Thriving high-temperature adhesive maker sets sights closer to home
ENGINEERING
Strong bond – the team at Minkon Fortafix prides itself on great customer service .
HOT STUFF
Thriving high-temperature adhesive maker sets sights closer to home
WORDS : DAVE ROBSON PICTURES : TOM BANKS
Minkon Fortafix has operated successfully from Hartlepool since 1982 – yet most of its business comes from outside the North- East .
But with Teesside seemingly on the cusp of something special , with lots of investment heading this way , the firm aims to ensure its reputation for bespoke products and great customer service sticks locally , not just elsewhere .
German-owned , Minkon has plants near Tarnowskie Góry in Poland and Erkrath in Germany . However , its UK operation is run from a unit on Tofts Farm Industrial Estate on Brenda Road , Hartlepool , from where a close-knit and vastly experienced 16-strong team ensures its products are supplied across the UK and worldwide . Its three main brands are : Minkon – established in 1982 and the “ umbrella ” company , it provides thermocouples and samplers for steel plants and foundries .
Fortafix – a 100-year-old brand , acquired by Minkon in 2008 , specialising in high-temperature silicones , sealants , adhesives and cements .
Texform – produces extreme environment protective jackets and gaskets , valve housing , filtration products and fire protection blankets .
The firm boasts almost 500 customers across the UK and abroad . Bafflingly , however , the local market remains largely untouched , save for a couple of foundries – a situation that ’ s ripe for change .
And , as general manager Mark Sickling and operations manager Stuart Smith talk to Tees Business , their determination to finally tap into the local market is clear .
Mark said : “ We ’ ve been here for 42 years , we ’ ve got all this industry around us and yet 99 per cent of our business is outside the North-East .
“ We want to be a part of what ’ s happening on Teesside . A lot of industries can maybe get a bit set in their ways and once you become an approved supplier , they stick with that – they know what they ’ re buying and who they ’ re buying it from . But we know we have plenty to offer local firms – they just need to know more about us .
“ Commercially , we have been successful outside of the region , but now , with what ’ s happening on Teesside , it ’ s the perfect time to team up with people on our doorstep .
104 | Tees Business