West Midlands aerospace firm listed in Sunday Times exports table

Halesowen-based Erodex UK, supplier of EDM graphite and tooling to the aerospace market, has made it onto the Sunday Times WorldFirst SME Export Track 100 for the first time.

Expansion into Mexico and the US, where it has recently established facilities in Virginia, as well as significant contract wins in China and Israel helped overseas sales hit £3.7 million in 2018. The company has seen overall overseas sales grow 42% year on year and now exports to six continents: North America, South America, Middle East, Asia and Africa in addition to Europe.

Erodex is a West Midlands family business, founded in 1974, ran by brothers Ian and Steve Rolinson, 51 and 56 respectively, and their cousin John, 48. The company designs and supplies carbon and graphite parts for applications such as turbine blades in the aerospace sector. International clients include leading aerospace engine manufacturers and blue chip companies throughout the supply chain.

Steve Rolinson, director at Erodex UK, said: “We are very proud to be recognised in such a prestigious list of companies, which is testament to the success we have had in penetrating certain global markets.

"We have recently announced record levels of turnover, reaching £20million for the first time, which is underpinned by strong export growth. Strategically, we decided to establish a base in Virginia USA which has since led to us winning significant new contracts in The United States & Mexico. As a result of continuing high levels of demand for our graphite products and tooling solutions overseas, we are looking to continue growing export sales and exploring new markets across the six continents that we now cover. We are well prepared for this, with a dedicated Export Team headed by Laura Collins”.

The SME Export Track 100 is compiled by Fast Track, the Oxford-based research and networking events firm. Fast Track has published league tables of the UK’s top-performing private companies with The Sunday Times for the past 22 years.

Erodex UK www.erodex.com