Raft of regional firms recognised in Queen’s Awards
A total of 13 firms from across Yorkshire and Humber have received prestigious Queen’s Awards for Enterprise – recognising innovation, international trade and sustainable development.
This includes a double award winner – Ideal Boilers of Hull – which was recognised in both the innovation and international trade categories. It is one of just two businesses across the country to receive two awards this year.
Shaun Edwards, CEO of Ideal Boilers, said: “It is an honour and a privilege to receive these awards, which reflect our continued commitment to innovation and international relations. This high recognition emphasises and reflects the hard work and determination of all our employees whose core values of excellence, integrity and an entrepreneurial spirit will continue to drive our business further towards greater achievements.”
Ideal Boilers was founded in 1906 and the firm won its first Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the innovation category in 2013. Edwards added: “Innovation, quality and value are our founding principles – and these award wins are testament to the way we live and breathe them throughout our business.
“We’ve been providing the best quality boilers to our customers for over 100 years, continually working to meet their ever-evolving heating needs. We’re proud to be leading the industry in setting new standards and challenging technological boundaries, building on our rich heritage as we look to the future.”
The 2019 Queens Awards winners for Yorkshire and Humber 2019:
Innovation
C-Kore Systems, Escrick, North Yorkshire. A spin-out of Zetechtics that has developed a cost saving subsea measuring tool for fault finding and health checking subsea electrical networks in the oil and gas industry.
Ideal Boilers, Hull, East Yorkshire. The firm identified the need to improve the reliability of home heating boilers and increase consumer confidence in quality.
Incremental Solutions, York. The firm is assisting rail companies and Network Rail to better understand sources of delay and poor performance, and to help resolve problems by better timetabling and other remediation through the provision of detailed train timing data.
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International Trade
Carramore International, Holmfirth. Operates as a buying and logistics supplier to the medical and life science research community working internationally. Currently working in over 50 countries, with particular strengths in sub-Saharan Africa as well as Asia, the company has seen its overseas earnings grow by over 70% during this period.
OE Electrics
Ideal Boilers, Hull. The business has developed products specifically for export, such as renewable energy air-source heat pumps. Overseas sales have grown by 332% over the six year application period and the proportion of sales exported has increased from 2.0% to 4.7% of total sales.
Naughtone, Knaresborough. Designs and manufactures contract furniture for a global market. Their products can be seen in the offices of some of the best known brands in commerce and culture. Overseas earnings grew by 233% to £16.270m during the three-year period with the top overseas markets including the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia and China.
OE Electrics, Wakefield. An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of mains power and USB charging solutions for commercial furniture. Overseas earnings grew by 94% to £4.102m during the three-year period with the top overseas markets including France, Germany, Finland, Ireland and Dubai.
Pexa, Halifax. Provides sales, marketing, delivery and technical support services to chemical manufacturers, supplying the aerospace and high-tech markets, with paints, coatings and surface finishes. The company has 32 staff in four countries servicing more than 1,000 client engineering companies in over 40 countries with products used by the likes of Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and BAE. It has increased its overseas sales by more than 70% in three years, with exports growing from 32% to over 40% of total sales
Teledyne Defence & Space, Shipley. Provides sensor technology, using radio frequency, microwave and digital signal processing techniques. Overseas sales have grown by 104% over the three year application period and the proportion of sales exported has increased to 85% of total sales.
Greens Power factory
Greens Power, Wakefield. Specialises in economisers and waste heat recovery systems. Originally established in 1821, its main markets are power generation , industrial, petrochemical and marine. The company has completed more than 2,000 projects in the UK and overseas.
Wrendale Designs, Brigg. Greeting card, stationary and giftware supplier which sells to shops in 15 countries worldwide. Overseas sales have grown year on year over three years rising from £130,000 in year one to £301,000 in year two and £636,000 in year three.
Diamond Dispersions, Sheffield. Overseas sales have grown by 262% over the three year application period and the proportion of sales exported has increased to 82% of total sales.
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Sustainable Development
Harrison Spinks
Company Shop, Tankersley. This business seeks to stop food and household products going to waste. Company Shop purchases surplus products from retailers and redistribute them through a national network of staff shops, standalone stores and ‘click and collect’ services.
Harrison Spinks, Leeds. Bed manufacturer which recycles 100% of its waste hemp crop, has developed a naturally flame-retardant fabric and has partnered with British Steel to create a new gauge of wire which means springs are lighter and less steel is used. Last year, the firm received Queen’s Awards for Innovation and International Trade.
In total, 201 UK businesses were named in the prestigious Queen’s Awards for Enterprise to celebrate Her Majesty’s 93rd birthday.
The winners include businesses leading the way in a huge range of industries – from construction, agriculture, motoring and software development. This year, three quarters of the total are SMEs, 30 of which have fewer than ten employees.
They will join more than 6,000 British businesses in receiving the prestigious honour and will have the privilege of displaying the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise emblem for five years.
Business Secretary Greg Clark said: “These prestigious awards help shine a light on all that is great about UK business today. I am extremely impressed to see such a wealth of talent and innovation from across the UK being recognised today by Her Majesty The Queen.
“These awards recognise the innovative products and services being provided by British businesses that are in demand across the world, as well as the sheer determination and hard work that comes with starting and running a business.
“Many of these winners are small businesses – the backbone of our economy – and we are backing them to grow, increase their productivity and create more jobs and opportunity across the UK through our modern Industrial Strategy.”
