Product information on fasteners
Fasteners usually is referred to as components that join other components togeter. Within the term "fasteners" it is common to include a lot of different product categories, such as: screws, bolts, nuts, washers, studs, clamps, rivets, washers, etc, in metal or plastic materials.
Fasteners can be divided in two groups: standard and custom fasteners.
- The standard fasteners are produced according to international standards, such as ISO or DIN, or are included in a standard range from a specific manufacturer. The DIN and ISO standards are sometimes equal to each other but most of the time there are slight differences between them.
- Custom made fasteners are products which are produced according to customer drawings or specifications.
An important factor of a fastener is the corrosion resistance. This is depending on what kind of surface treatment that is applied to the fastener. There are a lot of different surface treatments to choose between, and the costs for these vary.
It is common to regard fasteners as C-parts, but this is not always the case. As C-parts, fasteners is a typical product that could be supplied through VMI, vendor mangaded inventories. This is a service that most suppliers have available.
Market for fasteners
Fasteners, and especially the standard ones, are sold and bought on a market with very high competition. There are lots and lots of traders, distributors and manufacturers. This also creates some non-transparency of the market. So be aware of the importance to map up the supply chain of the fasteners you buy. If you are not buying from the manufacturer directly, are you buying from the 1st, 2nd or even 3d trader of the fastener? And what extra costs is this giving you?
A big chunk of the standard fastener production is located in Asia. With countries like Japan, Taiwan and China taking a lot of this market share. India is also a country which probably will be (if it is not yet) competing for a top place of the fastener market. Some say that the manufacturers in Europe and US are now only taking care of custom fasteners or smaller batches.
Cost drivers for fasteners
To follow the costs that make up the price to you on fasteners, you should follow the price indexes on material (mostly carbon steel wire rod), transportation costs and wages. An other important cost driver is the interest rates which affect the price for the distributors to keep products on stock.
If you are not buying the fasteners in the same currency as they are produced (not very likely), you will also be affected by the currency changes, especially RMB vs USD or EUR. Different taxes on import/export goods is also affecting the prices of fasteners.
Suppliers
For more information on the supplier market for fasteners, visit: sourcing4oem.com - supplier database on fasteners
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in General by dwight, 09-01-09 18:57
