About Us Page

Bill Pierce, President

Bill is currently a member of TELTECH Technical Knowledge Service out of Minneapolis, MN. This is an organization that specializes in utilizing retirees who are recognized experts in their field of knowledge and willing to share that knowledge with the manufacturing world via a an `event' (one or more phone calls in a short period of time on a given subject) or on-site evaluations. He is also available for extended contracts.

Additional information about TELTECH can be obtained at www.teltech.com on the Internet or calling Kristen Galetka at 1-800-833- 8330 ext. 1583. However, his service/s do not require a client to be a member of Teltech. Bill is available 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Monday through Friday.

He graduated from Valparaiso Technical Institute, Valparaiso, IN, in Dec. 1958 as a Radio Design Technician. He then worked for General Electric, Light Military, in Utica, NY, for six months as a Radar Technician (until he got tired of the snow) then came to Delco Radio, Division of General Motors, in Kokomo, IN, in June 1959.

Bill started his career there as a 4th level lab aid and worked his way up to an 8th level Senior Development Engineer. During that time he worked as Manufacturing Liaison (Engineering Production Assistance) Engineer, a SPEAR Quality Auditor in the Supplier Development Dept of Purchasing, a first line Supervisor in the Engineering Administration Dept. to the implementation and management of the Fastener Technology Laboratory.

In this position Bill and his team saved their employer over $15,000,000 and had an another $8,000,000 - $10,000,000 savings on the forward planning agenda at the time of his retirement. This was done by reviewing/evaluating the various type fasteners and quantity of part numbers being used and finding ways to 'deproliferate' the quantity of part numbers being used thus increasing the volume of a given part number/s. They then began studying each joint in manufacturing and identifying its weakness and finding ways to improve that joint by making it more ergonomically pleasing to the operator and reduce the PPM defect rate. This enabled the operator to do a better job in a shorter time and improve the reliability of the joint.

They then learned how to develop joint signatures and Bill justified the procurement of more than $100,000 in engineering equipment and established a basic laboratory. This enabled them to more thoroughly understand each joint as it was designed thus reducing manufacturing problems such as loose screws, stripped screws and screws that would not seat.

This led them into looking at and evaluating different type screws and drive systems. As a result of this effort their employer quickly moved into the trilobular (Taptite & Plastite ) fasteners in aluminum and plastic. They conducted process capability studies of their employer's production lines throughout the world and set manufacturing guidelines worldwide. These efforts saved millions of dollars in up front and start up costs.

Bill has conducted over 50 fastener-training seminars for his previous employers' engineers and suppliers. Thus far he has trained and certified over 700 technicians and engineers in plants all over the world. He reads and writes some Spanish and can understand some limited Spanish technical terms. He compiled training manuals, trouble shooting guidelines and visual aids for manufacturing and engineering and was responsible for getting them translated into Spanish, German, and Japanese.

At the time of Bill's retirement he was working on ways to assure joint integrity via end-of-line quality checks and evaluating PT screws for small applications (#4, M2 size screws and smaller). This is impossible to do unless you understand the design of the joint and the fastener being used and are using it properly.

He has also had extensive experience in developing Quality Inspection Plans. He was responsible for developing and his previous employer moving into what was termed a NIV (No Inspection Verification) program that eventually eliminated all Incoming Inspection. These were based on moving from Mil-spec inspection tables into Dodge-Romig skip-lot sample plans to the eventual Supplier Certification program and complete no inspection.

Since forming CSFT Bill has completed projects for many clients with as little as 1 - 2 phone calls, has written test and operator procedures for a major aerospace manufacturer and is major distributor of WESTCOM software in the US and Mexico. He has developed business relationships with many test laboratories and fastener manufacturers in the United States and Mexico.

Bill is the distributor of BOLTSCIENCE's BOLTCALC, TORQUE, FASTENER, and TORKSense software in the United States and Canada.