Fixing and fastener manufacturer Tecfi S.p.A handles a large number of production processes worldwide, including metal sheet stamping, plastic material injection, rubber material injection and wire cold forming.
Tecfi‘s total building area covers around 15,000m² on more than 61,000m² of land. The most recent production site to be developed (covering 7,000m²) has enhanced internal production capacity, offering a suitable space for the technical area. From the beginning, Tecfi invested in a high tech laboratory, an advanced quality control system and a qualified team and those are the principles that Tecfi has used to gain competitive advantages, represented by patents and very strict product certifications.
Tecfi lab kitted out with new testing facilities
The advanced assessment laboratory is equipped with certified facilities, testing raw materials and finished product, through mechanical, metallurgical and corrosion tests. In the last year, the laboratory has been equipped with new facilities for static, dynamic and seismic load tests, for the R&D of anchors to be used in cracked concrete and seismic zones.
In a move to provide safer solutions for engineers and craftsman, the Tecfi R&D Department has been studying seismic topics; as a result, in April 2015 Tecfi was reportedly the first company in the world to get the C2 Performance Category for the installation in high seismic hazard zones of its HXE-CONCRETO® concrete screws.
In addition to anchors, Tecfi manufactures other products through metal sheet stamping, including wood connectors (with ETA-CE), saddle washers and many other metal accessories.
About eight years ago, Tecfi embarked upon a new manufacturing process – plastic and rubber material injection, covering nylon and HDPE plugs and anchors, EPDM umbrella gaskets, plastic and rubber accessories started to be 100% produced in Tecfi. In particular, VSHandyplug ® nylon façade anchors received a great response from the market, thanks to its outstanding performances and ETA values. In the last year, Tecfi has also started to manufacture multi-expansion nylon anchors which will get CE mark in the next few months.
Screws and bolts, in-house
More recently, Tecfi has acquired the ability to produce in-house screws and bolts, through the technologically advanced Italian multi-station and 1 die 2 blow heading machines and threading machines, opening new horizons of development.
The widening of the production and the implementation of its capacity, together with the big investments in terms of laboratory equipment and staff, are the clear evidence that Tecfi is investing more and more capital and energy to bring back all its strategical functions back to Italy.
This article was part of a wider feature on European manufacturing and originally published in the September 2017 edition of Torque Magazine. Read the full magazine online here or subscribe for free.