has been active in the fastener market since 1995, becoming an important supplier for customers in the standard fasteners supply chain. Supply not only for the construction industry, but also for other industries such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and civil engineering.
started as a sole proprietorship with owner Stefan Valenta, gradually growing the business into what it is today. Stefan comments: “We didn’t actually start development until the 2000s when we decided to start producing threaded rods because there weren’t many threaded rods in the Czech Republic market.”
Valenta quickly realized that there was more competition and bigger players when it came to standard threaded rods, so with that in mind, they decided to just trade in the standard range of threaded rods and focus on niche threaded rods. where it is located, it is more competitive.
“We import a large number of standard threaded rods and specialize in the production of other brands of threaded rods such as 5.6, 5.8, 8.8, 10.9 and 12.9, as well as special threaded rods such as trapezoidal spindles. threaded and drawn parts, as well as larger diameters and lengths,” Stephen pointed out. “We also found that for these special threaded rods, customers also prefer to use European milling materials and require that the products be certified for quality. So this is a very successful area for us.”
For threaded rods, Valenta uses the thread rolling process, as it has found many advantages, including increased strength due to cold forming, very good surface roughness values, and high dimensional accuracy. “Within our production, we can provide thread rolling, cutting, bending, cold drawing and CNC machining, which allows us to meet the needs of our customers,” notes Stefan. “We can also work with clients to provide customization if they can’t find what they need in our portfolio.”
Valenta can supply threaded rods in a variety of materials, from low grade steels to high strength alloys and stainless steels, with typical production volumes ranging from a few large parts to orders in the tens of thousands. “We are very proud of our manufacturing capabilities and have recently moved production to a new 4,000 square meter factory located next to our existing factory,” stresses Stefan. “This gives us more room to increase our capacity so we can meet our customers’ needs faster.”
While manufacturing accounts for one third of Valenta’s sales, sales of standard products still account for two thirds of the business. The core product range offered by Valenta includes standardized fasteners such as screws, bolts, nuts, washers, threaded rods, as well as wood connectors, tie rods, fence components and nuts. “We import most of our DIN standard products from Asia,” Stefan explains. “We have very good partnerships with our suppliers and regularly check the quality of our products and the manufacturing processes we use.”
To further guarantee product quality, Valenta continuously invests in advanced production equipment and a quality management system. He also updated the lab with machines that can perform hardness tests, optical measurements, X-ray spectrometers, and straightness measurements. “When we first started producing threaded rods, we were committed to ensuring the highest quality not only in what we produce, but also in what we import,” Stephen said.
This was highlighted a few years ago when there were several instances of non-standard threaded rods (wrong pitch) on the market. “This created a real problem in the marketplace because the cheaper product reduced margins but didn’t meet standards,” Steven explained. “The standard calls for 60-degree threads, and no matter what we import or manufacture, we aim for that. The threads on off-spec products are around 48 degrees, making them about 10% cheaper than the standard price.”
Steven continued: “We did lose market share as customers were attracted by lower prices, but we stuck to our values. This eventually worked in our favor, as customers who were attracted by the lower prices received complaints from customers. about the quality of the threaded rods and their inadequacy for the purpose. They contacted us again as buyers and respected our decision to work on improving the quality. Now there are very few such products on the market, since buyers are more aware of the situation and consequences, but still there are cases when such low-quality products come out. We refuse to compete with low-quality products, so we point out the difference and let the buyer make the right decision.”
With a commitment to quality, niche production and range, Valenta has established itself in the marketplace with over 90% of its products sold to customers across Europe. “Being in the Czech Republic, we are practically in the middle of Europe, so we can cover many different markets very easily,” notes Stefan. “Ten years ago, exports were about 30% of sales, but now they are 60%, and there is room for further growth. Our biggest market is the Czech Republic, then neighboring countries such as Poland, Slovakia, Germany, Austria and others. We We also have clients on other continents, but our core business is still in Europe.”
Stefan concludes: “With our new plant, we have more production and storage space, and we want to add more capacity to provide more order flexibility and reduce lead times. Due to Covid-19, new machines and equipment can now be purchased at competitive prices and engineers and designers are less busy, so we are taking this opportunity to get them more involved in the processes we use and how we can optimize our business We look forward to continuing to grow as a company and to provide our customers with the products, services and quality they have come to expect from Valenta.”
Will joined Fastener + Fixing magazine in 2007 and has spent the last 15 years covering every aspect of the fastener industry, interviewing key industry figures and visiting leading companies and trade shows around the world.
Will manages content strategy across all platforms and is an advocate for the magazine’s renowned high editorial standards.
Post time: Jun-30-2023
