Fastener Training Institute (FTI) heads to Chicago, IL to host its next Fastener Training Week from August 25-29 as part of Mid-West Fastener Association’s FSTNR Week.

“We love being in Chicago. It’s a great opportunity for industry professionals to complete Fastener Training Week while having the chance to engage with the MWFA,” said Jo Morris, Managing Director for FTI.

Are you interested in becoming a Certified Fastener Specialist, but unable to take a full week off from work? Fastener Training Institute offers a series of seven classes and plant tours to allow you to spread training out over time. Pac-West members are eligible to receive a 20% discount on single day classes.

Learn more about this program here.

Become a Certified Fastener Specialist™ (CFS) with Fastener Training Institute’s series of one-day classes and plant tours. Students who pursue a CFS with these individual classes have the flexibility to spread training out over time. After completion, students are eligible to test for CFS designation. 

“It’s a great solution for those who are unable to take an entire week off for Fastener Training Week,” said Jo Morris, Managing Director for Fastener Training Institute. “CFS classes can be taken in any order and at any time.”

The Fastener Training Institute (FTI) will present Fastening 101 ahead of Fastener Fair USA in Nashville on Tuesday, May 27. Come for the class and stay for the show – or come to the show and take the class.

“Our Fastening 101 class has really evolved. The content is extensive and offers much more than the basics,” said Jo Morris, Managing Director for FTI. “It’s the perfect way to kick-off the show.”

Fastener Training Institute (FTI) will host its next Fastener Training Week, April 7-11, in Cleveland, OH. Fastener Training Week, sponsored by Birmingham Fastener, is FTI’s flagship training program that earns students Certified Fastener Specialist™ (CFS) designation after completion and passing a final exam. 

“We look forward to welcoming our next class of Fastener Training Week students! Completing the class and becoming a Certified Fastener Specialist™ is a significant accomplishment,” said Jo Morris, Managing Director for FTI. “We are proud to make our industry safer and more reliable through advanced training.”

Fastener Training Institute (FTI) is pleased to announce Würth Industry USA (WIUSA) will continue as its sustaining sponsor once again in 2025. 

The union highlights the significance of training. “Since 2019, Würth has been by our side prioritizing the importance of fastener education for all levels in our industry,” said Jo Morris, Managing Director for FTI. “We are humbled by Würth’s ongoing commitment and truly value our partnership.”

We are pleased to announce that R&S Industrial Supplies has acquired Sasco Fasteners of Medford, Oregon, effective 1/1/2025. This acquisition marks an exciting chapter for our company as we expand our capabilities and commitment to serving our valued partners with an even broader range of products and services.

As a trusted vendor, your continued collaboration is integral to our success. The transition will be seamless, and you can expect the same level of excellence and professionalism in our interactions. All operations, including purchasing, billing, and communications, will now be handled under the R&S Industrial Supplies name.

Carl Spackman of Copper State Bolt & Nut Co. (Phoenix, Arizona) was elected to serve as president of the Pacific-West Fastener Association at a recent meeting of the Pac-West Board of Directors. 

Mallory Nichols of Advance Components (Carrollton, Texas) was elected as the association’s vice president, and Ryan McCaffrey of Pacific Coast Bolt (Santa Fe Springs, California) was elected again as secretary/treasurer. Hans Fuller of Fuller Metric (Surrey, British Columbia) will serve as immediate past president.

Fastener Training Institute (FTI) will host its final Fastener Training Week of 2024 in Cleveland, OH, November 18-22. This five-day advanced fastener training program will be held at Industrial Fasteners Institute and is presented by Birmingham Fastener. 

FTI offers three Fastener Training Weeks each year. Graduates are eligible for Certified Fastener Specialist™ (CFS) designation upon class completion and passing a final exam. 

Fastener Training Institute (FTI) is excited to announce a new Spanish Webinar Series offering dual access for both English and Spanish speaking attendees. 

“Spanish training has been a goal of ours for years. Removing the language barrier for training is important and it will make the perfect training opportunity for entire teams. It’s critical everyone in our industry has access,” shared FTI’s Marketing Director, Jo Morris. 

Congratulations to the 2024 Hy Schatz Memorial Scholarship Winner, Rory Gallagher, Regional Sales Director for Industrial Threaded Products!

The Hy Schatz Memorial 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. 

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 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.

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."