Posted by Fast-Rite International, Inc. on | Comments Off on How Fast-Rite Became the OEM OPTIMIZER®
As the OEM OPTIMIZER®, Fast-Rite International specializes in enhancing the efficiency, performance, and profitability of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) products and operations. As an industry-leading component management company, we supply assemblies, castings, fasteners, and stampings to manufacturers across a diverse range of industries. Our custom-engineered solutions and OEM optimization strategy help drive component cost savings and improve spend management practices.
Fast-Rite Company History: A Legacy of Solutions
Founded in 1992, the Fast-Rite team has unparalleled industry experience that positively contributes to the bottom line and growth of our customers’ businesses. Our journey from startup to industry leader can be attributed to our high-quality products, long-lasting partnerships, and dedicated employees.
From the beginning, Fast-Rite has been committed to providing OEMs with the manufacture and management of high-quality industrial components by integrating our vast experience, advanced facility, and optimized supply chain solutions.
Our core values include:
Competitive pricing. Cost-effective direct manufacturing enables lean distribution methods.
Exceptional service. Our customer-centric approach delivers results that meet or exceed expectations.
Consistent quality. Our quality assurance lab features advanced testing capabilities to ensure the highest level of accuracy, quality, and efficiency.
Trust. Through transparent communication, we develop lasting relationships with customers.
As our dynamic corporation continues to diversify and thrive, we are dedicated to meeting our customers’ industrial component needs. We are ISO 9001:2015 certified, supplying millions of top-quality Fasteners, Stampings, Castings and Assemblies to some of the world’s most demanding industries. Our extensive catalog of offerings has expanded to include a range of abrasives, tools, anchors, plastic injected molded components, and other C-Class items.
More Than Just a Manufacturer: The Role of a Supply Chain Partner
Fast-Rite International implements an OEM optimization strategy that includes:
Automation
Assembly and kitting
Competitive pricing
Data optimization
Lean distribution
High-quality products
As a trusted supply chain partner for manufacturers, we have strategically located global distribution centers throughout the United States, Mexico, and Asia. Our IMMEX-compliant facilities in Mexico and enable us to maintain a local presence with a global reach, better serving the needs of our customers as we continually embrace opportunities for both domestic and global expansion. We also provide productivity analyses to help our customers improve their supply chain capabilities.
At Fast-Rite de México, we also offer 3PL services including contract warehousing, distribution, public warehousing, and a broad range of value-added services. Our customized supply chain program helps customers minimize their total cost of ownership (TCO) while streamlining operations.
The People Behind the Promise: Service and Quality
At Fast-Rite International, we prioritize customer satisfaction by providing exceptional ongoing support. Our valued employees are dedicated to meeting the needs of our customers, going above and beyond to exceed their expectations. We continuously respond to customer feedback, improving product performance and features to meet the demands of challenging applications. By enhancing the customer experience, we successfully foster strong relationships and develop brand loyalty for years to come.
Contact Fast-Rite International: The OEM OPTIMIZER®
With extensive knowledge and expertise, Fast-Rite International is a supply chain partner for manufacturers that excels in the following areas:
Cost reduction
Customer satisfaction
Manufacturing efficiency
Product innovation and quality
Supply chain management
Our innovative solutions help optimize production throughput, and our customized inventory management programs increase productivity, achieving measurable gains in profitability and efficiency.
Contact us or request a quote today to schedule a free productivity assessment and discover why Fast-Rite International is trusted worldwide by a diverse range of OEMs.
Posted by Fast-Rite International, Inc. on | Comments Off on Top Four Fastener Trends Observed in 2021
1. New Materials
“If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it…” But that isn’t Fast-Rite’s way. We say, “if it can be better, then why not?”. Fasteners were traditionally made from metal and plastic but there are other materials that can be more suitable with enhanced solidity. Materials such as ceramics, carbon fiber and special alloy can both be more durable and lighter in weight. We can even produce fasteners that can endure more extreme heat and pressure. For industries that require ultra-lightweight options, titanium fasteners may be the answer. For example, Titanium grade 5 has a strength-to-weight ratio of 29.1. Compared to a 9.2 of cold-rolled steel, there are some major differences there.
Ceramic (left), Inconel (top right), and carbon Fiber (bottom right)
We have all probably seen fasteners in watches, phones, computers, but they are also used in various medical devices, control panels, and in some lighting fixtures. The production of compactly designed devices drives the demand for tiny fasteners. There is potential there for an array of products and tools. For example, tiny screws need tiny screw insertions. There are automated or semi-automated small screw insertion tools available to make the installation process a lot less challenging.
Micro fasteners inside a watch (Photo by Felix Mittermeier from Pexels)
Carbon properties are susceptible to corrosion however, it is necessary for certain applications, depending on the durability and strength requirements. A variety of finishes or just a coat of paint can help combat corrosion. Stainless steel is also a good option for fasteners because it is corrosion resistant. At Fast-Rite, we offer corrosion resistant fasteners.
Is property and public safety important to you? Fasteners are everywhere and a lot of them are installed in visible and accessible places. It is staggeringly surprising how many individuals hijack various components and fasteners out of their intended applications. Security is essential which is why Fast-Rite puts in countless hours to ensure a wide range of high-quality fasteners and components exceeding industry standards. Some common examples are one-way screws and security pin drives. These would make removing fasteners in any application a more challenging task. In this case, that’s a good thing. Just think of the fixtures in a prison.
Prison fixtures (Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels)
Posted by Fast-Rite International, Inc. on | Comments Off on Shop Overstock Fasteners
Are you looking for a deal on surplus fasteners, but need a friendly way to quickly look through listings?
Tired of looking online and finding obsolete listings?
Take a look at our Overstock Machine Screw list. It’s the first of a series that is designed to give you an easy-to-use Excel Format, and you can easily filter down to the exact items you need.
Just click on the link below to download the file.
Posted by Fast-Rite International, Inc. on | Comments Off on 3D Printing
Fast-Rite now has the capacity to provide 3-D printed prototypes!
The Ultimaker S5 3D printer is the newest and largest dual extrusion addition to the Ultimaker line. Ultimaker is a leader in the industry with high-quality and reliable machines.
This printer is designed for professionals, educators, and makers that need 3D printed parts.
Check out the video below to see our 3D printer in action!
Posted by Fast-Rite International, Inc. on | Comments Off on Why Switch to a Vendor Managed Inventory?
Vendor Managed Inventory system with Fast-Rite International
The difference between success and failure in today’s industrial environment is dependent on an efficient inventory system. According to our customer service team, one of the most upsetting things for customers to hear is that their parts are out of stock, especially if it is caused by an unavailable C-class component. This is a frustrating experience for the users and for the organization.
But simply stock-piling safety stock to ensure that you will always have each product is inefficient and creates a great deal of unnecessary and excess cost.
The solution to this problem can be as simple as a VMI. A Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) system from Fast-Rite can consistently and efficiently manage your C-Class inventory.
Fast-Rite International provides a multitude of solutions and various combinations of Consignment, Bin, JIT, Kanban/E-Kanban inventory management systems to suit the exact needs of each customer.
Benefits of implementing a VMI system:
Drastic reduction of soft costs and offload transaction activities.
Reduction of your inventory dollars.
Reduction in stock investment when stock turnover is increased.
Shorter lead times due to more efficient inventory storage and replenishment.
Freeing up your purchasing department to focus on more critical “A” and “B” items.
Fast-Rite is capable of planning, ordering, receiving, put-away and stock pulls for you!
SIMPLIFY YOUR WORK LIFE!
Let Fast-Rite’s VMI team do the work for you!
To schedule a site and needs analysis, contact us at sales@fast-rite.com today!
Posted by Fast-Rite International, Inc. on | Comments Off on 3 Reasons to Choose Brass Fittings & Ball Valves
Fast-Rite has a complete line of Brass Fittings, Ball Valves and other components.
Selection
Fast-Rite stocks a complete line of Brass Adapters and Fittings. Choose from Brass Hose Barbs; Brass SAE 45°, Compression, Pipe, and Inverted Flare Adapters; Poly-Flow and Poly-Push Fittings; D.O.T. Air Brake Fittings; and Garden Hose Fittings.
Needle Valves, Drain Cocks, and Ball Valves
For flow-control, Fast-Rite has a full-range of needle valves, drain cocks, and ball valves for a wide variety of industrial applications.
Ball valves are available in standard full-port and chrome-plated “mini” designs.
Full-port designs come in sizes from 1/4″ – 4″ and meet requirements for a full range of liquids, have plated carbon steel handle with blue vinyl insulator, large, full-size ports, NPTF threads, quick 1/4-turn handle, and a low operating torque.
Mini Ball Valves are chrome-plated and come in sizes from 1/8″ – 1/2″ with pressure ratings to 600 PSI.
Quality
Our Brass Fittings are made from CA360 Brass/Schedule 40, which makes them corrosion resistant and perfect for all air/water and lower-pressure hydraulic applications such as refrigeration, pneumatic, hydraulic, automotive, and industrial applications.
Availability
Our suppliers have the largest inventories in the industry, with the broadest selection of standard and jump sizes. Trust Fast-Rite to deliver, order after order.
• Air Brake Fittings
• Ball Valves
• Compression Adapters
• Drain Cocks
• Garden Hose Fittings
• Hose Barb Fittings
• Inverted Flare Adapters
• Needle Valves
• Pipe Adapters
• Poly-Flow Fittings
• Poly Push Fittings
• Push-In D.O.T. Fittings
• Push-On Hose Barb Fittings
• SAE 45° Adapters
Contact Us
We specialize in giving OEMs the best industrial components in today’s market. From fittings and valves to stampings and fasteners. Schedule a free consultation today to find out why we are The OEM Optimizer™.
Posted by Fast-Rite International, Inc. on | Comments Off on Shedding Some Light on Industrial Productivity
If I told you that you could…
Increase worker productivity 5 – 15%.
Reduce Absenteeism 40%
Reduce energy consumption drastically
Improve safety
Improve moral
Have this all pay for itself in as low as a year
Present dozens of documented examples of how it’s already been done
Would I have your interest?
There’s a tried-and-true simple way to do this, that’s currently in use by Coca-Cola, Lockheed, Office Depot and many other companies throughout the US. And it can work for your company too:
In my position as Productivity Manager for Fast-Rite, I often survey customer plants all over North America to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, safety issues, and to bring solutions to the table that will resolve these problems and increase customer productivity. And one of the most obvious problems we’ll see is poor lighting, even dangerously poor lighting.
I remember being in an expansive heavy manufacturing facility, walking around a dimly lit corner when a forklift came barreling around. Now I heard the truck coming, but I’m not sure the driver even saw me. When reviewing our survey with management I asked them how many days since the last injury. They laughed. “Days? Hours, maybe”. It was a dangerous environment.
And it was a depressing environment to work in. The light level was more attuned to a Massage Envy than an industrial powerhouse. Absenteeism was rampant, turnover was high – despite wages far above the local norm. People just didn’t enjoy working there.
But for many cases, there’s a simple, powerful, effective, and cost-effective solution. Just walk out the door and look up. We have an incredible source of light only 93,000,000 miles away, and it’s free, not taxed (well, not yet), and now we have ways to reap that light and bring it inside cost effectively.
Just a few examples:
Fort Bliss Army Base in El Paso Texas installed Orion Energy System’s Apollo ® Solar Energy tubes in 8 buildings on the base. Rather than pay for power, they’ll save about $63,000 a year, or over $1.2 million over 20 years.
Now you say, “that’s in Texas, but we’re up north”. Consider the case of Festival Foods new 70,000 square foot store all the way up in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Even without the sun-drenched environment their 172 daylighting tubes totally light the facility up to 10 hours a day, and they expect a full payback in 7-8 years. This especially came in handy during a local power outage, when shoppers kept shopping without even noticing the power outage because the store was so brightly lit.
(Let me mention that I was so enthused about the Orion Solar Energy tubes that I own stock in the company).
Whether Orion or Solatube or another brand, Daylighting is a natural lighting situation that brightens employee morale even more than it does the environment. It’s much easier to be productive in a bright, natural environment.
There are hundreds of examples, but let me just give you a few:
Posted by Fast-Rite International, Inc. on | Comments Off on Looking for Welding Supplies?
Give us a call!
Fast-Rite introduces its Welding Genius and Genius (TM) supply programs, featuring all major brands of Mig, Tig, Arc & Gas welding consumables, equipment and safety supplies.
And watch out for our new MRO Genius and Welding Genius web sites coming soon! https://www.mrogenius.com
This beautiful new brochure will give you an introduction of our products, services, and mission – to optimize your production environment and reduce your total cost of ownership.
Posted by Fast-Rite International, Inc. on | Comments Off on Having Trouble Finding Hydraulic Fittings?
Fast-Rite has a full line of JIC, SAE and BSP Hydraulic Fittings – domestic or import
Supplies are scarce! Some major manufacturers are facing line shutdowns and supply failure because of material and power shortages overseas, and empty distribution pipelines here in the states. That’s why Fast-Rite International is pleased to announce its full line of JIC, SAE & BSP hydraulic fittings.
We are an authorized distributor for Tompkins Industries. But we have not one but 8 different supply lines! We can take the work out of sourcing parts for you!
Most fittings are made offshore now, but do you need Made-In-America parts? Our partner factories can produce American-Made DFARS compliant product for you, shaving many weeks off the procurement cycle.
Why put all your eggs in one basket only to see your suppliers fail. Give Fast-Rite a call with the part numbers you need. We’ll source all lines and be back quickly with your quotation. In most cases we can supply you with MULTIPLE options based on current supply levels and production capacity.
Contact your Account Executive, call our Customer Service Team at 630-858-0988, or email us at fittings@fast-rite.com.
