Avdel

Avdel UK Limited
Industry Fastening Technology
Founded 1936
Headquarters Welwyn Garden City, United Kingdom
Products Blind Fastening Systems
Owner Stanley Black & Decker
Website www.avdel-global.com

Avdel is a worldwide operating company producing Blind Fastening Systems and related tools. In 2011 the company celebrated its 75th anniversary.

Company history

The Avdel brand name dates back over 75 years. In 1936 the company was founded by Stanley Thomas Johnson in Godalming, Surrey, United Kingdom.[1] The business, originally called "Aviation Developments", manufactured riveting technology, including the newly invented Chobert magazine-fed rivets,[2] primarily to the at that time growing aviation industry.[3]

At the time aircraft construction was moving from metal and wood to all-metal structures, such as the world-famous Spitfire fighter plane. This required a new generation of fasteners and tools, which could be installed from one side of the assembly to replace conventional rivets. The Chobert® Speed Fastening® system, developed to meet these needs, is still widely used throughout the world today.

By the 1950s the company was focusing on providing new value added assembly solutions, this “systems” approach created greater optimisation and provided customers with a single source for dependable fasteners and installation equipment.

In 1961 the company was renamed 'Avdel®' and substantial growth throughout the next two decades saw it become one of the world's largest manufacturers of blind fasteners and installation tools. Expansion of the Avdel® group was most significant in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s with several new facilities established in Europe, USA and the Asia Pacific region whilst a network of authorised distributors and concessionaires in over forty countries helped to ensure a truly Global reach.

In recent years the market trend towards new materials used in assemblies such as composites, high-strength thin gauge steels, and die-cast magnesium has presented new challenges to fastener manufacturers. Avdel® has been at the forefront of new product development to meet these new market requirements during which time fasteners such as Versa-Nut® threaded inserts, Maxlok® lockbolts, Rivscrew® PL, Klamp-Tite®, Bulbex®, and Avinox® rivets have all been developed as fastening solutions for the changing market.

Avdel® supports customer assembly requirements by combining the latest engineering and design techniques, drawing on the expertise from engineering and long standing manufacturing facilities. Today Avdel® applies cutting edge Finite Element Analysis and modern design techniques to develop optimized assembly solutions.

In May 1994 the group was acquired by Textron Inc.[4] Avdel was renamed 'Avdel Textron' and the group became part of Textron Fastening Systems, an alliance of Textron owned fastening companies. Under TFS, Avdel® benefited from improved processes and lean manufacturing techniques driven by Six Sigma whilst also developing a better knowledge and understanding of the automotive industry demands and requirements. In 2006 Textron Fastening Systems was sold to Platinum Equity and renamed Acument Global Technologies.[5] Within the Acument group the Avdel brand was relaunched.

In 2010 the Acument Global Technology businesses Avdel® and Global Electronics & Commercial (“GEC”) were purchased by funds advised by CVC Asia Pacific Limited (“CVC”), Standard Chartered Private Equity Limited (“SCPEL”) through an indirectly owned company to be renamed Infastech Limited. The newly formed corporate entity Infastech[6] is the parent company to the brands Avdel, Elco and iForm. In 2013, Stanley Black & Decker acquired Infastech under Stanley's Engineered Fastening segment.[7]

Avdel® headquarters remain in the modern Sales, Marketing & R&D facility in Welwyn Garden City, UK with manufacturing based in Warrington, UK, and Stanfield, USA. The manufacturing sites are complimented with an extended distribution centre network in Canada, USA, UK, Spain, France, Germany and Italy. These locations are also supported by the Infastech global distribution network as well as a number of authorised distribution partners and concessionaires based all over EMEA and South America in countries like Brazil, Poland, UAE, Turkey, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Belgium, Finland, Switzerland, Norway and the Netherlands to name a few.

Today Avdel® supplies solutions to many of the world’s leading companies, in industry sectors as diverse as automotive, electronics, construction and appliance. Avdel® engineers continue to work hand in hand to develop innovative fastening solutions to the manufacturing industry.

Products

Locations

References

  1. ↑ Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation
  2. ↑ United States Patent 2366965
  3. ↑ Flight Magazine, August 1936, p.161
  4. ↑ New York Times, October 17, 1991
  5. ↑ Press Release Platinum Equity August 11, 2006
  6. ↑ Dow Jones Newswire, August 5, 2010
  7. ↑ Stanley Black & Decker To Acquire Infastech, A Leading Specialty Producer Of Engineered Mechanical Fasteners

http://www.avdel-global.com/en/company.html

External links

Chobert® Spitfire Application
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