The Avdel® History

The Avdel® brand name dates back over 70 years. The name is derived from 'Aviation Developments', the company's original name when it was founded in 1936 to manufacture a unique range of Speed fasteners for the burgeoning aviation industry.

At the time aircraft construction was moving from metal and wood to all metal structures, such as the world famous Spitfire fighter plane. This required a new generation of fasteners and tools, which could be installed from one side of the assembly to replace conventional rivets. The Chobert® Speed Fastening® system, developed to meet these needs, is still widely used throughout the world today.

In recent years the market trend towards new materials used in assemblies such as composites, high-strength thin gauge steels, and die-cast magnesium has presented new challenges to fastener manufacturers. Avdel® has been at the forefront of new product development to meet these new market requirements during which time fasteners such as Versa-Nut® threaded inserts, Maxlok® lockbolts, Rivscrew® PL, Klamp-Tite®, Bulbex®, and Avinox® rivets have all been developed as fastening solutions for the changing market.

The Avdel® group can support customer assembly requirements from the earliest stages of new product design by combining the latest engineering and design techniques with our 70 years market experience. Drawing on the expertise of our Engineers and the advanced testing capabilities of our facilities, laboratories and workshops, Avdel® has the aptitude to employ cutting edge Finite Element Analysis and modern design techniques to develop the right solution for our customers.

Avdel® is the market leader in employing advanced injection moulding techniques for tool bodies using shock resistant fibre-reinforced grades of nylon incorporating “soft grip” contact features for comfortable handling. Avdel® tools are renowned for their ergonomic and safety benefits.

Customer needs are always at the forefront of the organisation’s business acumen with new product designs incorporating feedback from advanced market and customer needs analysis. Avdel’s market and customer driven approach to product design can be seen in the quick-release nose equipment on the nGenesis® range of placing tools, which helps to minimise service times, whilst the ePower battery tool provides not only spatial freedom without hoses and cables, but also features a patented pulling system for more efficient operation and consequently more cycles per battery charge.

In May 1994 the group was acquired by Textron Inc. and renamed 'Avdel Textron', the group became part of Textron Fastening Systems, an alliance of Textron owned fastening companies. Under TFS, Avdel® benefited from improved processes and lean manufacturing techniques driven by Six Sigma whilst also developing a better knowledge and understanding of the automotive industry demands and requirements.

In 2006 Textron Fastening Systems was sold to Platinum Equity, a private equity company with global headquarters in Beverly Hills, California USA. Under Platinum Equity’s leadership the company was renamed Acument Global Technologies, and reorganized into several market and regionally-focused units. Within this group of companies, the Avdel® organisation was re-launched in its own right with greater autonomy over all business activities, investments, and strategies.

Avdel® headquarters remain in the modern Sales, Marketing & R&D facility in Welwyn Garden City, UK with manufacturing based in Warrington, UK, and Stanfield, USA. The manufacturing sites are complimented with an extended distribution centre network in Canada, USA, UK, Spain, France, Germany and Italy. These locations are also supported by Acument Global Technologies distribution facilities in Brazil, Australia, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore as well as a number of authorised distribution partners and concessionaires based all over Europe in countries like Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Belgium, Finland, Switzerland, Norway and the Netherlands to name but a few, as well as in Middle East, South America and Africa.

Today Avdel® supplies solutions to many of the world’s leading companies, in industry sectors as diverse as automotive, electronics, construction and appliance. Avdel® engineers continue to work hand in hand to develop innovative solutions to ensure that our customers are always able to meet the demands of an ever changing world.