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Becoming more progressive
Bolt Fasteners
Bursa
Bolt Fasteners has recently upgraded its production capabilities through investment in six multi-station
formers. Located in Bursa, with much of Turkey’s automotive assembly market in close proximity, the
company is now concentrating on realigning its business to produce special parts.
Remzi Topuk, owner of Bolt Fasteners, is emphatic that the right strategy for his business is not to expand capacity, which he is happy to see at around
4,000 tonnes per year, but to increase the quality and complexity of parts produced. Prior to its recent investment the company already had an extensive
range of heading machinery allowing it to produce both small screws and bolts. A small annealing furnace
and a phosphating line are used to prepare wire, drawn to size on one of two stations. Two PLC controlled
lines, both atmosphere controlled and continuous feed, provide around 1,250 Kg/h heat treatment capacity.
The quality laboratory is compact but houses a good range of key equipment, including a small salt spray
chamber. For final inspection Bolt has one CCM multi-camera machine. Quality management is carried out to
ISO TS16949 and heat treatment processing, says Bolt, is approved by FIAT.
The latest additions to the machines tightly but tidily installed in the Bolt factory are a six-die JINU former
from Korea, plus one five-die five-blow machine and four three-die machines from Jern Yao. Bolt already
had a two-die four-blow former capable of producing more complex parts. The company can now produce
products from 2.5mm to 20mm diameter and from 8mm to 150mm in length. Foreign trade manager,
Muzaffer Altin, explains that the engineers are now busy exploring the capabilities of the new machines to
produce more complex parts.
A regular exhibitor around Europe and the Middle East Bolt already has export business to several European
countries including Germany, France and Spain as well as Bulgaria and Romania. The company also sells to
Iran and in North Africa. Bolt’s primary target for its newly acquired capability, though, is domestic.
Making nuts special
SOM Fastener Company
Sincan, Ankara
SOM Fastener has specialised in special nuts and cold forged components for more than a quarter of a
century, beginning production in 1980 as the first Turkish producer of weld nuts for the vehicle industry.
With a workforce of 70 operating a two-shift system, the modern plant on the outskirts of Ankara has an annual capacity of 4,000 tonnes. The core
range is M3 to M18 but SOM can produce components up to 30mm diameter and 90mm long.
Twenty percent of output is exported. Nearly half of all sales continue to be supplied for automotive applications but SOM has expanded its markets
to include the home appliance window and door, and furniture industries. Products include weld nut, nylon insert nuts, hinge units, an extensive range
of special nuts and many complex, and outright special parts, several for critical applications.
The company was accredited to ISO TS16949 in 2005, achieving ISO 14001 environmental status the following year. Wire preparation is carried out
by another group company and currently heat treatment and plating are both outsourced, although relocation plans in the future include the prospect of
bringing these processes in-house. In addition to the expected array of nut formers and
tappers, a five-die SACMA former is used for complex parts. Final zero defect inspection
is carried out on a range of inspection equipment including a European multi camera
machine.
If affirmation of SOM’s ability to develop and produce complex and critical parts
is required even a brief tour of the company’s tooling operation will be completely
convincing. The company produces around 85% of its tooling requirements in a
comprehensively equipped tool room, which includes a remarkable investment in
electrical discharge machining, six machines in total, one an advanced wire eroder.
The company’s commitment to developing fastener technology extends beyond its
own walls. SOM is a member of the management committee of a recently established
engineering institute in Ankara, which has as its key objective the development of cold
forging techniques, assisting members in develop their own capabilities and investing
in students, some of whom are able to use the SOM laboratories and production
equipment.
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