European Directive Topic at EIFI Congress

Sarah Beaumont

By Sarah Beaumont
Editor, Fastener & Fixing Europe

Editor’s Note: Fastener Industry News is expanding international coverage by exchanging news columns with Fastener & Fixing Europe and Taiwan-based Fastener World magazines.
Sarah Beaumont has worked in the fastener industry for over 12 years. In addition to being editor of Fastener & Fixing Europe, she is an organizer of Fastener Fair UK and Fastener Fair Europe. The European trade show will be June 19-20, 2000, in Maastrict, Netherlands.

A proposed European Quality Directive for the fastener industry will be a leading topic for the European Industrial Fasteners Institute�s annual Congress in Cannes, France, in June.
Originally the scope of the directive was to mirror that of the American Fastener Quality Act. The directive would be limited to marked fasteners: metric bolts, screws, studs, threaded rods and nuts with a nominal diameter of greater than 5mm and structural washers. However, recent developments have seen proposals to extend the scope to include products such as non-marked machine screws, self-tapping screws and other fasteners.
The reason for expanding the Directive is that it is believed that misrepresentation on the European market is even worse for these products and rules for open competition are even more contorted leading to dramatic safety consequences.
A recent communiqu� from the European Commission emphasized the need for such a Fastener Quality Directive. It warns of counterfeiting by Chinese forgers of various metal products and in the words of the Enterprise Directorate General, Pablo Ayala, �. .. constitutes a serious and growing problem for European manufacturers…�
EIFI has about 200 members, and the conference will include senior figures from the German, Italian, French and UK distribution industry together from North America�s Industrial Fasteners Institute.
UK Keeps Plants Open
Britain, meanwhile, has breathed a sigh of relief after an eleventh hour rescue package for the UK�s BMW site, though the threat of closure still hangs over Ford�s Dagenham plant and more recently threats of job losses at Land Rover. Battling a strong pound is all very well for people like me supping cappuccino in Palermo this summer but is certainly making it tough for Britain�s manufacturers who are reeling from the effects of prohibitive export prices. Together with rising interest rates, it seems that they are being squeezed from all sides. The British government merely advises them to �increase productivity,� which has infuriated the CBI.
British fastener distributors on the other hand are enjoying the opportunity of product sourcing further afield to enable them to keep their heads above water in an increasingly fierce competitive market.
European E-commerce Expanding
Though 70% of all worldwide e-commerce business is conducted in North America and in Europe only 20%, there has been a surge of new European trade Internet portals. www.FastenerExchange.com was launched at the K�ln International Eisenwarenmesse in March. After a huge investment in publicity they hope to alter the way in which fasteners are traded throughout Europe and have recently opened offices in Asia and the USA.