NW Masters 2013: Vote for the best exporter
FOUR prolific international traders will compete for the title of North West exporter of the year next month.
The finalists in TheBusinessDesk.com’s North West Masters awards are: ATG Access of Haydock, cooker manufacturer Glen Dimplex Home Appliances, engineering group Cygnet and Jaguar Land Rover’s Halewood operations.
The winner will be announced on April 25 at a high profile awards lunch at the five star Lowry Hotel in Salford, where the innovation, entrepreneurship and excellence of the North West’s business community will be celebrated.
Readers of TheBusinessDesk.com can have their say on the winners in each of our six categories by clicking here to access our online voting form.
Cygnet Group, which was founded by managing director Matthew Kimpton-Smith’s parents in 1974, provides advanced engineering services for some of the fastest-growing industries in the world including aerospace and automotive, fibre and fabric processing and sub-sea oil and gas.
Revenues doubled to £16m in 2011 and grew to £24m 2012. Cygnet Group generates around 95% of its turnover from exports and staff numbers have doubled from 50 at the start of 2011 to over 100 today.
ATG Access, which recently secured investment from mid-market private equity firm LDC, manufactures a range of security and access products, ranging from residential bollards to high-tech, anti-terrorist systems.
Led by managing director Glenn Cooper it has annual sales of £20m. Its products have been installed at internatioanl locations such as Changi Airport in Singapore, Doha International Airport, Shanghai Expo Centre, and the Malaysian Prime Minister’s office. The company plans to capitalise on demand in the Middle and Far East, South America and Africa, as well as retro-fit projects in the US.
Glen Dimplex Home Appliances, which has around 1,000 staff at its headquarters in Prescot, Merseyside, is the UK’s only major cooker manufacturer. Best known for its Stoves brand, GDHA has championed UK manufacturing through the launch of a ‘Made in Britain’ campaign.
Four years ago a decision was taken to repatriate manufacturing from overseas back to the North West. In the year to March 2012 the group made profits of nearly £7m on sales of £117m. It says a “huge” appetite for British-made products has led to increased UK sales and expansion in markets such as, Australia, France, Spain, Poland, Germany and Israel. Last year it won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category.
Around 80% of vehicles made at Jaguar Land Rover’s Halewood operations are now exported overseas and its Evoque, which is made in Halewood, has picked up 120 international awards. Job numbers at the North West plant of the India-owned group have trebled from 1,500 in early 2011 to more than 4,500 on the back of the stunning international success of the Evoque.
The Halewood operation is now, for the first time in its history, operating a 24-hour production cycle. With so many new people joining the business, the group’s commitment to training has been fundamental.
To reserve your tickets for the must-attend event, please click here. For information on sponsorship opportunities for the North West Business Masters 2013 please email leej.walker@thebusinessdesk.com or call 0161 238 4922.
