Brierley Hill-based
Alloy Wire International (AWI), one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of round, flat and profile wire has enjoyed its best-ever year of Italian sales. The company’s ability to offer more than 60 different exotic alloys, technical expertise and three-week lead times has seen it deliver more than 1.4 million euros of product to springmakers and customers involved in medical, space exploration and an award-winning sailing team.
The company, which employs 33 people at manufacturing sites in the West Midlands and Yorkshire, has achieved this record performance thanks to its strong partnership with local agent Stefano Cappalletti – a partnership that has spanned more than 20 years. It is a relationship that taps into the native Italian’s outstanding contact book and his ability to tell the unique AWI story across one of Europe’s largest industrial markets.
Mr Cappalletti, who regularly visits the firm’s UK factories, said: “It has been a fantastic 20 years working with AWI and something I am very proud of. My first order was for Inconel X750 and that was sold to an Italian springmaker. From the initial conversations and the quality of the material, I knew this could be a real ‘business marriage made in heaven’ and this is exactly what has happened. With the global supply chain still struggling with disruption, it is fantastic to be able to call on AWI’s reliability and support - with more than 10 different representatives spending time with me in Italy over the years.
He added: “This track record and commitment has been pivotal in one of our most recent big wins, bringing an aerospace client back into our customer base after a seven-year sabbatical caused by a political decision.”
While initially looking after Italy, Mr Cappalletti’s scope for AWI has grown rapidly and he now looks after customers in Albania, Greece, Portugal, San Marino and Spain. He has also been a key representative at some of the company’s largest exhibition appearances, working with other agents and AWI’s domestic team at the likes of
Wire,
Wire & Tube and
Valve World.
Mr Cappalletti continued: “The really exciting thing for me is how we can use our material to help society achieve some big breakthroughs in space exploration, finding and improving new sources of energy and developing new technologies in aviation, medical and water processing applications. Not many people will realise it, but our wire and exotic alloys are often at the start of the journey for advancements that will change the world for the better.”
AWI’s managing director Tom Mander concluded: “Stefano has been one of our best signings. He just gets our culture and has spent so much time understanding what we do and building relationships with our sales and technical teams. By working together, we have ensured that we can meet the nuances and requirements of our Italian and Mediterranean customers, and this has contributed to record sales and exciting new opportunities.”