Fastenal distributes industrial and construction supplies, including fasteners, tools and safety equipment, to manufacturing, construction and other businesses through a network of local branches and increasingly through vending machines and inventory management systems installed directly at customer sites. Its onsite and vending programs place Fastenal's products directly inside customer facilities, embedding the company deeply into a customer's daily operations and making it harder for competitors to displace once installed. The company sells an enormous number of small, individually inexpensive items, so its business depends heavily on distribution efficiency and inventory management rather than any single high-value product line. Fastenal's revenue tends to track overall industrial production and construction activity, since more manufacturing and building activity generally means more demand for the fasteners and supplies it distributes.