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AWI invests in warehouse expansion to support growth
Alloy Wire International (AWI) has set its sights on future growth after beginning work on a new 2,880 square foot warehouse.
The dedicated warehouse space will sit alongside its existing factory, with the Black Country-based manufacturer of round, flat and profile wire investing over £500,000 into its construction.
Designed to help the firm meet increasing global customer demand for its material, the investment includes the doubling of electrical capacity with an application submitted to increase input to allow for the installation of more machines and a new furnace. It will also mean AWI can hold up to 400 tonnes of stock when the expansion is completed in June, safeguarding security of supply to its clients for the foreseeable future.
Alloy Wire International is investing £500,000 in a new warehouse to support future growth / Picture: AWI
Tom Mander, managing director designate at Alloy Wire International, said: “We finished 2021 with two record months and we expect March to be our best-ever order intake, as the world’s manufacturing sectors try to protect against future disruption. Interest is coming from all the markets we supply, whether that is oil and gas and nuclear, or spring making, medical and advanced engineering. This has given us the confidence to press the button on our latest investment and the additional warehousing we’re going to need.
“This investment gives us the confidence and, importantly, the platform, to increase our stock range and explore new alloys that offer different solutions to our clients. Other new investments are planned for the next twelve months, including a new multi-head spooling machine in our annealing section and a wet drawing machine for very fine wires. These will give AWI customers increased choice of products, improved spooling, tighter tolerance and improved quality.”
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 5,000-strong global client base. Today, the firm is employee-owned with most of the staff owning shares in the business, a decision made by existing chairman Bill Graham and the current senior management team.