Abstract
- This report includes a comprehensive analysis of the financial health and
performance of the industrial fastener industry. Our in-depth look at the
state of the industrial fastener industry examines cost structure and
profitability, employment trends, capital spending, and other critical
operating characteristics.
- U.S. manufacturers' sales of industrial fasteners have been rising
steadily since 2004, emerging from the three-year slump that marked the start
of the decade. Sales topped $7.2 billion in 2005, and an even stronger
performance is expected in 2006.
- Internally threaded fasteners were hardest hit during the recent downturn,
and sales in that segment remain weak. Nonthreaded fasteners have been leading
the recovery, turning in the strongest growth rates over the last two years.
Today, aircraft/aerospace fasteners are moving to the fore.
- Navigating the global marketplace is a never-ending challenge. While U.S.
manufacturers are moving some production offshore to take advantage of cost
savings, China's insatiable appetite for steel continues to put pressure on
pricing. On the domestic front, producers are shifting their focus toward
high-end, specialty fasteners, and they are relying more heavily on foreign
markets for sales revenues.
- Fastener distributors serving the OEM channel are increasingly providing
inventory control, inspection, and other critical services. In the retail
arena, big-box outlets continue to marginalize traditional hardware stores. A
special section of this report examines the distribution network for
industrial fasteners.
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