Reprint from Fastener World Magazine, Vol. 168

Although every model automobile is different, the average automobile contains several thousand fasteners. The total number is comprised of screws, bolts, nuts, washers, clips, and specialized, engineered specials and variants of all the following. The assortment and variety of different fasteners is impressive by any standard. One would think that because of this variety gaining entry into the automotive fastener market would be an easy accomplishment. This assumption, however, would be incorrect. In fact, the reality is very different; becoming a supplier to automotive customers is generally an onerous task and a monumental accomplishment.

To understand why it is so difficult one has to understand some of the differences between the automotive fastener market and all others. At the forefront is an understanding of fastener “standards”.