For over 40 years, Masfix has been a trusted supplier of fasteners, fixings, and industrial consumables across multiple sectors. Today, the company is accelerating its growth in the automotive industry with the opening of a new 5,000 sq. ft facility at Aycliffe Business Park in County Durham – a strategic move designed to strengthen its support for manufacturers and suppliers in one of the region’s most critical sectors.
As a proud member of the North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA), Masfix is positioning itself as a key partner in the automotive supply chain, offering tailored solutions that meet the demands of modern manufacturing.
We sat down with Richard Ward, Sales Director at Masfix, to discuss the company’s heritage, its latest expansion, and its vision for the future.
Masfix has been serving UK industries since 1982. How has the company evolved from its early days to the present?
Masfix began in 1982 as a small family-run fastener business. Over the years we’ve steadily expanded our product range, our team, and our capabilities. What started as a specialist fastener supplier is now a broad industrial partner supporting engineering, manufacturing, automotive and construction customers with over 30,000 stocked products.
We’ve invested in modern facilities, a strong logistics network, digital systems, and service innovations like vendor-managed inventory. The opening of our newest site at Aycliffe Business Park reflects that evolution — from a single-site operation to a multilocation supply partner supporting some of the region’s most advanced industries.
What core values have remained constant throughout Masfix’s 40+ year journey?
Even as we’ve grown, the foundations haven’t changed. We’re still a family business built on reliability, service, and genuine long-term relationships with our customers.
We’ve always believed in doing things properly — supplying quality products, keeping our promises, and being the kind of partner people can rely on. Innovation has also been a constant. Whether that’s introducing new product lines or developing smarter ways to help customers manage their inventory, we’re always looking ahead without losing sight of those original values.
Masfix offers over 30,000 products, from fasteners to PPE. Which product categories are seeing the most demand right now?
Our core fasteners and fixings continue to see strong, consistent demand – they’re the backbone of many of our customers’ operations. Beyond that, tools, engineered consumables, and PPE/workwear have grown significantly, especially within manufacturing and automotive environments where reliability and compliance are critical.
We’re also seeing increased activity around engineered parts and custom specification items as customers push for greater efficiency and quality on their production lines.
What role does your vendor-managed inventory (VMI) system play in supporting manufacturing clients?
Our VMI offering is one of the biggest value-adds for manufacturing and automotive customers. By placing vending machines, kanban systems, or RFID-managed stock directly on the customer’s site, we take full responsibility for monitoring usage and replenishing stock.
This dramatically reduces downtime, cuts waste, and keeps production flowing without the administrative burden of raising constant purchase orders. It’s a smart, data-driven approach that improves efficiency on every level – something our automotive clients especially value.
