Investment sees manufacturer pass its own test
An alloy manufacturer has completed a £100,000 investment in a new testing room at its West Midlands factory.
The project means a lot of the sub-contract testing can now be done in-house, shortening lead times for its global customer base and giving it the opportunity to test processes and materials quickly.
Alloy Wire International (AWI), which celebrates 75 years in business in 2021, spent six months on the fit-out. But the firm says it is already reaping the benefits with several new customers agreed in the last month.
Andrew Du Plessis, technical director at AWI, said: “We were increasingly asked for more testing as our customers strive for exacting performance from the materials they purchase.
“The decision was taken as part of an overall commitment to improve our service and the range of testing we can deliver in-house, and this is reflected in the level of investment and extent of capability we can now offer.”
Alloy Wire International manufactures round, flat and profile wire for more than 5,000 customers in the automotive, aerospace, medical, nuclear, and oil and gas sectors. The employee-owned firm has an annual turnover of £11m.
It has also acquired macro and micro imaging technology and a custom-built metallographic lab to help with the preparation of materials.
“This will significantly boost our R&D activity, so we can continue to bring new materials and services to market,” he added.
