SUMMER 2022

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36 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK INDUSTRIAL FASTENERS INSTITUTE 6363 Oak Tree Boulevard, Independence, OH 44131 TEL 216-241-1482 FAX 216-241-5901 EMAIL info@indfast.org WEB www.indfast.org RESHORING FASTENER MANUFACTURING & STRENGTHENING OUR SUPPLY CHAIN IFI gather the perspectives from three leaders in Fastener Manufacturing. Supply chain disruptions have been a constant theme in board rooms, warehouses, and headlines. Domestic production has been hamstrung with availability of key parts and components caught up among trade tensions, surging shipping costs, congested ports, and other postpandemic shockwaves. These disruptions paired with record inflation have fueled a national call to strengthen the domestic supply chain, culminating with President Biden’s State of the Union address calling for a shift from reliance on foreign supply chain to increased American production. Reshoring, or domestically producing and sourcing, supply chains are revitalizing and advancing domestic production, including the production of fasteners for critical industries and infrastructure. To learn more about how the fastener industry is responding to reshoring trends, interviews were conducted with Industrial Fasteners Institute members, Wrought Washer Manufacturing, Elgin Fastener Group and Kerr Lakeside, Inc. to learn from their experience. Q1: Have you seen a significant amount of reshoring for parts you produce? If yes, what type of parts are in highest demand? Jeff Liter: We are continuing to see opportunities for parts that have been sourced oversees. In the past, an interruption to supply created a need for “spot” buys. We are now seeing these customers looking for a more permanent solution. Most of what we have seen is custom parts in the industrial space. With supply chain issues, companies are changing production schedules daily to match available inventory. More and more customers are finding they need local quick turnaround on low-cost items like fasteners to facilitate this manufacturing flexibility. Joe Kochan: EFG has been a significant partner in assisting customers in both providing product where delivery is delayed as well as supporting reshoring and troubled supplier resourcing. The products we consistently are asked to support are represented throughout EFG capabilities. Charlie Kerr: Absolutely. The immediate demand we see is for standard hex socket cap screws and special make to print parts that are modified standards. Some of these orders might be gap fillers, but I’m sure in time we will hold onto a large chunk of this business. Jeff Liter President Wrought Washer Mfg, Inc. Joe Kochan COO Elgin Fastener Group Charlie Kerr President Kerr Lakeside, Inc. Q2: What has your company done to meet the demand for these new parts? Jeff Liter: We have increased raw material on hand, added capacity, and are leveraging outages for longer term commitments. TECHNICAL ARTICLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 118

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