Sample Order for Tubular Rivets Headed to the UK

Last week, we sent out a small package of tubular rivets to a new customer in the UK. It wasn't a full container—just a box of samples. But sometimes, those small boxes are the start of something good.

The customer is a manufacturer in Birmingham that makes lighting fixtures and electrical enclosures. They found us through an online search and reached out. After a few emails back and forth, they asked if we could make a specific type of brass tubular rivet for their assembly line. They needed a style with a round head, in brass, where the hollow runs almost the entire length of the shank to act as a bushing in their design.

Our shop made up a small batch. The deep draw team pulled the cups to the right depth, the heading station formed the round heads, and we finished them with a light tumble to smooth the edges. They came out looking clean.

We packed them carefully in a small carton with the commercial invoice, and sent them off by air freight. The shipping time to Birmingham is about a week. Now, we wait. If the samples fit their assembly fixture and meet their quality check, the first production order should follow.

It's always satisfying to see our full tubular rivets travel that far, even a small batch like this. Every partnership starts somewhere. For us, it often starts with a box of samples and a customer who wants to see if we can do what we say we can do.

Now, we're keeping an eye on tracking and waiting for their feedback. Hopefully, this little package leads to a long relationship.