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EU Appeals against WTO Compliance Ruling

By Fastener and fixing| 2015-11-19 00:00:00

The European Union has given notice of appeal to the WTO in response to the compliance panel ruling issued, following China’s complaint that the EU’s anti-dumping measures on fasteners had not properly complied with WTO rules. On 9th September the EU notified the WTO Dispute Settlement Body of its decision to appeal to the Appellate Body in relation to issues of law and legal interpretations in the Compliance Panel Report relating to Dispute DS397. On 14th September China notified the DSB of its decision to cross-appeal. Three members of the WTO’s seven-strong appellate body will hear the appeal. A decision is normally issued within three months of the appeal being lodged. The appeal must be based on point(s) of law and cannot reopen factual findings made by the panel. The dispute originated in July 2009 when China requested consultations regarding EU regulation 91/2009, which imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of certain iron and steel fasteners originating in China. Following a Panel Report in December 2010, and a subsequent Appellate Body Report issued in July 2011, the EU did make some amendments to the anti-dumping measures including a reduction in the non-company specific tariff level to 74.1%. In October 2013 China began proceedings, resulting in the request for a Compliance Panel to address a number of alleged failures by the EU to meet its obligations under WTO rules. The Compliance Panel report was issued in August 2015. According to trade defence specialists, a key ruling was that the EU was found not to have correctly defined the domestic industry in its investigation. This, the Compliance Panel ruled, rendered the resulting injury determination inconsistent with the obligations of Article 3.1 of the WTO anti-dumping agreement.

ARaymond Fasteners eyes 40% growth in India for 3-4 years

By Amit Panday| 2015-08-11 16:30:47

150-year-old family-owned French supplier of non-threaded fasteners is optimistic about smart growth in India. Now, its Indian arm is looking to increase the value of fasteners per car, says Amit Panday. ARaymond Fasteners India, the local arm of the French supplier of fastener solutions to the automotive industry ARaymond Group, is eyeing a year-on-year growth of 40 percent for the next three-four years. The company, which saw slow growth in 2013, witnessed a good business year in 2014 and a turnover close to Rs 75 crore. ARaymond in India is working towards its targets for 2018. While it has a massive manufacturing setup in Chakan (near Pune), Manish Padharia, managing director, ARaymond Fasteners India, told Autocar Professional that “it is tailor-made for Indian requirements and its current production capacity will suffice till 2018 considering the incoming demand for its products.” “In terms of current available production capacity of the machines installed, we are utilising close to 60-65 percent of the total production capacity,” he added. The plant, built on the company-owned land of 7.5 acres, however, has huge scope for future expansion as the current construction covers only two acres. ARaymond supplies its fastener solutions to OEMs across the industry, with 75 percent of the total sales coming from passenger car OEMs. Commercial vehicles and two-wheelers contribute close to 10 and 15 percent respectively of the total yearly business. The company sizes the market to understand the demand for its products by evaluating the value of fasteners used in a car. In Europe, as senior officials of ARaymond Fasteners understand, a car uses an average value of 50 euros (Rs 3,822) worth of fasteners. In India, this is substantially low. Talking exclusively to Autocar Professional, Jean-Yves Renoux, vice-president, ARaymond Network, said: “We evaluate the value of fasteners per car to be 50 euro at an average in Europe. This shows that you have a lot of fastener applications in the car. This is the way we size the worldwide market. In India, this obviously is very different. But we are following the growth of the market, and we hope we do better than the growth of the market." "By 2018, we want to increase the value of fasteners per car. We want to capture the value proposition as much as we can,” added Padharia. NANO BEGINNING ARaymond’s first Indian project was the Tata Nano. While the company saw its inception in India in November 2007 and later its humble two-moulding machine-facility was inaugurated in October 2008 in Pimpri, Pune, it had its team regularly flying from Europe to participate in the development process of the Nano project back in 2006. According to Renoux, “At each customer presentation, we proudly say that we are present in all the cars – from Tata Nano to Maserati. The Nano is an extremely well-designed car and has a lot of scope in the market.” Later as the company commissioned the Chakan facility in 2011, the plant was built within a year as the operations were moved from Pimpri to Chakan in end-2012. Other than the plant, it has sales and customer support offices in Gurgaon (Delhi) and Chennai. ARaymond’s current clientele includes all big OEMs such as Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hyundai Motor India, Bajaj Auto, Royal Enfield, Hero MotoCorp and others. WHAT FASTENERS? Explaining the business of fasteners, Padharia said, “There are two types of fasteners – threaded (conventional) and non-threaded fasteners. We make non-threaded fasteners, which are clipping fasteners. These are a completely different commodity. We try to replace the heavy fasteners, which are the nuts, bolts and screws. So threaded fasteners can be replaced by the clipping fasteners by removing the many conventional fastener components. Clipping fasteners can be used without tools and that can save time and costs along the assembly line. For example, on a shirt, you can use a button or a hook or a clip or even a tape.” While the clipping fasteners are pricier than conventional fasteners, cost stands as one major concern while drawing up viable solutions for the low-cost markets. Voicing his concern, Renoux states that “cost is a universal concern. However, it is a big stress here in India for sure. This is a booming low-cost market. Our customers expect very low pricing and stay competitive.” With increasingly shorter product development timelines, Renoux feels that it becomes difficult to create cost-optimised solutions. However, Padharia believes the company can bring a number of cost effective solutions to the table when it is involved early in a project. “I think when we are involved in a project from the very initial stages; we have the capabilities of bringing many cost- specific advantages with our customised solutions. While in other markets such as North America and Europe, the fastener companies are involved with the OEMs from the initial stages of project developments, in India this practice is now catching up. In those markets, we work as complete partners to the OEMs,” he highlighted. ENGINE OF GROWTH Bullish on India and appreciative of the Modi government, Renoux added that, “The government’s encouragement for manufacturing here is a very good step. It complements our growth plans. I come here two-three times every year and I can see the change. India in our network is a very important market. Our organisation has a very collaborative approach. Manish is a member of the executive committee of the whole group. So we meet every quarter. All the decisions are made by this executive committee and hence India is a part of the decision making for the worldwide operations.” Having invested close to Rs 85-90 crore in India so far and with production capacity to last a few years, the company management already has its expansion plans in the foresight. The vice-president added that “to support the market growth in the long run, we have to expand our operations in India, extend our footprints here and hire more people. We are also thinking about another manufacturing footprint in India. However, this will fall into consideration in the time to come. This plant (Chakan) is 60 percent occupied. And with the speed of growth, we may have to think differently to accommodate our customers’ orders.” Padharia, on the other hand, said the company has plans to increase its current headcount of close to 120 people to 250 by 2018. “We plan to develop an advanced engineering team in India for future projects catering to the local needs,” he concluded.

Hilti Innovations receive Red Dot design awards

By Hilti| 2015-08-07 11:37:33

A total of six new Hilti products received honors in the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2015 competition. A Hilti rotating laser was also named “Best of the Best” in its category. This year some 4928 submissions from 56 countries were made to the Red Dot Award’s product design category. The international jury, consisting of 38 design professionals from 25 countries, handed out a total of 81 Red Dot: Best of the Best honors last night at the official awards ceremony in Essen, Germany.  One of these awards was given to the Hilti PR 30-HVS rotating laser, which was the winner in the “Tools” category. The jury’s evaluations noted that: “The rotating laser impresses the user with a well-proportioned and compact design. It features an intuitive operating system and is very versatile. Perfectly developed details, such as the hard rubber handles and an exceptionally solid housing, protect the tool even under the harshest conditions.” Among other criteria, the jury evaluated the product in terms of degree of innovation, functionality, formal quality, ergonomics and ecological compatibility. The PR 30-HVS is the third Hilti product in three years to receive a Red Dot Award “Best of the Best” accolade. Hilti’s Chief Designer, Stephan Niehaus, is very pleased that the jury noted one of the tool’s innovative details. “The handles are a complex structure and include both hard and soft components that bend and buckle upon impact, ensuring that the tool’s highly sensitive measuring elements are protected even when subjected to significant impact. This helps minimize tool downtime or repairs and represents a true customer benefit.”    Additional Red Dot Awards were given to a Hilti breaker, a cordless drill driver, a cordless impact wrench, a powder-actuated fastening tool and a setting tool that drills a hole and sets a metal anchor in a single step. 

Price Decline of China’s Iron Ore Caused Chain-reaction

By CFM| 2015-07-07 14:02:47

As the price within China’s Steel Market declines in a great degree, the phenomenon of “Sell into Corrections” among sellers is increasing too. Iron ore market across the world undergoes a fluctuation temporarily and turns to the decline at last with an accelerating decline of iron ore price. Based on the latest market report, the future market of steel continued its declines with a price decreased to 1,800 CNY per ton. Correspondently, the spot market of steel suffered from the price declining. Decreasing demand from downstream industry should be the main cause of the price decline of steel. Decreased demand urged steel factories to lower their ex-factory price, assuring none the confidence to stay firmly on this far more competitive market. On the market of construction steel, the decline was growing when in particularly in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, the price per ton has decreased 20 to 100 CNY within a week. Under such a circumstance, the market price of steel has dropped away from the ex-factory price. Even to reduce the production of steel, it would do no help to convert the choice of merchants to clear their storage. Decline continued too on the market of steel sheet, in particularly the hot rolled strip and coils. By July, the storage of iron ore in main ports of China has firstly welcome an increase of 3.05 million ton to a total volume of 81.85 million ton after undergoing a continuous ten-week decrease since late April. China’s steel factories continue their loss with a decreased demand, which will later bring a reversion to supply and demand of iron ore.

First Asian Component College Will Open In Tianjin

By CFM| 2015-05-16 14:04:47

A few days ago, Tianjin Administration Committee of the Development Zone, Tianjin Sino-German Vocational Technical College and VWATJ Company signed a tripartite cooperation agreement which decided to open the first Asian Component College in Tianjin, introducing the German dual-system of personnel training mode into China, in order to train skilled talents for transformation and upgrading in Automobile Industry. “This component college will offer vocational training for 4 majors, planning to train 500 skilled talents a year. Since this cooperation involves three parties, then each party will play a different role. The Committee will offer policy guidance, the Tianjin-German College will take charge of recruitment and selection, and the VWATJ company will design the courses and provide students with chances of practice.” said a director from Administration Committee. Dual-system is a German vocational training mode which includes two aspects—the vocational college that offers vocational training and the enterprises that offer chances and places for trainees to practise.

New Titen HD® Screw Anchor Produced By Simpson Strong-Tie

By Simpson Strong-Tie| 2015-05-16 14:02:52

Simpson Strong-Tie, the industry leader in engineered structural connectors and building solutions, now offers its patented, high-strength Titen HD® screw anchor for concrete and masonry in 1/4" diameter. This new size offers optimum performance in both cracked and uncracked concrete, as required by the 2012 IBC for post-installed anchors. The newly redesigned anchor has all the features of the original Titen HD – plus optimized thread geometry and the 1/4" diameter. The self-undercutting, non-expansion characteristics of the Titen HD anchor make it ideal for structural applications, even at reduced edge distances and spacings. It is recommended for permanent applications in dry, interior, non-corrosive environments or temporary outdoor applications. Other key features include: 1. Qualified for static and seismic loading conditions in cracked and uncracked concrete 2. Suitable for horizontal, vertical and overhead applications 3. Installs with low torque for maximum efficiency 4. Code-listed under the current IBC/IRC in accordance with AC193 for cracked concrete applications per ICC-ES ESR-2713 and with AC106 for masonry applications per ICC-ES ESR-1056 5. Classified as a Category 1 anchor, the highest attainable anchor category for performance in cracked concrete under static and seismic loading.

Economic Operation Report of Machine Component Industry in the First Quarter

By CFM| 2015-05-15 13:30:24

Under the worldwide circumstances of slow growth in the first quarter, the domestic investment demand and consumer demand didn’t show a good operating situation. However, the general machine components industry wasn’t overwhelmed by the economic downturn but gradually having its economy grown, due to the support from equipment manufacturing industries such as Automobile, High-speed Rail, Aerospace, Nuclear Power, Wind Power, Shipping. On the other hand, transformation and upgrading also laid a good foundation for further development of the whole industry. In the first quarter, the total output value of general machine components industry has reached to 79.5 billion CNY, 3.9% increased compared with the same period in last year, within which Gears, Fasteners, and Chain Drives showed a good developing tendency while Springs, Powder Metallurgy, etc maintained the same development situation in last year. The total Import & Export Value of general machine component industry reached to 7.096 billion USD, 0.3% decreased compared with that of last year, due to the large decrease of import volume. The Import Value was 4.05 billion USD, 6.8% decreased compared with that of last year, within which the import value of Gears, Fasteners and Chain was negative. And the Export Value was 3.044 billion USD, 9.8% increased compared with that of last year. It is necessary to mention that the export value of Gears has slightly decreased, but the export value of Fasteners and Chains increased.

2015 Fastener Expo Shanghai Has Reached to Its Peak of Attracting Exhibitors

By CFM| 2015-05-04 00:00:00

53 days later, on June 25th, the 2015 Fastener Expo Shanghai will be declared open in Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center. By far, the number of fastener enterprises who decide to participate in has already exceeded 650, taking over 1,600 exhibition booths, while there will be over 150 overseas fastener enterprises taking part in. Still there are booths waiting for other fastener enterprises. Organized by www.chinafastener.com (www.luosi.com), the 2015 Fastener Expo Shanghai is the sixth international fastener exhibition. It takes the organizer five years to turn it into one of the world’s largest and most professional fastener exhibition. In next five years, the team of www.chinafastener.com will endeavor to turn Fastener Expo Shanghai into the weather vane for global fastener exhibitions. At the very beginning of the new five-year period, we would like to invite sincerely both the fastener enterprises and experts, specialists and other visitors from domestic and abroad to participate in this global fair. Based on the current statistics, there will be over 28,000 people taking part in this fair. Details will be on: http://shcn.fastenerexpo.cn/.

Japanese auto parts manufacturer pleads guilty in price fixing investigation

By Miles Moore| 2014-11-17 11:28:58

TOLEDO, Ohio—Hitachi Metals Ltd., a Tokyo-based auto parts manufacturer, has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $1.25 million fine for its alleged role in a conspiracy to fix prices and rig bids for automotive brake hose. The U.S. Justice Department Antitrust Division filed a one-count felony charge and settlement agreement against Hitachi on Oct. 31 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in Toledo. According to the document, Hitachi and its co-conspirators fixed the prices of brake hose sold to Toyota Motor Corp. and Toyota’s subsidiaries, affiliates and suppliers. Hitachi’s involvement in the conspiracy lasted from at least November 2005 until at least September 2009, according to the Justice Department. In addition to pleading guilty and paying the fine, Hitachi also agreed to cooperate fully with Justice Department investigators in their ongoing probe of price fixing among auto parts manufacturers, the agency said. The settlement agreement is subject to court approval. With Hitachi’s guilty plea, 30 auto parts manufacturers have pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty in the Antitrust Division’s price fixing investigation, the largest in the history of the agency. Those companies have agreed to pay a total of nearly $2.4 billion in fines. Forty-four executives of those companies have also been charged individually for their alleged roles in the conspiracy. The Antitrust Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation continue to seek information on price fixing, bid rigging and other illegal, anticompetitive practices in the auto parts industry. Anyone with information on this matter should contact the Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center at 888-647-3258 or at this website. They may also contact the FBI’s Cleveland field office at 216-522-1400.

Hero MotoCorp India sales decline 8.05% in October

By | 2014-11-04 10:51:33

New Delhi: The country’s largest two-wheeler maker, Hero MotoCorp Ltd, on Sunday reported a 8.05% decline in its sales in October to 5,75,056 units. The company had sold 6,25,420 units of two-wheelers in October 2013. The company said it clocked sales of over 1 million two-wheelers during the 37-day festive period, which started on 25 September (first day of Navratras) and lasted until 31 October 2014. Hero MotoCorp said it has lined a total investment of over Rs.5,000 crore across the world, including manufacturing plants in Colombia and Bangladesh, and the new plants coming up at Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, and the Hero Global Centre for Research and Design at Kukas in Rajasthan.

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