A West Midlands manufacturer is undertaking a major sales drive in Japan with the aim of boosting its presence in the Far East.

Brierley Hill-based Alloy Wire International (AWI) (www.alloywire.com), which supplies more than 60 different ‘high-performance’ round, flat and shaped wires in a range of materials to clients in the automotive, aerospace, oil and gas and nuclear industries, has appointed a new Japanese sales partner (Tomoe Engineering Co), as well as launching a dedicated Web site and new marketing material.

The company recently joined its new Tomoe sales team at M-Tech Expo (its first-ever participation in a Tokyo exhibition), where it showed a range of materials in the diameter range 0.025-21.0mm.

The event was a major success and is paving the way for a sales push that could generate £250,000 of new contracts over the next 18 months.

Angus Hogarth, AWI sales director, said: “Export orders now account for more than half of our £10 million turnover, and we’re continually finding that our wire, technical expertise and service are in demand around the globe.

“With its high-tech industries and precision engineering, Japan is perfectly suited to our capabilities. It offers us massive potential, and we made the decision about 18 months ago to make a concerted effort to target customers in this market-place.”