Brierley Hill-based Alloy Wire international (AWI), which supplies wire, bar and wire rope made from high-performance exotic alloys to 55 different countries around the world, has seen its overseas sales grow by 10% in 2017.

This means that exports account for 52% of the company’s £8.5 million turnover, and that figure could increase further with the appointment of new agents in Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa.

Managing director Mark Venables said: “We have always been an international business, and we wanted to step it up in 2017 by doing everything we can to support our network of 45 agents.

“This has included attending overseas exhibitions such as Interpack in Germany, SMI Metal Engineering Expo in Connecticut and the Shanghai International Advanced Materials event.

“Over the last six months, we have also spent a lot of time translating our Web sites, so they are easier to read when international customers are looking for a potential supplier.

“If you want to be successful overseas, you need to invest time and money, so that the local sales office has the right support.”

The company has also recently invested in an extra 4,000ft2 of production space and launched its own ‘Wire Finder App’ as part of a marketing drive to help customers find the right wire for their applications.