Paul Adlam tells NZ Manufacturer of the unique process used in the business and where the company wants to be in five year’s time.

 Describe your company’s main areas of activity

Screw Productions of Rotorua manufactures screws and has done so for 36 years. The process used is unique in New Zealand as it is a Cold Forging process which produces a strong, good quality fastener. The standard Self Tapping, Woodscrew and Machine screw are the main products made but Solid Rivets can also be produced. A wide range of product is held in stock.

What area(s) of the business are currently being developed?

Manufacturing of special (custom made) screws is made easier by the company, as to obtain special screws off shore can be difficult, mainly because of the quantities of 1 to 200,000 minimum quantities required, whereas we require much smaller quantities. So a special Custom Made Screw can include any of the following: –

It may be Dimensional

• Head Diameter made smaller to fit in a specific space
• Head Diameter increased for greater under head contact
• Head Height reduced to give a low profile
• Length made to suit applications where length is critical
• Thread Diameters may need to be adjusted slightly, particularly in Self Tapping applications

It may be the Recess

• Product being exported may require a Phillips recess, not Pozidriv (NZ Standard)
• To prevent people easily dismantling a Product, like electrical, Security Recess required
• Really positive Driving recess needed such as Squaredriv
• Many other types of Recess’s are available

It may be to Enhance a Product

• Head shape altered to suit; say a raised countersunk head
• Head marked with customers’ name or initials
• More decorative, or unusual, Recess’s such as; 6-Lobe (Torx), Triwing, Phillips

Other Combinations

• Unusual combinations of head, thread, recess
• Apply a “Shank Slot” to a thread to give cutting action during insertion
• Unusual design of solid rivet

We can help design a special screw which may include any of the above.

 Does the company place much emphasis on R & D?

This is not something the company is involved in. The products manufactured follow a common pattern which we have developed over the years.

 Where do you export to and where are future opportunities?

Export does not feature a lot in the business. We only export a very small percentage of our production.

 How do you find current business conditions?

Conditions are tough and it is difficult to work out how to change that. With the concentration on making special products for manufacturing companies we are finding that this part of our business is growing but ever so slowly.

 What assistance would be beneficial to your company’s growth?

The company’s quality is important and a lot of effort is put into insuring the product, that reaches the market, complies with the British Standard, which has been adopted as the New Zealand Standard. Rigorous testing is done to protect our quality.

Fastenings coming into New Zealand are manufactured in areas of the world where testing, to see if a product complies with the accepted world Standards, may not be done. Fasteners that don’t reach the required Standards become a safety risk. Many of the people that import fasteners do not have testing equipment to be able to test the product they import.

The government should be involved in making sure these safety aspects of buying fasteners off shore are met. While many of the fasteners coming into New Zealand are meeting appropriate Standards, there is no way of knowing how many don’t. It is fortunate that there does not appear to have been any serious accidents caused by faulty screws, bolts etc.

 Staff. Is it challenging getting the right staff?

This is a specialised industry so obtaining experienced staff is impossible. They can be sourced from overseas, or we train them.

 The future. What is the 5 year plan for the company? Where to from here?

The company needs to concentrate more on obtaining special business. The biggest problem is locating that business. So we need to continue to put faith in our quality and the support of companies who want to be sure of the quality they buy and get more companies to “Buy New Zealand Made”.