ELMHURST, IL - Semblex Corporation has announced the upcoming retirement of Don
Cunningham, the company’s President since 2010. Mr. Cunningham’s retirement will be
effective at the end of the first quarter, 2019. Mr. Cunningham will then continue as a member
of the Semblex Board of Directors and as a part time advisor to the company.

Jinsoo Kim will succeed Mr. Cunningham as president of Semblex. Mr. Kim has served as Chief
Operating Officer at Semblex since the company’s acquisition by Jinhap Company, Ltd in early
2014. Previously, Mr. Kim was a Senior Vice President at Jinhap in South Korea.

Franksville, Wisc. – February 12, 2019 - All Integrated Solutions (AIS), a division of MSC Industrial Supply Co. (NYSE: MSM), today announced that Jim Ruetz will be stepping down as chief executive officer of AIS, effective April 5, 2019. As part of a planned transition, Nick Ruetz, currently chief operating officer for AIS, will assume leadership of the business as president of AIS.

Nick Ruetz brings 20 years of distribution industry experience to his new role. He has held positions in sales, operations, purchasing and IT, and has served in executive management roles at AIS for six years, including the past four years as chief operating officer.

Midland Metal Mfg. announced that Scott Bardreau has joined the company as Chief Sales Officer for their growing platform of companies, which includes Anderson Metals Corp. and Buchanan Rubber Ltd. Scott Bardreau possesses extensive industry experience across Plumbing and Heating, Industrial, Waterworks, and Irrigation verticals. Bardreau spent the last 12 years with Matco-Norca in the role of Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Prior to Matco-Norca, he served in various management roles at Watts Water Technologies, in both wholesale and retail channels. Bardreau has over 35 years of industry experience. When asked about joining Midland Metal Mfg. Bardreau stated, “ Coming together with Wynnchurch Capital and Midland Metals Mfg. positions us for tremendous growth. There is a belief system here of working together as one across the platform, to build relationships, trust and a history of success with our business partners. It’s extremely exciting.”

Wynnchurch Capital recently merged Midland Metal Mfg, Anderson Metals, and Buchanan Rubber Ltd. into the platform company that serves the industrial distribution markets. CEO Vince Hodes said, “We are excited to welcome Scott onto our team and look forward to leveraging his leadership and expertise into many years of success”.

The National Fastener Distributors Association (NFDA) recently awarded four scholarships for Fastener Training Week, an advanced fastener technical training program produced by the Fastener Training Institute.

• Patrick Garvey, mechanical design engineer, Shamrock International, Itasca IL
• Mason Smith, sales/customer service, Empire Bolt & Screw, Spokane WA
• John St. Onge, incoming inspector, Specialty Bolt & Screw, Agawam MA
• Carola Zabawa, sales and marketing support, Fuller Metric Parts, Surrey BC

Applicants were evaluated based on the recommendation from their employer, personal achievements, work experience, and an essay. Identifying information was redacted, so that the team evaluating the applications did not know the names or employers of those applying.

From Rotor Clip

Pneumatic robotic parallel grippers are used in applications that require automated picking up of parts and assemblies.  They can be configured to grip the outside edges of a work piece, or open out to put pressure on the inside of a work piece.  READ MORE

EFC International, a leading supplier of engineered fasteners, is pleased to announce the approval of Sherex Fastening Solution’s Large Size rivet nuts for use in steel utility poles by a leading energy company. The approval is in accordance with the Specification for Tubular Steel Pole Transmission Line Structures SES-PD-027. The specification covers the minimum requirements for the design, drawings, material, fabrication, welding, coating, inspection, and delivery of tubular steel pole structures.

Sherex Large Size rivet nuts eliminate the welding process and reduce the number of components for installation. They also allow for a safer, one-handed installation of the step bolts in the field. “This is a significant cost savings for pole and tower manufacturers and we are excited to bring this product to the market,” states Paul Musgrove, Industrial and Distribution Sales Manager.

Today we reflect on our memories of Bob Lehman, lifetime member of NFDA.  He was an active contributor to our organization, and will be missed.

Robert (Bob) Allan Lehman, 90, of Chino Hills, California passed away on Saturday, December 29, 2018 with his family by his side.

September 1, 1942 – December 7, 2018

Stone Harbor, New Jersey

Lufasco Inc.

Frederick George Lubker Jr. of Stone Harbor, NJ passed away on Friday, December 7, 2018 at the age of 76. Born in Darby, PA to the late Frederick George Lubker, Sr. and Elizabeth North Lubker, he moved to Stone Harbor in 2000 from West Palm Beach, FL.

Shamrock International is pleased to announce that a stock purchase agreement has been executed with Vaber Industriale to acquire all shares in Vaber on November 26, 2018.

“Vaber provides technical solutions to manufacturers throughout Europe. Shamrock opened our Frankfurt, Germany office last year, and adding the Vaber family to our family helps to anchor our global strategy. Vaber’s product offering and customers are very adjacent to ours, and we are excited to offer Shamrock products to their customers and vice-versa. We share the same company values and both prioritize families first. We truly feel that this transaction will be accretive for both organizations. We look forward to providing a better service offering to all of our customers worldwide.” says Robert Waichulis, CEO of Shamrock International.

Fastener Fair Stuttgart 2019, the world’s leading exhibition for the fastener and fixing industry, will take place from 19 – 21 March 2019 in halls 1, 3 and 5 at the Stuttgart Exhibition Grounds in Germany. Due to a further expansion of the exhibition space this year, offering a total of 22,000 net square metres in total, the exhibition has already exceeded the total stand space of the previous event in 2017. More than 97% of the total available stand space has been booked so far.

Around 900 companies from 40 countries will be present with a stand at the 8^th International Exhibition for the Fastener and Fixing Industry in March 2019. Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France are the major European exhibitor countries. Asian exhibitors mainly come from Turkey, China, India and Taiwan.

The NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence, the research arm of the National Association of WholesalerDistributors (NAW), is pleased to announce the release of Creating Innovations and Shaping the Future of Business: A Look at Commerce, Technology, and Human Forces in Distribution, the first-ever Facing the Forces of Change® challenge paper, based on research to date, including 25 innovation ideas to kick-start internal management discussions.. Please visit www.naw.org/creating-innovations or call 202.872.0885 to learn more and order copies. Quantity discounts of 15–50% apply when ordering two or more copies.

About this Challenge Paper

From Rotor Clip

The next time you see the jaws of an alligator figure open and snap shut or a haunted house monster reach for you as you pass by, chances are you are seeing a pneumatic actuator in action. READ MORE

Custom Rivet Nuts

Do you have a fastening challenge that you need help with? Our Sherex engineering team has a deep understanding of base materials, fastening technology, and manufacturing processes, and can create custom designed solutions for your specific application. After design approval, we manufacture your custom parts in one of our ISO certified production facilities. Here are a few examples of custom engineered rivet nuts our team has designed:

Würth Industry North America (WINA) has announced that Dan Hill will become Executive Vice President of the Würth Group and Chief Executive Officer of WINA and succeed current E.V.P Marc Strandquist on October 1st .

Strandquist began his tenure at WINA when he returned to the Würth Group in 2010. He was first Managing Director for Würth Snider in Louisville and in 2013 became Executive Vice President for all WINA companies, as well as Würth Industry Mexico, Würth Industry Brazil and Dokka Fasteners Norway. Sales in his business unit doubled between 2013 and by end of year 2018. He also spearheaded five major acquisitions and managed their integration into the Group, implemented SAP at two WINA companies and established Würth Industry Canada.

ROCKY RIVER, OH–-Earnest Machine is now offering DIN spec metric hex head cap screws in response to increased demand in the marketplace.

“ISO metric hex head cap screws have been part of our product line for years,” said Kirk Zehnder, CEO of Earnest Machine. “However, we’re seeing a rise in the demand for metric product, due to globalization and the increase of imported heavy equipment. Many repairs now call for metric pieces.”

Tower Fasteners is proud to announce the opening of its first European distribution center in Dublin, Ireland. Tower Fasteners EU Ltd is located less than 30 minutes outside of Dublin’s city center and will serve as Tower’s European headquarters. The 1,000-square-foot distribution hub will offer Tower’s full line of fasteners, electronic hardware and inventory management solutions. A mirror image of existing branches, Tower Fasteners EU will specialize in local customer service, outside sales, managed inventory services, and the same product offerings and quality standards offered at its eight North American distribution centers.

The Dublin facility has been open since July 1, 2018 under a soft opening with the official opening date being September 25, 2018. Tower will hold a small grand opening event on that day that will include several members of the Shannon family, who have owned and operated Tower Fasteners since 1967. Mark Shannon, Managing Director of Tower Fasteners EU, and Mark’s mother, Jane Shannon, wife of the late Thomas Shannon who originally founded Tower more than 50 years ago will be on site. Since Mrs. Shannon emigrated from Ireland to the United States in the 1950s, this Dublin facility’s opening is a large source of pride to her and the rest of the Shannon family.

September 12, 2018 (Santa Fe Springs, CA) - Judging for the 2018 Pro Tool Innovation Awards completed this week and Brighton-Best International received two PTIA awards for products from the new Proferred line. 

The winning products include Proferred Drywallerz™ (P64040) and the Proferred 8” Ratcheting Adjustable Wrench (T09002).

St. Louis, Missouri – September 11, 2018. Guenter Retkowski, Vice President of International Sales, is pleased to announce the team expansion for global growth. New team members will support EFC’s expansion in targeted regions and markets, including Autonomous Vehicles, Electric Vehicles, and Industrial markets.

Shanghai EFC Fasteners Col. Ltd. added seven team members: Director of Sales, Zhanchun Gu; Tina Li, Buyer; Dan Gong, Sales Engineer; Inside Sales Account Managers, Sunny Li, Gloria Shen, and Seven Shen; Logistics Coordinator, Carina Liang. Their collaboration with the existing EFC team, customers and suppliers within China has been significant to growth.