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Brighton Best International Acquires EZ Sockets, Inc.Brighton Best International (BBI), Long Beach, CA, USA, has announced the

acquisition of EZ Sockets, Inc., Springfield, NJ, USA, an industry leader in providing high-quality socket screws and related products since 1978. With five distribution

centers across the USA, EZ Sockets is known for its extensive inventory of semi-standard and special sizes, competitive prices and high level of service. The purchase by BBI was

structured as an asset transaction.Jun Xu, President of BBI, commented that the combined strength of BBI and

EZ Sockets will provide tremendous value and benefit to BBI’s customer partners across the distribution channel by offering the broadest and most complete line of socket products in alloy and stainless material, inch and metric standards and the industry-leading line of off-the-shelf specials and semi-standards.

Ed Werner, President of EZ Sockets, agreed that this acqui-sition makes sense. Combining EZ Sockets’ broad range of sizes and strong reputation and presence in the market along with BBI’s reputation for quality, deep inventory and special web ordering system, offers distributors an unprecedented service option.

Both Xu and Werner expressed their appreciation to the customers, suppliers and employees who have shown their support to their individual companies in the past, and promise to keep BBI successful as they move forward by combining the strengths of each organization. www.brightonbest.com

ARaymond Japan Relocates Into Larger, Fully Automated Plant, Worth Billions of YenARaymond, one of the worldwide leaders in fastening and assembly solutions, has relocated its Japanese operations

to the city ofHadano,60 km west of Tokyo, Japan, after outgrowing its old building. Nearly twice as big and built at a cost of 2.1 billion yen (€15.75 million), the 7000 m2 plant is fully automated, with 23 molding machines and six assembly machines operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

To upgrade working conditions for the 43 employees, there are spacious rest and recreational areas, insulation to reduce noise and hi-tech eco-friendly systems to control temperature and humidity. In the production area, the employees helped plan and design their own departments to improve ergonomics and incorporate lean manufacturing methods that save time and physical effort, optimize the use of materials and reduce waste.

“Our employees will spend more time in the workplace than they will at home so we wanted to provide the most com-fortable working conditions possible,” said Yasuki Takenaka, Managing Director, ARaymond Japan. “All our operators are autonomous and polycompetent, meaning they are multi-skilled and responsible for running their own projects. Our other objective was to create an open, transparent environment that makes it easier for our people to meet, communi-cate and work with each other. We believe this will foster greater innovation and ultimately help to increase efficiency and productivity per head.” www.araymond.com

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March 9, 2015Volume 1, Issue 3

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Toll-Free: 888-536-3674Locally: 440-993-8091Fax: 440-992-0360

USA West Coast Waterfront Contract ..............2ASTM Consolidates Fastener Specs ................2Trifast’s Contract Wins Raise Expectations ......3Budd Chairman of BAFD ..................................4USA Set Exports Record in 2014 ......................4Japanese Automakers Report .........................5VDA Reports Good Market Results .................5Bossard Completes Forind Avio Acquisition ..6Bufab Acquires Flos B.V.................................... 7Sales, Income, Dividends ................................. 7Fastener Fair Stuttgart Opens ..........................8FASTENER TECH™ Exhibit Sales Surge ............8

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BUSINESS & MARKET REPORTMarch 9, 2015

NotebookNORMA Group issued Platinum Supplier status by GM

NORMA Group, St. Clair, MI, USA, a global market leader in engineered joining technology, has been issued Platinum Supplier Status 2014 for its site in St. Clair by General Motors Com-pany (GM). The USA car manufacturer issues this award to suppliers for their outstanding performances and is thus recogniz-ing NORMA Group for its delivery reliability, high-quality products and outstanding service.

“We are extremely pleased to receive this honor from GM that once again confirms our reliability, expertise and strong service,” said Werner Deggim, Chief Executive Officer of NORMA Group. “It pays tribute not only to the outstanding achievements of our team in St. Clair, but also to our group-wide approach aimed at achieving con-

tinuous improvements.” “NORMA Group’s operational

readiness to constantly exceed our expectations makes the firm one of our best suppliers and business partners,” said David Poole, Gen-eral Director of Supply Chain at GM.

www.normagroup.com

TriMas appoints Herbert K. Parker to Board of Directors

TriMas Corporation, Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA, a diversified global manufacturer of engineered and applied products, has appointed Herbert K. Parker, former Chief Fi-

nancial Officer and current Executive

Vice President, Operational Excel-lence at Harman International to its Board of Directors, effective im-mediately. With this addition, the TriMas Board will now consist of nine Directors, eight of whom are independent.

PMA/ILWU Announce West Coast Waterfront ContractSan Francisco, CA, USA-based Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) have announced a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract covering work-ers at all 29 west coast ports. This is after PMA reported that an area arbitrator ruled that longshoremen affiliated with Local 10 of the ILWU conducted illegal work stoppages at the Port of Oakland, resulting in port operations being shut down dur-ing the day shift.

The deal was reached with assistance from U.S. Secretary of Labor, Tom Perez and Fed-eral Mediation and Conciliation Service Deputy Director, Scot Beckenbaugh. The parties will not be releasing details of the agreement at this time. The agreement is subject to ratifica-tion by both parties.

James McKenna and ILWU President, Bob McEllrath, stated, “We are pleased that our ports can now resume full operations.”

www.pmanet.org

www.ilwu.org

New ASTM Standard Consolidates Structural Fastener SpecsA new standard from ASTM, W. Con-shohocken, PA, USA, consolidates six current standards on structural fasteners. With hundreds of mil-lions of fasteners produced to ASTM specifications each year, industry will benefit from the streamlined approach provided by the new ASTM standard F3125: Specification for High Strength Structural Bolts, Steel and Alloy Steel, Heat Treated, 120 ksi (830 MPa) and 150 ksi (1040 MPa) Mini-mum Tensile Strength, Inch and Metric Dimensions).Structural fasteners are used to hold many types of steel structures together, from high-rise construction and retail space to airport terminals and sports fa-cilities. The six standards consolidated into ASTM F3125 are:• ASTM A325 and ASTM A325M, specifications for steel heat-treated structural bolts.• ASTM A490 and ASTM A490M, specifications for steel alloy heat- treated structural bolts.• ASTM F1852 and ASTM F2280, specifications for “twist off” type tension control structural bolt/

nut/washer assemblies.ASTM Committee F16 on Fasteners

discussed the proposal to consoli-date the standards with the lead-ership of the American Institute of Steel Construction and the

Research Council on Structural Con-nections. The process clarified industry needs and provided valuable feedback.“This is an example of what can happen when fresh perspectives, cooperation and effort combine,” said Chad Larson, President, LeJeune Bolt Co., and Chairman of ASTM’s Subcommittee on Steel Bolts, Nuts and Rivets. “The new standard maintains virtually all of the previous technical requirements and adds much needed changes in a very efficient manner.”Fastener manufacturers, Structural Engineers and steel construction agen-cies will benefit from the streamlined standard.In addition, Larson said that all inter-ested parties are welcome to participate in the ongoing maintenance of F3125 through the subcommittee’s work. To purchase this and other standards, visit :

www.astm.org

BUSINESS & MARKET REPORT

Notebook

Page 3

Along with this announcement, TriMas said it has entered into a mutual cooperation agreement with Engaged Capital, LLC, a share-holder of the company. The agree-ment provides that Engaged may appoint its principal, Glenn W. Well-ing, to the TriMas Board of Directors, at Engaged’s request in 2016.

Samuel Valenti III, Chairman of the Board of TriMas Corporation, said, “We have made significant progress in recent years against our strategic initiatives to enhance our organizational focus, expand our customer markets and product lines and deliver improved finan-cial performance. I look forward to working with Herbert and the rest of the Board as we continue to execute TriMas’ strategic plans.”

www.trimascorp.com

Akko Fastener now licensee of REMINC

Akko Fastener, Inc., Cincinnati, OH, USA, a manufacturer and distributor of cold-formed products and fastening components, has

announced that, as of January 26, 2015,

it has been chosen as an official licensee of REMINC-Research En-gineering & Manufacturing, Inc., Middletown, RI, USA, to manufac-ture both TRILOBULAR® and REM-FORM® fasteners. This licensing agreement will positively impact all major markets. The Akko Fastener product line includes bolts, pins, rivets, clips, screws, studs and spe-cialty hardware items.

www.akkofastener.com

Wesco Aircraft appoints Thomas M. Bancroft III to Board of Directors

Wesco Aircraft Holdings, Inc. Valencia, CA, USA, a leading provider of comprehensive supply chain management services to the glob-

al aerospace industry, has an-nounced that its Board of Directors has appointed Thomas M. Bancroft III as a Director, effective immedi-ately. Bancroft will serve as a Class III Director, with an initial term expir-ing at the company’s 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Bancroft is currently the Manag-ing Member, Portfolio Manager and Chief Investment Officer at Makaira Partners, LLC, an investment man-agement firm that he founded in 2007. He previously served as a Senior Managing Director and Port-folio Manager at Plaza Investment Managers, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary and the internal invest-ment division of GEICO, one of the largest USA auto insurance firms.

www.wescoair.com

PMA Business Conditions ReportAccording to the February 2015

Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Business Condi-tions Report, metalform-ing companies expect a slight dip in business conditions in the next three months. The report is an eco-nomic indicator for manufacturing, sampling 119 metalforming firms in the USA and Canada.

The February report shows that 33% of participants predict eco-nomic activity will improve during the next three months (down from 45% in January), 59% expect activ-ity will remain unchanged (versus 49% last month) and 8% believe economic activity will decline (up from 6% in January).

Metalforming companies also anticipate a slight decline in incom-ing orders during the next three months, with 44% predicting an in-crease (down from 50% in January), 48% anticipating no change (versus 42% in January) and 8% expecting a decrease in orders (the same percentage reported last month).

However, current average daily

March 9, 2015

Trifast Set to Beat Expectations on New Contract WinsFastenings company, Trifast PLC, London, England, said that it ex-pects to beat its expectations for the year on the back of a strong

order pipeline and continued margin

improvements. The company said it expects to beat its expec-tations for the financial year to March 31, 2015, as it expects the trend of contract wins from new and existing customers to con-tinue through the final months of its financial year.The group expects the trend to improve as it works on convert-ing its preferred supplier status outside European manufacturing companies to sister plants in Asia and the USA. It added that its operating margin performance is continuing to improve on the back of operational efficiencies.Malcolm Diamond, MBE, Ex-ecutive Chairman, said, “Trifast continues to investigate and pursue potential acquisitions that would be complementary to the Group’s business and meet its strategic objectives. This has been recently exemplified by the successful integration of VIC, acquired in May 2014, and the cross-selling opportunities that are now emerging.”

www.trifast.com

BUSINESS & MARKET REPORT

NotebookMarch 9, 2015

Page 4

shipping levels improved in Feb-ruary. Some 38% of participants report shipping levels above levels of three months ago (compared to 25% in January), 44% report levels the same as three months ago (versus 54% last month) and only 18% report a decrease in shipping levels (compared to 21% in January).

The percentage of metalforming companies with a portion of their workforce on short time or layoff dropped to 8% in February, down from 9% in January.

“In the near term, business condi-tions for metalforming firms, espe-cially those supplying the automo-tive industry, remain strong,” said William E. Gaskin, PMA President. “But global economic concerns in much of Europe, the Soviet Union, South America and the increasing strength of the USA dollar globally are concerns impacting outlook for the next three to six months.”

www.pma.org

Philip Woodlief joins The Hillman Companies Board

The Hillman Companies, Inc. Cin-cinnati, OH, USA, reports that Philip K. Woodlief has been appointed to

the Hillman Board of Directors and a member of the Hillman Audit Committee. Woodlief has been an

independent financial consultant since 2007

and an Adjunct Professor of Man-agement at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Business since October 2010. In 2014, he was also an Adjunct Professor at Bel-mont University, teaching integrated accounting principles. Prior to 2008, Woodlief was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Doane Pet Care, a billion dollar global manu-facturer of pet products.

www.hillmangroup.com

Century Fasteners honored by Parker Accumulator

Century Fasteners Corp., Elm-hurst, NY, USA, has received a highly coveted Quality Award from Parker Accumulator, a division of Parker Hannifin Hydrau-lics. Parker Accumulator and Cooler Division is the leading manufacturer of hydropneumatic accumulators and coolers for in-dustrial and mobile applications in North America.

Ramon Torres, Parker Accumula-

Budd Chairman of BAFDAt its 2014 meeting in Stratford upon Avon, UK, the Executives of the British Association of Fastener Distribu-tors (BAFD) elected Geoff Budd as its Chairman for the next two years.Budd is a Director of Trifast PLC and European Managing Direc-tor of TR Fastenings. With more than 38 years’ wide-ranging experience in the fastener in-dustry, he is qualified to take on the BIAFD role for which he won unanimous approval from the association’s Executive. “I am honored to have been asked to take on the Chairman-ship of BIAFD and look forward to representing the interests of its members,” Budd commented. Budd assumes the Chair from Keith Harrison, Managing Direc-tor of the UK’s Hexstone Group of Companies. At the meeting, BIAFD members warmly ex-pressed their appreciation for Harrison’s two-year period as Chairman and Director.Andy Witts of Bollhoff Fas-tenings was re-elected Vice-Chairman and David Furness, of Rapierstar as Finance Officer/Director. David Jackson of Stain-less Threaded Fasteners has another year as Stainless Steel Fastener Group Chairman.

www.bafd.org

USA Exports Hit Record US$2.35 Trillion in 2014U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, has announced that USA exports in 2014 set a record for the fifth consecutive year, reaching some US$2.35 trillion. International Trade in U.S. Goods and Services data re-leased today by the U.S. Department of Commerce show that USA exports are up more than US$760 billion since 2009.USA goods exports increased 2.7% to a record US$1.64 trillion in 2014. Key industry sectors setting records included capital goods, consumer goods, petroleum products, foods, feeds, beverages and automotive vehicles and parts. In 2014, the largest export markets for USA goods were Canada, Mexico and China, with exports to each country registering annual records.Annual services exports hit an all-time

high of US$710.3 billion, led by in-creases in the travel, transport, charges for the use of intellectual property and financial services sectors. Exports from these sectors were all at record highs in 2014.The trade surplus in services exports reached a record US$231.8 billion, an increase of 2.9% from 2013.Goods exports to the 20 economies that have trade agreements with the United States reached a record US$765.1 billion for an increase of 4.3% from 2013.Increased USA exports to Colombia (up 10.5%), South Korea (up 6.8%) and the CAFTA-DR partners (up 5.7%) high-light the benefits of trade agreements.USA 2013 exports supported 11.3 mil-lion jobs, for an increase of 1.6 million export-supported jobs since 2009.

www.commerce.gov

BUSINESS & MARKET REPORT

Notebook

Page 5

VDA: Good Market Results in Europe, China & USAEckehart Rotter of VDA reports the three large automotive mar-kets—western Europe, the USA and China—have kicked off the year with fine results. Demand

showed double-digit growth in Jan-

uary both in the US (+14%) and in China (+13%). New passenger car registrations in western Eu-rope rose by a good 6%. While new car sales in India climbed by over 3%, the Russia and Brazil markets contracted.January’s new registrations in the western European passen-ger car market showed a year-on-year increase of just over 6%, to 954,700 new vehicles. All the top five markets (Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Spain) expanded. In Spain, new car registrations soared by more than 27% and Italy surprised observers with a rise of 11%. In the UK, growth continued at 7%. Market volume in France rose 6%, after three months of shrink-age. In Germany new registra-tions added nearly 3%. But the picture varied among the smaller western European countries.New passenger car registrations in the new EU Member States in-creased by almost 5% last month to 74,100.

www.vda.de

tor Division Supply Chain Manager, said, “The award was presented for partnership efforts regarding on-time delivery, quality assurance and customer service. With Century Fasteners, we have a partner that is a true game changer across our supply chain with fasteners and many more product lines. We are excited to be in the relationship and look forward to continued success”.

www.centuryfasteners.com

AIA Canada’s Marc Brazeau to leave association

Robert Pitt, Board Chairman of the Automotive Industries As-sociation (AIA) of Canada, announced the resignation of its President/CEO, Marc Brazeau.

Brazeau has led the AIA for the past eight years and previous to that he assumed various manage-ment responsibilities since joining the association in 1995. He also represented the association on a number of leading industry boards and advisory groups both in Can-ada and in the USA.

Brazeau will leave the associa-

March 9, 2015

tion at the end of April 2015 to help ensure a proper and smooth tran-sition in leadership. Marc plans to remain in the industry and begin a new chapter in his career.

www.aiacanada.com

FastenerPlus.com expanding offerings

The expansion of product lines continues at E-commerce retailer FastenersPlus.com, Urbana, IA, USA, with the com-pany recently add-ing new merchandise offerings from SEALTITE and Simpson Strong-Tie® as well as furniture fasteners, all in bulk quantities. Eric Young-blood, Merchandise Manager, said the new products are part of the company’s continued efforts to build out the merchandise offerings across a broad range of industries.

“Our product line expansions are always based on what custom-ers are telling us they need,” said Youngblood. “The SEALTITE pole barn screws and furniture fasteners in particular are a great example of moving into new product categories

Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) ReportThe Japan Automobile Manufactur-ers Association (JAMA) USA office released its 2014-2015 contributions report, “More American Than Ever”, signifying the continued growth and involvement of Japanese-branded autos in the USA. The report examines USA produc-tion, investment, jobs, sales, exports, alternative-powered/environmentally friendly vehicles and further offers a window into the increasing presence of Japanese autos in the USA. The report details the investment JAMA members have continued to put forward in the USA auto sector—more than US$40 billion cumulatively as of 2013 and a record US$57 billion in USA auto parts purchases in fiscal year 2013. The reports also says that exports from the USA have increased by 129% from 2009 to 2013 and 81% of alternative-powered vehicles on

USA roads today are Japanese-brand cars and trucks. A record high 71% of Japanese-brand vehicles in the USA

are built in North America and 82,816 employees work directly for JAMA member companies

in the USA. Also, some 319,568 em-ployees work for Japanese automak-ers’ USA dealership network. And an estimated 961,000 people work in intermediate and spin-off jobs sup-ported by Japanese automakers and their dealership networks in the USA.JAMA also reports that automobile production in January 2015 stood at 777,656 units. Compared with the 860,854 units total recorded for the same month of the previous year, this is a decrease of 83,198 units or 9.7%, and production decrease on the same month of the previous year for seven consecutive months.

www.jama.org

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

NotebookMarch 9, 2015

Page 6

Bossard Completes Forind Avio AcquisitionThe Bossard Group has com-pleted the acquisition of the

fastening solu-tions division of

Forind Avio Elettronica SpA, announced on January 12, 2015. The acquisition, which will be fully implemented with effect as of February 23, 2015, con-solidates Bossard’s position in the Italian market. The acquired division generates an annual turnover of around CHF 5 mil-lion and employs 10 people. The acquisition price is confidential.

www.bossard.com

Grainger January SalesGrainger, Chicago, IL, USA, reported that in January 2015, daily sales increased 3% over January 2014. Results for the month included 1 percentage point from acquisitions and a 2 percentage point decline from unfavorable foreign exchange. Organic sales rose 4% on a daily

basis driven by vol-ume and a benefit

from favorable comparability to the weather-related business disruptions in January 2014. This increase was partially offset by a decline from lower sales of seasonal products. January 2015 had one fewer selling day than January 2014.

invest.grainger.com

based on customer feedback.” Youngblood said the company

also added additional products from Simpson Strong-Tie based on the popular response from custom-ers when the brand was first intro-duced on the company’s website in late 2014.

All products can be purchased by visiting FastenersPlus.com or by calling toll free at +1 888 794 1590. Customers interested in larger bulk quantities are encouraged for call for quick, custom quotes.

www.FastenerPlus.com

SWD Inc. celebrating 35 yearsSWD Inc., Addison, IL, USA,

opened in March 1980 with three employees in a 9000 ft2 facility and began black oxiding, cleaning and pickling operations with used equipment. In late 1980, SWD began passivating stainless steel, and in 1981 purchased Fastener Sorting Corporation. In 1995, SWD relocated to its current facility where the com-pany occupied roughly 50,000 ft2,

which allowed it to expand into zinc phosphate coatings.

On March 18, 1998, SWD Inc. achieved ISO 9002, QS 9000 and ISO 14001 certification. SWD is the first USA company to achieve these registrations simultaneously and the first USA metal finisher to receive ISO 14001 certification. In December of 1998, SWD became a charter member of the IEPA ISO 14001/EMS.

SWD is the only midwest USA metal finisher with a USEPA 33/50plan accreditation as well as re-cipient of the National Performance Review “Hammer Award” for envi-ronmental excellence from the U.S. Government. In 1999, SWD received the Illinois state 13th Annual Gover-nor’s Pollution Prevention Award.

The company is also a charter member of the Metal Finishing Sector of the Common Sense Ini-tiative Strategic Goals Program and the Multi-State Work Group. In 2000, SWD Inc. became a charter member of the USEPA National Environmental Achievement Track, and was the only USA metal finisher

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

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.

Notebook

Page 7

Bufab Acquires Flos B.V.Bufab Holding AB of Sweden

has acquired 100% of the shares in Flos B.V., a leading Dutch C Parts supplier. The product range of around 60,000 articles includes both fasteners and

special mechanical components.

“Bufab is a well-known leader within our industry and has the international presence and network needed for our further expansion. We very much look forward to being a part of the Bufab Group,” said Wim Louw-ers, Owner & Managing Director of Flos. www.bufab.com

NAM: “Regulating Internet Will Stifle Innovation”National Association of Manu-facturers (NAM) Senior VP, Aric Newhouse, said this on the FCC’s decision to regulate the open Internet: “Manufacturers are in the midst of a resurgence that’s fueling job growth and economic recovery nationwide, and today’s decision to regulate the Internet using an 80-year-old regulatory scheme threatens to curtail this resurgence, stifling future invest-ment in the communications infrastructure that has helped fuel manufacturing innovation. The NAM will continue to work with Congress on a legislative solution to end this regulatory uncertainty.” www.nam.org

BUSINESS & MARKET REPORT

to be awarded a Gold level in the Strategic Goals Program.

In 2001, SWD Inc. was awarded Industrial Plant of the Year by the Illi-nois Association of Pollution Control Operators. The company began to process parts with Doerken ma-terials in 2004 utilizing one of the first pieces of specialized dip-spin equipment that could tilt and tumble to help eliminate recess fill. SWD has 150 employees and runs three shifts per day in a 155,000 ft2 facility.

www.swdinc.com

Airgas, Grainger & Wolseley honored by Fortune

According to Industrial Distribu-tion, Fortune magazine recently unveiled its 2015 “World’s Most Admired Companies”, a reputa-tion-based ranking of companies around the world. Big 50 Compa-nies, Airgas, Grainger and Wolse-ley were among the companies named “Most Admired” by Fortune.

www.inddist.com.com

Bisco releases new e-commerce capabilities

Bisco Industries has released three new e-commerce capabilities that will have a positive impact on

March 9, 2015

www.fastenercoalition.org

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

Sales & Net Income Table NetCompany Sales %∆ Income %∆Bufab Group* 532* +4 20* -49KLX Inc. 441 +36 -33 n/aLawson Products Inc. 70 +6.9 -2.7 n/aNORMA Group** 177** +15 29** +6TriMas Corporation 351 +9.5 1.5 _78

Latest Quarterly Sales & Net Income values are shown in US$ millions, except where noted with *, which are shown in millions of Swedish Krones, and where noted with **, which are shown in millions of Euros. %∆ is relative to 2014 quarterly data.

Quarterly Dividends Report...• B/E Aerospace, Inc., Wellington, FL, USA, has declared a dividend of US$0.19 per share, payable Apr. 3, 2015, to shareholders of record on Mar. 9, 2015. www.beaerospace.com

• Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW), Glenview, IL, USA, declared a quarterly cash dividend of US$0.485 per share, payable Apr. 7, 2015, on Mar. 31, 2015. www.itw.com

• Nucor Corp., Charlotte, NC, USA, has de-clared a dividend of US$0.3725 per share, payable May 11, 2015, to shareholders of record on Mar. 31, 2015. www.nucor.com

• Precision Castparts Corp., Portland, OR, USA, has declared a dividend of US$0.03 per share, payable Mar. 30, 2015, to share-holders of record on Mar. 6, 2015. www.precast.com

• Stanley  Black & Decker, New Britain, CT, USA, has declared a cash dividend of US$0.52 per share, payable Mar. 24, 2015, to shareholders of record on Mar. 4, 2015. www.stanleyblackanddecker.com

the procurement teams and supply chains supported by the company. Bisco has updated its suite of Molex product selection data, released a new and more competitive pricing structure and expanded inventory.

www.biscoind.com

DIN & SAC Agree on Closer CooperationThe third meeting of the sub-work-ing group on electromobility of the German-Chinese Standardization Cooperation Commission addressed current issues and forms of cooperation. During the meeting, SAC and DIN agreed on cooperation in various technical areas including a detailed speci-fication of requirements ensuring interoperability between charging stations and vehicles.

www.din.de

EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

EVENTS

Page 8

Fastener Fair Stuttgart OpensFastener Fair Stuttgart 2015,

takes place March 10 to 12, 2015, at the Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre in Stuttgart, Germany. Show visitors will be able to visit more than 800 exhibitors from 42 countries that have assembled to present their lat-est technical developments as well as conventional systems from all areas of fastener and fixing tech-nology. Fastener Fair Stuttgart 2015takes place in four exhibition halls, Halls 4, 6, 8 and C2.

With the newly designed Online Show Preview, users have the op-tion to select exhibitor entries by product categories. Entries can then be sorted alphabetically or by hall and can then be saved as a PDF or printed. In that way, visi-tors can create their personalized Show Preview. The official Fastener Fair Stuttgart Online Show Previewis available at the website below.

Also, visitors are now able down-load the Fastener Fair Stuttgart Visitor Brochure with important information about the exhibition.

The visitor profile of Fastener Fair Stuttgart includes wholesalers, dealers, suppliers and manufactur-ers from various industry sectors such as construction, automotive, electronic and electrical goods, metal products or furniture manu-facturing. The event is mainly target-ed at retailers and manufacturers.

www.fastenerfair.com

FASTENER TECH™ Exhibit Sales Surge; Schedule Released

Exhibit sales for FASTENER TECH™ ’15, June 8 to 10, 2015, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont (Chicago), IL, USA, are set to pass the final total for the entire 2013 event with three months to go until the exhibition opens. This year, the show floor includes a new “Technology Center” section, which is reserved for suppliers of materials, tooling and machinery for making any type of fasteners, and the balance of the exhibit hall will be filled with suppliers of all types of fasteners and related products and services. The preliminary sched-ule for “The All-Fastener-Industry Event in the Heart-of-the-Fastener Industry” has also been released. June 8 activities include exhibitor move-in, a workshop, a golf out-ing and a social event. On June 9, the exhibit hall is open for seven hours, and four seminars and two receptions are offered throughout the day. The exhibits open again on June 10 for six hours, and an industry roundtable/social event is being planned for the afternoon. FASTENER TECH™ ‘15 is being pro-duced by Fastener Technology In-ternational magazine, Akron, OH, USA, and the Mid-West Fastener Association (MWFA), Lake Zurich, IL, USA. Other industry associations and publications are participating.

www.fastenertech.comwww.mwfa.net

March 9, 2015

June 8 to 10, 2015Rosemont, IL, USA

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Live & Webcast Public Auction — Cold Heading Facility — Plant ClosedTalma Fastener

6768 North State Rd.Rochester, IN 46975 USA

Sale Date: Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015 at 9:00 AMCall Cincinnati Industrial

Auctioneers at 513-241-9701

Visit our Website for Details: www.cia-auction.com

March 10 – 12, 2015 Fastener Fair Stuttgart Stuttgart, Germany www.fastenerfair.comMarch 18 – 20, 2015 Class on Fundamentals of Cold Forging Canton, MI, USA www.nagform.comMarch 25 – 27, 2015 Fastener Fair Russia 2015 St. Petersburg, Russia www.fastenerfairrussia.comApril 22 – 23, 2015 Automotive Fastener Technology, Troy, MI, USA www.fastenertraining.orgApril 22 – 25, 2015 Pac-West Spring Conf. & Tabletop Show Long Beach, CA, USA www.pac-west.orgApril 30 – May 3, 2015 SFA Conference/Golf Tourney Santa Fe, NM, USA www.sfa-fastener.orgMay 27 – 29, 2015 Fastener Trade Show Chengdu Chengdu, China www.fastenertradeshow.infoJune 8 – 10, 2015 FASTENER TECH ‘15 Rosemont, IL, USA www.mwfa.net / www.fastenertech.comJune 10 – 11, 2015 NDFA 2015 Annual Meeting Rosemont, IL, USA www.nfda-fastener.orgJune 23 – 25, 2015 Aerospace Fasteners: An Overview La Mirada, CA, USA www.fastenertraining.orgJuly 20 – 24, 2015 Fastener Training Week Cleveland, OH, USA www.fastenertraining.orgSeptember 9 – 10, 2015 2015 All-American Fastener Show Nashville, TN, USA www.allamericanfastenershow.comOctober 20 – 22, 2015 SMI Metal Engineering eXpo™ Charlotte, NC, USA www.metalengineeringexpo.orgOctober 21 – 23, 2015 National Industrial Fastener & Mill Supply Expo Las Vegas, NV, USA www.fastenershows.comOctober 21 – 23, 2015 15th Fastener Trade Show Suzhou Suzhou, China www.fastenertradeshow.infoNovember 2 – 6, 2015 Fastener Training Week, Cleveland, OH, USA www.fastenertraining.org