A manufacturer of lifts which plug into domestic sockets has been featured in a new countdown of the nation's fastest growing small firms that export.

Kingswinsford-based Stiltz Lifts is placed in seventh spot in the third annual Sunday Times Lloyds SME Export Track 100.

The report, which is published in full this weekend, ranks Britain's small- and medium-sized (SME) enterprises with the fastest-growing international sales over the past two years.

Stiltz Lifts, which is the highest-placed of six West Midlands companies, has created a freestanding lift that plugs into domestic electric sockets.

They have been retrofitted into homes in more than 20 countries and strong sales in the US, Germany and France have helped it grow exports by 146 per cent a year to £3.2 million in 2016.

A total of nine businesses from across the Midlands - compared to 12 last year - feature in the list, including five new entrants.

Their international sales have grown by an average of 70 per cent a year over the last two years to a total of £49 million and together they now employ more than 700 people.

The other West Midlands entrants are:

- Special effects developer Simworx, based in Kingswinford, 39th place, annual international sales growth over two years of 62 per cent

- Sports nutrition developer Grenade, Solihull, 40th, 61 per cent

- Online activewear retailer Gymshark, Redditch, 41st, 61 per cent

- IT consultancy REPL Group, Henley-In-Arden, 46th, 57 per cent

- Contract engineering manufacturer Mec Com, Stafford, 79th, 39 per cent

Gareth Oakley, managing director for SME banking at Lloyds Banking Group, said: "For businesses that take the leap to trade overseas, the rewards can be significant - the strong growth achieved by this year's SME Export Track 100 is proof of that.

"At Lloyds Banking Group, we are committed to helping businesses scale-up and trade internationally and have pledged to help 5,000 first-time exporters every year until 2020 in support of this."

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox MP added: "Companies are seizing the huge international demand for innovative UK products and services.

"We want more businesses to take advantage of this global opportunity, which is why we're supporting the SME Export Track 100 and why we launched our new trade hub."

The league table is compiled by Fast Track, the Oxford-based research and networking events firm.