Inflation. Supply shortages. Extended lead times. Over two and a half years since the onset of the pandemic and the world market is still struggling to find balance. Government regulations coupled with fluctuating supply and demand around the globe make sourcing critical supplies like wire collated fasteners a major challenge for your operation.
We have you covered.
Through our extensive partnership with global manufacturers across the U.S., Europe and Asia, we aren’t limited to just a handful of major suppliers. We hand-select the most efficient and cost-effective ones to reduce pricing and shorten lead times.
Learn how LINC can reduce fastener lead time through its global supply chain.
Did you know that the actual manufacturing of a fastener can take upwards of 5 months, not including the time required to source the raw material?
Take a look at our Fastener Manufacturing Timeline:
We work with 20 suppliers from three continents and 12 different countries to ensure the fasteners we sell are of the highest standards and arrive in your facility in a timely fashion. An important point when wire collated coil fastener availability is dwindling in the marketplace.
The financial breakdown of wire-collated fasteners and its impact on cost and availability include:
- Fluctuating cost of wire rod at the time purchase order is created
- Time investment from when raw material is sourced to when product reaches U.S. warehouse
- Labor costs to manufacture and package fasteners
- Economic conditions in supplier’s country
- Tariffs and taxes
Due to current limited supply, we believe it’s vital to diversify our relationships to ensure you get the products you need when you need them for optimal production cycles.
One of our strengths is the negotiating power we have with the major fastener manufacturers. Relationships are critical in this industry and LINC Systems has decades-long relationships with top manufacturers. These relationships do more than build great rapport. They allow us deeper insights into the manufacturing process and how products arrive at your loading dock, helping us deconstruct the costs and negotiate better pricing.
Some vendors and supply houses rely on the supplier to do all the logistical work including ocean and domestic freight (which fluctuate like the stock market). Other logistical costs of importing include:
- Materials (product you are buying)
- Ocean freight (from port to port)
- Inland drayage (from port to your door)
- Tariffs (if any)
- Customs broker fee
- Port fees
- Maritime insurance
- Import bonds
Did you know that geographics also play a major role in lead time and costs? Importing to an East coast port can add 2-3 weeks in lead times as well as additional freight costs, depending on the port of origin.
These factors all result in added expense for you, the consumer.
Working with LINC Systems is different.
We do the legwork, reducing unnecessary layers of costs. We handle the logistics, evaluate invoices, plan routes and track containers, to make sure your product arrives on time and in one piece, for the best possible price.
Our robust mix of global suppliers helps us offer flexibility in sourcing and pricing. We can shift purchasing to different continents and countries to get the best pricing and availability to ensure consistent supply for our customers. And with our strategically located distribution centers, you get the product you need in days, not weeks.
Those are just a few of the advantages of partnering with LINC Systems. Here are some others:
LINC Optimizes Your Business with Service Beyond the Sale
A major part of the LINC Advantage is the service and support you receive. We don’t just sell products. With every purchase, we provide unparalleled expertise and advice that puts your business on the fast track to efficiency and profitability.
Take nail selection, for instance.
You may be looking for deals on a particular fastener with no luck. We take a holistic approach when helping you source the fasteners and products you need to operate. That means we examine your current products and processes, break them down and review to spot inefficiencies, then recommend solutions that may better suit your needs and budget.
That 2-inch nail you are currently using may be overkill. Perhaps a 1-3/4-inch nail would suffice. By selecting the right size nail for your application, you could save money by simply requiring less material.
What about when my tools break? How does LINC Systems maximize my uptime?
In addition to consultative work, we have tool programs for both service and repair. If a tool requires extended repair time, we have loaner programs on many of the tools you use, helping you get back to work sooner.
How does LINC Systems ensure the highest quality of fasteners?
LINC Systems only partners with manufacturers that follow ASTM fastener standards specifications for specifying, testing and evaluating material, dimensions, and the mechanical and metallurgical properties of hardware fasteners. This ensures the strength, quality, performance and durability of these products for the end user.
We also monitor the quality control of the products we import and insist on regular testing of products. In fact, we associate run codes with each box to identify and trace any performance issues back to the specific manufacturing run. Armed with this information, we can take steps to resolve the problem and protect our customers.
Does LINC Systems carry its own brand of fasteners?
Yes, we do. We developed our line of pallet fasteners — the Pro-Drive Premium — to be manufactured to the highest industry standards and tested by Virginia Tech’s Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design for strength and durability.
During testing, Pro-Drive Premium Pallet Nails experienced 30% higher withdrawal values and 14% higher pull-through values compared with competitor brands. Other features include:
- Wider head maximizes shear and pull-through performance by 14%
- Crimson red coating reduces fastener withdrawal and maximizes shear and pull-through performance
- Continuous shank, which provides a deeper screw and optimizes withdrawal performance
- Blunt diamond point
- Available in a variety of sizes and lightweight pallet tool options
Learn more about Pro-Drive Premium.
Need help selecting the fasteners right for your application and budget? We can help.
Contact us to schedule an on-site evaluation with a knowledgeable LINC Systems representative who will arrive on-site to assess your state of operations, identify bottlenecks and provide detailed recommendations to help you improve manufacturing processes. We can demo our tools and fasteners on-site so you can see how they will perform with your applications.
LINC Systems is here with the fasteners, tools and advice to help you work safely and efficiently. If you have any questions or would like to schedule an on-site consultation, please click here to contact us. Or, give us a call at 800.513.9918 or visit LINCsystems.com.