TR Fastenings fills gap in European demand

The company has reported 20% increase in sales of its UK-manufactured Swage rivet bush nuts as sheet metal fabricators across Europe face worldwide shortages of clinch nuts. The Swage nut, already a favourite among UK fabricators, offers an alternative fastening solution with similar, sometimes superior performance, and remarkably easy insertion requiring no special equipment according to TR engineers. TR's Uckfield turning plant is proving itself to be competitive on pricing as well as product performance. Production of its rivet bush range has now passed 3 million parts per month and delivery can be ex-stock. Swage and clinch nuts are among the niche products that account for no more than 2.5% of a £24 billion global market. Asian factories, including TR Fastenings' own, focus on cold forming processes for mass production. While they are producing clinch nuts, they do not have the flexibility to ramp up production quickly, especially for what are relatively small volume demands in global fastener terms.