Wire manufacturer eyes record year following management buyout

Alloy Wire International, a wire manufacturer located in Birmingham, is poised to celebrate a strong year after undergoing a management buyout (MBO) in January.

Since the MBO, the company’s sales have surged by £3m, reaching a turnover of £18m, with expectations that it may surpass £20m in 2024.

The MBO was led by staff members Tom Mander, Adam Shaw, and Andrew Du Plessis, with assistance from Dudley-based Acorn Support.

Acorn Support simplified the process, offering advice and utilising psychometric testing to identify key traits for decision-making.

Claire Lawton, the owner of Acorn Support, talked with AWI before bringing in Jackie Casey Consulting to help define the roles of the future board of directors.

Lawton said: “These descriptions helped identify areas of success for the business now and in the longer- term, not to mention highlighting the characteristics each role required. We profiled each senior manager using a psychometric personality assessment and provided feedback that gave them the opportunity to learn more about their personality traits, strengths and preferences when working together.

“It also highlighted how their personality impacted on their emotions and behaviours in the workplace and provided a common language for working together as a team. The reports were then matched against the pre-defined job descriptions for the new board of directors, making it clear to see the alignment of the team to their potential roles and areas for development. It also helped Mark Venables identify his own skill requirements so that he would be ready to hand over the reins as managing director and transition into the role of chairman.”

Tom Mander, managing director of AWI, said: “The first eleven months have gone
better than expected and we’ve put some exciting plans in place, including a £500,000
investment drive in new machinery that will boost our capacity and ability to continue to
deliver 3-week lead times on our range of 62 high-performance alloys. Every member of our 33-strong team are owner of this business, and this translates into how ‘we do manufacturing differently’.”