SUMMER 2015

62 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S

62 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK ALFA TOOLS 7845 N. Merrimac Ave., Morton Grove, IL 60053 TEL 1-800-253-2532 FAX 1-888-258-6657 EMAIL sales@alfatools.com WEB www.alfatools.com THERE IS MORE TO FASTENING THAN MEETS THE EYE by Tracy Klinedinst Alfa Tools is a prime supplier to the fastener industry for industrial quality cutting tools, fastener drive tools, and abrasives. While other companies may offer just cutting tools, only Alfa Tools produces other necessary products required by fastener distributors. To be competitive in today’s market place, Alfa understands that distributors must adapt and find new ways to serve their customers. More and more companies find themselves constantly trying to keep costs down, while looking for more efficient ways to serve their customers in order to be successful. Offering drills, taps, countersinks, and more is one way to increase business. More Than Cutting Tools In order to use fasteners, a hole must first be drilled or cut; reamed to clean the hole if necessary; a tap or die is then used to make the threads, and a countersink can be used, if required. Only then can one use a fastener. After the area is deburred, it is necessary to use various abrasives to clean and polish. Fastener turning, or driving tools such as screwdriver bits, bit holders, nut setters, etc. are then also part of the mix. Currently, Alfa is the only cutting tool company supplying fastener drive tools and abrasives under one roof. The challenge being that these are all their products, and not those of other brands. “We literally can help fastener distributors in a way that nobody else can,” said Shaan Ahluwalia, V.P. Sales & Marketing. “We let our fastener distributors know that for their non-fastener needs, Alfa can take care of them. We have always been committed to the fastener industry and have strived to be the best in terms of quality, availability, and pricing.” Alfa was the first cutting tool company to exhibit at the old Columbus, OH Fastener Show. Alfa is proud to say that the majority of their products are made in the U.S.A. with some being made in Europe. Alfa also has a large inventory in multiple locations spread throughout the country to serve their customers’ needs faster. In addition to standards of inch sizes and metric sizes, they have one of the largest special thread inch and metric ranges available. Moreover, what they BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE don’t supply can be made quickly with their 24-48 hour special thread tap program. Now And Then Alfa Tools was started in 1977 in Chicago by Diljit S. Ahluwalia. It has remained a family-owned and operated business, with a primary focus on metal cutting. Not to be left out, wood cutting and concrete cutting products were also always in the offering. With the formation of National Abrasives & Tools, Inc. in 1987, a full selection of bonded and coated abrasives were added to the program. This exclusive partnership means that distributors won’t find National Abrasives available anywhere else. Not only has the product development been outstanding in the past 38 years, but Alfa also has a seasoned inside team. The in-house technical support department, and knowledgeable sales representatives help their customers with any orders, and product or industry questions. The extensive line of more than 22,000 SKU’s means that you will find exactly what your customers need for cutting, reaming, threading, deburring, countersinking, finishing and fastener driving. What’s New? Now finding the right tools from Alfa is even easier. In late 2014 Alfa launched a new user friendly website that included two digital catalogs, featuring General Cutting Tools and Abrasives. The new catalog layout uses color images, charts, and technical data aimed at being as educational as possible, and to help distributors easily search and find what they need. Alfa has long been known for its Blitz high performance line of cutting tools. The catalogs offer the new Blitz Nitride Drills and Blitz Alignment Reamers. Other exciting new products include Carbide-Tipped Multi- Purpose Hole Saws, C.T. Hole Cutters, Multi-Purpose Taps, Reciprocating / Jigsaw Blades, Tri-Flute Auger Bits, SDS-plus Quadro Hammer Drills, and PSA abrasive discs in all varieties. ALFA TOOLS

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