ANALYSIS
increases the interest of customers in the new proposed solutions, and consequently allows the fastener industry to grow. Special attention should be directed to the renewable energy market, particularly solar and photovoltaic systems. Clearly 2012 represents a challenge
especially for the Eurozone, where the bigger producers and consumers of fasteners are. This involves a shift of focus onto markets that soon will be central to economic development: first among these,
Russia and Brazil. The major fastener market sectors
(automotive, electronics, telecoms, construction) will definitely experience ‘downturns’ in certain areas and ‘explosion of business’ in some other. Changes will be more frantic and will involve areas that are now growing. That is why 2012 will open and continue
with great opportunities for the fastener industry. Winners will be those companies able to manage these possibilities. The
European market of fasteners has a great tradition and great experience. It will continue to be a key factor in the development of mechanical fasteners. However, it must continue to focus on strong innovation objectives, so industries look with vigor to proposed solutions that can help improve human living and the environment, help to reduce pollution, and use materials and methods that are as eco-friendly as possible.
Timo Scholle joint managing director: Achilles Seibert GmbH, Germany
F
Lock almost doubled in employees and turnover, creating the promise of new and thrilling opportunities. This was not the only breakthrough for the Group. Nord-Lock
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has also invested a lot of time and resources to now boast a new R&D organisation as well as a new product in its portfolio, the Nord-Lock combi bolt. This was a busy year for all of us and we are very positive about our achievements. The Group has excellent reasons to look upon a bright future, with many ongoing structural projects, some of them long-term. It appears that the Group’s accomplishments obscured
the economic unrest and its effects. With the crisis hitting virtually every part of the globe and every possible industry, we still cannot help but see the bright side. The authorities are not sparing efforts to deal with the crisis. Governments have responded immediately to limit the economic effects of the credit crunch and avoid collapse. This is obviously good news for the whole industry, but we remain very alert, having learned a lesson from recent years. Economic cycles strike in ever shorter intervals and what this, as any other, industry needs is flexibility. This is not only true in the face of the global financial crisis but also in the face of changes that will come to the fastener industry in the nearest future. The shift in global demand will define the fastener industry in coming years: a shift that needs to be addressed by the whole
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or the fastener trade a turbulent 2011 is now drawing to a close. The crisis in 2009 and subsequent growth that followed in the year 2011 was characterised by procurement difficulties. The shorter economic cycles mean that markets remain uncertain and the sector continues to face the necessity of having to continuously adapt to ever-changing conditions. Achilles Seibert GmbH has met these challenges head on and over the last two years has restructured itself to greatly
improve its position on the market: efforts which have resulted in extraordinary operating profits. So the switch from major importer to a stockist of high-quality merchandise has been successful – to become THE wholesaler for the trade. Quality and rapid availability continue to be the priority. Our high-strength screws are, for example, only purchased from certified
European and Taiwanese manufacturers. A fact that we openly guarantee and document. We think that the economy will experience a noticeable cooling down in 2012, something which was already starting to be felt in
the third quarter of 2011. There is a surplus of standard products while bottlenecks continue to exist in certain non-core fields. We also think that, in the near future, the market will normalise to pre-2008 levels. The overheating now appears to be coming to an end. The financial and economic outlook makes it difficult to make reliable forecasts. We’re not in the business of fortune telling... ...but we can say that Achill will be ready.
Elisabet Österlund global sales and marketing director: Nord-Lock Group
011 was a very successful and exciting period for the Nord-Lock Group. Three acquisitions within a year transformed Nord-Lock to one of the main players in the bolting industry. As a result of the acquisitions, Nord-
industry. Western Europe and North America are currently the two largest markets but soon new, impossible to ignore players, will emerge in China and the Asia Pacific. Demand for fasteners will considerably increase in that region, a situation directly triggered by the Euro-crisis. I am very optimistic about the future changes and confident the
Nord-Lock Group is prepared for increasing demand from Asia. In Japan, already a big market for Nord-Lock for years, the
Group found a new dimension as the country addressed extensive and severe destruction of buildings and infrastructure caused by last year's earthquake and tsunami. Confronting a catastrophe of such magnitude, Japan needs nothing but quality and reliability in all possible fields, including bolting connections. Although Nord-Lock cannot solve all the damage related issues, the Group definitely provides desired results in fastener-related problems and continues to spread its core market offering of security. Many other interesting trends in key drivers to fastener
technologies can be recently observed. First of all, there is strong interest in joining composite materials with threaded fasteners since it is difficult to prove the functionality of adhesives. Secondly, the desire to create joints with minimal or no maintenance requirements is becoming a priority to most manufacturers together with the ability to offer longer warranties; which also means fasteners need higher corrosion resistance. Also new bolt materials are being discussed for the purpose of reducing weight and corrosion, i.e. aluminium and composite materials. There is always room for changes and innovation in this industry.
Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 73 January 2012
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