The document aims to provide a deeper understanding of the complexities of today¡¯s fastener supply chain particularly to European politicians, civil servants and regulators.

EFDA president, Dr Volker Lederer, explains: ¡°EFDA regularly connects with members of the European Commission at many levels, as well as with European Parliamentarians. During these discussions it is clear there is a limited, and in may ways out-dated, understanding of the role that today¡¯s fastener importers and distributors play in supporting a very wide spectrum of European industry, as well as in providing employment, and contributing generally to the European economy.¡±

¡°¡®Securing the Future¡¯ provides a concise but comprehensive insight into a sector comprising more than 2,500 major distribution companies across Europe, employing more than 44,000 skilled personnel and holding more than €2 billion of inventory, in order to supply more than 130,000 different components, worth more than €10 billion annually.¡±

¡°As we say in the brochure: ¡®Try finding an industry sector where fastener are not needed¡¯ or where fastener distribution specialists are not active and professional partners to that industry, ensuring that the right fastener, is in the right place, at the right time.¡¯¡±

¡°The message of ¡®Securing the Future¡¯ is that our sector is no longer a simple ¡®box-shifter¡¯ that can adapt overnight to changes in the regulatory environment. In the face of its customers¡¯ increasingly complex demands, the distribution industry has evolved radically. We are now a strategic contributor that literally holds industry together, investing in equipment, connectivity and people to effectively manage a complex global supply chain ¨C both sourcing and supplying fasteners and parts worldwide.¡±