Insight

Abbott Fasteners was formed in 1982 and thanks to its wealth of knowledge and experience has grown to be recognised as one of the largest stocked suppliers of imperial threaded products, as well as standard metric forms – supplying into rail, aerospace, military, marine and general engineering. 

Dave Challis, general manager at Abbott Fasteners Ltd, explains: “Our stock includes British and American imperial in all grades and materials, such as metric, fine, extra fine, UNC, UNF, BSW, BSF, BA, BSP, as well as many other thread forms – some of which you wouldn’t believe existed. We also have access to DIN/ISO specifications, along with older type BS specifications, so whether it’s for the most up to date military requirements, or vintage cars, we can ensure you will receive the correct part.”

Fully ISO 9001:2015 certified, and with an experienced team in the office and warehouse, Abbott Fasteners also guarantees every enquiry will be dealt with professionally and honestly in a timely manner. “You will receive a full emailed quotation so you can order with confidence, which will then be dispatched directly on a fully trackable service – with timed and Saturday deliveries as an option,” points out Dave. “If a customer is looking for a fully itemised Kanban or VMI system then we also have a dedicated office that can handle this type of account. These options help customers reduce their vendor base and costs by having us look after their C-class items in a 1 or 2 bin system – ensuring customers never run out of stock again – with regular structured deliveries available to suit individual business needs.”

From the very beginning, Abbott Fasteners developed a reputation for being able to supply products that aren’t always available elsewhere. “We often get calls beginning with ‘if you haven’t got this then I know it’s not available’ or ‘this is an oddball can you help me’, which we love and is what has enabled us to be successful over the last 40 years,” proudly states Dave. 

Part of the company’s ability to provide these types of products and services is the knowledge and experience within the business, although keeping this knowledge within the company is a constant challenge. “The knowledge and expertise is drifting away from the fun world of fasteners, not just at our company but across the sector. Employees who have worked in the industry for decades are retiring and it is proving more and more difficult to attract new, young people to join,” points out Dave. “For instance, we decided to recruit last year and it proved very difficult. The fastener market is not cool and sadly it’s not seen as a career, so it’s very difficult to attract the right type of person. Fortunately, we found someone with the right attitude to learn, but it took almost six months to do so.”

Dave continues: “We are only a team of twelve people, so it is vital every member is willing to learn and develop new skills, for every part of the business. A prime example is the extra work and challenges that are created when it comes to new duties or regulations, such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) regulation. Thankfully we are an active member of BIAFD, which has been very beneficial to us, as the association provides key support and information on what is happening within the market. For instance, BIAFD has been very active in trying to get fasteners excluded from the scope of the UK CBAM regulation, as it will cause us a lot of extra work and admin, which as a small company will mean some serious changes will need to be made. Whilst larger companies might have the resources to handle the challenges associated with sustainability, CBAM and duties, etc, these topics can prove too much for certain smaller companies, as they simply don’t have the staff required to handle it all. That is why being part of BIAFD and being made aware of these types of things is vital.”

Looking forward Abbott Fasteners is confident it will keep on meeting the needs of its customers and relishes the challenges ahead. “Abbott can supply almost every type of fastener to customers’ requirements, from standard items to specials made to order. Being totally independent, our direct access to many of the brands in the fastener industry enable us to provide customers with the items they want quickly from either stock or Ex Works,” underlines Dave. “I invite customers to give us a try for any of their requirements, big or small, standard or special, to see how we can work closely with them to provide the products they need.”