applied fasteners and tooling

Aerospace Fasteners and Tooling Distributionaft.systems

Applied Fasteners and Tooling (AFT) is a private Australian stocking distributor, founded in 2014, that supplies aerospace-grade fasteners, assembly tooling, consumables, and technical support to aerospace, defence, space, marine, industrial, and motorsport customers globally.

Company typePrivate
Founded2014
HeadquartersDocklands, Australia
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2B
OfferingHardware or Manufacturing

What applied fasteners and tooling does

Applied Fasteners and Tooling (AFT) is a private Australian stocking distributor, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Docklands, Melbourne. The company supplies aerospace-grade fasteners, assembly tooling, consumables, and technical support services to customers across commercial aerospace, military and defence, space, marine, industrial, and motorsport verticals. Named customers include Jetstar, the Australian Defence Force, and a global airframe manufacturer, and AFT is a member of the Victorian Defence Alliance and the Australian Defence Industry Network.

AFT's catalogue comprises two core lines: fasteners (OEM-approved standards, AN/MS/NAS hardware, and specialty ranges including Hi Lok, Cherry, Click Bond, TAPERLOK, Jergens Kwik Lok Pins, and Avibank Ball Lok Pins) and tooling and consumables (rivet tooling, drilling equipment, Hi Lok and nutplate tooling, coldworking tooling, cable management systems, and repair kits). All parts are supplied with certificates of conformance. The coldworking split-sleeve expansion offering claims fatigue-life improvements of up to 10 times versus conventional fastening methods, and coldworking tools carry AS9100 compliance in addition to the company's AS9120B certification (Certificate AU1883).

The business operates on a quote-based, one-time product-distribution model complemented by professional-services revenue from application engineering, product testing, programme management, VMI, and repair/maintenance support. Distribution is direct to enterprise customers globally with same-day shipping, regional Australian stock availability, and a Vendor Managed Inventory programme for automatic replenishment. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and revenue figures are not available.

applied fasteners and tooling firmographics

Firmographics

Name: applied fasteners and tooling
Legal name: Applied Fasteners and Tooling
Website: https://aft.systems
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2014
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: Applied Fasteners and Tooling (AFT) is a private Australian stocking distributor, founded in 2014, that supplies aerospace-grade fasteners, assembly tooling, consumables, and technical support to aerospace, defence, space, marine, industrial, and motorsport customers globally.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

applied fasteners and tooling industry classification

Industry

Product category: Aerospace Fasteners and Tooling Distribution
NAICS: Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641), Bolt, Nut, Screw, Rivet, and Washer Manufacturing (332722)
SIC: Bolts, Nuts, Screws, Rivets & Washers (3452), Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728)
akta.pro primary industry: Aerospace Fasteners & Hardware (IMABANAA)
akta.pro secondary industry: Parts Distribution & Spares Management (Aftermarket) (IMABALAK)

Keywords

Aerospace fasteners
Aerospace tooling
Defence fasteners
Aerospace consumables
AS9120B distribution

Where applied fasteners and tooling is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Docklands
HQ country: Australia
HQ region: Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

applied fasteners and tooling business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Hardware or Manufacturing
Cost components: Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Product Distribution: Distribution of fasteners and tooling products including approved standards, AN/MS/NAS hardware, specialty fasteners, and tooling consumables. Products are supplied with certificates of conformance to customers' requirements.
Technical Support Services: Technical support services including application engineering support, product development and training, product testing, program management and VMI, and repair and maintenance support.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

applied fasteners and tooling product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Applied Fasteners and Tooling distributes aerospace-grade fasteners, installation and removal tooling, and consumables to buyers in the aerospace, defence, space, marine, industrial and motorsport sectors. The company operates under AS9120B certification and maintains an inventory of more than 60,000 SKUs, supplemented by engineering support and custom sourcing services.

Product overview

Applied Fasteners and Tooling (AFT) is a distribution company offering specialized fastening products and technical support to aerospace, defence, and industrial sectors. The product portfolio consists of two core product lines: Fasteners (including OEM approved standards, AN/MS/NAS hardware, and specialty fasteners like Ball Lok Pins, Hi Lok, Cherry, Click Bond, and TAPERLOK) and Tooling & Consumables (including rivet tooling, drilling equipment, Hi Lok tooling, nutplate tooling, countersink tooling, cold working tooling, and cable management systems). AFT stocks over 60,000 products and provides end-to-end technical support from design through procurement, production, maintenance, and repair. The company operates as a stocking distributor with same-day global shipping, custom manufacturing capability, and VMI (Vendor Managed Inventory) solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Aerospace Fasteners Distribution of aerospace-grade fasteners including bolts, screws, nuts, washers, rivets, inserts and related hardware for use in OEM production, MRO, defence platforms and high-performance industrial applications.
Aerospace Tooling
Aerospace Consumables
Engineering Support and Custom Sourcing

Quantifiable outcome

Fatigue life increased up to 10 times using coldworking split sleeve expansion systems

Companies that use applied fasteners and tooling

Customer profile

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

applied fasteners and tooling technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

applied fasteners and tooling partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

Victorian Defence AlliancecoreOthersRecognised member of the Victorian Defence Alliance (VDSN/VDA), affirming position as a trusted supplier in the Australian defence industry.
Australian Industry and Defence Network (AIDN)coreOthersMember of the Australian Industry and Defence Network, supporting connections in the aerospace and defence industry.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

applied fasteners and tooling competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Wencor Group: Wencor is an AS9120-certified stocking distributor of aerospace fasteners, hardware, and MRO parts operating a near-identical distribution model to AFT and serving commercial and defence aerospace customers at comparable scale.

Broad incumbents

HEICO Corporation: NYSE-listed aerospace parts and MRO holding company with proprietary fastener and PMA alternatives that competes for the same aerospace accounts as AFT through broader product portfolios.
AAR Corp: NYSE-listed aerospace and defence aftermarket services and parts supplier with fastener distribution capabilities, serving the same commercial and defence aerospace customers as AFT across multiple geographies.
Wesco International: NYSE-listed global industrial and aerospace fastener distributor with a sizable aerospace fastener segment that competes with AFT for the same OEM and MRO accounts at far greater scale.
KLX Aerospace Solutions: Now part of Boeing Distribution Inc., KLX is a global aerospace parts and fastener distributor with multi-region inventory that overlaps with AFT on customer base though at substantially greater scale.
TransDigm Group: NYSE-listed aerospace parts holding company with proprietary fastener and hardware product lines serving aerospace and defence primes, addressing the same ultimate customers as AFT across a much broader portfolio.

Others

Lisi Aerospace: Manufacturer of Hi Lok and Avibank branded fasteners that AFT distributes, operating on the supply side of the same aerospace fastener value chain; direct Lisi sales can either feed AFT in ANZ or compete with it.
Textron Inc. Parent of Cherry Aerospace, one of AFT's distributed fastener brands; operates comparable exposure to commercial and defence aerospace fastener markets through proprietary manufacturing rather than distribution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

applied fasteners and tooling compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance3 records

applied fasteners and tooling financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

applied fasteners and tooling leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

applied fasteners and tooling funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

applied fasteners and tooling M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about applied fasteners and tooling

What does applied fasteners and tooling do?

Is applied fasteners and tooling a public or private company?

applied fasteners and tooling is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was applied fasteners and tooling founded?

applied fasteners and tooling was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is applied fasteners and tooling based?

applied fasteners and tooling is headquartered in Docklands, Australia, in the Oceania region.

How does applied fasteners and tooling make money?

Two revenue lines are on record. Product Distribution is the primary driver. The others are technical Support Services.

Who are applied fasteners and tooling's main competitors?

Wencor Group is listed as a direct peer. Broad incumbents are HEICO Corporation, AAR Corp, Wesco International, KLX Aerospace Solutions and TransDigm Group. Others are Lisi Aerospace and Textron Inc..

Does applied fasteners and tooling have an API?

No public API is recorded for applied fasteners and tooling.

What industry is applied fasteners and tooling in?

applied fasteners and tooling's product category is Aerospace Fasteners and Tooling Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABANAA, Aerospace Fasteners & Hardware, with a secondary code of IMABALAK, Parts Distribution & Spares Management (Aftermarket). Its NAICS code is 33641 and its SIC code is 3452.