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“EIFI is 40 years old”, is how Anders Karlsson, President of the European Association of Fastener Manufacturers, opened his speech at the Stuttgart Fair held from 28 to 30 March this year.

It was on 6 September 1977, in fact, when the president of the French C.S.B.V.F., Chambre Syndicale de la Boulonnerie et de la Visserie Forgeés, Mr. H. Lorrain, convened the representatives of already existing National Fastener Associations and individual companies from 14 different countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Liechtenstein, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. During their meeting held in Paris, it was decided to establish a European association named the “European Industrial Fasteners Institute”, based in Cologne in Germany, as from January 1978.

The steering committee of the newly constituted EIFI was unanimously agreed upon at the same meeting, and the 15 delegates picked to head the European association were Mr. Herdies (Belgium), Messrs. Bergner, Deubert, Kulbe and Schumacher (Germany), Messrs. Biju-Duval, Conchon, Laurent, Layeillon (France), Messrs. Laker, Leek, Lynall (Great Britain), Mr. Huitema (Netherlands), Mr. Fontana (Italy) and Mr. Strauli (Switzerland).

A first working group was also established, with the task of drawing up the EIFI statutes and aims and objectives for the association. This group was comprised of the secretaries of 5 national associations: Messrs. Altmann (B.I.B., Austria), von der Heide (D.S.V., Germany, which was also founded in 1977), Buchart (C.S.B.V.F., France), Peplow (B.I.F.F., Great Britain) and Quaglia (U.P.I.V.E.B., Italy).

At its meeting on 30 November 1977, the newly constituted Steering Committee unanimously voted for Mr. H. Lorrain as the first president of the EIFI.

After several meetings of the working group, the final version of the EIFI statutes was approved on 20 October 1978.

Experts in bolts, screws and nuts have certainly recognised the names of those who have not only written the history of the European fasteners sector, but who, with their commitment, enthusiasm and farsightedness decided forty years ago to found the European Industrial Fasteners Institute.

President Anders Karlsson, vice presidents Enio Fontana and Tillmann Fuchs, the board and all EIFI members today proudly honour the work of these founding fathers, expressing their sincere thanks to them and to their families, as well as to their successors and related companies.

EIFI Aims and Objectives

• The industry with which the Institute is concerned is the production of bolts, nuts, screws and rivets of both ferrous and non-ferrous metals and other industrial fasteners. The task of the Institute is to look after and further the joint economic, professional, technical and scientific interests of the members in the following ways:

• Exchanges of practical experience in product groups and committees,
• Information and consultation on all matters relating to the Institute's objectives,
• Preparation of aids to decision-making,
• Representation of the interests of the European fasteners industry vis-à-vis authorities, public bodies and other organizations at international level and buyers and suppliers,
• Encouragement of studies and research work and collaboration with scientific institutes,
• Co-ordination of European activities in the technical field and cooperation in the field of international standardization,
• Public relations.

• The Institute shall not derive any profit from its activities.