Fastening Points
How every fastener proves its strength at bigHead
At bigHead, quality is proven every day on the production floor. Every fastening that leaves our site has been tested for strength, accuracy and reliability.
That responsibility sits with people like Paul Hayes, who has spent the last twelve years turning discs, studs and collars into fastenings trusted across industries from marine to automotive. We joined Paul on the production floor to see how precision and testing come together in every part.
It started with a bacon sandwich
Twelve years ago, Paul didn’t set out to become a production machine operator at a specialist fastener manufacturer. He was working in dispatch – at a company which suddenly announced it was closing in a week’s time. He agreed to stay on one more week to help palletise the remaining stock.
That’s when fate, or rather a food van, intervened.
In those final days before redundancy, Paul was queuing for a bacon sandwich at the food van shared with the company next door, bigHead. He got chatting to Matthew, bigHead’s CEO, who mentioned a vacancy in their dispatch team. Eight days later, Paul started in his new role.
“These tiny parts I make go on to support huge weights in everything from luxury yachts to bin lorries.”
From dispatch to production
Paul started out handling bigHead’s goods in and dispatch, but often jumped in to help production during busy spells. Soon, he was offered the switch to a full-time production role.
“People hear ‘machine operator’ and imagine me sitting on a production line for eight hours. It’s not like that at all,” Paul says. “It’s technical, varied, and you take huge responsibility for the quality of the parts.”
An interesting facet of the job is wondering where the finished parts will end up. “On the work order I just see the customer’s name, so I’m often curious about the application. These tiny parts I make go on to support huge weights in everything from luxury yachts to bin lorries.”
The machines (old, new and improved)
Paul making fasteners on one of the older machines
When Paul joined, bigHead was using what he calls ‘workhorse’ machines. The machines got the job done to a high standard, but settings needed constant adjustment. Weld splatter was an ongoing battle, and without being able to pause, the machines were a challenge to keep up with.
Nine years ago, the company moved to its current Verwood site, taking the old machines along for the ride. It was a huge undertaking – loading them onto articulated lorries, then painstakingly plumbing them and connecting them in at the new site.
Stronger, cleaner, faster fastenings
Later came the upgrade: bigHead’s new generation of machinery. Over several months, the team deliberately pushed the new machines to the limit to identify any problems.
“We liked them so much we now have four of them,” Paul says. “They go at our pace, have better lighting, more space, built-in cameras, and protect against weld splatter. They can even tell if a disc has been loaded incorrectly, without a stud or collar. And, they use DC weld instead of AC, meaning up to double the weld strength.”
The result is even stronger, cleaner fastenings, produced more efficiently.
Putting the parts through their paces
For Paul, making the part is only half the job. Proving it’s strong enough is just as vital. Every new run starts with eight test parts, which are inspected visually before heading to the strength testing machine.
“It’s basically a machine that tries to pull them apart until something gives,” Paul explains. “You can set different force levels depending on the part. It tells us and the customer exactly what the weld can take, before it ever leaves the building.”
Throughout a production run, samples are pulled and checked again. “If engineering parts fail, there can be serious consequences. That’s always in the back of your mind,” Paul says.
And the results speak for themselves: despite producing millions of parts this year, bigHead hasn’t had a single customer return due to a part failure.
“Give me any part and I will enjoy making it.”
A typical week
Paul using the tensile testing machine
When a work order comes in, the warehouse team sends Paul the picked components – a precise selection of discs, studs, collars and lubricants. If the customer needs a bespoke fastening, Paul gets the custom tooling design from bigHead’s development team.
Paul scans the work order barcode, the machine recognises and loads the settings. Then Paul loads the machine with the components and starts the run.
After the initial strength tests are passed, production begins in earnest. The machine welds, ejects parts into the bin, and once all the parts are made, it goes back to the Dispatch team and out to the customer.
The hardest part of his work, Paul says, is balancing speed with quality. The production team work with tight turnaround times, and each product needs to be perfect. “You see a dozen orders in your queue at the beginning of the week and think, ‘How am I going to get through all these?’ But you do!”
Paul particularly likes long runs of 10 or 20 thousand parts because the progress is rewarding. Although he does admit 6mm studs can be fiddly to work with, he says: “Give me any part and I will enjoy making it.”
The people behind the parts
Even more than those long, satisfying runs of parts, Paul appreciates the people he works with. He enjoys the company’s social events and the way bigHead looks after its team. Longevity is common here: one colleague has 30 years in, another 25, and there’s a sense of community.
The new, quieter machines also mean operators can now listen to music and podcasts while they work. So, what’s on Paul’s production playlist? A mix of 70s rock, glam, and punk, with the occasional Beyoncé, Dua Lipa and Lady Gaga thrown in.
“You’ve made something that’s going to last and work as it should.”
If someone shadowed Paul for a day, they might be surprised by how much precision, testing and variation is involved. “It’s taxing but enjoyable. You’re tired at the end of the day, but you’ve made something that’s going to last and work as it should.”
His advice to anyone considering this line of work? “Enjoy it. Have good music ready. And don’t whinge – life’s too short.”
If you need fastenings that balance speed, strength and certainty…
We can help. Paul and the team make sure every part is reliable before it reaches your hands.