Author Archives Bossard

Although fasteners may form the smallest parts of your application, their failure can produce enormous problems. In critical industries like mining, processing, and energy production, joint failure can lead to work interruptions, employee downtime, equipment breakdowns, structural collapse, injury, and death.

Even though replacing problematic bolts can cost thousands of dollars at a time and cause expensive work shutdowns, businesses have gotten used to such costly changeovers, sometimes daily. Bossard is introducing a new product that helps end these complications.

The Maxbolt Load Indicating Fastener™, patented by Valley Forge & Bolt, reduces the potential for catastrophic joint failures through sophisticated technology. It contains an accurate and durable load-monitoring device.

Technicians know immediately the load placed on a bolt by looking at custom Maxbolt labels that show either desired operating ranges using a green zone or precise load values. No clumsy external measuring devices are necessary because the load indicators are on the fastener itself. If the clamping load falls out of spec, the tech addresses the issue now, instead of waiting for surprise equipment failure in the future.

Measurements based on tension eliminate the inaccuracies of torque control. Even inexperienced assemblers can put together complex joints that contain uniform clamp loads within +/-5% of design specs. Maxbolts ensure the best initial conditions even before the assembly is in service.

Once in service, Maxbolts can warn of initial relaxation and subsequent loosening as they are happening. A quick glance confirms the load status of a fastener. This constant monitoring provides ultimate reliability and safety in a bolted joint. You’ll always know how a fastener is holding up to its load stresses. This adds to the safety and reliability of an assembly.

Industries that can benefit from this technology include mining, oil and gas, steel, rail, petrochemicals, and nuclear. Valley Forge & Bolt has documented at least one customer that has saved $20 million by switching to Maxbolts.

If you want to know more about how the Maxbolt Load Indicating Fastener™ can revolutionize your applications, please contact us today at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

Bossard has an interesting international history that stretches back almost 200 years.

The Early Years

In 1831, Franz Kaspar Bossard-Kolin had a small problem. The family’s Swiss silk trade business, which had started 75 years earlier, wasn’t going so well. War, dry spells, and environmental issues were taking their toll. So, fresh from his stint as a French National Guard officer who stormed the Bastille, Franz decided to open an iron and steel shop on Kolinplatz in Zug, Switzerland. This shop flourished as the town’s local hardware shop, supplying everything from screws to tools.

Regional Growth

Despite the shortages caused by World War II, Bossard prospered in the 1930s and 1940s, particularly because of the demand for sophisticated engineering products and fasteners grew. The company expanded its offerings with a focus on tools, fittings, and screws. The distribution network grew to meet the needs of a customer base that was moving from an agricultural to an industrial base, particularly in Switzerland.

Global Expansion

In the 1970s and 1980s, the growth of international markets expanded the company across Switzerland. Many businesses throughout the country started to choose Bossard as their supplier because of its international connections. The company went public in 1987 and is currently traded on the Swiss Stock Exchange.

The recession of the early 1990s prompted the company to focus on fastening technologies by selling off its units involved in handicrafts, fittings, and tools. In 2012, Bossard acquired the fastening division of the KVT Koenig Group. KVT Fastening specialized in high-quality fastening and sealing applications throughout German-speaking countries.

Today

Bossard remains proud of its rich heritage and unique global footprint. Our headquarters have since moved from Kolinplatz but is still located in Zug, Switzerland. We encompass 77 locations that include China, India, France, Japan, Australia, South Africa, and the United States. We have 31 logistics centers, 14 application engineering labs, and 2,500 employees. Our international experience enables us to meet your supply needs with high-quality and safe products wherever you are.

To see how our global company with a rich history can help you, email us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

You may know Bossard as a distributor of fastening elements and product solutions and a provider of logistics and engineering services. But we are also a global company that can offer you advantages that aren’t available for enterprises that only work on a local or national scale.

1.   Global Reach

Because manufacturing is becoming more globalized, only a supply network that spans nations can react to your needs more efficiently. Bossard boasts 77 locations, 41 logistics centers, and 14 application labs around the world. Our 2,500 employees stand ready to service your concerns wherever they are.

2.   Greater Resources

We’re not confined to one location when it comes to accessing materials and supplies. When issues arise in one area, such as disruptions related to materials, weather, or labor, we can sidestep them by going somewhere else. We gain access to new materials and resources as soon as they’re available without waiting for them to reach our shores. This enables us to bring you quick solutions that grant you faster access to your markets and customers.

3.   Larger Pool of Talent

Our employees form our most valuable assets. And we can draw them from a bigger pool of international talent. It’s not unusual for our work teams to consist of colleagues from around the world. We’ve discovered that having diverse backgrounds, experiences, and knowledge often contributes to better manufacturing solutions. What may be an unusual and unsolvable problem in one culture may already be old hat in another culture.

4.   Global Knowledge

Do you know what it takes to create products that are usable in India? What standards do you have to meet to enter the German market? How do assembly lines in China handle supply delays? Bossard can answer those questions because we have offices and experts in all those locations and more. And we’re willing to pass along our expertise to you so that you can succeed globally.

For more information about Bossard and how we can help you globally, contact us today at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

When you need to move supplies from a central storage location to an individual work cell, Bossard can help with Last Mile Management and autonomous mobile robots. This solution saves time with your material flow by relying on paperless and intuitive instructions, shorter paths, and full transparency when replenishing supplies.

How Last Mile Management Works

Bossard implements Last Mile Management with autonomous mobile robots as follows:

1. The work cell demands materials either automatically or because someone makes a request using a mobile device or desktop system.
2. ARIMS, which is Bossard’s inventory management software, receives the request and adds it to the digital picking list.
3. Use the digital picking list to locate and pick the material at the warehouse, supermarket, or other central storage location.
4. After placing the needed materials in an autonomous mobile robot, it receives a route plan to replenish the work cell. To complete the delivery of materials, the robot then goes to the work cell automatically using an optimized and paperless path, which saves time. Other than possibly moving materials to and from the robot, no human intervention is necessary.

Benefits

Last Mile Management with autonomous mobile robots offers the following benefits:

• Fewer movements in internal logistics because of the optimized material flow.
• Real-time and transparent data on how much and what types of material usage at each work cell. Analysis of the data can occur at any time.
• Improved efficiency because of nearly instantaneous order placement and shorter deliveries that are semi-automated.
• The use of autonomous mobile robots can distribute the storage area and work cells anywhere that the robots can reach. This allows for flexibility when configuring assembly and work areas.

Want to know more about how Last Mile Management can improve your material flow with autonomous mobile robots? Please contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

Are you looking for a better way to manage your inventory, so that you can simplify administration, enhance visibility, maximize control, and reduce costs? The Supplier Consolidation Solution by Bossard may be your reliable, efficient, and seamless answer. It gives your business the following eight benefits.

1. A leaner process with more efficient procurement. By monitoring stock levels with full or partial automation, they can trigger replenishment orders automatically. This minimizes the procurement steps and can reduce or eliminate employee effort to produce a leaner process.

2. Significant reduction of administrative effort. Human involvement and record-keeping become unnecessary when supply orders are automatically generated, sent to a supplier or proposed to your ERP, and shipped.

3. Higher delivery performance and reliability. The use of smart systems reduces errors, saves time, and eliminates wasted effort, resulting in greater reliability and better performance.

4. Reduced inventory. Automatically tracking stock levels, replenishment orders, and deliveries let you work with lower inventory levels. You won’t have to devote space to storing extra inventory just because you may need them sometime.

5. Increased efficiency. You minimize the transactions and time needed to track, identify, order, and ship needed supplies, which makes for a more efficient process.

6. More time to focus on core activities. By spending less time managing your inventory, you can focus more of your time on the core activities of running your business and increasing productivity.

7. Highest supply guarantee. Using an automated inventory management solution virtually guarantees that you’ll have the correct supplies with the highest quality available when you need it.

8. Reduction in the cost of ownership. All these time-saving strategies and efficient transactions lessen capital commitment and lower process costs. This leads to a lower Total Cost of Ownership, which enhances your profitability.

If you have any questions about the Supplier Consolidation Solution and how we can implement it for your enterprise, please contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.