SUMMER 2026

In the Summer 2026 issue

In the Summer 2026 issue of 6 DISTRIBUTOR NEWS 8 FASTENER SCIENCE: UNDERSTANDING COMMON FASTENER GRADES AND STRENGTH RATINGS Rob LaPointe 10 IS THAT A SCREW OR A BOLT? UNDERSTANDING ASME B18.2.1 Laurence Claus 12 WHAT FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT METRIC THREADS Guy Avellon 14 MAKING SENSE OF THE GLOBAL SHIPPING MARKET Chris Donnell 16 [COVER STORY] MID-WEST FASTENER ASSOCIATION - EIGHTY YEARS OF FASTENERS, FRIENDSHIPS & FORWARD THINKING: CELEBRATING THE MWFA’S 80TH ANNIVERSARY 22 UNTHREADED: SELLING SCREWS IN THE DISTORTION ECONOMY Eric Dudas 24 WHERE SHOULD YOUR ERP SERVER LIVE? Dennis Cowhey 26 RECESS PENETRATION GAGING: WHY IT MATTERS, HOW IT WORKS, AND WHAT NOT TO USE Larry Borowski 28 WHY EVERY FASTENER DISTRIBUTOR NEEDS TO DOUBLE- DOWN ON SOFTWARE SECURITY NOW Joe Dysart 30 INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO 2026 ENTERS A NEW ERA FOR THE FASTENER INDUSTRY 32 PENN ENGINEERING: CAPTIVE PANEL FASTENERS IN SERVER AND RACK APPLICATIONS Mike Rossi 34 THE “5-STAR” WAREHOUSE UNPACKED - IT’S BEEN AN INTERESTING 2 YEARS - SEASON 2, EPISODE 4 Robert Footlik 35 NEW PRODUCT: SPIN-GUARD INTRODUCES NEW CONCEPT SECURITY FASTENER THAT CONVERTS STARDARD HEX BOLTS INTO TAMPER-RESISTANT SECURITY BOLTS 36 ENBRIDGE RULING MAKES THE COURTROOM TOUGHER ON INDUSTRY Jim Truesdell 38 SEASTROM MANUFACTURING HAS WITHSTOOD THE TEST OF TIME 40 IFI ANNOUNCES 2026 SOARING EAGLE AWARD RECIPIENTS 42 THE ACCOUNTS YOU NEVER REPRICE: WHERE FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS LEAVE THE MOST MONEY ON THE TABLE Nelson Valderrama 44 LAKE CITY FASTENER RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF MICHIGAN’S 50 COMPANIES TO WATCH 46 REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR STAFDA’S 50TH ANNUAL CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW! Cathy Usher 48 WIFI SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT SHARES HER FASTENER TRAINNG WEEK EXPERIENCE Jo Morris 50 CRESCENT MANUFACTURING ANNOUNCES MILLION EXPANSION WITH NEW 20,000 SQFT FACILITY 52 THREADCO: WHATEVER IT TAKES - BACKED BY THE BUSINESS EDGE Dennis Cowhey 53 NEFDA SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS Ashley Ralls 54 DECKER EXPANDS OPERATIONS 56 QUALITY CONTROL FOR FASTENERS FOR AUTOMATED ASSEMBLIES Bruno Marbacher 57 BUILDING MORE THAN BEDS: BTM’S 6TH ANNUAL SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE BED BUILD 58 SPIROL: ABSORBING CENTERLINE & STACK-UP TOLERANCES WITH OVAL COMPRESSION LIMITERS Peter Grant 60 SECTION 1202: NEW & IMPROVED Roman Basi 62 IFI ELECTS NEW CHAIRMAN & VICE CHAIRMAN 64 KMC & PROSPECT FASTENER: A PARTNERSHIP BUILT ON PERFORMANCE & TRUST Jean O’Keefe 66 CHANGES TO THE ISO 14001 STANDARD AND THE BENEFITS TO YOUR ORGANIZATION Scott Mersch 67 EASTERN INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS CONTINUES TO INVEST IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT 68 PAC-WEST COASTAL CONNECTION Amy Nijjar 70 A DECADE OF GROWTH IN AMERICA - CELBRATING 10 YEARS OF GOEBEL FASTENERS, INC. IN THE USA

volume 49 // issue #3 73 ZMG FASTENERS PLUS BUILDS ON 100+ YEARS OF FAMILY FASTENER EXPERIENCE 74 FASTENER FAIR USA 2026 PHOTOS 76 RIVETKING ® IS A PROUD SPONSOR OF BATTLEBOTS ® 80 INTERCORP NAMED 2025 SPHERE1 SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR AT SAPPHIRE ECHELON LEVEL 83 MW FASTENERS: EXPANDING U.S. FASTENER MANUFACTURING FOR CRITICAL APPLICATIONS 84 SEFA 2026 SPRING CONFERENCE RECAP Nancy Rich 91 INTERNATIONAL FASTENERS: WHY TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE IS A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE 98 ENGAGE WITH NFDA MEMBERS IN 2026 Amy Nijjar 98 CONTINUING THE MOMENTUM: SFA CONNECTIONS IN Q3 & BEYOND Jen Bellucci 101 IDEAL SUPPLY: YOUR IDEAL SOURCE FOR COMMERCIAL AND MIL-SPEC FASTENERS 108 23RD MAFDA GOLF & SCHOLARSHIP OUTING Lee Johnson, Jr. 109 MAFDA 23rd GOLF & SCHOLARSHIP OUTING PHOTOS 117 CONNECT WITH THE INDUSTRY ALL YEAR LONG: NEW LINK MAGAZINE ADVERTISING CALENDAR 118 2026/2027 SEFA BOARD OF DIRECTORS ANNOUNCED Nancy Rich 119 SEFA SPRING CONFERENCE PHOTOS 121 KINFAST GROUP: YOUR TRUSTED GLOBAL FASTENING PARTNER 128 NCFA: MANUFACTURING INSIGHTS, NETWORKING, AND A PACKED SUMMER EVENTS SCHEDULE Gary Graham 133 PAC-WEST AFTER HOURS DENVER PHOTOS 141 SEFA GOLF OUTING PHOTOS 148 FASTENER INDUSTRY WEB LINKS 155 MFDA ECONOMIC FORECAST RECAP Rob Rundle 161 SUBSCRIPTION FORM 183 UP NEXT: INTERNATIONAL FASTENER EXPO SHOW ISSUE