the real hope for China fastener industry
2008-08-05

In 2006, Toyota ever recalled More Than 2,000 LEXUS RX300 in China, due to some hidden safety troubles. According to a report released by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine on Thursday, on those cars a fastener of the rug near the driver's seat was not properly fixed, and if the fastener turns loose, it may affect the movement of the fuel pedal, resulting in braking problems.
The importance of fasteners can be grasped when we realize that there are thousands of varieties of fasteners that we use almost on an every day basis even without being conscious of their presence.
Such accidents are common in aviation history and this is the reason for all the quality checks that a manufacturer has to be performed before selling the product in the market. Fasteners have become a very important in every industry because of the basic but important purpose that they serve. Each component in a machinery or vehicle is dependent upon the fasteners that hold it together. Failure or nonconformity in a fastener can lead to disasters that can be horrendous.
Thus, the types of fasteners can also be categorized according to the purpose that they serve. The different types of fasteners include screws, nuts, bolts, rivets, retaining rings, pipe plugs, pins, panel fasteners, clinch studs, bolts, bits, and anchors. An industry needs different types of fasteners compared to a residential building. An airplane's requirement for fasteners is different from fasteners used in boats and ships. The purpose of a fastener is the most important factor in determining the usefulness of the same. Fasteners can also be classified according to the material that is used for manufacturing them. Titanium fasteners are used where corrosion is a detrimental factor and is unavoidable. Heavy iron fasteners are used where weight carrying capacity is the purpose of the construction. Stainless steel fasteners are cheap and corrosion resistant and are good replacements for titanium fasteners.
Our New Oriental people attach great importance to quality control because the improvement of product quality can not only largely reduce accident, but also increase the qualified rate of products as high as possible. We never leave the unqualified products to the next procedure and the unqualified products are not accepted in the next procedure, which improve product quality considerably and assure our products' competitive strength in the market. 
Since 2004, many China fastener companies have begun to enhance quality management abilities according to their plans. Every year a lot of directors department for training trips. After coming back, they organize training courses and give guidance to related employees according to what they have learned.
In previous years, China exported 40% of fasteners to U.S., but it does not seem so optimistic in 2008. It takes time to recognize whether the export markets in EU or other countries will lower the influence of US's recession. Good news comes that the output of China fasteners in 2007 exceeded 5 million tons, with 2.5 million tons for exports, but to establish brands, national brands and world brands, China fastener enterprises need to keep innovation and advocate technical upgrade.
I suggest we should not forget to improve product quality when controlling production costs. Fastener enterprises should choose the "quality" path. Only if there is a breakthrough or leap in technology, there is a real hope for China fastener industry.