Origins
Aerial view of the our main building from the 1970s.Historically, Fastco has primarily been an automotive industry supplier. We evolved our quality standards to meet rising automotive quality demands in the 1990s, investing in process monitors for all of our cold formers and thread rollers. To meet automotive customers’ requirements of zero defects, Fastco invested in electronic inspection systems. We also invested in the human power to run these machines and to visually and roller sort parts. Today, parts inspection is a key part of our process for automotive suppliers.
After surviving the Great Recession, we hoped we had seen the last of financial crises for at least another generation. Still, we anticipated curve balls coming our way. We continued to improve and innovate. During this time, we grew our in-house tooling department, which now manufactures approximately 80% of our tooling. This enabled us to shorten our sample lead times and rapidly meet customer needs.
Fastco also began to see a need to move outside of the automotive industry and diversify our customer base. We expanded our work into the construction sector. Now, we are actively seeking out non-automotive suppliers in the furniture, industrial equipment, and energy industries.
Arvin Tap (co-founder)
Stephen Frantz (co-founder)
Under the leadership and hard work of these two entrepreneurs, Fastco was incorporated in 1970. In December of 1973, Fastco outgrew its original location on the south side of Grand Rapids, moving to its present location in Walker, Michigan. From a modest, 30,000-square-foot facility, Fastco has expanded to three buildings and 150,000 square feet on its Walker campus.
Throughout its history, Fastco has responded to the challenges of the marketplace and, in particular, the automotive industry. When automotive quality standards ramped up in the 1990s, Fastco invested in process monitors for all of its cold formers and thread rollers. When automotive customers began to champion the challenge of zero defects, Fastco committed a significant portion of financial resources to the acquisition of various types of electronic inspection systems.
Today, the electronic inspection and roller sorting of fasteners has become standard practice at Fastco. Our acquisition of eddy current capability in its inspection process adds a new dimension of capability and provides customers with an additional layer of protection.