ACE Issue 31 2022 | Page 38

AWI ’ s new Managing Director sets out ambitious growth plans

One of the UK ’ s leading manufacturers of round , flat and profile wire has named a new Managing Director as it looks to build on a record twelve months .

Alloy Wire International ( AWI ), which employs 33 people at factories in Brierley Hill and Batley in Yorkshire , has promoted Tom Mander to the role after being with the company for more than 17 years .
The move will see previous MD Mark Venables move upstairs to Chairman , remaining in the business to guide and advise for the foreseeable future .
This is an exciting next step in the AWI journey and will accelerate its ambition to increase sales from its current £ 13m level to £ 15m by 2025 , with most orders now coming from clients overseas .
“ Alloy Wire International is a very special business and I ’ m honoured to take the reins and help guide the company to the next stage ,” commented Tom Mander .
“ We ’ ve come through the pandemic in a good position and , as a critical supplier , continued to provide our material to customers involved in power generation and healthcare , the latter resulting in our wire being used in the VentilatorChallengeUK .”
He continued : “ The last twelve months has seen us increase sales to £ 13m and achieve significant growth in international markets , including the US where orders have risen from $ 1.8m dollars to $ 4.2m dollars .
“ All the foundations are in place to continue this growth and we ’ re just about to complete a £ 1m investment drive that will boost stock levels to one of the highest in our sector , whilst adding three new dry drawing and one wet drawing machines to increase production capacity .”
Alloy Wire International manufactures round , flat and profile wire in over 60 Exotic alloys , such as Inconel , Monel , Hastelloy , Nimonic and Waspaloy .
Founded in 1946 by John Stockdale in an old ambulance station in Old Hill in the Black Country , the company ’ s founding principles of ‘ manufacturing quality , delivering reliability ’ has stood the test of time and remains a crucial part of how it deals with its 6000-strong global client base .
Today , the firm continues to operate across 15 different market sectors and , despite global supply chain disruption , is still delivering material in just four weeks from the order being placed .
Mark Venables , who becomes Chairman , added his support : “ The senior management team wanted to protect the core values that make AWI so special , so we took the decision last year to make Tom , Adam Shaw and Andrew Du Plessis , MD Designate , Finance Director and Technical Director respectively .
“ This was paving the way for the next generation to take over and Tom ’ s promotion to MD this week is the next step in that process .
“ He has been with us for 17 years and understands the culture and our people . It ’ s a natural appointment and I ’ m looking forward to seeing the fresh skills and insights he will bring to the role .”
For further information , please visit www . alloywire . com or follow @ alloywire on twitter .
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