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So, where did Solution Industries come from?

Over the years, I had worked in distribution for a couple different companies and then set up my own shop.    I was running a small job shop doing work for local distributors and kind of doing some of the same things that we still do today at Solution.  An old friend approached me and told me he was unhappy at his job and was looking for a new opportunity.  He thought we could build a company based around doing specials for companies that did not have our combined years of experience in the industry.  My customer base was pretty regional and he thought there was a greater need than just the customers I had been working with.  What made us think we could do it was that I already had the machine shop in house and was already doing a lot of secondary operations for people.

Your machine shop was Royal Fasteners.  How did that start?

I sold my car, came up with $560 and started my own business in my garage.  I had a band saw, chop saw, drill press and a grinder.  I was “that guy” doing secondary operations out of my garage.  Today, the quality demands are much more stringent.  In today’s world, those parts might not have passed inspection.  Solution Industries is very quality conscious and we get audited frequently.  I’m not sure Royal would have passed all these same audits that Solution passes today.

Well, things have worked out well in the end.  Your company is in its 15th year and seems to have carved out a niche for itself.  And yet, you don’t really have a “product line”.  What do you do at Solution?

Haha, that’s a funny question.  We do have some products we would call a “product line”.  Stripper Bolts, zinc plated sockets, metric blue sockets.  But you are correct we don’t have “product lines”.  We do packaging and kitting but, mainly, we handle secondary operations for a lot of companies that do not want to handle them themselves.  And we do it for a very large number of distributors and by doing it for so many companies we can drive some of our costs down and then we fit into the picture.  Listen, every purchase order costs money, every secondary operation requires another P.O. and an inspection.  If the part needs certs or other paperwork, there is a cost.  Then you have freight to move the part around to all the companies doing the secondary operations and when you add it all together, there are a lot of hidden costs.  I might save some money by sending 20 orders to the plater at once and reducing some of the small costs.  There are some cost savings to be realized by being efficient, and we try to drive out costs every day at Solution.  And our customers can order a part from us, cut one P.O., have one receivable, one bill to pay and ultimately come back to us if something goes wrong.  Our job is to make sure nothing goes wrong!

So, where did Solution Man come from?

From a little kid who was a big fan of comic books.  Me!!  I still like comic books and when we came up with the idea of Solution Man we knew we had something good.  Coming up with ways to use Solution Man as a way to advertise the company has been a lot of fun over the years and has allowed a lot of different people in the company to funnel their creative energy.  In fact, we are working on our second edition of our Solution comic book right now, so stay tuned!

I see your ads, I see you Twitter page and Facebook pages and you guys have a lot of fun looking stuff going on.  Is Solution Industries a fun place to work?

Haha, I don’t know.  That’s probably a question to ask the employees.  Some days are hard and we work hard when we’ve got stuff to get done.  But, yes, we try to have some fun and we do try to include everyone in the company when attending industry outings and we try our best to recognize the good work being done by our team.  We have a great staff and I never want to take that for granted.  And, yes, there are some fun days even though we are still buying, selling, packing and shipping fasteners.  

Where will Solution Industries be in 10 years?

Funny you ask that question because we spend a lot of time discussing stuff like that at our managers meetings.  Seriously, we do.  We do not want to become complacent and in today’s business climate we think complacency can lead to the demise of a company.  We do not micro manage, in fact we rely heavily on input from our team to consider the direction we are heading.  We have a very nice mix of veterans and young people at the company.  In 10 years I expect that the younger people on our team will be running the day to day and those old guys like me who still love the industry will have a place to contribute as long as they still want to.  We have ideas on where we go next and we will continue to fine tune the business.  I’ve learned to grow with the company and realize that Solution is very adaptable to the fastener industry.  It’s a work in progress and I’m looking forward to all of it.

Several fastener news sources announced that Fastener Fair has been acquired by Reed Exhibitions. When asked on Twitter how this would affect the fastener industry, Fastener Fair responded on Twitter….

“Fastener Fair USA will have the same show team and provide the same great service and exhibition experience you’ve come to know and love. We aren’t going anywhere, and we hope you aren’t either!”

OK. I don’t know much about Reed Exhibitions but I guess we will see. Any thoughts?

Mike McGuire’s career in the fastener industry spans more than 50 years. Mike has worked in fastener distribution, he has been an independent fastener rep, he has runs trade shows and magazines. Candidly, Mike needs no further introduction. Here is 10 Minutes with Mike McGuire:

What is the number one problem in the fastener industry today?

For the fastener manufacturer it is pretty well known, a lack of skilled tradesmen to run the fastener producing machinery.  For the fastener distributor it is a lack of fastener product knowledge for inside and outside salespeople when it comes to fastening applications and how the fasteners work.   My Pet Peeve is probably a little too strong, but it is APATHY with the lack of respect to return a phone call and/or to simply state send me an email.  Times are a changin’, but the successful people in the fastener industry always rely on their personal relationships with customers and suppliers most likely face to face.  The other one is “He is in a meeting!”  BS!  Everybody is always in a meeting today!  An overused bad excuse to NOT take a phone call.   Another case of apathy!  I have said for a few years now, if people would just return their phone calls the GDP would grow 2%!

What product trends do you see coming in the next few years? 

Like from the movie “The Graduate” PLASTICS!  The rapid growth of nylon (or Plastic) fasteners will continue in the near future.  Popular applications are electronics and in particular wire hardness assemblies in automotive.  Automotive applications are ideal for nylon because of their weight advantage over steel fasteners and resistance to the environmental elements.   Second, I see more and more adhesives taking away typical fastener applications be it with tape or paste/glue.  Distributors should consider adhesives as part of their product offering moving forward.  Finally, a locking feature on the fasteners be it deformed material or a thread coating with a locking feature designed for the application.

You have always been supportive of the industry’s Manufacturers Reps.  What role do Independent Fastener Reps play in today’s fastener industry?

Before I answer that question directly, I would like to once again recognize the BEST fastener sales representative in the history of the fastener business who we lost last week, Bob Lehman.  Bob set the standard when it came to being a sales rep, but he was also an innovator when he moved West in 1980 and started a stocking fastener rep business, Pacific Warehouse Sales, a first at the time. 

When Bob called on a customer it was a fun and learning experience.  But better than being a Rep, Bob was a mentor to many in the fastener industry when others did not want to be bother.  He set the standard we should all be measured to when it comes to helping new, young and energetic fastener people.  Nobody ever did it better!

Independent fastener sales reps today are a very important part of the fastener industry! PERIOD!  The benefits for suppliers and/or fastener manufacturers are well known and with the most experienced group of independent fastener sales reps today it has never been better for the industry.

Fastener distributors get to know the fasteners reps that call on you and get them involved in your business so they can perform additional services.  Help solve application problems, present some live Demos on-site at the customer, adjust and manage some of your inventory levels, have training sessions with employees are just a few suggestions.

Some criticism that is meant to be constructive, reps should come together at say the IFE and discuss how they can each improve their business.  Learn from others how they preform many of the standard business operations.  Help other reps in non-competitive territories acquire new product lines.  Do some promotional activities to advance the advantages of using reps and make known the benefits you bring to your principals and your distributor accounts.  Finally, I am surprised by the number of reps that do not have a website!  Need I say more?

 Where do I see the fastener industry evolving from here?

In the past I used to write a Fastener Trend Report about this time of the year.  It was usually very involved as I spent a fair amount of time preparing my comments.  This time around I will highlight a few trends and then you should ask others this question in a few months as the fastener industry is always moving forward (we hope).

The fastener industry has historically been “Slow-Adaptors” and I believe that is still the case today.  On-line selling is done by only a small percentage of distributors, but the big boys, WW Grainger, McMaster Carr, Zoro, MSC Direct and Fastenal are setting the pace and it is moving very fast forward.  People ask me often who Amazon is going to buy.  I have no idea, but if it should occur it will change the playing field drastically!

The history of about 50 acquisitions each of the last few years should continue in 2019, although this number will shrink in the next few years after as many of the good companies have already been acquired.  Manufacturers selling direct?  Sure, they have for many years and all distributors have survived the times because of the functions they perform in the market place that manufacturers or importers cannot.  What I remember and have not seen in several years is the ads in the fastener trade magazines stating “We Only Sell Distributors!”  Why is this?  Maybe Loyalty and Trust will answer this question.  The Fastener Associations should work together to aggressively promote the benefits and services distributors bring to the market place for the OEMs.

Other topics to address are, fastener consolidation, fastener buying groups, consortiums and fastener training. Tariffs are still misunderstood, specifically how they will affect ones business in the long run.  How will the Dems change the landscape with taxes, health care and restrictions placed on a business? What other ways can we offer VMI programs? How can we increase our margins?  How can I create new “Differential Advantages?”

 Now for some wild thoughts:  Who will be the first distributor to offer 3D printing to their customers; will we ever have a uniform fastener part number system; how about a list and discount program for commodity products and where will the innovation come from for our industry; is drone delivery on the horizon?  Robots in the warehouse? 

I’d like to introduce a new feature on this site – “10 Minutes with…”. My first participant is Rosa Hearn who I run into continuously on social media and at trade shows. Her lively participation in industry organizations also was a reason I thought she would be a good person to start with. So, here goes….

Rosa Hearn, also known as “Rosa the Proferred Riveter,” currently works at Brighton-Best International.  Rosa is also the current Chairwomen of Women in the Fastener Industry and Vice Chairman of the Fastener Industry Coalition.  To find out more about Rosa, you may follower her on LinkedIn and at @ProferredRivets  on Instagram or Twitter.

 How did you get into the fastener industry and how long have you been in it?

I was working as a cashier at Carl’s Jr. when a temporary agency representative handed me her card.   The representative mentioned she liked how I was handling the customers and said “When you’re ready for a change, call me”.  That same week, I was offered a promotion to become a shift leader at Carl’s Jr.  Even though, I was proud to work at Carl’s Jr., I knew it was not my future.  So I quit Carl’s Jr.  and walked into the temporary agency the next day. 

The sales agent remembered me and asked if I wanted to go on an interview that same day.  That interview was for a receptionist at Bolt Products.  I was hired that week as a temp.  I was so scared to have my first office job at 18 but I worked very hard and didn’t want to disappoint the representative who placed me there.  Bolt Products made me a full time employee within two weeks of being at the job. That was 27 years ago. However, I have been in the fastener industry for 25 years.

 You are one of the most active fastener people on social media.  Tell us about how you started posting and why you remain so active.

Before being on various platforms, I only used Facebook to keep in touch with my extended family in Mexico.  I was nervous to be on social media. I didn’t even know where to begin or what I am supposed to be doing.  When I became Product Manager for the Proferred Rivet Line at BBI, I knew that I had to get the word out. The rivet industry was already a saturated market, with well-known experts and brand names. How do you penetrate the market with sameness?  I wanted to develop an authentic voice for the Proferred brand, so I went into action. I went to social media.

How did you get so involved in WIFI?

I found WIFI on a LinkedIn page group. Originally, I had no idea what was it about. I just knew I was a woman and in the fastener industry and it was probably something I should be a part of.  I really began to get involved when I took the time to remember my own personal journey.  I worked with a woman who I met when I first entered the fastener industry.   I admired her and wished that she would take me under her wing.  I wanted her to teach me.  She was a star at that fastener company and I wanted to be just like her.  Unfortunately, I learned that she wanted to be the only star and was making sure my light was not shining. I was so hurt by this.  When you are young and new, it is easy to get discouraged.  I promised myself I would never do this to another person. I wanted do everything in my power to assist, guide and help at least one person become successful to the best of my ability.  WIFI enabled me to keep fulfilling that promise.     

Excluding Peggy, who you work with, who do you see as some of the most influential women in the fastener industry?

I wish I knew every woman in the fastener industry to answer that question.  Instead, there are many traits that influential women have in common.  What I’ve learned is that it all starts with a decision about how a women chooses to live her life – that there are lifestyles that either support or sabotage success. 

Also, these women are not addicted to approval and have thick skin when it comes to rejection.  The most influential women are the ones who never give up.  These influential women, despite sometimes being ignored or doubted by others in their field they keep on going to find success.  They do not let the fear of being forgotten or pushed around stop them from appreciating every major or minor success.   There is a layer of drive on their skin that grows over time and it cancels out whatever negativity surrounds them.  These passionate women, are not invincible—they are human.  A fact contradicted by every time they have been knocked down by failure or doubt, yet still managed to get back up and fight with an open mind.

What do you see as the biggest challenges for women in the fastener industry?

Some women may say being treated equal, not being able to lean in or asking for more money might be the biggest challenges for women. Even though these issue are important, I really believe the biggest challenge for women overall is oneself.  Self-inflicted challenges like giving up, stubbornness, limiting your own potential, lack of focus, negative thinking and poor due diligence keeps some women from being successful regardless of their position.  You have no idea how many men have come up to me at tradeshows and asked “How do I get my female employee to accept a promotion?”  Many of these promotions come with travel, extended hours or doing something out of their comfort zone.  Whatever the reason is to not accept that position, every woman should believe they can do it and do that job well.

 What is it that you like most about the fastener industry?

What I like most about the fastener industry is the opportunity to change it and grow within it.  The fastener industry has been around a long time.  It has history, longevity and stability.  However, because it is so traditional, change is slow, but that is the best part!  Technology, social selling, going international are a few examples of how a company can grow, create new departments and reinvent themselves.  To be able to create a new department because you speak a different language, or the ability to embrace new machinery, makes this industry so exciting to me. 

Anything else you’d like to share with the fastener industry?

When I first started in sales, I practiced every day how to say “Good Morning” I figured out nine different ways to fix my tone and project my voice in ways to sound friendly and excited. This may sound silly, but till this day I still practice everything I do.  From a basic handshake to how I smile and laugh.  

I also want to take the time to thank a few people that mentored me. I did not have very many female role models growing up, but I am and still grateful to the fastener men who took me under their wing.  So Thank you, Bryan Earl, Jim Labrie, Ken Schmidt, Barry Fitzgerald and Len Bost.  These five men in the span of 25 years helped me become the Rosa you know today.  If you are in a position to help guide someone, please do so.  Who knows? You might be mentoring the next Rosa the Riveter.