Nord-Lock Group’s global Technical Centers offer expert testing and support for safe bolted connections.If only bolting was as straightforward as receiving the components, getting on with the installation, and afterwards conducting regular check-ups to ensure everything is in order. But as we all know, the reality tends to be drastically different, especially when dealing with critical bolted connections in applications that safeguard human lives and major investments. For such connections, identifying just the right solution requires extensive testing and analysis.
In 1982, Nord-Lock introduced the original wedge-locking washer, which would revolutionize the consensus on how to most effectively secure a bolted connection. Today, the company originating from northern Sweden, continues to lead the global market for bolting solutions as Nord-Lock Group consisting of four technology brands, while also being at the forefront of global availability, expert service, and support. The latter is substantiated by the fact that Nord-Lock Group hosts Technical Centers all over the world, where customers can access state-of-the-art testing equipment and unmatched expertise in bolting.
So, how did Nord-Lock Group establish its leading position in service and support, and what can customers expect in terms of service and support from our Technical Centers?
In the earliest days of Nord-Lock, the Junker test was adopted to prove the Nord-Lock wedge-locking washer’s unmatched capabilities in securing bolted connections. When the first Technical Center opened in Malmö, Sweden, the goal was to continue demonstrating Nord-Lock products' effectiveness by conducting tests on the Junker machine. Later, more technical centers opened, first in Lyon then in Osaka, Shanghai, and Pittsburgh, to focus on putting Nord-Lock wedge-locking washers against other securing methods in comparative Junker tests.
Over time, each technical center evolved independently based on the challenges customers brought from their region. “For example, the Lyon team of engineers and technicians developed a range of calculation tools around bolted joints and invested in a torque-tension bench in 2011 to close the gap between theory and reality of the bolted joint science. Fast forward to 2023, and a more robust, integrated organizational set-up of the technical centers was established to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, best practices, and tools.
Beyond the Junker test, customers can expect to find fundamental support and testing services regardless of which technical center they visit. These include torque-tension testing, functional assessment and environment compatibility checks... However, based on Nord-Lock Group’s extensive regional networks, the limit of testing services is essentially non-existent.
At our Technical Centers, customers can expect a wide range of testing and analysis capabilities, from fundamental tightening behaviour to experimental measurements. Our aim is always to provide the right level of support, expertise and understanding that every customer needs or is expecting.
– Cyril Cadoux, Technical Director at Nord-Lock”
Turning to calculations, customers can get torque recommendations, insights from thread stripping, fatigue and elongation analysis to mention a few. On a more general level, the engineers at the technical centers are always ready to offer advice on best practices and insights into bolted joint designs through on-site consultancy and training.
The thought of turning to a technical center can conjure up images of complicated, long processes. But that certainly does not have to be the case. For some customers, one single email with a clear answer outlining a plan on how to optimize a design or overcome a bolting challenge will do. On the other hand, more complex projects can go on for years, with Nord-Lock’s team of engineers going back and forth between the customer site and the technical center while conducting testing and analyzing the results.
Considering the wide range of industries that use Nord-Lock products, the engineers at the technical centers often have to adapt to entirely new scenarios, calling on their long-term experience and expertise to provide the best possible product recommendations, installation process, test plans, or anything else they deem to be the optimal way forward.
Regardless of how the process might look, the response from customers who have been in contact with Nord-Lock technical centers is overwhelmingly positive. Once a collaboration has been initiated, the partnership tends to evolve and sometimes leads into other areas of a customer’s business.
We are humbled by the fact that we have customers that come back to us with new questions and challenges related to other applications. And sometimes, another department of the same organization as one of our customers has recommended us internally.
– Cyril Cadoux, Technical Director at Nord-Lock.
The Nord-Lock Group believes that no one should have to question the integrity of the mechanical systems that play such a critical role in our way of life. As a global leader in bolting solutions, we strengthen public and industrial infrastructures with high-quality, safe and innovative solutions that will change the face of modern living for decades to come.
