In the past 12 to 24 months, fastener manufacturer Impala Bolt & Nut introduced new machinery to its existing range.

These are highly specialised machines, purpose built for the fastener industry, and were imported from Japan and Europe, with a turnaround time of between eight and 12 months.

The machinery is purpose built; its basic configuration is to manufacture nuts and bolts which can be modified to suit customers’ needs.

“Machines like these operate almost indefinitely if maintained correctly – we have a combination of new machines and some dating back several decades, all regularly maintained in-house; skills and experience are developed over many years,” says Impala Bolt & Nut MD Derek Cohen.

Further, the machines are suitable for standard parts used by a variety of regular customers and highly specialised for advanced manufacture of special fasteners used in the automotive industry.

One of the new investments is a five-station machine, with a highly sophisticated transfer system, suitable for manufacture of complicated parts such as flange bolts and 12-point cylinder head bolts used primarily in the automotive industry. The range of products include M10 to M20 diameters. Output can exceed 50 000 parts a shift.

“The company has expanded its product range and increased capacity. It will continue to invest in plant and machinery, systems, and most importantly in-house training of staff to develop skills and versatility, to meet specific customer demand,” he says.

In addition, Impala Bolt & Nut has invested significantly in developing, implementing and maintaining a Quality Management System called IATF 16949, which supersedes ISO 9001 and complies with the international automotive industry standards.

“The company is extremely proud of the recent Certificate of Recognition received from a major automotive OEM for successfully complying with their quality requirements. “This was achieved after an extensive audit process, and is a South African first,” he notes.

It is the only South African fastener manufacturer to achieve this certification, Cohen concludes.