Export focus sees sales grow 10% for specialist manufacturer
A sustained focus on increasing export work is reaping dividends for a specialist Black Country manufacturer.
Alloy Wire International (AWI), which supplies more than 60 different ‘high performance alloys’, has seen overseas sales grow by 10% in 2017 and the firm now sells its products in 55 different countries across the world.
Norway has seen the largest increase, followed by Hong Kong and Taiwan, with Italy, Belgium and Mexico all represented in the firm’s top 10 client locations.
The export boom means 52% of the company’s £8.5m turnover is now outside the UK and this could increase further with the appointment of three new agents in Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa.
“We have always been an international business and we wanted to step this up in 2017 by doing everything we can to support our network of 45 agents,” said managing director Mark Venables.
“This has included more significant investment in attending overseas Exhibitions at Interpack in Germany, Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, SMI Metal Engineering Expo in Connecticut and the Shanghai International Advanced Materials event.”
During the six months the form has invested in translating its websites to ensure they are easier to read when international customers are looking for a potential supplier.
“It is an approach that is working, with visitors to the translated sites growing exponentially. If you are going to be successful overseas, you need to invest time and money so that the local sales office has the right support,” added Mr Venables.
The Brierley Hill-based manufacturer produces round, flat, shaped and electrical resistance wire in a range of material that is growing by the month, with more than 60 currently available.
The firm, which also has a base in Yorkshire, stocks in excess of 180 tonnes of material, which allows it to offer lead times of three weeks from the order being placed.
It has also recently invested in an additional 4,000 sq ft of production space and launched its own ‘Wire Finder App’ as part of a marketing drive to help customers find the right wire for their applications.
