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In Depth: Fasteners

Finding the right solution

Contractors are looking for fastener solutions that last longer than the building products they connect, many of which now carry 50-year and lifetime warranties, says Maze Nails Marketing Director Kim Pohl.

Maze nails
Maze’s exclusive method of double hot dipping allows its nails to be dipped twice in hot molten zinc, which adds a thick coating to the outer layer, providing the nails with long-term protection against rust.

“Building product manufacturers and building codes are specifying and recommending hot-dipped galvanized nails versus electro-galvanized fasteners because of their superior performance in exterior applications,” Pohl says. “The most reliable and preferred way to coat steel nails with zinc is ‘hot-dipping.’ This provides the nails with long term protection against rust and hot-dipping meets the all-important ASTM A-153 specification. Maze’s exclusive method of double hot dipping allows the nails to be dipped twice in hot molten zinc which adds a thick coating to the outer layer of zinc.”

One of the biggest pain points for builders these days is trying to keep up with the pressure-treated lumber options on the marketplace and the chemicals used in those products.

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“And so, it’s just making sure that our exterior coatings will withstand the chemicals they’re impregnating the wood with, and they do,” Miller says. “But the ultimate answer, in our opinion, is stainless steel. We believe that stainless steel is going to be the market’s choice because of the amount of ground contact, pressure-treated lumber in the market and the high chemical concentration used to impregnate the lumber vs. above ground pressure-treated lumber.”

Screw Products
Screw Products helps buyers find the right screws for the job by offering packaging that is clear and easy-to-read.

Screw Products, Inc., has focused on not only offering a variety of fasteners, but also easy-to-read packaging that makes it simpler for buyers to find what they need, plus distribution facilities on both the East and West Coasts.

“We can service our customers in one to two days pretty much throughout the United States, I would say, with one of the highest-quality fasteners on the market,” Miller says.

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Most customers want the best value, not just the lowest price, as long as they understand the diverse choices that are possible, Winchester says.

“We encourage dealers and their customers to listen to the options available,” he says. “We provide test reports, specifications, quality assurance documentation or any other support document that assures the buyer when they purchase a Strong-Point product it is going to perform as it was intended. Fasteners are usually a small portion of the overall expense of the materials used on projects so purchasing a known quality product that consistently performs time after time will save on labor and potential problems that could occur from purchasing a product that does not match our quality standards.”

TurboClip
TurboClip by Avon Plastics is engineered to work with all major brands of composite decking boards. The manufacturer says TurboClip’s innovative design can help reduce installation time by up to 60%.

It’s incumbent on a dealer’s sales staff to make sure they understand the differences between products so they can share that information with buyers.

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“Sales staff must always remember the up-sell by making sure customers are considering the right or best fasteners for their project,” Winchester says. “Knowledge of matching the right coating or material with the other materials is critical to a finished project that will stand the test of time.”

Dealers need to understand what each brand is offering beyond the price tag, Rohrschneider says.

“The real cost is the installed cost,” he says. “Does that screw vendor actually have a report describing the correct installation of a ledger board? If so, do they have the science behind that installation what the actual pattern is required by that screw vendor? Low cost goes out the window if it requires twice as many screws and takes longer to install them all per that screw vendor.”

That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for a variety of products in a dealership. Some buyers will make a decision based on price, while others will consider different factors.

“There are pros who don’t value those things intuitively, and they will just buy the cheapest thing they find on the shelf,” Christiansen says. “There’s definitely a place for those types of brands. And then there is the type of pro that values improved productivity. A job that they’re willing to put their reputation on, that they tend to seek out premium brands that will give them that.”

The challenge for a dealer can be to get contractors to try out those premium brands.

“We find one of the best strategies and things that we’ve supported is putting those products in the hands of a pro for free,” Christiansen says. “We’ve put together a sampling program. So, we have sample packs that consist of five to six screws with certain features and benefits; and we supply those to our sales force. They give them to dealers, and dealers can hand them out. But it’s really about getting that product in the pros hands to try it the first time.”

“We strive to supply fasteners that allow the builder to save time by not having fastener performance issues,” he says. “As we learn market needs, our team develops the fasteners required and our suppliers then produce to our specifications. Each fastener we sell has been developed for a specific market. Our sales team helps our customers match our products with their market needs.”

Internet Information

Companies in bold participated in this article.

DeckWise:
www.Deckwise.com

Duchesne:
www.duchesne.ca/en/

Faspac:
www.fastapscrews.com

Fastenal:
www.fastenal.com

FastenMaster:
www.fastenmaster.com

Grabber Construction Products:
www.grabberman.com

GRK Fasteners:
www.grkfasteners.com

Hillman:
www.hillmangroup.com

Huttig Building Products (Huttig-Grip):
www.huttig.com

Intercorp:
www.intercorpusa.com

LumberLoc:
www.lumberloc.com

Maze Nails:
www.mazenails.com

Midwest Fastener Corporation:
www.fastenerconnection.com

MiTek:
www.uspconnectors.com

National Nail:
www.nationalnail.com

PrimeSource Building Products:
www.primesourcebp.com

Screw Products Inc.:
www.screw-products.com

Simpson Strong-Tie:
www.strongtie.com

SPAX:
www.spax.us

Stanley-Bostitch:
www.bostitch.com

Starborn Industries:
www.starbornindustries.com

Tiger Deck:
www.blacktalonuniversal.com

Titan Metal Werks:
www.splitstop.com

TurboClip by Avon Plastics:
www.turboclipusa.com

U2 Fasteners:
www.U2fasteners.com

Manufacturers that invest in field research and time with end-users will be able to offer the best solutions, says McFarland.

Spending time with customers to understand their project, the materials they will be using and what they want to accomplish can help a salesperson determine the best fasteners. “We have the most success when dealers match our products to the building materials they are selling,” Dankel says. “Sometimes a salesperson who is focused only on selling the cement siding, the subfloor material, or the decking on a project can forget about higher margin add-ons. We’re committed to providing training and educational opportunities for our customers to help with these kinds of industry challenges.”

It’s also important to educate the user on the benefits and drawbacks of various options.

“Help them understand that paying a little more for better designed products will save the installer a lot of time and effort when building the project,” Dankel says. “Being able to explain these benefits is crucial to the sale, so our innovative packaging helps dealers communicate product messages with clear application images and supporting load data where appropriate. Our dealers are also able to take advantage of our extensive point-of-purchase support materials and informative literature that help to communicate the features, benefits, and technical support available with our products.”

MiTek’s Kreutzer says the company wants contractors to try its ProSeries line. “If a contractor were to try the ProSeries, they’d access the highest shear strengths in the category. But more than that, the ProSeries line has been engineered to offer a quick-start with no pre-drilling, and a shank design that lowers friction during installation.”

It’s important that the pro users understand the significance of selecting the right fastener for the right projects, he says.

“Any user is going to want assurance that their fastener won’t corrode when in contact with pressure-treated lumber, and the ProSeries has been engineered and coated to offer just that assurance.”

Confusing or unclear packaging is a common complaint in the fastener aisle. With a wealth of options, it can be tough to find the right solution. Well-designed packaging can also make it easier for dealers to stock and maintain inventory. Huttig-Grip recently introduced new packaging designed to solve both issues.

“Our displays look better than those of our competitors and our unique labels enable the public, contractors and store personnel to identify the fasteners they are looking for with ease and confidence,” Redwood says.

There has been little innovation in packaging despite the obvious problems, so solving that issue can really help dealers’ businesses, Redwood says.

“The width of our 1 lb. and 5 lb. boxes are the same and the height of two 1 lb. boxes is the same as one 5 lb. box,” he adds. “This means that there are always nine identical facings on a 4-foot shelf, regardless of the SKU, resulting in a display that always looks symmetrical, neat and tidy. This also makes merchandising and stocking easier than with other suppliers because you can quickly swap out one SKU for another, regardless of 1 lb. or 5 lb.”

Huttig-Grip Fasteners
Huttig-Grip’s new boxes are designed for easy merchandising and stocking. Both the 1-lb. and 5-lb. boxes are the same width, while the height of two 1-lb. boxes equals the height of one 5-lb. box for a symmetrical display.

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