Top metals firms honoured with Queen's Awards
A select group of firms from the metals sector are celebrating after winning one of the UK’s most prestigious annual prizes for business success: The Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
This year’s Queen’s Awards winning companies include:
• Alwayse Engineering Ltd (niche Ball Transfer Unit used in material handling systems);
• Gripple Ltd (wire joining and tensioning devices for agricultural and construction projects);
• John Reid & Sons (Strucsteel) Ltd (steel-framed buildings, bridges and other structures);
• Independent Forgings and Alloys Ltd (specialist open die forgings, rings and precision rotary forged bars);
• Sheffield Forgemasters International Ltd (large steel forgings and castings);
• and Thermaserve Ltd (equipment used in the manufacture of aluminium and aluminium alloys, including melting, casting and heat treating)
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"These companies are the standard-bearers for the very best of British Business" |
| Gordon Brown, Prime minister |
In this, the scheme’s 43rd year, Her Majesty the Queen announced 139 business awards; the second-highest total for 10 years. 85 awards are for outstanding achievements in international trade, 42 for innovation and 12 for sustainable development. In addition, 11 outstanding individuals receive the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion (QAEP) for their inspiring efforts to encourage UK entrepreneurship.
Overall, this year’s winning firms range in size from firms with only three employees to an international giant that employs 106,200 people. 34% of winning firms employ less than 50 people and 33% are from the service sector.
The business benefits of winning a Queen’s Award include publicity, enhanced recognition and employee pride. In a recent survey of 2007 business winners, 80% of respondents believed their Queen’s Award had added commercial value to their firms, and 82% reported boosts to staff morale. 55% of respondents said it was the most valuable award their business had ever won.
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Each winning company receives an engraved crystal bowl and is now entitled to use the coveted Queen’s Award Emblem on packaging and marketing materials for 5 years. During the course of the year, winners will benefit from a visit to their premises by a representative of the Queen, and be invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace in the summer.
Prime minister Gordon Brown said: “Queen’s Award winning companies are standard-bearers for the very best of British business. These firms embody the spirit of enterprise and innovation that is so vital to the future of Britain’s economy. Whether large or small, every one of this year’s winning organisations has achieved outstanding success in its field. I congratulate them all on their diverse and remarkable achievements.
“I also congratulate the individuals receiving The Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion. Each of them has played a vital role in helping unlock Britain’s entrepreneurial talent. They have given their time and energy to equip others with the skills, knowledge and attitude to succeed as entrepreneurs. I applaud and admire their efforts.”
The deadline for the 2009 Queen’s Awards is 31st October 2008.
