Groov-Pin Corporation will celebrate its 90th birthday on May 20, 2016. Our company was founded by E.H. Schniewind in Long Island City, New York in 1926. A patented press-fit fastener called the Grooved Pin was developed there. The Pins are solid for ultimate shear strength and to withstand severe shock and vibration.
Since the early days in New York, our line of Grooved Pins has been used in a wide range of industries by companies like automotive manufacturer BMW and Aerospace plane maker BOEING. Our parts are also used in Medical, Electrical, Gas and Energy, Firearms, and Defense markets.
In the 1950s, we added to the product line with our Tap-Lok Threaded Inserts. They provide strong permanent threads in soft metals and plastics. Groov-Pin Tap-Lok Inserts install in one step, using a cored or drilled hole, by tapping their way into various base materials. Our inserts offer 1.5 x more pullout resistance than wire coil parts.
Our expansion did not stop with Tap-Lok. In the mid-1990s, we acquired the Speedserts line of threaded inserts from Fairchild Fasteners (now Alcoa). The thread-forming inserts were a perfect complement to our self-tapping parts.
In the late 1990s, we acquired Precision Turned Components (PTC) in Rhode Island. PTC specialized in producing high-end, tight-tolerance parts for the Telecommunications/RF Connector market.
One of the most impactful improvements for our business started in 2009 when we embraced lean manufacturing. Why did we adopt lean? To engage our team members, increase efficiency and organization, and most significantly, make Groov-Pin more responsive to customer needs. These improvements affected every area of the business – accounting, engineering, sales, customer service – and we are still learning.
Our core values have remained strong over the past 90 years. Our customers are our number one priority and every Groov-Pin employee understands the importance of teamwork, communication, and respect in daily operations. Our team-oriented company culture provides an avenue for continuous improvement and innovation.
We will be celebrating Groov-Pin’s history and achievements over the course of the month as we approach this exciting milestone.