If you’re less than thrilled with your current stock, follow these seven strategies for boosting production and minimizing unit costs by utilizing the right suppliers.

Choosing the right rivet supplier is not just a matter of price. Using the cheapest price as the guiding criteria might save money in the beginning, but it will likely end up costing much more down the road. Employing a strategy for choosing rivet suppliers that takes into account such factors as materials versatility, sorting capabilities, in-house equipment abilities and location, to name only a few, can help companies make the most out of their purchasing budget.

Buyers should look for a rivet supplier that carries a full range of rivet sizes and materials. Some suppliers avoid making rivets of certain materials such as stainless steel because they are more difficult to produce. A good supplier will cover all bases, even if a buyer isn’t presently demanding versatility. Having to depend on a group of separate suppliers multiplies the time and energy coordinating with contacts, checking quality and coordinating payments.

Secondly, look for a rivet supplier that uses optical sorting to weed out parts that could disrupt machinery. An optical sorter can help ensure that the rivets are all the same size and type before shipping. When an optical sensor isn’t used, the likelihood increases that stray rivets will be included in the batches sent from the supplier, causing high volume automated rivet feeders to jam. A few jams a day adds up to hours of lost production time and the money wasted by the unscheduled downtime often far outweighs any initial savings earned from using a less expensive, but less careful, supplier.

Buyers should also keep an eye open for rivet suppliers with diverse in-house equipment abilities to turn around special orders as needed. When emergencies come up, buyers need a supplier than can respond rapidly to adjustments and a supplier with a good array of machinery will be able to run jobs on other machines. To stay flexible, a supplier should have a high-speed rivet header and a variety of machines that allow complex part forming as needed. Companies running smaller jobs may wish to go with a supplier that allows low minimum orders – such as 5,000 pieces.

Another factor to consider is whether or not the supplier has an internal tool room. Since each design change means that an old die must be adjusted or a new die created, a supplier ready with its own internal tool room is a definite advantage. Suppliers that need to outsource design changes can get tangled up in logistics delays that slow down turnaround times. As a rule of thumb, a top notch rivet supplier can ship an order within 24 hours of receiving last minute spec changes, a turnaround that often requires making adjustments in an internal tool room.

For the same reasons, it’s also a good idea to use a supplier who has internal annealing and plating abilities. Annealing reduces part stress after cold heading, which makes parts easier to roll and use. While few suppliers have their own furnace ovens to accomplish this, the better ones may offer atmospherically controlled annealing ovens that can soften material. When required, the supplier should also have complete capabilities for drilling, tapping, threading, knurling and head slotting. Likewise, if the manufacturing process demands the use of plating, it’s a definite plus if the supplier can handle these operations in-house as well.

But even providing a quick turnaround time doesn’t make a rivet supplier the best choice. The ideal supplier can provide its customers with accurate quotes and information that they can use as an asset in the sales bid process. This is important in those down-to-the-wire cases when a company needs pricing and part availability with same day turnaround in order to make the winning bid on an important job.

Finally, the rivet supplier’s location must be considered. Since no single supplier can cover every base and speak to every specialized need, it’s likely that they will occasionally have to outsource jobs. Therefore, it’s important for the supplier to be in close proximity to metal producing companies, platers, heat treaters and other specialists to make sure the job gets completed as soon as possible.

Taken together, the above qualities in a rivet supplier should provide what it takes to keep its customers – and by extension, its customers’ customers – very happy.

Whether you’re looking for blind rivets, structural rivets or even a riveting machine, find the supplier you need at http://www.ThomasRegional.com/news?issue=nI37

Source: Seven Strategies for Choosing a Rivet Supplier
Bob Reibel
Fabricating Equipment News, Jan. 30, 2001
http://www.fabequipnews.com/article.asp?article_id=327&channel_id=3&featured=1