@voltplastics.com

Spotlight on NIFS/WEST Exhibitors ...continued

Wrentham Tool ProductsBooth 342

Wrentham Tool Products has been pro-ducing Cold Heading Tools and Gauging for the fastener industry for over 50 years. We produce both special and standard tooling used to make fasteners, ranging from simple nails to high tech Aerospace screws and bolts. We maintain a large inventory of tooling, strategically located worldwide. Wrentham is proud to have the reputation for the highest quality and the most dependable delivery perfor-mance in the industry. We are licensed to manufacture TORQ-SET®, ACR® ribbed TORQ-SET®,PHILLIPS SQUARE-DRIV®, ACR® ribbed PHILLIPS®, ACR® ribbed PHILLIPS II®, MORTORQ®, HEXLOBE, TORX® and QUADREX® products.

www.wrenthamtool.com

114 Fastener Focus October2007 October 2007

Volt Industrial Plastics Inc.

Booth 751Volt Industrial Plastics’ subsid-iary JV Tool, can design and produce unique plastic fasteners and injection molded parts that you need. Our catalog contains our current parts or visit our materials page for a list of the polymers, co-polymers, and res-ins we use to manufacture our precision plastic fasteners.

www.voltplastics.com

Visit Fastener Technology Internationalin Booth 330,

new books on sale:

Presented by:BUYERS’GUIDE

2007 Manufacturer Identification

Symbols INTERNATIONAL GUIDE

BUSINESS & MARKET REPORT

NotebookJanuary 19, 2015

Page 4

delivered by Supplier Quality Excel-lence Award winners.”

This is a significant achievement and a testament to SPIROL’s opera-tional excellence and quality control

considering the millions of parts supplied to General Motors from SPIROL’s global locations.

www.spirol.com

Precision Process adds machinery & staff

Precision Process Inc. recently took delivery of a new, US$225,000 Swiss lathe to help meet increased capacity. The Niagara Falls, NY, USA company manufactures and installs equipment for wet processing and electroplating for domestic and international manufacturers. The industries the firm serves include semiconductor, solar, automotive

MWFA Elects 2015 Board The Mid-West Fastener Asso-

ciation (MWFA), Lake Zurich, IL, USA, has elected its 2015 Board of Directors. The 2015 MWFA Board of Directors includes Presi-dent, Rich Cavoto of Metric & Multistandard Components; Vice President, Wayne Wishnew of L Screw Corp.; Treasurer, Bob O’Brien of Certified Products; and Secretary, Paula Evitts of KDS Imports.

Board Directors include Bob Baer of Abbott-Interfast Corp., Glen Brin of Innovative Com-ponents, Brian Christianson of South Holland Metal Finish-ing, David Gawlik of All-Tech Hardware-Autocraft USA, Matt Delawder of SWD Inc. and Becky Russo of American Fas-teners & Components.

Al ternates include Ross Shepard of Alfa Tools, Rich Pease of RK Precision Products LLC and Amanda Clark of Clar-corp Industrial Sales. The MWFA Executive Director is Nancy Rich.

www.mwfa.net

2014 Reshoring Index®: Down 20 Basis Points Y-on-Y from 2013. Uncovers What Manufacturers Are Actually DoingGlobal strategy and management con-sulting firm, A.T. Kearney, Chicago, IL, USA, has released its 2014 Reshoring Index®, the first in a series of studies looking objectively at the rate and pace of the return of manufacturing operations to the USA. In this inaugural Index, manufactured goods flows are tracked over a 10-year period to show the change in ratio be-tween USA manufacturing imports and gross output during that time period. The index is actually expected to show a year-over-year decline, lower by 20 basis points from 2013, as offshoring to foreign manufacturing markets out-paces reshoring.Patrick Van den Bossche, Partner and leader of the firm’s Americas Strategic Operations Practice and co-author of the Index, said, “Our goal was to find out for ourselves whether companies are indeed leaning toward reshoring operations, and if so, what are the motivators driving them. We’ve been following these questions with inter-est since 2010, and have a growing database of 700-plus reshoring cases across all industries.”“While the so-called reshoring trend has helped improve the mood of USA manufacturing since the recession, the reality is that the import value of manu-factured goods into the USA from 14 low-cost Asian countries has grown at an average of 8% per year in the last five years,” added Pramod Gupta, A.T. Kearney Principal and study co-author.

“The 2014 Reshoring Index is not only an indicator of USA manufacturing

capital flows, but also how the USA stacks up in terms

of attractiveness as a source of manu-factured products versus countries like China, Bangladesh and Cambodia.”Key Index highlights include:• Top three reshoring industries are electrical equipment, appliance and component manufacturing, with 15% of the cases; transportation equipment manufacturing, with 15%; apparel manufacturing (previously had not been expected to ever come back), with 12%. • Improvement in delivery time led the reasons executives gave in favor of reshoring, with quality improvement a close second, followed by brand/image. • While there’s been an overall lift in USA manufacturing for five years since 2009, imports of offshored manufactured goods into the USA have increased faster than any return of manufactur-ing operations to our soil, and for the 14 top offshoring locations combined, amounted to US$630 billion in 2013.Those 14 top offshoring locations (China, Taiwan, Malaysia, India, Viet-nam, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Cambodia) are also included in the study, along with a tracking of the year-over-year change in Manufacturing Import Ratio from 2004 through 2014.

www.atkearney.com

(l to r): Randall L Pappal/Executive Director GM; Chris Stanton/Operations Manager SPIROL, Sheri Hickok/Execu-tive Director GM, Daniel McLean/Qual-

ity Manager SPIROL.

BUSINESS & MARKET REPORT

Notebook

Page 5

Cardinal Fastener Closing & Transfering Equipment to Dokka FastenersCardinal Fastener, Bedford, Heights, OH, USA, opened in 1983 and acquired by the Würth Group in 2011, will be closing

the plant and transferring the

equipment to Dokka Fasten-ers, Inc., Auburn Hills, MI, USA. Dokka Fasteners Inc. is part of the Würth Hot Forging Group.“The decision to close the Cardi-nal Fastener operation was dif-ficult after being in business over 30 years. Unfortunately, having two separate plants with similar capabilities located so close together became increasingly difficult to justify. We appreciate the support of our customers and plan on supporting their needs again after the equipment has been installed and commis-sioned at the Dokka Fasteners operation. Every effort will be made to minimize the impact of the transition on our valued cus-tomers,” said Marc Strandquist, EVP of the Würth GroupDokka Fasteners is a state-of-the-art hot forging and machin-ing operation using automation and robotics throughout the plant to manufacture products of superior quality.

www.dokkafasteners.com

and aerospace.Operations Director, Skip Dun-

mire, said that over the last year the company has gotten requests

for bigger parts. The new lathe will enable

the company to meet increased de-mand, and will be used for medical industry products.

Dunmire also explained that the company saw a chance to grow the business and in 2012 spent about US$440,000 on two machines that provide Swiss machining capabili-ties. Last year was a startup year for the company’s Swiss process. At the time, employment stood at about 50. Since then, that number has increased to about 60, a result of an increase in a variety of orders.

www.precisionprocess.com

Bossard acquires Aero-Space Southwest & 60% of Torp

The Bossard Group, Zug, Swit-zerland, has completed its acquisi-tion of Aero-Space Southwest, Inc., the USA supplier of high-quality products for industries including electronics, telecom, aerospace and medical.

The Bossard Group has also tak-en anther step forward in its drive to further develop European sales markets with the acquisition of 60%

January 19, 2015

of Norway-based Torp Fasteners. Torp supplies high-quality fastener solutions including complex plastic fastener products.

www.bossard.com

Superbolt tensioners secure Tata Steel’s BOS converters

The Tata Steel Port Talbot Basic Oxygen Steelmaking (BOS) plant in South Wales had been securing bolts on its BOS converters by heat-ing nuts to 200°C in an oil bath, with the contraction upon cooling creat-

ing the tension in the bolt. This method

was potentially hazardous to the employees and the plant.

In May 2014, Tata Steel installed Superbolt tensioners from Nord-Lock on the BOS converters, result-ing in multiple benefits for the plant including employee safety, signifi-cantly reduced installation time and reusability for cost savings.

www.nord-lock.com

Canadian automotive aftermarket future is bright

The Canadian automotive af-termarket industry is a tough and competitive one, but it has a rare advantage—it has a window into the future. And according to the Automotive Industries Association

YFP Conducting Market ResearchYoung Fastener Professionals (YFP) will be providing surveys to all fastener industry personnel to conduct market research on attracting and retaining em-ployees in the fastener industry. Data will be gathered effective immediately and will span a six month period, ending in July of 2015. Upon completion of the research cam-paign, YFP will present its findings at this year’s National Industrial Fastener & Mill Supply Expo in Las Vegas, NV, USA. The presentation titled, “How to Attract & Retain ‘Millennial’ Employees in the Fastener Industry,” will mainly focus on the analysis of the 18 to 34 year old respondent, but information

covering all age ranges will be provided in a physical case study. All members of the fastener com-munity are encouraged to fill out this brief survey to ensure current and accurate feedback on overall employee satisfac-

tion. The actual survey can be found at the website below. www.youngfastenerprofessionals.com/takesurvey Young Fastener Professionals is a fas-tener association creating an inclusive community to empower the next gen-eration of fastener professionals and their companies through education, collaboration and networking.www.youngfastenerprofessionals.com

March 10 – 12, 2015Stuttgart, Germany • www.fastenerfair.com

BUSINESS & MARKET REPORT

NotebookJanuary 19, 2015

Page 6

Brighton-Best Adds Branch Managers; Expands Atlanta FacilityBrighton-Best International (BBI), with global headquarters in Tainan, Taiwan, recently add-ed Rachel Spilman (Seattle) and DuWayne Edmunds (Portland) as new Branch Managers. Spilman will be the new Seattle, WA, USA Branch Manager. She worked at both PFC and HTI for

numerous years prior to BBI. Her

strong organizational and lead-ership skills will be an asset as BBI in Seattle expands from 35,000 ft2 to 120,000 ft2 in the second quarter of 2015. Edmunds will be the new Port-land, OR, USA Branch Manager. He has worked at BBI for over 22 years and has always been a strong presence in the BBI Portland office as well as in the company’s a well as in the com-pany’s Northwest Region.Additionally, BBI-Atlanta has recently expanded its facility to 267,000 ft2. This more than doubles the facility’s size. BBI-Atlanta’s fully automated ware-house has the capacity to carry more bulk locations and pack-age shelf locations, to provide more distributors support for all BBI product families.

www.brightonbest.com

(AIA) of Canada’s newly published 2014 Outlook Study, the aftermar-ket’s future looks bright.

The new vehicle market set an all-time sales record in Canada in 2013, having sold 1.74 million light vehicles across the country. Although dealerships were the most popular choice for automotive maintenance of these vehicles, with a 36.6% share of the service and re-pair market, this success will ripple through to the aftermarket as these vehicles age in the next decade.

Canadian consumers are now keeping their vehicles longer so that the average age of a light vehicle in Canada is 9.3 years. As these 2014 model year vehicles age and require increased maintenance and repairs not covered by war-ranty, they will bring business to the aftermarket industry.

In 2013, aftermarket parts and labor sales totaled US$19.1 billion, expected to grow to US$21 billion by 2017. This expected increase can be attributed to increasing life expec-tancy of new vehicles, the expand-ing Canadian vehicle fleet and the

aging of the record volumes of new vehicles sold in recent years. The majority of this growth will be seen in the industry’s service segment.

The 2014 Outlook Study is avail-able to free of charge AIA members and for a fee to nonmembers.

www.aiacanada.com

ParkOhio completes acquisition of Saet SpA

ParkOhio, Cleveland, OH, USA, has acquired Saet SpA, Milan, Italy, for some US$20.7 million in cash. A leader in induction heating equipment and heat treat solutions, Saet SpA revenues are expected to be US$50 million in 2015.

ParkOhio provides supply man-agement services and is a producer of highly engineered products.

www.pkoh.com

WESCO reaffirms 2014 outlook, offers 2015 outlook, announces share repurchase program

John J. Engel, Chairman, Presi-dent and CEO of WESCO, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, said, “We were pleased with our improving sales growth in

Anixter Improving Distribution Center; May Sell Fastener DivisionAccording to local reports, Anixter International Inc., Glenview, IL, USA, is poised to make improvements to its new Memphis Distribution Center. Anixter recently filed a US$851,590 building permit with the city-county Office of Construction Code Enforcement for its new distribution center, which is located at 4001 Hickory Hill Road. Grinder, Taber & Grinder Inc. is the general contractor. Anixter also recently leased 100,000 ft2 at the building inside Memphis Distribution Center. The company will be relocating from 4580 S. Mendenhall Road.Additionally, The Financial Times Lim-ited reported at www.ft.com, “Anixter International, backed by Sam Zell, has put its fasteners division up for sale a year after it failed to find a buyer for the whole company.“The sale of the Anixter fasteners divi-sion, which produces nuts, bolts and

adhesives, is likely to fetch more than US$500 million, with final bids due later this month.

“Exact details about potential buyers could not be ascer-

tained, but the auction, which is being managed by Goldman Sachs, has attracted interest from private equity firms, rather than from strategic bidders.“Anixter, which has a market value of US$2.9 billion, had tried to sell itself early last year, with rival electrical equipment maker Rexel of France and private equity group Carlyle reported to be among the buyers. The process was pulled, however, after buyers failed to agree a price.” Anixter counts Chai Trust Company, a subsidiary of Sam Zell’s Equity Group Investments, as its largest shareholder with 11.33% of the stock. Zell is on Anixter’s board.

www.anixterfasteners.com

Don't Miss On-Demand Fastener Talk Radio!FTR is talk radio for the fastener industry, featuring guests, commentary and conversation designed to

inform and entertain fastener professionals. Available any time in streaming or download formats. Tune in

today! Log on to listen to Fully Threaded Radio:

www.fullythreaded.com

Notebook

Page 7

New Equipment Installed at Sems and SpecialsSems and Specials Inc., Rock-ford, IL, USA, has installed a new large-diameter, five-die, six-station parts former that will provide added-value items to the company’s production capability. The machine will enable the cold forming of more complex parts.

Also recently installed is a new multi-station inspection, sorting and packaging machine that will enhance quality requirements to exceed product PPM levels.

www.semsandspecials.com

BUSINESS & MARKET REPORT

the second and third quarters, and our fourth quarter has continued the positive momentum. As a result, we reaffirm our full year outlook of approximately 5% sales growth and US$5.25 to US$5.35 earnings per diluted share, although at the lower end of the range.”

Engel continued, “We remain sharply focused on executing our One WESCO strategy to deliver above-market sales growth, im-prove profitability and increase shareholder value. With our new organization in place and improv-ing economic conditions antici-pated in North America, we expect sales growth of 3% to 6% and EPS of US$5.50 to US$5.90 per diluted share in 2015. We are also pleased to announce a share repurchase program starting early next year.”

wesco.investorroom.com

Grainger changes stock exchange listings

Grainger, Chicago, IL, USA, plans to voluntarily withdraw the listing of

its common stock from the Chicago Stock Exchange. Grainger’s com-mon stock will continue to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

The company said it has made this decision to eliminate duplicative administrative requirements and costs inherent with dual listings. The Chicago Stock Ex-change will continue to trade Grainger common stock on an unlisted trading privilege basis.

www.grainger.com

January 19, 2015

Fastener Distributor Index (FDI)

Fastener Distributor Index (FDI) data is collected and analyzed by the FCH Sourcing Network:www.fastenersclearinghouse.com

and the National Fastener Distribu-tors Association (NFDA):

www.nfda-fastener.org.

FDI seeks to identify demand, pricing and outlook trends within the American fastener distribution industry.

www.fastenercoalition.org

Conference Calls/Webcasts...• Illinois Tool Works  Inc.  (ITW), Glen-view, IL, USA, will hold its 2014 fourth quarter conference call at 9 AM CT on January 27, 2015. The call will follow the company’s release of fourth quarter financial results at 7 AM on that same day. www.itw.com

• Precision Castparts Corp., Portland, OR, USA, will host a conference call to discuss the company’s third quarter fis-cal 2015 earnings on January 22, 2015, at 7 AM PT. www.precast.com

Fastener Distribution at a Glance -- November, 2014

Index Values

Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul JunOct-Nov Change Direction

FDI (fastener sector) 57.4 55.4 53.5 50.6 57.7 49.5 2.1 GrowingFDI (seasonally adjusted) 60.1 57.0 58.6 50.9 62.4 49.3 3.1 Growing

Sales 70.3 58.9 65.6 52.4 63.5 44.2 11.3 GrowingEmployment 55.4 62.5 60.9 54.8 53.8 61.5 (7.1) GrowingSupplier Deliveries 63.5 58.9 53.1 64.3 76.9 57.7 4.6 SlowingRespondent Inventories 55.4 62.5 54.7 54.8 59.6 59.6 (7.1) Too HighCustomer Inventories 40.5 41.1 34.4 31.0 36.5 34.6 (0.5) Too Low

Pricing, month-to-month 62.2 55.4 56.3 59.5 69.2 59.6 6.8 HigherPricing, year-to-year 67.6 69.6 68.8 78.6 78.8 73.1 (2.1) Higher

6 Month Outlook, Nov Higher: 54% Same: 35% Lower: 11%

FDI and Pricing are diffusion indexes based on data supplied by FCH Sourcing Network.

ndex values <50 suggest contraction. Values >50 suggest expansion.

EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

EVENTS

Page 8

Applications Being Accepted for Gilchrist Foundation Scholarships

Robbie and Gina Gilchrist es-tablished the Gilchrist Foundation Fastener Scholarship in 2000. Their goal was to return something to an industry that was very good and supportive to them. Those who receive awards from the Gil-christ Foundation are expected, upon completion of their schooling, to make an earnest effort to work in the fastener industry or to pursue employment in an industry trade association mem-ber company. Unlike many other scholarships, applications for the Gilchrist Foundation Scholarship are accepted during any year of a person’s schooling. Also, an ap-plicant may be a part-time student currently working in the fastener industry.

Applications for the Gilchrist Scholarships are available on the website below, and will be ac-cepted through May 30, 2015.

www.gilchristfoundation.com

2015 Fastener Training Institute® Webinar Schedule

The Fastener Training Insti-tute® (FTI) has an-nounced its Fasten-er Product Training Webinar schedule for the first half of 2015.

Carmen Vertullo will return as FTI’s guide through this continuing series of high-content instructional webinars. Vertullo is the founder of CarVer Consulting, a San Diego, CA, USA consulting, engineering and training company specializing in fasteners and bolted joints. The 2015 schedule is as follows:

• January 23, 2015, Understand-ing Fastener Materials – Beyond the Basics

• February 20, 2015, The Use, Misuse and Abuse of washers – Types, styles and applications

• March 13, 20 and 27, 2015, Fastener Basics – A Three Parts Series – You asked for it and we’re responding

• April 17, 2015, Choosing the Correct Strength of a Fastener – When is too much not a good thing?

• May 22, 2015, The Right Torque & When it’s not – A primer for all & introduction to our advanced class

• June 19, 2015, Vibration Resis-tant Fasteners – OK, Now It’s tight, but how to keep it that way

Webinars begin at 11:00 AM PST. To register, please visit: www.fastenertraining.org/webinars/

FTI also offers its regular in-person fastener training classes. There will be over 30 classes in 10 cities throughout the USA.

www.fastenertraining.org

NFDA Winter MeetingThe Winter Meeting of the Na-

tional Fastener Distributors Asso-ciation (NFDA) will take place Feb-ruary 26 to 28, 2015, at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, SC, USA. The historic Francis Marion hotel, which was restored in 1996, was named for the Revo-lutionary War hero, Francis Marion (the “Swamp Fox”) and dates back to 1924. The hotel combines 1920s style and grace with 21st century comfort and convenience.

The NFDA Winter Meeting will provide an ideal opportunity for at-tendees to network with their peers, learn about the industry and enjoy some fun. The meeting program includes educational sessions along with various activities that showcase this historic southern location. Register on-line at the website below to attend the NFDA Winter Meeting.

www.nfda-fastener.org

January 19, 2015

February 9 – 13, 2015 Fastener Training Week - Los Angeles La Mirada, CA, USA www.fastenertraining.org

February 26 – 28, 2015 NDFA 2015 Winter Meeting Charleston, SC, USA www.nfda-fastener.org

March 10 – 12, 2015 Fastener Fair Stuttgart Stuttgart, Germany www.fastenerfair.com

March 25 – 27, 2015 Fastener Fair Russia 2015 St. Petersburg, Russia www.fastenerfairrussia.com

April 22 – 23, 2015 Automotive Fastener Technology Troy, MI, USA www.fastenertraining.org

April 22 – 25, 2015 Pac-West Spring Conf. & Tabletop Show Long Beach, CA, USA www.pac-west.org

May 27 – 29, 2015 14th Fastener Trade Show Chengdu Chengdu, China www.fastenertradeshow.info

June 8 – 10, 2015 FASTENER TECH ‘15 Rosemont, IL, USA www.mwfa.net / www.fastenertech.com

June 10 – 11, 2015 NDFA 2015 Annual Meeting Rosemont, IL, USA www.nfda-fastener.org

June 23 – 25, 2015 Aerospace Fasteners: An Overview La Mirada, CA, USA www.fastenertraining.org

July 20 – 24, 2015 Fastener Training Week - Cleveland Cleveland, OH, USA www.fastenertraining.org

September 9 – 10, 2015 2015 All-American Fastener Show Nashville, TN, USA www.allamericanfastenershow.com

October 20 – 22, 2015 SMI Metal Engineering eXpo™ Charlotte, NC, USA www.metalengineeringexpo.org

October 21 – 23, 2015 National Industrial Fastener & Mill Supply Expo Las Vegas, NV, USA www.fastenershows.com

October 21 – 23, 2015 15th Fastener Trade Show Suzhou Suzhou, China www.fastenertradeshow.info

November 2 – 6, 2015 Fastener Training Week - Cleveland Cleveland, OH, USA www.fastenertraining.org

June 8 to 10, 2015Rosemont, IL, USA

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