Fasteners for Automotive Interiors
As the leading global industrial fastener distributor and service provider, Optimas has over 100 years’ experience supplying fasteners and components to the automotive industry, and is a major manufacturer and supplier to automotive interior OEMs and Tier 1s.
From navigation systems to body panels, each aspect of an automotive interior requires durable, high-quality fasteners.
Making up around 50% of a vehicle’s Bill of Materials, fasteners for automotive interiors have a number of key conditions to satisfy, from passenger safety and comfort to technology user experience and vehicle performance. Plus, owing to the rising popularity of advanced infotainment systems, luxury vehicles, EVs, hybrids and in some cases, autonomous cars, manufacturers are turning to increasingly advanced fastening solutions.
Although standard fasteners still have their part to play in automotive interior builds, these parts need to be optimised for use. Depending on their application, fasteners for automotive interiors need to prioritise:
Fasteners for Automotive Interiors: Key Considerations
1. Size
Smaller fasteners can provide opportunities for weight reduction. Lightweighting is important in any automotive build, but especially for vehicles powered by alternative fuels. A 10% reduction in vehicle weight can result in a 6-8% improvement in fuel economy, therefore optimising vehicle performance. The weight of fasteners used can also impact safety, as a heavier car will do much more damage in a collision.
2. Durability
Required to meet high tolerance demands, fasteners have to be able to bear loads between 65-90% of their yield strength so they don’t loosen in their application, or worse, break. Fasteners for automotive interiors also need to be able to withstand significant vibration to effectively hold the car together.
3. Materials
Prioritising thermal conductivity and insulation is key in manufacturing car batteries, particularly in the case of EVs and hybrids, to avoid depleting battery performance, over-heating and damage done by external conditions. Plus, for other applications, fasteners need to assist high performance in driver assistance, user experience, navigation and infotainment, automotive electrical systems, so they need to prioritise electrical connectivity.
4. Assortment & Availability
It can take up to 56 weeks to get a fastener from one end of the supply chain to the other. Automotive seating projects that require specialty fasteners can be even further delayed. Optimas can cut down lead times with an extensive portfolio of parts and the buying power to meet the many challenges of your project.
Fastener Engineering
At Optimas, alongside manufacturing and distributing a range of standard and specialised fasteners and components, it’s our engineering capabilities that set us apart.
With decades of experience working with automotive OEMs, Optimas’ engineers specialise in providing expert technical support to our customers, focusing on product development, analysis and testing to lower cost and assembly time, increase manufacturers’ speed to market and improve product performance. As a Global PPAP Centre of Excellence, we also specialise in rapid PPAP approvals, ensuring our parts meet the most rigorous of quality standards.
High Quality Fasteners for Automotive Interiors
Alongside catering for more specialised applications, we provide a wide range of standard fasteners for automotive interiors, including but not limited to:
- Weld Nuts
- SEMs Screws
- Machine Screws
- Flat Washers
- Rivet Nuts
- Plastic Parts
- Headed Pins
- Flanged Fasteners
Services
Alongside manufacturing and distributing fasteners for automotive interiors, it’s our supply chain solutions, engineering services and quality labs that set us apart.
While manufacturing automotive interiors using quality parts is key, to get these parts to a production line it’s crucial manufacturers maintain a streamlined supply chain.
Enhancing Operations
Our experts can conduct line walks with you and identify opportunities for increased efficiency throughout each stage of your production process, finding ways to remove non-value activities and drive continuous cost savings.
Optimising Inventory
Our OptiTech inventory management solutions ensure products are delivered to the right place at the right time through improved data visibility. This results in improved productivity, cost reduction, streamlined production, and lowered Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
Improving Quality
We believe that quality in, is quality out. Evidenced by our range of industry certifications, like ISO 14001 and ISO 9001, Optimas operates its facilities to the most rigorous standards to make sure fasteners for automotive seating are optimised for use, every time.
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