The National Fastener Distributors Association donated $5,000 for scholarships at the Rock Valley College Cold Heading Training Center.

The Illinois college announced the program to expand training for the region’s fastener manufacturing. 

“NFDA is proud to support the efforts of RockFast and what they are doing to invigorate the fastener manufacturing industry,” NFDA president Marc Strandquist said. “The development and training of skills for fastener manufacturing jobs is a key one to support our domestic manufacturing base in the United States. We look forward to seeing these efforts see success.”

Dick Mowris, CEO of RockFast Ltd., commended the NFDA for “fully supporting the fastener industry of the Rockford region of Northern Illinois through scholarships to our community college, Rock Valley College, and its Cold Forming Training Center.

Additionally, the NFDA is committed to RockFast’s efforts to help drive future economic development for our cold heading manufacturers, distributors, and supply chain to this vibrant industry in our five-county region and to “Screw City, USA,” Rockford, Illinois.”

In 2016 Rock Valley announced a program to expand vocational training (see FIN, September 6, 2016).  After a Nakashimada cold header was donated to the college, RVC started a two-year, $32 million redevelopment of a new location that can handle the weight of the 10-ton machine. There will be classroom and hands-on training in cold forging. Web: RockValleyCollege.edu

In exchange for $1 rent from the City of Rockford, the college provides tuition discounts for 10 unemployed individuals.

More than 8,000 people in the three-county region 100 miles west of Chicago are employed in metal and plastic production.

Manufacturers report they need replacements for retiring Baby Boomers.

For more on this topic, visit the Fastener History section of GlobalFastenerNews.com:

1988 & 2008 FIN: Rockford’s Role in the Fastener Industry
The U.S. is quickly becoming a service-oriented nation and little can be done to slow the decline in manufacturing as it moves offshore. Right? Wrong…at least in Rockford, Illinois.