Steering IFI into the Future: Insights from Six Years of Transformative Leadership

Reflection on Career and Impact at IFI

FND: Since joining IFI six years ago, you’ve brought extensive experience in engineering and association management. How has your career journey influenced your leadership at IFI, and what do you consider your most significant contributions to the organization during your tenure?

[Daniel Walker] First off, thank you for the opportunity to participate in this interview. I’m as excited today about my role at IFI as I was when I took this job 6 years ago.

My predecessor, Rob Harris, did such a fantastic job of running the IFI for 24 years before me. I’m very fortunate to have inherited an organization that was so well run and organized – and with a strong culture. Prior to coming to IFI, I was working for a trade association management company in Cleveland, OH for more than 20 years managing multiple associations in the manufacturing space. I’m an engineer by training, so obviously that background lends itself well to working for an organization like IFI that is steeped in technical history, research, standards development and conducting technical training.  I’m very thankful to have such a competent technical staff and members with people like Salim Brahimi and Laurence Claus who lead those efforts with our members. 

In terms of impact, I’d say the most significant ones have been behind the scenes. We’ve modernized the organization to meet the needs of our members in an ever-changing world. We’ve overhauled our management philosophy, transitioned to cutting-edge technology and ramped up our communications to make IFI more visible to the public, our member’s employees and end-users. We’ve also done a lot to help engage the next generation of industry leaders and put together training and leadership development programs to support that effort. I won’t take credit for the tremendous progress IFI has made in the last six years. We have some of the smartest people in our industry helping to lead the charge. As I said, we’re extremely fortunate to have such experienced staff in key roles that are all working together to make membership in the institute so valuable. 

Membership Growth and Value Proposition

FND: Dan, under your leadership, IFI has emphasized expanding its membership base. Could you elaborate on the specific benefits IFI offers to new members, particularly in terms of networking and professional development within the fastener industry?

[Daniel Walker]  We have been very successful in onboarding new members due to the value proposition IFI membership provides. There is a lot to cover here, because we offer so many programs that benefit fastener manufacturers and suppliers. To list a few of the top benefits: Informative meetings, networking events, standards development, technical publications, wage and benefits and industry benchmarking surveys, government affairs representation, and no-cost member training. That’s just some of what we do. Our members and staff roll up their sleeves and do the necessary hard work to keep our industry relevant. 

The reason to join an association like the IFI is that, collectively, we can do far more than any one company can do alone. Belonging to IFI means all your employees are also members, and there is a lot of value for everyone at every level if they choose to be involved. We’re working on the most difficult issues facing manufacturers, which keeps your personnel on the cutting edge of what is happening in their industry. It provides invaluable contacts for your up-and-coming leaders to network and learn about the issues and how others are solving them to the benefit of their own companies.

Last (but not least), our government affairs efforts are designed to engage our members. We encourage them to tell their stories, and we set up meetings for them in Washington with their elected representatives, so their voices are heard. We circulate and submit consensus comments on upcoming legislation and regulatory issues that impact safety, the environment and the day-to-day operations of member businesses in the U.S. Examples of recent IFI advocacy includes comments to OSHA on work related standards, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), U.S. International Trade Commission (US ITC), and on legal issues. Because IFI is recognized as a strong industry group we are effective in Washington, and we can speak with a unified voice. 

Technology and Innovation Initiatives

FND: IFI has been at the forefront of developing industry standards and technological advancements. Can you discuss some recent initiatives or technological tools introduced by IFI that are driving innovation in the fastener industry? As the industry faces a generational shift, what educational and training programs does IFI offer to support the onboarding and development of new professionals in the fastener sector? 

[Daniel Walker]  This is a great question. Because it is such a big (and detailed) area of our work, I’d rather let Salim Brahimi delve into the technical details of our standards development and research in a future article with you. Instead, I’ll focus this response on what we’re doing to grow future technical leaders. Last year, we recognized that in the next decade our industry would be losing a number of very knowledgeable and influential people to retirements. We had to ask ourselves, which unknown young people in our membership will someday take the place of our experts, like Salim Brahimi, Carmen Vertullo, or Laurence Claus? Were we intentionally doing enough to help the young outstanding (and maybe unknown) people in our industry to remain here and grow to fill those shoes?  

IFI’s Board of Directors recognized that this needs to be part of IFI’s strategic vision for the future so that our industry doesn’t just survive, but rather we should create an environment for our young technical leaders to thrive.  We started doing that in a much more purposeful way through our expanded Technical Committee in 2023. Recent efforts to support that initiative include forming smaller task groups that are chaired by more experienced members and inviting our members to send their up-and-coming talented men and women to participate in the projects of those groups. 

IFI publishes a number of technical bulletins and reference books, many of which need to be updated. This is the perfect opportunity for the younger generation to get directly involved in important work beyond their company’s day-to-day production and to make their mark in our industry, which helps them grow professionally. At our technical meetings they get to work side-by-side with the industry’s best and brightest people. This is already happening, and I’m very pleased to say that the Technical Committee just wrapped up a very successful Technical Symposium at our headquarters for the members. We had 42 engineers in attendance who listened to technical presentations and participated in poster sessions learning about the important research being done on Hydrogen Embrittlement. I’m happy to say, the future of our technical leadership is looking very bright.

Educational Programs for New Workforce

FND: What is IFI doing in the area of workforce development?

[Daniel Walker]  For nearly a decade, IFI has been developing and conducting high-quality training on subjects such as cold-heading basics, heat treating, plating, avoiding fastener failures, and other subjects the members have requested. These training sessions range from 2-hour webinars to multi-day in-person or on-site training sessions. We continue to discuss the training needs of our members, and we are always working on new programs. 

One recent example of a game-changing program we have been working on is our a cold-heading, hot-heading and threading apprenticeship program that was recently submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor to help train the industry’s future machine operators. Unlike the shorter 2-hour webinars or 8-hour trainings we’ve done before, the apprenticeship program will be a multi-year tiered program geared toward machine operators. This training will be in-depth and very specific to the equipment being used in a particular company’s shop. The apprenticeship program training will consist of a mix of e-learning, hands-on training and machine time. That will require companies who onboard apprentices to designate someone in their organizations manage the process. Key to the program will be learning from the company’s own experienced personnel on the job, which will be augmented by self-paced online training through IFI’s Workforge™ training system.  Incidentally, IFI also makes the Workforge™ system available to non-members for those who might be interested in online training resources for manufacturers.         

Industry Challenges and IFI’s Strategic Focus

FND: With the current global economic challenges, what are the most significant issues facing the fastener industry today, and how is IFI positioning itself to support its members in navigating these challenges?

[Daniel Walker]  For the last several years our members report one of their biggest challenges has been filling open positions with skilled people. Unemployment remains low in the U.S. Competition for workers is at an all-time high, and birthrates are actually below the replacement level in the U.S., so we know this workforce problem is not going to simply solve itself. IFI’s most recent effort to launch a U.S. Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program is aimed at chipping away at that problem by teaching good people lacking experience how to do these jobs. Many other industries such as the construction trades already have apprenticeship programs functioning, so it is important for fastener manufacturers to also have a structured framework for upskilling workers that includes credentials the apprentices can take with them throughout their fastener industry careers. 

Another supporting project in the area of workforce is IFI’s Wage and Benefit survey that we conduct regularly. This ensures IFI members are kept up to date on the state of workforce and that they can position themselves to pay competitive wages to attract and retain the needed talent. 

Keeping our members informed about the economic indicators that affect their businesses also helps them make decisive investments in terms of new equipment purchases, business expansion opportunities and input material markets. For this purpose, we have maintained a long-standing relationship with ITR Economics. Our members receive regular updates from ITR and many of them say this has been a game changer for their decision making.  We feature an ITR economist at our Spring meeting every year, which has been a highlight for our members and a compelling reason to attend the meetings.

Finally, our technical staff is involved in all the worldwide standards organizations and quickly notifies members about coming changes in global standardization. We’re also conducting new research to learn more about material behavior and new methods to ensure industry growth as our members customers’ needs change over time. 

Sustainability and Future Trends

FND: Sustainability is becoming increasingly important across all industries. How is IFI addressing sustainability in the fastener industry, and what trends do you foresee shaping the future of the industry?

[Daniel Walker]  In terms of sustainability, our members are well positioned because the materials used to produce fasteners are highly recyclable. Any trimmed or “waste” material from their processes is put back into the raw material supply chain through recycling. Steel and aluminum scrap has value, so recycling the scrap is beneficial to their businesses. Many of the sustainability regulations our members face are similar to those for other types of manufacturing. For the more common issues, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) or other trade groups already address those needs. For the areas of sustainability that are unique to our industry, such as carbon reporting or specific material tracking for customer requests, we have formed special task groups on an ad hoc basis to share and review best practices. 

Sustainability has, in some cases, shifted consumer demand toward certain products and reduced demand for some others – which has an effect on demand. The shift from ICE engines to electric motors in the automotive sector is a great example of that. IFI’s members have been kept up to date on this transition for many years through our Automotive Industry Fastener Group (AIFG), which has given them both information and time to adapt their products to take advantage of new markets. That valuable time also allows them to diversify their product lines, so they are not relying too heavily on business in one area of the market.

In-plant technology continues to evolve and is often driven more by market forces rather than enforcement. One good example is high-efficiency lighting in production plants. Prior to any mandates, LED lights and skylights were being installed in IFI member plants to provide better light and lower their energy costs. Those things also work hand-in-hand with attracting and retaining the next generation workforce because those are better environments in which to work. The same goes for monitoring and maintaining healthy air quality and temperatures in the production areas. I have observed that IFI member plants have changed a lot in recent years to stay ahead of these trends.

The New IFI Book of Fastener Standards

FND: IFI recently announced the release of the 12th edition of the IFI Book of Fastener Standards, a critical resource for industry professionals. Could you share what’s new in this edition and explain how interested parties can obtain a copy?

[Daniel Walker]  Yes – we did just release a new book. Each edition is highly anticipated because many companies rely on the book as a part of their quality management programs, and it is essential for distributors and customers to reference the most recent standards. The new edition contains 39 changed or reapproved standards, in addition to one new one. IFI-171, “Thread Dimensions, Sizes 1-5/8 – 5-1/2 and 1-7/8 – 5 UNS, For Assembly of Bolts, Studs and Nuts, In The Steel Construction Industry” was developed since the last published book. We’ve been publishing the book for 83 years and it is a staple in the industry. 

Those interested in obtaining the latest book can find it at www.indfast.org/book.   

IFI’s Vision for the Future

FND: Dan, as IFI continues to evolve and support the fastener industry, what is your vision for the organization’s future? How do you see IFI’s role expanding or shifting to meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the industry?

[Daniel Walker]  I share the same vision of IFI that our members do. This organization is important to them because they continue to make it a priority to uphold the highest standards and share best practices – even though they are competitors. This benefits the companies as well as consumers because the products become better as a result. IFI members work together on the hardest issues our industry faces – the things any one company could not tackle on their own. We’ve been supporting fastener manufacturers since 1931 by together doing the important work that most benefits our industry. We’re constantly evolving to meet our members’ needs by listening, engaging, and taking appropriate action. We are focused on developing the next generation of leaders so that IFI will also be here to help them and future generations in our industry. 

Daniel Walker | Bio

Dan Walker, P.E. has served as the Managing Director of the Industrial Fasteners Institute (IFI) since August 2018. In this role, he is responsible for carrying out the day-to-day operations of IFI, coordinating programs, budgeting, managing the work of the staff, liaison with other industry groups, and carrying out IFI’s strategic plan. He is an Ohio licensed professional engineer and has 28 years of trade association management experience.  Before coming to IFI, Dan worked at a multiple trade association management company representing various groups related to building products manufacturing.   

About IFI

IFI is the leading voice representing the interests of North American manufacturers of mechanical fasteners and formed parts, as well as the key suppliers to the industry, fostering their working together to shape the future of the industry. IFI represents the industry to its suppliers, customers, the government, and the public-at-large to advance the competitiveness, products, and innovative technology of the Member Companies in a global marketplace. Learn more about IFI and its membership at indfast.org.

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