Fastenal Company is celebrating its 25th anniversary in Mexico.
The company entered the Mexican market in 2000, and the Apodaca branch officially began operations early the following year. Nick Groth, Fastenal’s Vice President of International Sales, said the team “knocked on doors and made introductions with its Big Blue catalogue.
“But people didn’t understand the Fastenal name, and there isn’t a great Spanish translation. We went with ‘sujetar todo,’ which roughly translates to ‘hold everything,’” Groth said.
The company also spent time on plant floors, gaining understanding and trust while building relationships face-to-face.
In 2005, the team expanded westward, opening a branch in Mexicali, Baja California. By 2008, the business had grown sufficiently to open a distribution centre on the outskirts of Monterrey. The following year, a strategic sales force was developed to navigate cross-border logistics, complex compliance requirements and demanding production schedules. Several of these skilled team members have since moved into global leadership roles within the company.
In 2024, the company completed a state-of-the-art distribution centre in Monterrey.
“Mexico pushed Fastenal to evolve,” said Mario Vargas, now Fastenal’s regional vice president in Shanghai, China. “We realised our growth would come from understanding key accounts, supporting their production flow and building programmes that operate within their businesses.”
