Bossard Americas celebrated the grand opening of its design center in Milpitas, CA.

The Silicon Valley-based Bossard Design Center (BDC) is a 10,000 sq ft fastener design and testing facility located 20 miles east of the largest U.S. electric vehicle manufacturer, Tesla.

“This full service offering starts with a 1,500 square foot seminar space for up to 85 participants,” the company stated.

“Customers are then engaged with hands-on experience with a wide variety of fastening solutions as well as installation practices.”

The facility offers the ability to test and study coefficient of friction data on a SCHATZ ANALYSE machine, as well as additional torque/tension data. The BDC also has the equipment to simulate what happens in a bolted joint under vibration.

Bossard Group reported “a strong start” in the opening quarter of 2017. First quarter sales grew 16.1% to CHF 197.9 million (+16.8% in local currency), including 10.3% in organic growth during the period.

“The most striking growth rates were realized in America, where the cooperation with the largest US electric vehicle manufacturer (Tesla) continued to bear fruit,” the company stated.

Bossard sales in America rose 29.9% to CHF 56.9 million (+28.4% in local currency). These figures include the acquisition of the U.S. company Arnold Industries, which solidified Bossard’s presence in the Northeast.

“Cooperation with (Tesla), which is continually increasing its production volumes, is reflected in the substantially higher sales.”

Excluding the acquisition, growth in America was 15.5%. Web: bossard.com