Record Year for Queen`s Awards for Enterprise

A record number of companies from across the UK, large and small have been named as winners of The Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2009 – Britain’s highest accolade for business success. A total of 194 Queen’s Awards have been announced this year - the largest number awarded in 44 years of the scheme with the previous record in a single year being 175 in 1990. Overall, 135 companies have won Awards for International Trade, 49 for Innovation and 10 for Sustainable Development. In addition, 11 individuals have received The Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion (QAEP) for their inspiring efforts to encourage UK entrepreneurship. The full list of winners can be found on the Queen’s Awards website (www.queensawards.org.uk) Congratulating the companies Business Minister, Lord Mandelson, recently said: "These inspirational firms have proved they
are amongst Britain’s very best businesses. They are flying the flag for British enterprise, innovation and corporate responsibility, both here and abroad. They have achieved the UK’s most prestigious standard of business
excellence, and set the standard for other businesses to follow as they help lead Britain out of recession."

Minister for Trade & Investment, Lord Davies of Abersoch, commented: "A Queen’s Award for Enterprise is an internationally-recognised symbol of business success. It is a standard that I believe all good businesses should aspire to. Past International Trade winners consistently tell us how their Award has helped open new doors for their company overseas. The fact that more firms than ever are now applying for The Queen’s Award shows what a remarkably valuable endorsement this Award continues to be around the world."

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc received a Queens Award for Enterprise 2009 in the Outstanding Innovation category for its iCAP 6000 Series ICPOES (Inductively Coupled Plasma, Optical Emission Spectrometry) instruments, which are used in laboratories to detect and measure low levels of toxic or pollutant elements in a wide range of samples. It has been specifically developed for environmental, metallurgical, petrochemical and food safety applications. The Thermo Fisher Scientific team in Cambridge started work on the design of the iCAP 6000 in 2002 and has been manufacturing the product and distributing it world wide since 2006. Since its launch, the iCAP 6000 has captured a significant share of global markets in a number of important applications segments. "The whole Cambridge team is delighted to be associated with a product which has been selected for this award" comments Paul Gillyon, Product Group Director, Trace Elemental Analysis, Thermo Fisher Scientific. "We work very hard to solve the technical challenges in developing complex instruments like the iCAP 6000 and to achieve commercial success with scientists inlaboratories around the world.

The Queens Award recognises all the expertise, hard work and commitment that has been contributed by all the members of the Cambridge team." GB Innomech - Queen’s Award for International Trade GB Innomech received The Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2009 in the international trade category in recognition of soaring export sales: 76% of total sales were overseas, an increase of 69% over 2006, at a time when UK manufacturing is declining at its fastest rate since records began over 40 years ago.In addition to designing and supplying bespoke automation systems, the company provides a full manufacturing service including: full installation, on-site training, testing and after-sales support. 58% of last year’s installations were in the USA; Japan also represents a major market and supplies have started into India, China and Taiwan. Managing Director David Beale said:"Innomech is a shining example that UK manufacturing and international trade is not as gloomy as many people think. We offer a complete end to end service for all our clients but have also invested heavily in the whole area of validation including GAMP5 and ASTM 2500 which is essential for the pharmaceutical industry." "In 2004 when we moved into our new facilities at the Innovation Centre (Ely Cambs) we won three major awards in recognition of the environmentally-friendly design of the building and this latest award makes a very worthy addition to the collection."

SMI-LabHut - Queens Award for International Trade
SMI-LabHut Ltd has won the Queens Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category. Supplying sampling devices, accessories and consumables for the chromatography and dissolution markets, the company achieved continuous significant growth over 6 years and generated over 80% of its sales overseas. The 7 strong team, led by Mark and Sheila Wardle implemented a strategy of strong internet marketing together with a flexible and supportive approach to a distributor network resulting in sales in over 90 countries. Commenting on their success, Managing Director Mark Wardle said that they were honoured to be recognised in this way and that their success was directly attributable to a talented and loyal team who recognised that support and communication was the number one issue for the majority of their customers.

Astech Projects - Queen’s Award for Innovation
Automation developer Astech Projects secured the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2009, in recognition of the Xelair® series of automated systems designed to perform automated dose content uniformity testing of batch production and R&D respiratory drug delivery devices. Relative to manual methods, the Xelair systems increase throughput, improve safety, reduce solvent usage and increase the quality and volume of test data, said the company.

Astech Projects’ Sales and Marketing Director, Anthony Moran commented, “We are honoured to have our technology recognised by such a prestigious award. The Xelair systems are designed to meet the rising demand for increased throughput and consistent data within the pharmaceutical industry and we are proud of its accomplishments so far.” Astech Projects offers a full portfolio of next generation solutions for the major pharmacopoeia drug delivery tests, which are fully validated in line with EU, US and ROW regulatory requirements, according to the company.

SLE Ltd –Queen’s Award for International Trade
South Croydon-based SLE has been actively building an extensive export business that has been recognised by a Queen’s Award for Export Achievement. Employing some 70 people, during the period 2003 to 2008, SLE increased their export turnover from £2.1m to £7.7m with significant successful orders from Kazakhstan, Japan, Iran and Russia. Specialising in designing and manufacturing intensive care life-support equipment for premature babies and infants with breathing difficulties for over 30 years, SLE were pioneers of neonatal Patient Triggered Ventilation (PTV) in the early 1980’s, and introduced combined HFO (High Frequency Oscillation) in the 1990’s. “We have invested heavily in finding and training specialist distributors throughout the world,” said Bernard Nelligan, Managing Director of SLE Ltd.
“Selling an item of life-support equipment puts a special responsibility on everybody in the company to develop and produce only the best quality products. It has to be right every time.Every one of our employees has contributed in some way to us achieving this award.” Martin Pearcy, Director of Sales added, “SLE was the only UK manufacturer of neonatal ventilators and with over 70% of the UK market the only direction for expansion was abroad. Our growth has meant that this year we are launching two new major products that we expect will give our customers something to be very excited about.”

Excelsyn Ltd –Queen’s award for International Trade
Pharma and biotech manufacturing group Excelsyn has won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2009. The Award, in the International Trade category, recognises a near-trebling of the company’s export earnings, with overseas business now accounting for 82% of sales. Excelsyn’s North East Wales facility at Holywell makes pharmaceutical ingredients and advanced intermediates - and provides process chemical development and manufacturing services for both the global health and personal care industry sectors.The company – which specialises in drug substance process research, development,, scale up and manufacturing for clinical trial and
commercial applications - reported sales of US $28m. for its financial 2007/08, over 40% ahead of the prior year. It is on track for further growth in FY 2008/09, ending in May.The company has broadened its customer base from 14 to almost 80 in little more than four years. Repeat business has grown to 75% and employee numbers at the Holywell site have increased from under 60 to nearly 90. Excelsyn President and CEO Ian Shott
commented: “We’re delighted with this recognition of Excelsyn’s contribution to UK success in high-value technology exports.With its niche technologies and a highly flexible approach to customer needs, the company has been able to build on growth in demand for both development and manufacturing services by major global players in the pharma and biotech sectors.

The Queen’s Award is also a pleasing spotlight on process innovation in North Wales, where we especially value our relationship with Bangor University”. The company is part way through a US $6m. new investment programme at its Holywell, facility. Major enhancements for completion by end-2010 include a new API finishing suite, reactor train alignment and increased product isolation capacity.

Evaluate - Queen’s Award for International Trade
Evaluate Ltd has been recognised for demonstrating outstanding growth in overseas earnings for a company of its size. In the last three years sales of the EvaluatePharma(R) service have more than doubled outside the UK to users in New York, New Jersey, Tokyo, Basel, Berlin, Paris and London, a different story for the company which started twelve years ago working out of a rundown business centre in south west London. CEO and Founder Dr Jonathan de Pass said, "We are normously proud to receive our first Queen’s Award for Enterprise and it is an impressive achievement by all our staff both here in the UK and in the US. Our growth has focused on the US, Swiss and German markets and is a reflection of our innovative approach to providing clients with unique, reliable and fast solutions to their analytical needs." Dr de Pass, a former topranked Pharmaceutical analyst in the City of London, set up Evaluate Ltd in 1996 to provide reliable and comprehensive pharma business data to investment analysts and industry insiders, "Our rapid growth in the last few years has allowed us to invest in our people, and our proprietary software platform, to deliver the highest quality service to our clients. We now have over 35 UK based employees with a dedicated team of inhouse analysts and software programmers, plus sales and client support teams based in the UK and US. The Queen’s Award for Enterprise is high and public recognition so winning this Award is an honour for everyone involved."

Armstrong Medical – Queen’s Award for International Trade
Armstrong Medical was delighted to receive a Queens Award for Enterprise in International Trade. This was granted for the period 2007/2008, during which the company suffered a devastating fire in May 2007. It is testament to the staff customers and suppliers of the company which enabled it to come through such an ordeal and become stronger because if it, a spokesman said. Armstrong Medical is one of very few manufacturing companies who have grown both revenue and employment over the last few months. Recruitment has increased by 50% since October 2008. Armstrong Medical continues to invest in research and development, with nine new products being launched at the international medical exhibition, Medica, in November 2008. The Spirale Drug Delivery System, for use in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care ventilation, illustrates the company’s commitment to be the first to market with quality, innovative products in the field of Critical Care Medicine. “We are delighted to receive The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. This achievement is highly respected, especially in export markets like Japan, Canada and the USA”, comments John Armstrong, Managing Director. “The award is seen as a validation of the company’s products, systems and financial affairs - it’s like a commercial health check really, a stamp of approval.”