EuroWire September 2021

Focus On UK

Celebrating 75 years in business with £1mn investment

High performance nickel alloy producer AlloyWire International (AWI) iscelebrating 75 years of manufacturing in 2021, and has plans to take sales past pre COVID-19 levels to £12mn by the end of the year. The company, which manufactures round, flat and profile wire for more than 5,000 customers, was founded in 1946 by John Stockdale in an old ambulance station in the UK’s Black Country area. AWI is also looking to mark the milestone year by launching ‘Wired for Good’, a campaign that will see it boost its work supporting local charities and committing

to becoming carbon neutral. This means that all manufacturing, deliveries and employee commuting emissions will need to be offset, and the firm has partnered with a number of specialist organisations to achieve this, with a focus on woodland creation, solar/wind and sustainability projects. Mark Venables, managing director of AWI, commented, “75 years in business is a major achievement and the last twelve months have certainly been some of the most challenging yet, with our staff going above and beyond to support the

“We alsowanted todo somethingdifferent that makes a positive social difference,” said Mr Venables. “With sustainability on many people’s agenda, we felt the time was right to become ‘carbon neutral’, a significant commitment when you consider we produce wire and export to over 65 countries.” The firm is employee-owned, with most staff owning shares in the business – a decision made by chairman Bill Graham and the current senior management team. This inclusive culture has helped AWI more than double turnover from £5mn to £11mn in the last thirteen years. Tom Mander, MD designate, explained, “2021 is going to be an important time for the business, with R&D activities helping to find new applications for our material. One example is the rise in demand for our wire being used in wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), which is also referred to as 3D metal printing. WAAM works by melting the wire using an electric arc as the heat source and, unlike the 3D printing powder process, can be used to produce larger components in large quantities.” AlloyWire International www.alloywire.com

global fight-back against the pandemic. Despite the challenges, sales have held up well and demand across 15 key market sectors have surged since January 2021, and this bodes well for our big anniversary year.” Plans for the company’s birthday celebrations in- clude a £1mn investment in new wet drawing machines, and increas- ing stockholding to 220 tonnes to allow two-week lead times.

▼ AWI is increasing its stockholding to enable it to offer two-week lead times

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September 2021