Fasteners are devices that attach objects together and have been used since 1840. The North American fastener industry grew in the late 1800s with the proposal of standard screw threads and bolts. By 1969, there were over 450 fastener companies in North America producing 2 billion fasteners per year, but competition from cheaper foreign fasteners reduced that number to 250 companies by 1984. The fastener industry then focused on producing highly engineered, value-added fasteners for industries like aerospace where reliability is critical, and aerospace now accounts for about 14% of the fastener market with some anticipated long-term growth.