Issue: 123 (May - Jun 2020)

To everybody within the fastener and fixing industry, I hope that you are safe and well in these strange and difficult times. At the magazine we have been in the fortunate position to continue working (from home) and have therefore strived to produce an issue that shows how Covid-19 has impacted the sector, and the steps companies have introduced to adapt to the ‘new normal’.

To start, within our Industry News section, we have an article that goes into detail about how Covid-19 is impacting the European fastener industry, as well as the key supplier markets. Plus, we have financial reports from leading companies that discuss the effects of the coronavirus.

In this edition we also have a special ‘Made in the UK’ feature that looks at the manufacturing capabilities available within the UK, as well as the niche products and services companies are able to provide. Alongside the unknowns around BREXIT, companies also concentrate on the challenges of Covid-19.

Our Cover Story focuses on the successful launch within the UK of the JRP line, by Hexstone, and the important role technical support and quality have played in this success.

Before lockdown was enforced, I had the opportunity to visit Lederer GmbH, celebrating its 50^th anniversary in 2020, and discussed with Managing Director Volker Lederer how the company has developed from a standard distributor into a service provider. Plus, I stopped by GRASS Befestigungstechnik and spoke to Managing Director Christoph Schulte about how GRASS’ investment strategy, into automated CNC machinery, has enabled the business to position itself at the forefront of turning products.

To add to this, we also have an exclusive interview with Dr Stefan Nöken, member of the executive board at Hilti Group, who gives an incisive vision on how digitisation will play a critical factor in the construction sector over the coming years.

Other articles include Peter Standring, technical secretary at Industrial Metalforming Technologies (IMfT), focusing on the relationship between design engineers and fasteners; as well as Tom Francis, global segment leader for chassis and powertrains at Saint-Gobain S.A, talking about the role fastening technology can play within megatrends.