Fasteners on the Internet: StarMetal.com, Textron’s FastenersForPlastics.com, HeadsAndThreads.com, SPSTech.com/aero

John Wolz

Update Your Websites or Blush
Internet experts constantly advise companies to keep their websites fresh to give visitors something new each time they login. However, there is a current example on the web of a fastener company that needs to update its website for a different reason. The company has a letter to employees last March on its website with the executive commenting that he is �continually being told that we are �for sale.� This is definitely not correct � my presence and commitment should attest to that fact. What is true is that an approach was made by a competitor, which resulted in the directors �testing� the waters and rejecting all offers ��
Six months later the company was sold, but it has still not taken the quote off the Internet.

Defense Department Establishes Navy E-Commerce Procurement Site
The Department of Defense established a Navy e-commerce website to simplify procurement and reduce costs.
Danaher Corporation is among the early companies active with the site.
DOD last year awarded a 5-year, $600 million contract to TestMart Inc. to design, build and manage an e-commerce portal site to sell electronic test and measurement equipment to DOD agencies and other government entities at drastically reduced prices.
Since coming online in the middle of September, the site has generated an average of 500 registration requests per week from government entities and defense contractors.
The Naval Inventory & Control Point site gives authorized users access to NAVICP catalogues containing preselected, pre-bid testing and measuring equipment manufactured by such vendors as Agilent Technologies, Tektronix Inc. and Fluke Corp. It is located at navicpmart.com.
Users can compare the specifications and applications data for the same type of equipment offered by the same vendor or different types of equipment offered by different vendors. Ordering can be done by credit card or purchase order.
Because the equipment has already been pre-bid and preauthorized, Navy officials estimate they can buy products for up to 70% off the sale price and reduce procurement costs by more than $360 million.
Authorized users include the Federal Aviation Administration, the Marine Corps, the Army and government contractors working on current contracts.

Star Metal Products of Westlake, OH, introduced an online fastener discussion forum at starmetal.com and will launch a 3-D online store for ordering replacement parts for National, Ahahi-Sunac, Nedschroeff, Sacma and other machines � Textron Fastening Systems launched fastenersforplastics.com to assist engineers in fastening of plastics and overall fastener selection. The website includes 40 pages of information, including product features, design guidelines, fastener selection, installation tips, dimensional data and case histories � The new web address for Heads & Threads International is headsandthreads.com � The Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association reported 15% of registrations for its 25th annual convention were completed online � SPS Technologies Inc. launched Fastener Finder, a database of more than 6,500 part numbers and associated drawings at spstech.com/aero. Catalogs may be downloaded and a personnel directory shows how to contact employees and facilities …\ �2002 FastenerNews.com