Acument Global Technologies
Blue Ocean of Industry Leading Players: Acument Global Technologies
Acument Global Technologies’ history goes back to 1943 when CAMCAR® Screw Company began making a part for a WWII war plane. In 1953, Textron purchased CAMCAR® renaming it CAMCAR® Textron. In the late 1990’s, Textron began acquiring other fastener companies globally and called this group Textron Fastening Systems (TFS). In 2006, TFS was sold to a private equity company who changed the name to Acument Global Technologies. In 2014, Acument was sold to the Italian fastener company Fontana Gruppo out of Italy. Through all the name changes, the company’s Intellectual Properties and Licensing activity remained a key strategy, signing licensees for its worldwide known products such as the TORX® and TORX PLUS® drive systems. Along with Acument, the majority of our Licensees are involved in the automotive industry, as well as aerospace and various commercial industries.
AIP’s largest licensing activity is with manufacturers of metal fasteners, drive tools, and heading tools for the TORX® and TORX PLUS® systems who sell to OEM’s and distributors worldwide.
To control the quality of products sold under our licensed brands, each Licensee is required to purchase inspection gages sold from our licensing headquarters located in the USA. Licensees are required to regularly submit samples of their product to AIP for inspection against our specifications. By doing so, we are able to ensure that licensed products sold under our brands are of the highest quality.
AIP also has developed a unique “Master License” program where we look for new, patented products from companies around the world to bring into our product portfolio. The company signs an Agreement with AIP granting us the right to license his patents and trademarks to other companies and then sharing the royalty income with the inventor. We can use our experience and licensing network to introduce the product to other companies that can then market the invention to their customers. What we look for is a product that has a technical advantage over other existing products and also has patent coverage in the major industrial markets.
With Licensees located around the world, they can respond to any emerging market need very quickly. One of our products in the Master Licensing program, TORX® ttap® fasteners, is beginning to fill the need for good, quality fasteners in the global construction and DIY markets.
AIP’s plan for keeping a competitive edge besides our Master Licensing activity also involves the introduction of our own newly designed, and patented, drive system called TORX® Paralobe™, to be introduced globally in late 2015. Finding Master Licensee partners that can fill niche markets will remain an important strategy for AIP. We promote our program and services through trade shows, Licensee meetings, publications, and our web site.