The 015-1 model from Chan Hsiung is a welding bolt suitable for wheels. It can have a hexagon, round or pan head.

Partnerships with government and private institutions enable suppliers in this city to produce upscale designs.

Accounting for 70 percent of Taiwan’s total output, Kaohsiung is the island’s top manufacturing hub for automotive fasteners. This is because the southern city constantly yields high-performance models, a result of the combined efforts by manufacturers and government and private institutions.

Kaohsiung companies’ experience in the line, with some reaching almost six decades, aids in creating designs that adhere to stringent industry standards.

To ensure quality turnout, suppliers rely on government-sponsored China Steel for top grade steel alloy and carbon steel.

Proximity to this company, which is based in the city’s Siaogang district, benefits makers not only in cost-effective materials procurement but also in encouraging product development collaboration.

China Steel, with support from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, led a project in 2005 aimed at the advancement of manufacturing techniques relating to automotive fasteners. Large suppliers and companies engaged in mold construction and electroplating were involved in this endeavor.

Makers depend on Taiwan’s Metal Industries Research and Development Center and National Kaohsiung University for technological breakthroughs in steel processing.

The university, for instance, has recently introduced "green" fasteners that feature silicone dioxide as coating material. The compound serves as a replacement for the hazardous hexavalent chromium.

As automotive fasteners are generally made on an OEM basis, R&D efforts at most companies are focused on improving surface treatment for rust resistance. Besides using trivalent chrome, suppliers are adopting chrome-free materials such as epoxy powder as a means of boosting product safety.

Taiwan Shan Yin International Co. Ltd is among the Kaohsiung manufacturers employing such a strategy.

At Charng Houng Mfg Co. Ltd, designs are sometimes even left uncoated to allow clients to apply the surface treatment material they prefer.

According to the Taiwan Industrial Fastener Institute, Kaohsiung is home to 750 companies or about 43 percent of the island’s total automotive fastener makers.

The supplier base has been steadily expanding since 2005, propelled by the government’s directives to stimulate the local economy.

Specifically, one of Taiwan’s state-owned land developers has devised several preferential measures to attract manufacturers to settle in Kaohsiung. As a result, an estimated 185 companies moved to the city’s Benjhou Industrial Park between 2005 and 06.

The automotive fasteners selection from Kaohsiung includes hinge pins, sems screws, and shoulder, neck and wheel bolts. These are suitable for engine hood, chassis, tire, seat, door panel and air bag housing assembly. Models target the midrange market.

Carbon steel and steel alloy are the predominant materials used in production. Medium-carbon steel with high tensile strength, particularly AISI 1035, is adopted for a car’s structural components. At Jinn Her Enterprise Co. Ltd, medium-carbon steel with 0.25 to 0.55 percent carbon content is employed. The material is heat treated to improve surface hardness.

Jinn Her is among the island’s largest manufacturers in the line. The company can provide 20,000 types of automotive fasteners.

Shin Chun Enterprise Co. Ltd prefers CrMo because it performs well in high-speed vehicles. Low-carbon steel is used for auxiliary parts such as seats and door panels.

Made of this material, products from Chan Hsiung Fty Co. Ltd are suitable for car interior fabrication. Designs meet PPAP Level 3, TAF and TS 16949 standards.

The model 001-4 bolt from the company features a nylon patch on the thread to prevent it from sliding out of place.

Established in 1949, Chun Yu Works & Co. Ltd is one of Kaohsiung’s earliest automotive fastener makers. It also offers versions for the construction and aerospace industries. Models are certified to TS 16949 and CNS.

Manufactured mostly under OEM contracts, automotive fasteners from Kaohsiung are priced at $2.58 per kilogram or $2,580 per metric ton. Exports go mainly to the US.

A selection of automotive fasteners from Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Chan Hsiung Fty Co. Ltd

Model: 004-1
Minimum order: 4 metric tons
Delivery time: 100 days
Description: Bolts; nonslip nylon locking patch on threads; M6 to M24

Model: 009-1
Minimum order: 4 metric tons
Delivery time: 100 days
Description: Hex flange bolts, screws; M6 to M24

Model: Special Shoulder Bolt
Minimum order: Negotiable
Delivery time: 90 days
Description: Shoulder bolts with hexagon head; nonslip nylon patch on threads

Model: A005
Minimum order: Negotiable
Delivery time: 60 days
Description: Hub bolts, nuts; M6 to M16; grade 5, 8 or class 8.8, 10.9, 12.9 material; zinc, zinc-nickel or zinc-iron alloy coating; for wheels

Model: A011
Minimum order: Negotiable
Delivery time: 60 days
Description: Internal fasteners; M3 to M12; carbon steel, steel alloy; zinc, zinc-nickel or zinc-iron alloy coating

Model: A001
Minimum order: Negotiable
Delivery time: 60 days
Description: Oil-plug screws; M6 to M16; grade 2, 5, 8 or class 4.8, 5.8, 8.8, 9.8, 12.9 material; zinc, yellow zinc, phosphate, black oxide or nickel coating; for brakes