A method for rapidly attaching pierce nuts to a sheet which does not require completely new tooling for different designs of sheets. The nuts are made from a strip of metal and are complete except that they are left attached to one another and are thus predictably oriented. They are supplied to the attaching mechanism in rolled strip form. The attaching mechanism is a standardized unit enclosed in a single housing which automatically locates the end nut of the strip over the workpiece sheet, severs the nut from the strip, pierces the sheet with the nut and clinches the nut to the sheet while, if desired, embossing the sheet at the opening made therein by the nut. As many such standarized nut attaching units may be used simultaneously in a single punch press as are required, the tooling to be used comprising mainly means for locating the units relative to the sheet in the punch press.