Insight

Specialinsert Srl prides itself on providing innovative fastening systems for every application and in all materials – enabling it to establish itself as a key supplier in niche markets around the world.

Founded in 1974 the company has three sites in Milan, Venice and Turin – all of which have their own sales office. The production and main warehouse is based in Venice and the headquarters, including the export department, is based in a new site in Turin, which was opened in 2014. The Venice and Turin operations also include testing laboratories.

The factory in Venice has two main production lines for cold forming parts and there are also turning machines, milling stations, CNC machines for special parts, as well as machines for secondary operations and a heat treating station. This enables Specialinsert to produce a wide range of fastening systems for applications in sheet metal, wood, plastics and composites.

“From the beginning it was our founders’ policy to keep the production based in Italy and this will not change for the future,” states Federico Sarti, export manager at Specialinsert. “Of course producing in Italy can be hard, with labour costs being high. This makes it difficult to offer competitive prices against Far Eastern companies producing standard products. That is why we focus on specific applications and newer technology. A big advantage we can offer customers is we have production, technical offices and R&D all based in Italy. This means we can work with customers on products that require a lot of expertise and high technology.”

In the last ten years the strategy of Specialinsert has been to further expand its exports and reach new niche markets, as well as conduct further research and development into innovations. “At Specialinsert we have always been known for our innovations and introducing new products to the market,” points out Federico. “In fact we already have 10 patents registered for specific products – with more planned for the future.”

A significant part of the company’s ability to introduce innovations is its R&D department. “Our concepts come from our R&D team working with both our customers on new solutions to applications, as well as by the internal work we do on particular markets,” explains Roberto Amerio – responsible for R&D.

Federico adds: “We are able to collaborate with customers on new products or applications where they are having difficulty. This is part of our 360 degree service – where we work with the customer before, during and after the sale – which is something our customers appreciate a lot.”

An area in which Specialinsert has conducted a lot of research is the composites world, where it has seen a lot of success – especially in carbon fibre. “Carbon fibre is a very popular material for a variety of applications due to the security it offers as it is strong and solid,” points out Roberto. “Only a few years ago using carbon fibre was expensive and complicated. Now the price has reduced a lot, so much it is now used in middle/low level cars, as well as boats and furniture.”

A prime example of Specialinsert’s unique capabilities for composite applications is the TC/SC/1, which is a rivet nut that works both mechanically and chemically in sandwich panels. “We saw there was a need in the market to have fasteners for sandwich panels that did not rely solely on chemical products and helped to simplify the installation process,” explains Roberto.

“The TC/SC/1 works both mechanically and chemically because it deforms into the skin like a traditional rivet nut, but it also works chemically because the user fills the hole using adhesive before they insert it. Once the adhesive is cured it makes a solid connection with a strong performance in terms of pull-out and torque – more than other fastening solutions.”