Fastener Training Institute®

Fastener Training Institute™ and IFI Hold Inaugural Week-Long Training Program

The Fastener Training Institute™ (FTI) and the Industrial Fasteners Institute (IFI) partnered to present a week-long training program in Chicago in May 2009 for fastener distributors and manufacturers on manufacturing processes, consensus standards and quality control.

In 2010 the same week-long training program will be taught in Cleveland OH, July 19-23. Click here for details and to register for this event.

Based on the FTI Certified Fastener Specialist™ (CFS) advanced technical training program, this week-long training condenses seven separate one-day classes into five intense days of education and plant tours. The curriculum includes:

  • Thread specifications
  • Material specifications
  • Process specifications
  • Dimensional specifications
  • Quality systems and specifications
  • Lot traceability
  • Test reports
  • Print reading and tolerances
  • Thread gaging and dimensional inspection
  • Torque tension
  • Acquiring specifications
  • Consensus standards organizations
  • Fastener terminology

The FTI/IFI Chicago 2009 event featured learning labs taught by leading industry experts (Joe Greenslade, Carmen Vertullo, Salim Brahimi), interactive exercises, quizzes to reinforce learning, and plant tours of Semblex, Chem-Plate, Nylok and ATF.

The program was endorsed by:

  • Industrial Fasteners Institute
  • Los Angeles Fastener Association
  • Mid-Atlantic Fastener Association
  • Mid-West Fastener Association
  • National Fastener Distributors Association
  • North Coast Fastener Association
  • Western Association of Fastener Distributors

Seventeen people participated in the 2009 program in Chicago. Eleven of the attendees are now graduates of the FTI Certified Fastener Specialist™ advanced technical training program, having completed all of the coursework and having passed a comprehensive final exam.

  • Justin Boelens CFS from MacLean-Fogg. Justin works as a product engineer and has been in the industry just one year. Concerning the program, he said that he "gained knowledge and tested his current knowledge."

  • Dan Burkhart CFS. Dan has worked in the fastener industry for more than 20 years, most recently as a sales manager. He noted that "the knowledge and quality of the instructors was second to none. They were engaging and professional."

  • Dan Curtis CFS from MacLean-Fogg . Dan has been in the fastener industry for six years and currently works as a product engineering manager. He noted that the classes were a "good overview of inch fasteners," and that the instructors were "great."

  • Matthew Doran CFS from Timberline Fasteners. Matthew has been in the industry less than one year and currently is working in marketing/sales. He said the program "gave a good strategic view of the industry, confidence to find solutions and know what resources are available. All instructors were informative and knowledgeable."

  • Jim Erbs CFS from Safety Socket. Jim has been in the fastener industry for five years and is currently a chairman. He noted that the program gave him a "better working knowledge of specs and measurement techniques" and "all instructors were excellent!"

  • Gail Glasser CFS from Century Fasteners. Gail says she has been in the industry "a very long time" and is currently a CEO. She noted that "all of you did a wonderful job. This was the very best class I have taken."

  • Shawn Livaditis CFS from McMaster-Carr Supply. Shawn has been in the fastener industry for five years and currently works as the fastener specialist for the McMaster-Carr branch in Atlanta.

  • Noel Salazar CFS from Timberline Fasteners. Noel works as a purchasing/operations manager and has been in the fastener industry 10 years. Concerning the program he said "great instructors!"

  • Cheryl Warner CFS from Florida Bolt & Nut. Cheryl is president of her company and has been in the industry 37 years. About the program she said "Great. Well worth my time and money. The instructors are very dedicated to the improvement and education of the industry. I have always worked in management. I can now look up specs and know where to go for information."

  • Ann Winkelman CFS from Wink Fasteners. Ann is a managing director and has been in the fastener industry for less than a year. She noted "the CFS program drastically shortened my learning curve regarding fastener specifications… The program materials were well organized and professional. Each instructor was very knowledgeable and infused the lesson topics with real world examples. CFS is a great program taught by excellent instructors."

  • Ella Yung CFS from ATF Inc. Ella has been in the industry three years and works as an applications engineer. She said "I feel this course really helped me gain a more solid understanding of mechanical engineering and develop the technical knowledge important to this field. It also makes me realize the complexities and challenges we face, and that makes the work even more interesting. I’m really happy with this and look forward to continue learning in this industry."

Program organizers from FTI and IFI are very excited about the future of fastener training in North America.

"The state of the economy and industry strained our event, but company leaders’ belief in training our human resources prevailed and allowed for the event to be an enormous success. This further demonstrates the significance of endorsing the Fastener Training Institute’s CFS program to the entire fastener community," said Kelly Cole (WCL Company, City of Industry, California), FTI co-chair.

Joe Greenslade, IFI director of engineering technology commented, "I have worked in the fastener industry for 39 years. I have felt strongly throughout that time that the fastener industry is in dire need of more and better training. Finally it looks like the Fastener Training Institute (FTI) is in the process of filling that critical need.

"Every new sales, engineering, and quality person in the fastener industry should go through this program to develop a good technology foundation. Even those with many years experience can gain a much broader view of the technology of the fastener industry. As Francis Bacon said, ‘Knowledge is power.’ I hope the fastener industry will take advantage of the evolving knowledge building resources of the FTI to gain strength and power to assure future prosperity for our industry."

FTI co-chair John Wachman (Desert Distribution, Scottsdale, Arizona) added, "The recent success of the Fastener Training Institute Chicago event confirms that there is a continuing need for in-depth product training in our industry. It is our plan to build on this success and offer more programs like Chicago and also add to the Certified Fastener Specialist curriculum. We appreciate the continued support of the Industrial Fasteners Institute which co-sponsored the Chicago event."

The Fastener Training Institute™ offers technical training for the entire fastener industry. The Certified Fastener Specialist™ program was founded in 1998 by the Los Angeles Fastener Association, with more than 600 participants and more than 200 graduates. FTI’s core purpose is to enhance fastener use, reliability and safety.

FTI has the following classes scheduled for 2010:

  • Product Training Program Part #1, January 19, in La Mirada, California
  • Product Training Program Part #2, February 16, in La Mirada, California
  • Product Training Program Part #3, March 9, in La Mirada, California
  • Fastener Manufacturing Plant Tours (a CFS class), April 20, in La Mirada, California
  • Fastener Secondary Processes Plant Tours (a CFS class), May 11, in La Mirada, California
  • Print Reading for Fastener Industry Professionals class, May 25, in conjunction with the National Industrial Fastener Show-East, Columbus, Ohio
  • Solid Modeling & Computer Aided Design for Fasteners & Assembly Components class, May 25, in conjunction with the National Industrial Fastener Show-East, Columbus, Ohio
  • Fastener Specifications & Terminology (a CFS class), June 15, in La Mirada, California
  • Understanding the Bolted Joint (a CFS class), July 6, in La Mirada, California
  • Fastener Training Institute-Cleveland (complete CFS program), July 19-23 in Cleveland, Ohio
  • Dimensional and Material Specifications (a CFS class), August 10, in La Mirada, California
  • Fastener Basics, August 24, in La Mirada, California
  • Fastener Quality Assurance (a CFS class), September 14, in La Mirada, California
  • Fastener Testing (a CFS class), October 19, in La Mirada, California
  • Print Reading for Fastener Industry Professionals class, November 8, in conjunction with the National Industrial Fastener Show-West, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Solid Modeling & Computer Aided Design for Fasteners & Assembly Components class, November 8, in conjunction with the National Industrial Fastener Show-West, Las Vegas, Nevada

Founded in 1931, the Industrial Fasteners Institute is an association of the leading American manufacturers of bolts, nuts, screws, rivets, and all types of special formed parts. IFI is responsible for the original development of many of the fastener standards in use today. Associate members include suppliers of equipment, materials, and services commonly used in fastener manufacturing. For more information visit www.indfast.org