AWI achieves record year of trade with India

Pictured left to right: Amit Banerjee, Tom Mander, Arunava Banerjee and Oliver Smith

Brierley Hill-based Alloy Wire International (AWI), one of the Black Country’s fastest-growing exporters, has achieved a major milestone by recording its best-ever year of trade with India. The company, a specialist supplier of round, flat and profile wire, sent more than £650,000 of material to customers in the subcontinent over the last 12 months – a 50% increase since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This now accounts for nearly 10% of the company’s overseas sales and marks a 45-year working relationship with its Indian agent Amit Banerjee. During that time, the Kolkata-based representative has built up a strong customer base that is now rapidly expanding thanks to increased interest from spring, valve and fastener manufacturers serving customers in high-end automotive, aerospace and energy sectors — including oil and gas. These clients are looking for full traceability, repeatable quality and quick industry-lead times, as ordering is increasingly becoming shorter to meet just-in-time requirements.

Tom Mander, AWI’s managing director, said: “A lot of our export success has been built on finding the right partner on the ground, who understands the material we supply and the unique services we offer, including three-week turnround times. We then collectively use their expertise and contacts on the ground and the relationship we have with Amit is a perfect example of this. It is one of our longest-standing agent agreements and, after 45 years, is getting stronger than ever with sales increasing rapidly.”

He added: “Last year we did over £650,000 of revenue and, this time around, I believe we can surpass that. Indian customers are working with some of the largest OEMs in the world and need to make sure their components are on time and perform to the highest of standards — that is where we come in.”

62 exotic alloys available
AWI, which recently took on an additional 8,000ft² unit near its headquarters in the West Midlands, manufactures round, flat and profile wire in 62 exotic alloys, such as Inconel, Monel, Hastelloy, Nimonic and Waspaloy. The company has broadly welcomed the recent Indian trade deal announced by Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, believing it will support the sectors that drive the most growth for the UK economy, with tariffs being cut in aerospace, automotive and electrical machinery - all potentially benefitting AWI’s customers.

Mr Mander continued: “We don’t always know who the end user is for our materials. However, I am fairly confident that we are already supplying some of the 26 British companies who have secured new business in the Indian aerospace market. There is an appetite from both sides for closer relationships and we’re definitely going to invest in increasing our presence in this territory.”

Amit Banerjee concluded: “AWI’s reputation for quality and material performance is really making waves in India. My customers also really appreciate the technical service the company provides, including working with them on identifying the right alloys and the post-finishing processes that may need to be applied. The first 45 years have been very good, but this is just the start. With closer ties between the two countries, I can only see this relationship going from strength to strength.”