Nick Thies is a seasoned professional at Midwest Fastener Corp, with more than a decade of experience. His journey began in the warehouse, where he honed skills in inventory management and logistics. Progressing through roles in e-commerce and marketing, Nick gained valuable experience and knowledge of the fastener industry. Currently serving as category marketing manager for the construction fasteners segment, Nick combines industry expertise with a passion for solving end user problems. Beyond work, he enjoys fixing and remodeling projects, reflecting his hands-on approach to problem-solving. Nick is an avid DIY enthusiast, finding joy in bringing ideas to life for his family through creative projects.
How have fasteners significantly changed in recent years?
Fasteners have evolved in many ways, but one of the latest materials is composite. Composite fasteners have high tensile and shear strength while being lighter and more corrosion-resistant than their alloy counterparts.
3D printed fasteners are another big change in fastener manufacturing. 3D printing of fasteners allows for production of fasteners with complex geometries with very little waste material. 3D printed fasteners aren’t in wide use yet, because the materials used to make them are fairly limited, but this is something to keep an eye on.
Considering the continued impact of diminished workforces, how can the choice of fasteners help builders and remodelers increase efficiency?
Reducing installation time or the quantity of fasteners needed is a big way that fasteners can help builders increase efficiency. This can take different forms, like replacing brackets that require multiple fasteners with 1 or 2 screws (when codes allow) or using collated screws and drivers instead of individual screws.
Providing proper training and education on fasteners and their installation techniques is also crucial to ensure fasteners are used properly, can improve efficiency, and ensure long-lasting performance and safety.
How are updated building codes impacting the development of new fasteners?
Building code evolution often drives fastener evolution. One example would be the 2012 code change that mandated continuous exterior insulation for homes built in northern climate zones. This spawned a large increase in insulation fasteners that were needed to attach all of this mandated, continuous insulation to the exterior of a home.
The flip side of this is when fastener evolution actually drives building code evolution. A recent example of this is the truss screw. Trusses were traditionally fastened to top plates with brackets (often called “hurricane brackets”) until a screw was developed that was sufficient for this use case. Building codes were updated to allow for the use of screws instead of brackets, greatly speeding up installation time and cutting costs for the builder.
How can LBM dealers best position themselves to succeed in the fastener segment?
Understanding the needs of their contractors/customers and the trends in the fastener industry is imperative. LBM dealers should have a fastener program catered to their customers’ changing needs, not a cookie cutter program. Midwest fastener rolled out an “LBM Fastener Essentials” program in 2022 to help LBM dealers with this challenge. This program gives our reps and dealers a head start on puting together a fastener aisle that’s rationalized and targeted specifically for the end users that live in the LBM segment of the market.
When it comes to fasteners, what can LBM dealers do to be a better resource to their customers?
Having a strong understanding of the fastener aisle is still one of the top things LBM dealers can do to be a resource to their customers. Understanding each fastener, its features, uses, and how it may or may not work together with other fasteners gives a dealer a significant advantage over the rest of the market. Having this knowledge in the aisle also provides cross sell and upsell opportunities and helps ensure customers are getting the best fastener for their job, which will keep them coming back.
