After reorganizing to better leverage all its assets, Textron Fastening Systems is winning more business with integrated solutions such as sheet metal automotive components.

After several years of acquisition activity, Textron Fastening Systems had assembled one of the broadest product and service arrays in the industry. However, this benefit was not readily apparent to customers, who continued to buy the standard products they had known for years. Textron Fastening Systems saw the opportunity to integrate its operations and assets, and move beyond commodity fastening parts to offer customers more comprehensive, value-adding fastening solutions. In 2002 Textron Fastening Systems reorganized to create a new global technology, sales and marketing team equipped to coordinate customer requirements on multiple continents. The company moved and consolidated manufacturing operations to achieve greater efficiency, and now offers an array of fully integrated fastening solutions to customers. Among the early results: Textron Fastening Systems is quoting and winning more business. Sales quote capture rates rose by 50% from March to December. The new "one face to the customer" approach allowed the company to increase its sales per vehicle over 2001 levels with key automotive manufacturers. In addition, Textron Fastening Systems brought together sales, product management and operations people from the United States, the Czech Republic, Malaysia and China to win a significant new contract supporting a well-known desktop-computer manufacturer.