I also spent the best part of my working life in the Motor Industry. 'Pop' rivets were fine for metal-to-metal jointing, but as Bernie says the necessary holes in the metalwork would eventually rust. As moulded plastics took over, the favoured fixing method was (and is) to use moulded-in clips in the plastic part, which slot into plastic-lined holes in the metal panel, eg, door trim onto door panels. Even better technology is the use of cyanoacrylate adhesives, and becoming more and more practical, double-sided adhesive tapes. Not long ago I got hold of some modern automotive-standard double-sided tapes to attach tiles to the wall of my bathroom; when a few weeks ago I tried to remove those tiles, the plaster came off the wall before the tape bond failed!
I sympathise with Atkinson (Post No 18), but he is wrong: Tucker Eyelet, like many similar companies in the UK and elsewhere got overtaken by modern technology, simple as that. Old-style management cannot compete with new-style technology.
A bad side-effect of new fixing technology in the automotive industry is the reluctance to remove any kind of trim, as it's a swine to re-fix it. So for example if your window mechanism fails, be prepared for lots of swear-words from whoever tries to repair it.....
G