Tag Archives: Cost Savings

Is There Value in Application Engineering?

Posted on by

Reprint from LINK, Summer 2021

I began my career in the fastener industry over thirty years ago as an Application Engineer. This was a great place to start, and, perhaps, the most cherished time of all my years in the industry. I suppose that Application Engineering can mean different things to different people, but within the fastener realm this role is pretty universally understood as an interface which works with the customer to provide the best fastening solution. This not only means choosing the correct fastener but also the related joint design, fastener heat treatment, finish, packaging, and any number of other design or process related decisions.

Read the full article (PDF)Download

New Flat Die Thread Rolling Technology

Posted on by

Reprint from China Fastener World Magazine, Vol. 189

One of the delights of being an independent consultant is the wide assortment of people I meet and projects I get to review. Over the last ten years the two problems that I am most commonly approached about include skills development and thread rolling. In fact, I have written many articles in the last ten years and the one that I most frequently have inquiries about years later is related to problems in thread rolling. This is truly a step in the fastener manufacturing process that is ripe for innovation.

Read the full article (PDF)Download

The Power of Value Engineering – Converting Screw Machine Parts to Cold Headed Parts

Posted on by

From Link Magazine, Spring 2014

As markets become more global, customers are ever demanding new ways for suppliers to deliver them value. Over the last ten years or more, these same companies have been reducing their engineering and purchasing staffs, creating a new dependence and responsibility in their vendors to generate both quality and cost improvement ideas. For many distributors, this new responsibility is an unwelcome diversion in their already hectic and changing environment. However, for a select few, these new expectations present a unique opportunity to be exploited and profited from.

Download the full article (PDF) »

Converting Screw Machined Parts to Cold Formed Parts

Posted on by

machinedFrom Fastener Technology International, June 2012

In this day and age where customers are expecting more suggestions and input from their suppliers,
a recommendation to convert a part from screw machining to cold forming could provide advantages.

As more customers and OEMs reduce engineering and purchasing staffs, they are placing greater dependence and responsibility on their vendors and suppliers to generate both quality and cost improvement ideas. If your customer only purchases standard cold formed fasteners, providing ideas might prove to be a real challenge. However, if your customer’s product is either complicated or its purchasing or engineering resources are not well educated in cold forming technology, there may be an opportunity to conduct a value engineering exercise and review the possibility of converting screw machined parts to cold formed parts.

Download the full article (PDF) »