Congratulations to the 2024 Pac-West Fastener Training Week Scholarship Winner, Josh Glaser, National Sales Manager for Empire Bolt & Screw!
The Pac-West Fastener Training Week Scholarship covers the tuition to attend Fastener Training Week.
Fastener Training Institute (FTI) will host a Fastener Basics and Beyond Workshop during International Fastener Expo (IFE) on Monday, September 9, in Las Vegas – the first day of the 2024 show.
Carmen Vertullo, FTI instructor, and owner and founder of Carver Labs, will present the workshop. Attendees will invest in professional development by expanding knowledge well beyond the basics.
Join us for a new class from FTI before our After Hours event in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Fasteners 201: Behind the Desk
What fastener professionals need to know to fill in knowledge gaps
June 20, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
at Fuller Metric, 9652 188 Street, Surrey, BC V4N 3M2, Canada
Fastener Training Week, the flagship fastener training program from Fastener Training Institute (FTI), returns to Chicago this year from August 19 to August 23.
The event will be held at the Lincolnshire Marriott and hosted by the Mid-West Fasteners Association (MWFA) as part of their annual FSTNR Week.
The Fastener Training Institute (FTI) is excited to announce Birmingham Fastener will sponsor its three Fastener Training Weeks in 2024.
“Birmingham Fastener’s mission to provide customers with quality products aligns with our commitment to train the industry that uses them. We are thrilled to have their support,” said Jo Morris, Marketing Director, FTI.
The Fastener Training Institute (FTI) will offer two training classes during the Fastener Fair Conference at Fastener Fair USA in May. Each class will be presented by Laurence Claus, Industrial Fasteners Institute’s Director of Education and Training.
The Making of Fasteners & the Cost Drivers Behind this Engineering Marvel, is planned for Tuesday, May 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. In this full-day class, Claus will take students into the fastener manufacturing world to explore why these sometimes-underappreciated components are complex engineering marvels. Topics will include fastener production methods (cold heading, hot heading and screw machining); the advantages and disadvantages of each manufacturing method; and thread rolling, grinding, machining, heat treatment and plating.
The Fastener Training Institute (FTI) is pleased to announce Würth Industry North America (WINA) will continue as sustaining sponsor in 2024.
FTI is the leading nonprofit provider of fastener product and technical training with content-rich and expertly instructed courses. WINA is a division of Würth Group, the world’s largest industrial distributor. The partnership between FTI and WINA is now in its sixth consecutive year.
Sherex Fastening Solutions’ Optisert, the best performing round body rivet nut on the market, was recently awarded as a winner of the 2023 Fastener Innovation Awards by WorldwideFastenerSources.com.
The innovative Optisert was chosen as a winner because of its incredible performance against spin-out. Its proprietary combination of an engineered knurled body and underhead wedge design helps it grip into the base material to prevent it from spinning. In softer materials, like aluminum, plastics, and composites, the spin-out performance matches that of a full hex body rivet nut.
Fastener Training Institute (FTI) is excited to announce a four-part webinar series for its Fastener Basics course.
Students can learn over lunch and complete the training across four Thursdays this spring - March 28, April 25, May 30 and June 27. Each webinar will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time and will include time for audience Q & A.
Fastener Training Institute (FTI), the leading source for ongoing fastener education, is planning its next Fastener Training Week in Cleveland, OH, April 8-12. The training will be held at Brighton-Best International.
“We are excited to welcome our next class of Fastener Training Week students,” shared Jo Morris, Marketing Director for Fastener Training Institute. “Knowledge builds confidence and leads to a safer industry. FTI is committed to providing continuous opportunities for all levels of fastener education,” she added.
PennEngineering® announced today the acquisition of Sherex® Fastening Solutions, a global leader in the design, manufacturing, and installation of blind rivet nut and associated fastening solutions.
Headquartered in Buffalo, New York, Sherex is the premier technical provider of blind rivet nuts, with strong application expertise, and production capabilities worldwide. Sherex has achieved an impressive growth trajectory and continues to grow through technical solutions selling, providing best total installed cost solutions along with industry leading rivet nut capabilities.
SPIROL International Holding Corporation Board of Directors announces the unanimous decision to appoint Jeffrey F. Koehl as Chairman of SPIROL International Holding Corporation. Jeff joined the company in 1997, and has been serving as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SPIROL International Corporation since his appointment in 2010.
Jeff succeeds his father, Hans H. Koehl, who passed away on November 30, 2023. Serving as Chairman of SPIROL International Holding Corporation since his appointment in 1969, Hans retired from active management of the company in 2004 after 45 of dedicated service. Hans’ vision, dedication, and passion led to the transformation of SPIROL from being a small, family-owned business in Northeast Connecticut into a world-renowned manufacturing company with locations on 4 continents and in 13 countries. It is impossible to put into words the unparralled contributions that Hans made to SPIROL over the last 64 years – most importantly the education, coaching and mentoring of his son, Jeff, in preparation for him to be his successor.
The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve recognized Pac-West Fastener Association for outstanding support of the 2023 South Los Angeles County Marine Toys for Tots Program. Thank you to everyone whose donations helped make this possible!
Hans passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife Christina, son Jeff, and close friend Russ on November 30, 2023. Born in Stolberg, Germany to the late Herman Koehl and Maria Altdorf Koehl, Hans immigrated with his mother, father and two sisters, Gerda and Emmy, to the United States in 1948 and settled in Woodstock, CT.
Shortly after starting school in the US, Hans quickly mastered the English language and skipped ahead two grades within his first year at The Woodstock Academy. After graduating from Killingly High School in Dayville, CT, Hans went on to earn his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering with distinction from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in 1956, and his Juris Doctorate from Stanford University in 1958. While at WPI, Hans was a member of the men’s soccer team, and he participated in Masque (student led dramatic theater organization), the Peddler (yearbook for the graduating class) and the Debating Club. He was also a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity where he served as President his senior year.
Eurolink FSS is pleased to announce the addition of two new manufacturer sales representative firms to our already amazing nationwide sales force. Beginning January 1, 2024, these strategic partnerships will significantly enhance our presence in the West, Southwest, and Rocky Mountain states, and help us to improve service for our valued clients in these regions.
With a commitment to excellence and a proven track record in driving sales growth, Budd Sales (Tom Buddenbaum) and Desert Distribution (John Wachman, Jo Morris, & David Palmquist) bring a wealth of experience and industry knowledge to our expanding network. Their dedication to customer satisfaction aligns seamlessly with our core values, and we are confident that these partnerships will contribute to mutually beneficial relationships. We look forward to the increased opportunities and collaboration that these partnerships will bring, ultimately delivering unparalleled service and support to our customers in their represented states.
The Fastener Training Institute (FTI) announces it will offer Fastener Training Week in Los Angeles, December 4-8. It comes on the heels of a sold-out session, so advance registration is encouraged.
“We had an incredible full class in Chicago last month and are eager to be on the west coast for an equally successful training week,” shared Jo Morris, FTI marketing director. “It’s wonderful to support students on the path to acquiring advanced knowledge, skills and confidence,” she added.
Hans Fuller of Fuller Metric (Surrey, British Columbia) was elected to serve a second year as president of the Pacific-West Fastener Association at a recent meeting of the Pac-West Board of Directors.
George Martinez of Brighton Best International (Long Beach, California) was elected as the association’s vice president, and Ryan McCaffrey of Pacific Coast Bolt (Santa Fe Springs, California) was elected as secretary/treasurer. Clay Weaver of Industrial Threaded Products (Rancho Cucamonga, California) will continue as immediate past president.
Fastener Training Institute (FTI) announces upcoming Fastener Basics classes in three separate locations in Colorado and California.
September 22: Denver, CO
September 27: Los Angeles, CA
November 16: Union City, CA
The Industrial Fasteners Institute (IFI) has announced it is starting the development of a groundbreaking new apprenticeship program for machine operators that will be recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. This program aims to address the pressing issue of workforce shortage in the fastener manufacturing industry. With an increasing number of skilled machine operators retiring each year, the need to transfer their knowledge and expertise to the next generation has become critical. IFI has partnered on the development of the apprenticeship program with the Marshall University Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC), located in West Virginia. Marshall’s MAMC is well versed in the development of apprenticeship programs, having successfully written and implemented multiple such programs in use across the country today.
"The shortage of workers in fastener manufacturing will not resolve on its own. With each passing year, our industry continues to lose skilled machine operators to retirement, and that knowledge must be passed on to the next generation," stated Dan Walker, Managing Director of IFI. "IFI and its members have decided to roll up our sleeves and create an apprenticeship program for our industry to help solve this ongoing problem."
