11 Yorkshire companies honoured with Queen’s Award for export and sustainability
MORE than 100 British businesses have received a Queen’s Award to recognise their contribution to enterprise, including 11 from Yorkshire, which distinguished themselves in the international trade and sustainable development categories.
The Yorkshire companies stretch across the engineering, textiles, manufacturing and software sectors, and South Yorkshire has come out on top with five businesses out of the 11 coming from the region.
2015 marks The Queen’s Awards 50th anniversary and this year, 105 businesses received awards for international trade; 24 for innovation and 12 for sustainable development.
Yorkshire businesses who have received recognition include:
- Ancon Ltd (International Trade)
This Sheffield-based firm manufactures steel components for the construction industry. Its parent is a subsidiary of CRH plc, the international building supplier. Ancon has won the Queen’s Award for International Trade for “outstanding overseas sales growth” over the last three years, increasing overseas sales from £6m to £10m.
- Detectament Ltd (International Trade)
Founded in 2003 and based in Halifax this firm develops polymers for use in the food and pharmaceutical industries and has won the award after doubling its overseas sales.
- MooD International Software (International Trade)
This York company, founded in 1997, provides business management solutions including project portfolios and outsourced contracts. Export earnings have grown 114% in the last three years, moving out of a solely domestic base. It has previously supplied the Minsitry of Defence, E-On, DWP, BP and Shell.
- Nanoflam Ltd (International Trade)
Barnsley business Nanoflam manufactures chemicals for home textiles such as upholstery, and its water-based technology is fire, heat and water-proof.
Owned by KL Technologies, the firm has increased its export capacity from £989k in 2011 to £2.15m in 2013. The firm has reported frowth of 139% in the last three years, after exhibiting in Frankfurt and Moscow.
- President Engineering Group (International Trade)
Established in 2010, this Sheffield manufactures for the energy sector. The group comprises of valve manufacturer Bestobell, mining safety arm Conflow, and mining equipment supplier Bretby Gammatech. China is one of the biggest importers of President Group’s products, as well as South Korea and the US.
- Pricecheck Toiletries (International Trade)
Sheffield firm Pricecheck was founded in 1978, and distributes fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs), and has seen overseas export earnings grow 283% in the last three years.
- Primeast (International Trade)
Harrogate firm Primeast delivers training and consulting in leadership and management markets.
Key export markets include USA, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic and China. the company delivers training solutions for high profile clients including Cape plc, BASF, Novartis, Arqiva, M+W, National Grid, Maier Group and several major energy businesses.
Primeast also works with the United Nations and its various agencies in Southern Africa.
Primeast managing director Russell Evans said: “The last three years have been particularly transformational in terms of our development, and the Queen’s Award not only reinforces the collective commitment and collaboration of our global team, but also the breadth and depth of expertise we deliver across four continents.
“Two thirds of our turnover is attributed to export sales and we’re looking forward to the next three years as we roll out our strategy to expand into India, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific region.”
- Radio Design (International Trade)
Established 2007 in Shipley, West Yorkshire, Radio Design manufactures filter systems and telecoms hardware repair. The firm doubled overseas sales with wholly owned subsidiaries in Finland, India and China.
- Unison (International Trade)
This Scarborough-based business was established in 1973 and is the only company in the UK developing all-electric tube bending machines.
IOE director general Lesley Batchelor OBE, who is on the judging panel of the International Trade category, said: “Winning a Queen’s Award provides worldwide recognition and shows that a company is outstanding in its field. This bodes well for their future too as 76% of previous winners reporting that the accolade brought added commercial value to their business.”
- Company Shop (Sustainable Development)
Barnsley-based Company Shop diverts food supply chain surplus for discount sales to members of the community on low income or people on income support in socio-economic deprivation areas. Largest re-distributor or surplus food, sold 30,000 tonnes of surplus in 2013.
- Camira Group (Sustainable Development)
Camira designs and manufactures environmentally-sustainable fabrics. The firm’s EU Eco labelled products, include wool, fibre and polyester and use materials made out of nettle crops, hemp and flax without pesticides or herbicides.
Mirfield-based Camira has 400,000 sq ft of manufacturing factilities in Huddersfield and employs 650 people in the region, manufacturing over 8 million metres of fabric a year and selling to 70 countries worldwide. This is the company’s fourth Queen’s Award.
Camira chief executive Steve Bullas said: “This is the pinnacle of achievement in terms of recognition for our proactive stance putting sustainable development at the very heart of our business model.
“It not only gives us a unique competitive advantage, but it’s great for our wider stakeholders and the communities in which we work and do business.”
