How Blackwood IT has supported a UK precision washer and pressings manufacturer since 2016, covering Microsoft 365, business connectivity, cloud phones, server support and Huntress Managed Detection & Response.
Founded in 2002, The Washer Factory is a premier UK manufacturer of non-standard washers and light pressings. With decades of combined manufacturing experience across its production team, the business combines traditional manufacturing methods with a flexible approach, extensive tool stock and a skilled workforce to offer fast turnaround on bespoke parts.
Based in the UK but selling to the world, The Washer Factory serves a diverse and demanding customer base across the white goods, construction and automotive markets, sectors where part quality, consistency and supply reliability are non-negotiable. With no minimum manufacturing quantity, the business prides itself on a fast, friendly and reliable service backed by a genuinely quality-focused production operation.
From simple zinc plating through to Dacromet, Geomet, case hardening and PTFE coating, The Washer Factory offers one of the widest finish ranges in the industry, sourced through a national supplier base and produced to exact customer specification, often for automotive, construction and white goods manufacturers with exacting quality and delivery requirements.
As a manufacturer supplying into the automotive, construction and white goods sectors, The Washer Factory depends on connected systems every day, from order processing and supplier communication through to production scheduling on the factory floor. When the relationship with Blackwood IT began in 2016, the priority was simply having dependable day-to-day IT support, reliable business broadband and a phone system the team could count on.
As the business grew and its customer base expanded further into sectors with increasingly strict supply chain expectations, it became clear that basic support and connectivity were no longer enough. Day-to-day IT needed more proactive, ongoing management to keep up, and with cyber security threats targeting UK manufacturers more frequently, a reactive, antivirus-only approach was a growing risk rather than a genuine safeguard.
The Washer Factory needed a long-term IT partner who could keep pace with the business as it evolved, extending support beyond the basics into proper server management and round-the-clock cyber security, without disrupting a production environment that cannot afford downtime.
Since 2016, Blackwood IT has built The Washer Factory's IT environment around reliability first, then layered in additional capability as the business and its risk profile grew, culminating in a fully managed, security-first setup.
Blackwood IT took on The Washer Factory's day-to-day IT support alongside business broadband and phone systems, giving the team dependable connectivity and a single point of contact for IT issues, rather than juggling multiple suppliers.
As the business grew, Blackwood IT brought Microsoft 365 and device management under one managed service, standardising how staff worked, simplifying admin, and making it easier to onboard new starters and manage equipment across the site.
With production and order processing systems reliant on stable on-site infrastructure, Blackwood IT took on proactive server support, monitoring, maintaining and patching the environment to prevent the kind of unplanned downtime a manufacturing business simply can't absorb.
Recognising that manufacturers are an increasingly common target for cyber attacks, Blackwood IT deployed Huntress MDR across the business, providing 24/7 monitoring, human-led threat hunting and rapid incident response, so threats are caught and contained before they can disrupt production.
A decade into the relationship, The Washer Factory now runs on a stable, secure and properly managed IT environment that has scaled alongside the business, from core connectivity and support through to server management and 24/7 cyber security monitoring.
The Washer Factory is a UK manufacturer of non-standard washers and light pressings, founded in 2002 and trading with customers across the white goods, construction and automotive markets. Since becoming a Blackwood IT customer in 2016, the business has moved from simple day-to-day support and connectivity through to a fully managed IT and cyber security setup.
Blackwood IT looks after The Washer Factory's Microsoft 365, business broadband, phones, server support and device management, alongside Huntress Managed Detection and Response for round-the-clock cyber security. The result is an IT environment built to support a growing manufacturing business: reliable, secure, and backed by a long-standing partner who understands how the business operates.
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