PECM Issue 23 2016 | Page 12

The sky’s the limit From technical problem solving and tool servicing to powder coating and overseas expansion, Star Fasteners is a business keen to push into new areas. Torque speaks with Directors Daniel Starbuck and Nicola Smith for the inside story… S tar Fasteners thrives on finding solutions to the many challenges that customers send its way. Within seconds of entering tar s still relatively new headquarters in Pinxton, near Nottingham, a clearly enthused Daniel tarbuck – Director of the company – takes me through one of the latest solutions the firm has come up with. The challenge was using a strong fastener system with lightweight panels – a material increasingly being used in the manufacturing sector, including commercial vehicles. With less weight, automobiles are cheaper to run and require less fuel to get around, but lightweight panels are less well equipped to accept your typical robust fastener without incurring 12 PECM Issue 23 damage. The customer in question wanted to use Huck® fasteners and came to tar the U s largest Huck distributor – to see if they could come up with a solution. The team duly did a simple, clever fix using a shim creating a dead stop on the fastener, averting the possibility of over tightening and potentially crushing the The firm has grown from quite small beginnings, working out of the family home. lightweight panel. Thanks to the added shim, Huck fasteners can be used on those increasingly popular lightweight panels without the risk of damage. Another problem solved. “Customers come to us with a problem, often where a manufacturer doesn’t have a readymade solution” “Customers come to us with a problem, often where a manufacturer doesn t have a ready-made solution,” tarbuck tells Torque. We talk to the lads on the shop floor, to the product designers and we aim to come up with an innovative solution.” We work on the small pro ects too and we re continually coming up with new solutions. We are working with new manufacturers and trying to come up with the next thing. It s exciting. Located ust off unction 2 of the M1 the firm had the internal layout of the unit constructed to their own design. It was an empty shell when we bought it, tarbuck explains, “so we built it to our own specifications. ow we ve space to hold an increased product range we don t want our customers to have to wait for product.” The firm has grown from quite small beginnings, working out of the family home. tarbuck picks up the story It ust started with a couple of boxes. Over time we increased our storage from a shed, to a concrete garage, then moved to our first commercial warehouse in Ilkeston. Our first warehouse seemed formidably sized at the time We thought we d never fill it Tools & parts are hot washed whilst being repaired / serviced