AWI expands into additional units following £100,000 technology investment

The Brierley Hill-based company has refurbished two units that sit adjacent to its HQ on Narrowboat Way in the Black Country to give it the opportunity to reposition production cells for greater efficiency and to free up room for the installation of new machinery.

This includes housing a new piece of equipment that produces smoother, high-performance wire for use in tougher conditions, vital to meeting the requirements of major automotive, nuclear and aerospace clients.

Together, the investments will ensure AWI continues to offer three-week lead times for its 62-strong range of Exotic Alloys for over 6000 customers in fifteen different sectors.

Tom Mander, Managing Director of Alloy Wire International, commented: "There are few companies in our sector who can continuously offer the turnaround times that we can -especially in this era of supply chain disruption.

"This is a massive USP for our business and allows us to win work from nearly 70 different countries, supplying critical material to clients operating in automotive, aerospace, defence, medical, nuclear and space."

He continued: "In order to maintain our level of manufacturing and delivery performance, we have to continue to invest in our capacity. Acquiring and refurbishing the two recent units - totalling more than 8000 sq ft - is critical to achieving this.

"At the same time, we have successfully spent more than 30,000 on laser-guided measuring equipment. Its sensors determine when the wire is out of tolerance, with automatic shutdown function when this happens. This means that it doesn't have to be manually monitored with a micrometre, saving us both time and resource."

Alloy Wire International manufactures round, flat and profile wire in 62 Exotic Alloys, such as Inconel, Monel, Hastelloy, Nimonic and Waspaloy.

Today, the firm continues to export its material across the world, with more than 60% of the firm's annual turnover going overseas. Its biggest international territory continues to be the US, followed by France and Germany thanks to the hard work and contacts of long-term agent Sopa Stahl.

As well as technology, AWI has also expanded its workforce to 33 people, strengthening its testing department with the appointment of a new Lab Technician.

Andy Tomlinson joined last month and is involved in internal trials, R&D support and testing most of the alloys before they leave to customers.

Tom concluded: "Our quality and attention to detail is second to none and we wanted to support our testing team with the addition of a new specialist. Again, this will ensure we can deliver the fastest and most accurate testing, whilst keeping lead times as short as possible."