STORY OF THE COMPANY … The Altenloh, Brinck & Co. (ABC) of Bryan (formerly and more commonly known as TruFast) makes about four million screws a day for the commercial roofing industry, according to Derek Krueger (left), a senior project engineer for the company. Derek explained that the screws made by ABC in Bryan aren’t exactly the kind that you would find in a home improvement store as they are up to 40 inches long and used primarily for commercial roofing and exterior building walls. The program was arranged by Dexter Krueger. (PRESS RELEASE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
For its first 24 years, the company located at the corner of US 6 and State Route 2 in Williams County was known as Trufast Corporation — manufacturers of engineered fasteners and screws for commercial roofing uses.
That changed in December 2005 when the German-based company Altenloh, Brinck & Co. (ABC) bought Trufast from its founder Duane Spangler. ABC’s international headquarters is in Ennepetal, Germany.
Derek Krueger, a senior project engineer who has worked for both companies, told Archbold Rotarians how the Trufast products that they produce differ from fasteners used for residential use and how the company has grown since it was purchased by ABC.
Although Trufast has only been in existence since 1981, ABC is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year.
According to Krueger, the company is so well known and thought of for making screws that in Germany when customers are looking for screws in home improvement or hardware stores they ask for the SPAX aisle.
SPAX is the brand name for the screws that ABC produces in Germany.
The main difference in the screws that ABC (Trufast) makes and the screws made for home use is size.
Since the commercial roofing screws are designed to firmly hold the roof and insulation to the building structure, which can be either wood or steel, the screws tend to be a lot longer.
In fact, he explained that the screws made at the Bryan plant can be up to 40 inches long. Typically, most of the screws are anywhere from one-half inch to 24 inches long.
Each day, the plant produces about 4 million screws. Last year, the company built a new 64,000 square foot packaging facility in Pioneer that is automated.
However, some jobs require semi-automated or manual packaging operations, which are also done in Pioneer.
ABC’s heat treatment operation is also housed in Pioneer where finished screws are heated at 1650 degrees for an hour to strength them and then given an oil coating.
Krueger, who has been with ABC/Trufast for 20 years, said that most of the screws are made from carbon steel, although some stainless steel is used.
Not only has the ABC’s production facilities and the number of employees increased since it purchased the company, the volume of sales has increased from about $32 million a year before ABC took over to about $187 million a year now.
In addition to its roofing fastener operations in Bryan and Pioneer, ABC has a location in Grand Rapids, Mi. that focuses on wall fasteners.