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9 years ago

SPRING 2014

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Distributor's Link Magazine Spring Issue 2014

36 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S

36 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK DOES THE FASTENER QUALITY ACT STILL HAVE THE SAME RELEVANCE TODAY by Joe Greenslade Director of Engineering Technology, IFI Recently I was contacted by a fastener industry observer who asked, “Is the Fastener Quality Act still in effect and if so does it have any relevance today” The answer to the first part of the question was easy. Yes, the Fastener Quality Act (FQA) is still in effect. I had to think about the second part of that question before answering. After pondering the relevance today of the FQA to the fastener industry I provided the following answer. “In the mid-1980’s there was a rash of quality issues in the industrial commercial market that created an alarm about the nature of quality consciousness and adherence to standards in the US. This alarm resulted in the development of the Fastener Quality Act (FQA) which was finalized and fully implemented in 1999. What the government assumed would require a little attention and a quick fix ended up being a 15 year struggle. The government, just like most individuals, underestimated the breadth and complexity of the fastener industry. Throughout that entire struggle the IFI was part of the Fastener Industry Advisory Committee that was created at the request of NIST to assure that the perspective of the fastener industry was taken into account while the law’s requirements and rules of implementation were being created. The IFI’s role was significant in helping to create a law that was effective and practical without imposing nonessential and/or ineffective requirements. The final outcome of the Fastener Quality Act was the creation of a law that placed all emphasis on the demand for conformity of fasteners to their applicable standards requirements. Not complying with applicable published industrial or government requirements can subject the supplier to significant fines and even imprisonment if standards are knowingly and willfully not adhered to. The Fastener Quality Act set out many specific requirements about testing and reporting on products meeting the definition of a “fastener” in the law. The major exemption from having to adhere to these arduous Industrial Fasteners Institute 636 Oak Tree Blvd. • Independence Ohio 44131 Phone: 216.241.1482 • Fax: 216.241.5901 www.indfast.org requirements was if the factory the products are made in is registered to a recognized quality system such as ISO 9000, TS 16949, or AS 9100. This emphasis on compliance to fastener standards was the primary focus of the effort to create the Fastener Quality Act from the beginning, but it took 15 years to figure out the most practical way to make that achievable. The pressure for fastener producers to register to and adhere to recognized quality systems requirements was the practical and effective answer. The fastener industry was kept abreast of the developments throughout the 15 year journey. There was much speculation, but no certainty as to what the final law would require, but it was very obvious that not complying with applicable standards was not going to be acceptable. The consciousness about quality and the pursuit of consistent quality totally transformed the fastener producers during those 15 years. By 1999 the fastener industry was at a completely different level than it was in 1984. The actual issuance of the Fastener Quality Act was anticlimactic, because there was no great surprise. In 1984 it was rare for a fastener producer to be formally registered to a recognized quality system. Today it is extremely rare for a fastener manufacturer to not be registered to a recognized quality system. This is a direct result of the enactment of the Fastener Quality Act. Today the Fastener Quality Act is seldom referred to directly, but its on-going influence and impact is ever present. Had there been no Fastener Quality Act it is my feeling that the registration of fastener producers to recognized quality systems such as ISO 9000, TS 16949, or AS 9100, would be much less prevalent and the fastener industry would be worse for it. Adherence to recognized quality systems is the foundation and back bone of the fastener industries’ product quality. The wide spread registration of fastener suppliers to recognized quality systems is the legacy of the Fastener Quality Act and I feel it will endure far into the future.”

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