The sky’s
the limit
From technical problem solving and tool
servicing to powder coating and overseas
expansion, Star Fasteners is a business keen
to push into new areas. Torque speaks with
Directors Daniel Starbuck and Nicola Smith
for the inside story…
S
tar Fasteners
thrives on finding
solutions to the
many challenges
that customers send its way.
Within seconds of entering
tar s still relatively new
headquarters in Pinxton,
near Nottingham, a clearly
enthused Daniel tarbuck
– Director of the company –
takes me through one of the
latest solutions the firm has
come up with.
The challenge was using
a strong fastener system
with lightweight panels – a
material increasingly being
used in the manufacturing
sector, including commercial
vehicles. With less weight,
automobiles are cheaper to
run and require less fuel to
get around, but lightweight
panels are less well equipped
to accept your typical robust
fastener without incurring
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PECM Issue 23
damage. The customer in
question wanted to use
Huck® fasteners and came
to tar the U s largest
Huck distributor – to see if
they could come up with a
solution. The team duly did
a simple, clever fix using
a shim creating a dead stop
on the fastener, averting the
possibility of over tightening
and potentially crushing the
The firm has
grown from
quite small
beginnings,
working out of
the family home.
lightweight panel. Thanks
to the added shim, Huck
fasteners can be used on
those increasingly popular
lightweight panels without
the risk of damage. Another
problem solved.
“Customers come to us
with a problem, often
where a manufacturer
doesn’t have a readymade solution”
“Customers come to us with
a problem, often where a
manufacturer doesn t have
a ready-made solution,”
tarbuck tells Torque. We
talk to the lads on the shop
floor, to the product designers
and we aim to come up with
an innovative solution.”
We work on the small
pro ects too and we re
continually coming up with
new solutions. We are working
with new manufacturers and
trying to come up with the
next thing. It s exciting.
Located ust off unction 2
of the M1 the firm had the
internal layout of the unit
constructed to their own
design. It was an empty shell
when we bought it, tarbuck
explains, “so we built it to our
own specifications. ow we ve
space to hold an increased
product range we don t want
our customers to have to wait
for product.”
The firm has grown from
quite small beginnings,
working out of the family
home. tarbuck picks up the
story It ust started with a
couple of boxes. Over time
we increased our storage
from a shed, to a concrete
garage, then moved to our
first commercial warehouse in
Ilkeston. Our first warehouse
seemed formidably sized at
the time We thought we d
never fill it
Tools & parts are hot
washed whilst being
repaired / serviced