Fastener supplier

       To produce irrigation products that growers around the world trust, the engineers and quality assurance teams of leading irrigation equipment manufacturers put every part of every product to military-grade testing.
       Rigorous testing includes fasteners to ensure no leaks under high pressure and harsh environments.
        “Company owners want quality to be associated with any product that bears their name, right down to the fasteners used,” said the irrigation system OEM’s chief purchasing officer, who is responsible for quality inspection and control. OEMs have years of experience and numerous patents in agricultural and industrial applications.
       While fasteners are often viewed simply as a commodity in many industries, quality can be paramount when it comes to ensuring the safety, performance, and durability of critical applications.
        OEMs have long relied on AFT Industries for a complete line of coated fasteners such as screws, studs, nuts and washers in a variety of sizes and configurations. AFT Industries
       ”Some of our valves can hold and regulate working pressures up to 200 psi. Crash can be very dangerous. Therefore, we give our products a large margin of safety, especially the valves and our fasteners must be very reliable,” said the chief buyer .
       In this case, he noted, OEMs are using fasteners to attach their irrigation systems to plumbing, which branches out and supplies water to various combinations of downstream farm equipment, such as hinges or hand ropes.
       The OEM supplies coated fasteners as a kit and the various valves it makes to ensure a tight connection to the built-in piping.
       Buyers are focusing on quality over responsiveness, price and availability when dealing with suppliers, helping OEMs weather the wide-ranging supply chain shocks during the pandemic.
       For complete sets of coated fasteners such as screws, studs, nuts and washers in various sizes and configurations, OEMs have long relied on AFT Industries, distributor of fasteners and industrial products for interior metal plating and finishing, manufacturing and kitting/assembly .
       Headquartered in Mansfield, Texas, the dealer has over 30 distribution centers throughout the United States and offers over 500,000 standard and custom fasteners at competitive prices through an easy-to-use e-commerce website.
       To ensure quality, OEMs require distributors to provide fasteners with a special zinc nickel finish.
       “We did a lot of salt spray testing on a variety of fastener coatings. We found a zinc-nickel coating that was very resistant to moisture and corrosion. So we asked for a thicker coating than is common in the industry,” the buyer said.
        Standard salt spray tests are performed to evaluate the corrosion resistance of materials and protective coatings. The test simulates a corrosive environment on an accelerated time scale.
        Domestic fastener distributors with in-house coating capabilities save OEMs considerable time and money. AFT Industries
       ”The coating provides very good corrosion resistance and gives fasteners a beautiful appearance. You can use a set of studs and nuts in the field for 10 years and the fasteners will still shine and not rust. This ability is critical for fasteners subjected to irrigated environment,” he added.
        According to the buyer, as an alternative supplier, he approached other companies and electroplating manufacturers with a request to provide the required dimensions, quantity and specifications of special coated fasteners. “However, we were always turned down. Only AFT met the specifications for the quantity we needed,” he said.
        As a major buyer, of course, price is always the main consideration. In this regard, he said that prices from fastener dealers are quite reasonable, which contributes to the sales and competitiveness of his company’s products.
       Distributors now ship hundreds of thousands of fasteners to OEMs every month in a variety of kits, bags and labels.
       ”Today, it’s more important than ever for us to work with a trusted dealer. They need to be prepared to keep their shelves fully stocked at all times and have the financial strength to do so. They need to win the loyalty of customers like us who can’t afford to be out of stock or face excessive delays in delivery,” the buyer said.
       Like many manufacturers, OEMs have faced the prospect of supply disruptions during the pandemic but have outperformed many due to their relationships with trusted domestic suppliers.
       “JIT deliveries have become a major issue for many manufacturers during the pandemic who have found their supply chains disrupted and unable to fulfill orders on time. However, this has not been a problem for us as I know our suppliers. We choose to source as much as possible internally.” countries,” the buyer said.
       As an agriculture-focused company, irrigation system OEM sales tend to follow predictable patterns as farmers tend to focus on jobs that change seasonally, which also affects the distributors who stock their products.
       ”Problems arise when there is a sudden surge in demand, which has happened in the last few years. When panic buying occurs, customers can quickly snap up a year’s worth of products,” the buyer said.
       Thankfully, its fastener suppliers were quick to respond at a critical time during the pandemic, when a surge in demand threatened to outstrip supply.
       “AFT helped us when we had an unexpected need for a large number of #6-10 galvanized propellers. They arranged for a million propellers to be airlifted in advance. They got the situation under control and processed it. I called Call and they sort it out,” said buyer.
       The coating and testing capabilities of in-house distributors such as AFT allow OEMs to save significant time and money when order sizes vary or there are questions about meeting strict specifications.
       As a result, OEMs do not have to rely solely on offshore sources, which can delay implementation by months when domestic options can easily meet their volume and quality requirements.
       Over the years, the chief buyer added, the distributor has worked with his company to improve the entire fastener supply process, including coating, packaging, palletizing and shipping.
       ”They are always with us when we want to make adjustments to improve our products, processes and business. They are true partners in our success,” he concludes.