NEWSEuropean News

Celebrating 40 Years of Clamping
Craftsmanship
Italian industrial clamp innovator, Clamp Srl, iscelebrating its 40th anniversary after four decades of
excellence in the European industrial clamp market.
Clamp Srl has made remarkable strides during thistime in manufacturing and engineering, earning a welldeserved reputation for quality and reliability, innovationand craftsmanship.
“Since our 1983 inception, we have been at theforefront of technological advancements, consistently
pushing bounda r ies and revolutionising va r ious
sectors,” stated the company proudly. “From precisionengineering to sophisticated manufacturing processes,
we have displayed our exper tise across diverse
industries, including automotive, aerospace, and energy.
By consistently embracing innovative technologies andfostering a culture of creativity, we have not only stayed
relevant, but have thrived as a leader in a competitivemarket.”
One of the cornerstones of Clamp Srl’s successhas been its unwavering commitment to deliveringsuperior quality products and exceptional customer
ser vice. T h roughout its 40 yea r jour ney, it hasprioritised customer satisfaction, tailoring its solutions
to meet specific requirements. This customer-centric
approach has cultivated strong relationships with clients
throughout Italy and Europe, earning their trust andloyalty.
“As we celebrate our remarkable 40 year milestone,
the team is setting its sights on the f uture withconfidence. Together with Tridon Europe and Ideal
Tridon Group, the company remains dedicated toinnovation, service and continuing to exceed customer
expectations,” concluded Clamp Srl.

270

Fastener World no.203/2023 惠達雜誌PEM® Europe Announces Distribution
Partnership with Rivit
PEM® Europe, a leading provider of self-clinching
fasteners and precision engineered components, has announced
a new distribution partnership with Rivit S.rl, which will
enable the Italian distributor to offer PEM® Europe’s range ofself-clinching fasteners and Haeger® insertion presses to its
customers throughout Italy. Mary Ann Fleming, president atPEM® Europe, commented: “We are excited to announce Rivit
as an authorised distributor and bring our range of PEM® selfclinching fasteners and Haeger® machines to a wider audiencethroughout Europe.” Gerard Quaid, vice-president of sales andmarketing EMEA at PEM® Europe, added: “Rivit’s extensive
experience in the distribution of fasteners and industrial
supplies, combined with our precision engineered products,
will provide customers with the fastening solutions they need tosucceed.”
PEM® self-clinching fasteners provide a reliable and costeffective solution for attaching components to thin sheets ofmetal and other materials, including PC boards. They arewidely used in the automotive electronics, consumer electronics,medical, and telecom industries. Haeger® insertion pressesprovide automated and high-speed insertion of PEM® fasteners,
making them ideal for high volume production environments.
“We are thrilled to partner with PEM® and offer their rangeof self-clinching fasteners and Haeger® insertion presses toour customers,” said Francesco Montanari, assistant director
at Rivit. “We believe that this partnership will enhance ouroffering and help us better serve our customers’ needs.”
Rivit has been serving the European market for over 40years and is committed to offering its customers the bestproducts and services. Rivit believes this partnership withPEM® Europe reinforces that commitment and ensures thecompany continues providing customers with a reliable andefficient solution for their fastening needs.

European News
shorter delivery times during the second quarter led to a normalisationin the procurement market.

Bossard: Market Slowdown with
Varying Demand Dynamics
Bossard Group has reported that the first half of 2023
was marked by a heterogeneous development in demandin its three market regions. Gratifying growth in America
contrasted with the economic slowdown in Europe and inAsia, especially in China. Overall, Bossard’s sales, as wellas EBIT and net income, fell slightly compared to lastyear’s records. Bossard’s sales in the first half of 2023
declined by 1.5% to CHF 577 million (prior year: CHF
586 million), while growth in local currency was 3.1%.
Organic growth amounted to 1.2%. Net income fell by
16.7% to CHF 49.9 million (prior year: CHF 59.9 million).
The challenges for Bossard have shifted in the last six
months. With the lifting of the strict Covid-19 restrictionsin China, demand started to normalise in the consumergoods and electronics industries, as well as in medicaltechnology – the industry sectors that benefited fromthe pandemic. At the same time, decreasing demand and272

Fastener World no.203/2023 惠達雜誌In Europe, Bossard recorded a decrease in sales of 3.2% (inlocal currency: +0.4%) to CHF 321.2 million (prior year: CHF 331.7
million). This result is the consequence of the economic slowdown andnormalisation of demand. In an environment marked by a shortage ofskilled labour and inflation, Bossard’s Smart Factory services dreweven more attention from customers.
In America, Bossard again posted solid and broad-based growth in
the first half of the year, although it began to slow down towards theend of that period. Sales increased by 9.9% (in local currency: +13.8%)
to CHF 161.6 million. Organic growth in local currency amounted to6.4%. The Group’s expertise in the electromobility sector, built up overthe last several years, has led to further expansion of its customer base.
Owing to the uncertain economic environment, geopoliticaltensions, and increasing trade conflicts, Bossard believes the outlook
for the rest of the year remains marked by uncertainty and risk. Basedon observations of current developments, Bossard expects moderate
economic demand in the second half of 2023.
This expectation is also based on its customers’ continued
inventory reductions and, in a best-case scenario, stable purchaseprices. Notwithstanding the above, the consistent implementationof Strategy 200 in the first half of the year has further improved
conditions for sustainable, profitable growth and Bossard views thefuture with optimism.

European News
Bodegraven
Metaal Opens
Bomet UKBelgian manufacturer of threaded rods, Bodegraven Metaal, hasopened a new entity, Bomet UK, in the west Midlands, to supply
threaded bar to UK customers in a move to overcome the challenges,
beauracracy and costs associated with BREXIT’s impact on its
business. The Belgian company had a previous UK production unit
in Willenhall, which it closed in 2007. “Since BREXIT, transport
costs to the UK have risen enormously,” states Bodegraven Metaal“Due to the extra import and export charges, but also due to thedisappearance of many transporters who, because of known startup problems, chose not to ship to the UK anymore.”Due to thesechallenges Bodegraven Metaal decided to set up Bomet UK and ship
its threaded rods (DIN976-1), which is only 60° thread angle, directly
to the UK subsidiary, which means that customers can now buy theirstudding from an English supplier, saving them a lot of time andcost. “Bomet UK was actually opened earlier this year, but is now
ready to meet the sector’s demands from its new branch in the WestMidlands,” explains Bodegraven Metaal. “We have also investedin new cutting machines in Belgium, which means that special
lengths can be delivered quickly and inexpensively to the company’s
warehouse in Birmingham.” Bomet UK works together with Paul
Ponsonby Warehouse, located on the M6 north of Birmingham tohandle orders.

Würth Group Continues to Grow Despite
Economic Slowdown
Würth Group remains on course for growth, albeit at a muchslower pace than in the previous two years, with the company
reporting sales of €10.5 billion in the first half of 2023, whichcorresponds to an increase of 5.9% compared to the same period lastyear. Adjusted for currencies, this is equivalent to 6.6%. For the firsthalf of 2023 the operating result of Würth Group amounted to €680
million, which is slightly below the same period last year (2022: €720
million). Apart from higher personnel expenses, this development
is due to increased costs for mobility and maintenance, as well as
the ongoing price pressure. Robert Friedmann, chairman of thecentral management board of Würth Group commented: “After twoyears of record sales and operating result, the economic slowdown
is becoming apparent.” However, after almost three years of theCovid-19 pandemic and related supply chain problems, the supply
situation is improving for the Group. Although, at the same time,interest rates remain at a high level, which, in turn, hampers thedemand in the construction industry. Geopolitical challenges suchas the smouldering conflict between China, Taiwan and the USA, as
well as the war in Ukraine, and the associated high energy prices,
has influenced the economic growth in Germany. “Against thisbackdrop, we are very satisfied with the development in the first halfof 2023,” emphasised Robert.
The companies of the Würth Group in Germany generated
sales of €4.2 billion and, with almost double-digit growth (+9.6%),
reported a positive development overall. Well established companiesof the Würth Group, such as Würth Industrie Service, tool distributor

274

Fastener World no.203/2023 惠達雜誌European News
HAHN+KOLB and electrical wholesaler FEGA & Schmitt have made a decisive
contribution to this successful result, which was achieved without acquisitions. Adolf
Würth GmbH & Co KG, the largest individual company in the Würth Group, generated
sales of €1.5 billion including intra-Group sales. The Würth Group companies abroad
generated sales of €6.3 billion, which was a 3.5% growth compared to the same period in
2022. Growth drivers were the companies in southern and eastern Europe.
Whilst it is difficult to predict how the many conflict hotspots and their consequences,such as high energy prices, will affect Würth Group, Robert Friedmann was still
optimistic about opportunities within the market. “On a positive note, the transport
markets have clearly recovered and the Covid-19 pandemic is not as prevalent as before. Ingeneral, it can be said that supply chains have stabilised significantly again, which meansthat availability has almost reached the pre-crisis level. Procurement prices, which arestill well above the pre-crisis level, however remain problematic. Provided conditions do
not deteriorate drastically, we expect mid-single-digit sales growth and a slight decline inoperating result.”

SFS Achieves Constant
Development
SFS Group reported sales of CHF 1.58
billion (€1.65 billion) for the first half of 2023,
along with a renewed strong sales growth of
29.2% - driven by the inclusion of Hoffmann.
At CHF 189.9 million, operating profit (EBIT)
rose by 16.6% year-on-year. While SFS Groupbenefited from opportunities arising fromits broad positioning across different end
markets and regions, it still felt the impact ofchallenging regional and global developments.
Business in the first half of 2023 clearly
ref lects this by a mixed performance andeffects from de-stocking.
Consolidation ef fects led to growt hof 32.7%, stemming from the inclusion ofHoffmann as of 1st May 2022. Currency
effects reduced sales growth by -4.3%. On a
like-for-like basis, a slight organic growth of
0.8% was achieved. Profitability was impacted
by a mixture of factors, uneven capacity
utilisation f rom new progra m me ‘ra mp
ups’ and partially increased cost basis. The
Distribution & Logistics segment developed
positively and contributed significantly to theincrease in operating profit.
To guarantee a strong customer focus
and better leverage cross-selling potentials,
as well as both operational and applicationoriented synergies, the current Automotive andIndustrial divisions are being complemented
with the respective end market specif ic
business areas of the Riveting division. Thischange will be implemented within theorganization as of 1st January 2024. The
growth and profitability targets of the EC andFS segments will remain unchanged.
Looking forward, SFS Group has updated
its outlook on the 2023 financial year andexpects sales of between CHF 3.1 billion
and CHF 3.3 billion, including the first time
consolidation of Hoffmann for the full year.
This corresponds to an expected sales growth
on a like-for-like basis along the mid-term
guidance of 3% – 6%. For the SFS Group
as a whole, an EBIT margin of around 12%
is expected, at the lower end of the midterm guidance of 12% – 15%. The outlook
is based on the assumption that there will be
no significant deterioration in the underlying
economic conditions or geopolitical, energy or
pandemic-related restrictions.

276

Fastener World no.203/2023 惠達雜誌European NewsA New Chapter Begins for Bülte
After 10 years with the company, working alongside her father Stefan Bülte, Fanny Bülte has officially takenover the reins of Bülte Group. Bülte Group has been a family business since it was founded in 1956 by NorbertBülte – who, after 8 years’ experience in the polyamide parts industry, decided to set up his own assembly partsand fasteners company, with offices in Lüdinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. In collaboration withcompanies in the sector, and specialists, Norbert Bülte invented the Bülte polyamide safety/sealing washer. In
1979, he was joined by his son, Stefan Bülte, who contributed to the company’s international development and set up Bülte Plastiques in France in1986. In 2013, Fanny Bülte, granddaughter of the founder and daughter of the CEO, joined the family business and modernised its working andmarketing methods. In particular, Fanny was behind the digitisation of processes and the communication strategy. Now the head of the company,
following her father’s retirement, Fanny Bülte is determined to preserve the family heritage and perpetuate the values and expertise that havebeen the company’s strength for almost 70 years. The company will also continue to preserve its culture of customer proximity, thanks to its teamof international experts. Fanny concludes: “We will continue the family culture of the company, while remaining attentive to the environmental
and social challenges of production, such as the climate emergency; the rational consumption of raw materials; the decarbonisation of theindustry; and the need for more responsible management and governance.”

Bulten Reports Record Demand
Bulten Group has reported net sales amounted to SEK 1.41 billion (€118.4million) for Q2 of 2023, an increase of 40.8% on the same period the previousyear (Q2 of 2022: SEK 1.006 billion). Adjusted operating earnings totalled SEK 58
million, equating to an adjusted operating margin of 4%. Bulten highlights that its
operating earnings have been charged with transaction costs of SEK8 million – attributable to the acquisition of Exim & Mfr Holdings Pte Ltd.
The corresponding quarter of the previous year was adjusted by approximately SEK10 million, related to winding-up costs for Bulten’s operationin Russia. Net sales for the period January to June 2023 reached SEK 2.8 billion (€235.1 million), an increase of 37.4% on the same half year
period in 2022. Adjusted operating earnings totalled SEK 174 million (€123 million) in H1 of 2023, equating to an adjusted operating margin of
6.2% compared to the previous half year (2022: SEK 123 million). “Demand has been strong over the past quarter. High sales volumes combinedwith the product mix, however, forced extraordinary measures that had a negative impact on operating profit. Shortly after the end of the quarterwe signed an agreement to acquire a Singapore-based Exim, which will provide a good platform for Bulten to grow in new sectors,” reported
Anders Nyström, president and CEO at Bulten Group.
Compiled by Fastener World / News provided by: Fastener + Fixing Magazine / www.fastenerandﬁxing.com

278

Fastener World no.203/2023 惠達雜誌