NFDA & FCH Announce Collaboration Plans
06/15/2010 10:36 AM CDT

Chicago, IL (June 15, 2010) - The National Fastener Distributors Association (NFDA) and industrial fastener sourcing website FastenersClearingHouse.com (FCH) today announced a partnership agreement that will provide association members access to the FCH Sourcing Network as well as other benefits. The announcement comes after the NFDA presented its new strategic plan in April.

Under the new agreement, association members will receive access to the FCH Sourcing Network and SourceFinder RFQ system through a custom access level that provides special filter tools. NFDA members will be able to search the FCH fastener database and filter search results to locate other NFDA members’ inventory. The database currently lists over half a million inventory line items. The program facilitates intra-association business with this simple but powerful approach.

“Our goal has been to find ways to build ROI for our members, and FCH has developed a custom program for us that meets this objective perfectly,” said NFDA executive vice president, John Hausoul.

There is no requirement for NFDA members to list inventory with the FCH Sourcing Network to take advantage of the program, which will become available early in the third quarter, but they are encouraged to do so.

FCH will also provide support to the NFDA through its industry podcast, Fully Threaded Radio, which is billed as Internet radio for the fastener industry.

“We call Fully Threaded Radio ‘the voice of the FCH Sourcing Network’, but it’s already obvious that our growing audience is made up of listeners from across the industry and from around the world,” FCH managing partner and co-host Brian Musker said. “This makes it a wonderful communication vehicle for the NFDA and we’re happy to have them with us.”

As the new program goes into implementation, NFDA board members and the FCH team will work to identify additional ways to extend the system to meet other association objectives. International sourcing strategies will receive careful consideration as a major plank in the association’s stated course.