SCRS Fastener Committee
Minneapolis, Minn.
April 5, 2001
  During the Collision Concepts Trade Show/CIC in Minneapolis, the SCRS Fastener Committee met. It was led by Committee Chairman March Taylor.

The goals of the committee are among other things:
  • To create awareness throughout the industry of the impact fasteners have on our technicians, estimators and profitability.
  • To address the effect fasteners have on cycle time and the overall thoroughness of the repair. Increase the amount of fastener information posted throughout the estimating databases, making the process of listing fasteners on our estimates much more efficient. This will lead to both improved estimate accuracy and better repair orders. With accurate precise fastener information in our databases, it becomes much easier to order what is really needed.
  • To create enough awareness so our industry comes together, demanding the OEM’s offer fastener packages for all common crash parts. If fastener kits were made available, an estimator would have the choice whether a kit or individual fasteners was needed for any given repair.
Topics of discussion:
  • Comprehensive fastener information coverage in the data base
  • Fastener kits listed by the data providers for common crash parts
  • The fastener manufacturers competing with OEM’s, offering fastener information to data providers
  • Crash replacement parts being supplied (possibly as a choice) with a fastener kit
  • Fastener manufacturers offering fastener kits, again competing with OEM’s
  • Manufacturer fastener web sites where an estimator can search and click exactly what fasteners/fastener kits are needed for a particular job then have them drop-shipped to the repairer's door
The following is an overview of the consensus of the participants in the April 5, Minneapolis meeting::

Concern: The fastener information listed in the database does not include all required fasteners.
—Solution: There needs to be improvement in both coverage and quantities shown, with graphics being clearer showing the location of each fastener.

Concern: New vehicles are assembled with many different designs of dedicated (many can only be used once) fasteners compared to vehicle built in the 80’s and 90’s.
Concern: The repair shops are being forced to increase their fastener inventory to meet the demand of the new design of vehicle and the repair process, with the goal of reducing cycle time.
—Solution: Fasteners for each RO could be ordered at the same time as the parts, either from an aftermarket supplier or OE dealer. The side that creates an efficient distribution channel (“just-in-time delivery”) will benefit from the change.

Concern: Our technicians are spending to much unproductive time dealing with fasteners. They are often wasting too much time repairing, substituting, procuring and/or reusing (unusable) fasteners.
—Solution: All needed fasteners should be delivered to technician with the parts.

Concern: Many common parts are assembled with many different types of fasteners making it difficult for an estimator to search for and list all the fasteners that are needed for a particular job.
—Solution: Offer fastener kits that include all the fasteners for a particular part. The estimator then would have the option to; order a fastener kit, order an individual fastener-s or no fastener at all.

Concern: How can we move from the current reactive approach to a proactive method of dealing with fasteners, both with information and procurement?
—Solution #1: The information providers offer thorough complete fastener coverage (including fastener kits) so an estimator can find what is needed. The fastener order can then be made with the parts order and delivered to the shop at the same time as the parts. This is assuming the OE’s will have an efficient distribution channel and offer “fastener kits.”
—Solution #2: The aftermarket suppliers partner with the information providers to produce a software package that would seamlessly parallel the estimating program offering the estimator complete fastener coverage information (for particular part-s) with a click of the mouse. The fasteners (or fastener kit-s) would be listed on the estimate and then the Parts Order Form, and ordered at the same time as the replacement parts. The fasteners would be ordered via the Internet and be sent UPS/Fed X the next day. This method would be very proactive, reducing the amount of time an estimator deals with fasteners and offer the technician all the fasteners when they need them. This would also produce repairs that properly secure the replaced parts and reduce cycle time.

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