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INSIGHT A rEvolution in quality assurance


For more than a decade Evolution Fasteners has determinedly pursued improvement in quality and performance to differentiate its products from general imported product supplied to the construction sector. Over the last year that determination has been refl ected in the establishment of an exceptional test and research facility in Glasgow. Phil Matten took the morning fl ight to gain a fi rst hand impression.


the recent establishment of offi ces and distribution in Lich, Germany, the company now services distributors in both North American and European markets. Its UK warehousing and distribution, and now testing and research facility, is centred in Glasgow, the company relocated this year to a new, purpose built unit in the south west of the city. Differentiation has always been at the core of Evolution’s


E


volution Fasteners started trading in the UK in 2000: the company was founded the previous year in Canada. With


Evolution’s drywall screws do stand out from the crowd. A drill test in which a sharp point drywall screw penetrates 1mm of steel in substantially less than half a second, leaves no room for doubt. Manufactured to exceed ASTM C-1002 requirements from hardened C1022 steel, the super sharp point dimples the steel on contact providing the remarkable, wobble- free, high speed installation that makes the Evolution screw a benchmark. “A lot of sharp pointed drywalls will not even penetrate 1mm of steel,” says Michael Keisner, “because the hardening is simply inadequate. With Evolution products the operator can use every one of the thousand drywall screws in the


coating. A full programme of bimetal Tek screws combines the corrosion resistance of 304 stainless steel with the drilling performance of a carbon steel tip. Alongside Evolution offers its distributors a series of specialist application screws including for stitching, for fi brous cement board, metal framing, and both timber and steel purlins. So with more than ten years market


reputation for high performance construction fasteners why commit to a testing and analytical facility that, Michael Keisner wryly acknowledges, is the investment equivalent of a couple of Ferraris? “There are three key driving forces


behind our decision,” says Keisner. “One is Evolution’s desire to offer a much higher level of technical support


marketing


strategy. “We targeted connecting things into or through steel,” explains managing director, Michael Keisner. “That’s where the performance of the fastener becomes much more important, compared with construction applications into softwood. Once you start going through steel things are different.”


“We started on the basis we wanted a


drywall screw that would prove to be the best. Since then we have developed the same concept through other products; that includes collation, where the technology of both screw and collation strip have a major effect on performance on site, and more specifi cally in the Tek screw range. More recently we have started to look at products to fi x into concrete, again technically challenging applications where design, manufacture and quality control are critical to both performance and safety.”


box, they will


work quicker than any other, and will ensure zero wastage. That extends to super strong packaging - so if you drop the box the screws will not spill out.” Today Evolution drywall screws are CE marked, and in addition exceeding to BS EN 14566 and to EN-1364-1 fi re requirements. In addition to sharp point screws,


phosphate coated or zinc plated, Evolution supplies self drilling drywall screws, cementitious board screws, tough board screws, fl ooring screws and drywall screws in stainless steel with collated options for the core ranges. From drywall screws Evolution graduated to construction application self-drilling screws, with carbon steel Tek screws for both light and extra heavy steels, supplied in the company’s trade marked 500 or 1,000 hour rated Evoshield®


86 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 71 September 2011 and service


to our customers than is currently available in the market. The second is, if it is possible, to technically improve what we do. Thirdly, the advent of the Construction Products Regulation and the sheer amount of empirical data and testing required to comply with it was a massive incentive to get on and make the investment.”


The decision was made in October 2010


and Ryan Murphy, who runs Evolution Testing & Analytical Services (ETAS), lists what has been achieved in less than nine months. “In that time we set out where we wanted to go; researched and purchased the equipment we required; recruited additional personnel; devised the whole regime behind it all – which is very


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