Category Archive: Distributor News
By Steve Urhausen, President, All American Systems
For real and meaningful sales growth to take place, collaboration, cooperation and trust between the supplier and the distributor is extremely important.
This is why line walks and joint sales visits with supply chain partners at the end user are so vital that they are included in distributor rebate and purchase agreements. This allows both the distributor and supplier to get a better understanding of the project, processes, and to solve problems the end users are seeking help for.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen as often as it should. Distributors will often go to their supplier for a solution without providing all of the necessary detail to find the best solution. If suppliers don’t know the end product, that typically means the solution they provide is based on the limited information that has been provided to them.
Understanding that there is confidential information, it is quite common for us to execute non-disclosure agreements to work towards an improved solution that benefits all parties involved.
When working with a distributor at an OEM during a line walk, I witnessed a cumbersome assembly for a rivet nut, with the installer reaching for a machined washer to put under the head of the rivet nut prior to the installation. The washer served to raise the head of the rivet nut up just enough that the gasket which was applied to this outdoor housing would not be crushed during final assembly.
Because of a line walk, over 600,000 of this custom rivet nut have been used to help the end user save time and money.
Looking for a better solutions and explaining the details to the Sherex team, they were able to manufacture a taller profile head that acted as a spacer in the application thereby eliminating the extra machined washer. This saved cost, the need to manage another part number, increased throughput on that assembly line, and reduced worker fatigue. This resulted in over seven years of sales with over over 600,000 parts sold.
Real sales growth occurs for both parties when the supplier and distributor work together to improve an assembly method or fastener joint resulting in the lowest total installed cost and improved performance of the end product. Both the supplier and distributor gains the respect of the end user, more profit, and more opportunities for additional projects. This improves and solidifies the supply channel while elevating sales experience above the “commodity mentality.” Win-Win!
About Steve Urhausen:
Steve has 43 years in the fastener industry and 25 years as owner of All American Systems. His work experience with importers, distributors, and manufacturers has helped him understand the “right fit” philosophy when trying to match a supplier to a customer. As a sales manager of two different companies, Steve was exposed to sales reps where he learned to respect and appreciate the value that they brought to suppliers and customers. Over the last 25 years as an independent rep has taught him humility, the value of hard work, and that follow through and communication are critical to success!
Sherex’s full line of standard rivet nuts, wedge locking washers and tooling and installation systems are available now with fast shipping on G.L. Huyett’s website.
With a 100-plus year history, great customer service, fast shipping, and low line minimums, G.L. Huyett was an ideal choice as master distributor for Sherex in the Midwest United States.
“G.L. Huyett added the Disc-Lock wedge-locking washer product line to their portfolio in 2018 and we’ve been so impressed with their support to the market that we decided to expand the relationship to include the full line of Sherex rivet nuts and hand tools,” said Adam Pratt, president, Sherex Fastening Solutions. “They understand our product, have outstanding customer service, and are very reliable in terms of shipping and having product readily available.”
G.L. Huyett will help support Sherex with safety stock and small quantity orders, along with technical and engineering support. It’s a win-win situation.
“We have shared significant resources so that our sales and engineering teams can not only support the market with safety stock and small quantity fulfillment, but also in design-in and business development actions with our OEM fastener distributor customers,” said Tim O’Keeffe, CEO, G.L. Huyett, in a 2019 press release. “We will be a great team out there.”
Visit huyett.com to see Sherex’s full line of products readily available for immediate shipment.
Sherex is excited to announce that Spaenaur will be stocking our TEC Series® line of wedge locking washers for fast delivery throughout Canada. Spaenaur has distributed Disc-Lock® products throughout Canada for many years. That alliance has now grown to include in-house stocking of Sherex’s newest wedge locking washer line available for immediate distribution.
“Spaenaur has been a great distributor for us throughout Canada and to see this relationship grow is exciting,” said Adam Pratt, president, Sherex Fastening Solutions.
The addition of TEC Series completes the portfolio of wedge locking washers that eliminate vibrational loosening. TEC Series are designed for applications requiring future application disassembly, while Disc-Lock washers are preferred for fastened joints that do not require future disassembly.
“We are delighted to now represent TEC Series in Canada,” says Product Management Director John Sweeny. “Our customers expect ‘fasteners right now.’ That we can now meet our customers’ urgent needs with a high-quality product at a more attractive price point is the icing on the cake. TEC Series wedge locking washers do that for us. Our partnership with Sherex not only expands our product portfolio, but also adds to the decades of success Spaenaur has already experienced with Disc-Lock.”
Wedge locking washers are used by a variety of different industries and manufacturers, but are also becoming more common around the house for general repair. With TEC Series and Disc-Lock wedge locking washers, you can tighten it, and forget it.
About Spaenaur
Spaenaur is recognized as a leading Canadian distributor for industrial fasteners, hardware components and tools serving Distribution, MRO and Production markets. Started in 1936, we are a third generation family-owned company operating out of Kitchener, Ontario. Our 1700-page catalog of standard and hard-to-find parts is regarded as one of the best fastener resource guides in the industry. For more information about Spaenaur’s products and services, visit us online at spaenaur.com or contact customer service at 1-800-265-8772.
About Sherex Fastening Solutions:
Sherex Fastening Solutions is a leading manufacturer of fasteners for thin sheet material applications in steel, aluminum, and composite materials. Sherex manufactures rivet nuts, clinch nuts, inserts for composite, stud and nut plates, and through the acquisition of Disc-Lock®, wedge-locking washers and nuts. Sherex has two strategic production facilities: Sherex Taiwan, located in Chungli, Taiwan, is certified to IATF 16949:2016, ISO 14001 and has an ISO 17025 accredited lab, and Sherex Akron, located in Akron, Ohio, is certified to ISO 9001:2015 and AS 9100. Sherex has grown to 200 employees and services a wide-range of industries, including automotive, general manufacturing, energy, agricultural, and aerospace.
