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Too Many Fasteners on American Cars

29 April 1998

Too Many Fasteners on American Cars, Emhart Fastening Teknologies President Says

    DETROIT, April 29 -- American cars have too many fasteners
that add useless weight, needlessly slow assembly procedures, and hamper
quality, the president of one of the world's largest fastening companies said
today.
    "More than five percent of automotive assembly costs go into fastening
components, and it is the most labor-intensive of procedures," said Paul
Gustafson, president of Emhart Fastening Teknologies.  "Improved designs and
assembly systems could reduce these costs substantially while streamlining
production and vastly improving quality."
    Gustafson made his remarks at a press conference at the American Welding
Society (AWS) exposition at Cobo Center.  Emhart unveiled four new drawn arc
welding assembly systems (Booth 943).  Each system attaches studs and brackets
to the surface of sheet metal and reduces the number of fasteners required in
assembling automotive components.
    Gustafson cited spot welding of brackets as a process that could be
eliminated from automotive assembly and replaced with advanced drawn arc
welding systems that are easier, quicker, and more cost effective.
    Emhart Automotive, Gustafson said, is devoting its entire focus to
designing flexible automotive assembly systems that reduce the number of
fasteners on automobiles while upgrading quality and streamlining production.
    As part of this, the company has opened Innovation Centers in North
America and Japan and Mobile Innovation Centers (MICs) in North America that
bring design and engineering solutions to customer doorsteps.  Gustafson
announced the opening of the latest Innovation Center in Frankfurt, Germany,
and a new MIC that will tour Europe.
    "Our goal is not to sell more fasteners, but to have customers use Emhart
systems to improve quality, streamline production, and reduce costs,"
Gustafson said.

SOURCE  Emhart Fastening Teknologies