Knowledge is Power: The Benefits of Fastener Training

Before my current position with Western Fastener, I worked for another fastener company, selling primarily to automotive repair shops and makers of aftermarket accessories.

I had some experience turning wrenches as a hobbyist, and an interest in this sort of thing, so I was somewhat familiar with this type of fastener.

Due in part to this knowledge, I was able to advance quickly from order picking to inspecting outgoing orders for accuracy and quality, as well as receiving and inspecting incoming product. I also started taking phone orders and working in the field calling on customers.

But (and this is key) I only knew what I knew.

If presented with questions about standards and specifications or a specialty fastener, I was lost. Not only because I didn’t know the answers, but rather because I didn’t know where to get the answers.

Soon after being hired at Western Fastener (back to picking orders) I was given the opportunity to enroll in the Certified Fastener SpecialistTM program offered by the Fastener Training Institute.

Some of my co-workers were FTI graduates so I had heard about the benefits of the program. I began attending with two coworkers and I was immediately impressed with the instructors; not only their depth of knowledge but also their ability to present highly technical and sometimes dry information in such a way that it was both interesting and retainable.

The courses are an excellent blend of classroom instruction as well as some plant tours, the highlight of which is the destructive testing lab, where we were able to watch them stretch a 1.5” diameter bolt to the point of a loud and very spectacular failure. I had heard this field trip was not to be missed, and it did not disappoint.

This combination of bookwork and plant tours helps one to not only learn the information, but also to relate it to practical application.

In my current position with Western Fastener, I deal with extremely knowledgeable customers. I still don’t have all the answers, but I no longer panic if an engineer asks a question to which I don’t know the answer.

As a graduate of the Fastener Training Institute’s Certified Fastener Specialist™ program, I now have the knowledge of how and where to obtain the answer.

FTI training of Western Fastener’s staff certainly contributes to our consistent 99.9% accuracy rate.