Queen's Awards for Enterprise

Summary

Instituted by Royal Warrant in 1965, the Queen's Awards for Enterprise have been given annually since 1966 in recognition of commercial success. They are the UK's most prestigious awards for business performance, and now recognise outstanding achievement in four categories. These are International Trade, Innovation, Sustainable Development and the relatively new Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility), introduced in 2017.

The awards are open to UK based organisations with at least two full-time UK employees (or part-time equivalents). The awards are valid for five years and winners may use the Queen’s Award for Enterprise logo over this period.

The Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility) category was added in 2017. To be eligible for this new award, applicants must have had a social mobility programme running for more than 2 years and prove that the programme benefits the applicant's organisation financially or otherwise. Improvements to the applicant's organisation should be in one of three areas: (1) work experience, careers advice or mentoring for young people; (2) offering non-graduate routes such as traineeships or changing recruitment practices; or (3) giving equal support and progression opportunities to all employees.

A complete list of the eligibility criteria required to apply for each of the categories can be viewed at the GOV.UK website.

Several companies in the Lancashire-14 area have won Queen's Awards in recent years and in 2020, the year of the Queen's 94th birthday, nine local companies were successful. Eight of the awards fell within the international trade category, the ninth was in the innovation category. 

Local award winners for outstanding achievements in international trade

Chelsom Ltd. was founded in 1947 by the current Chairman's parents as a retail lighting shop in Blackpool. It is still based in the town and now employs 72 people (1 June 2020). The company design and manufacture lighting products for the global hospitality and marine market. It sells to leading hotel chains and the cruise liner industry. All product is designed in house and the company have an industry-leading website and online catalogue. Over 3 years to December 2018, its overseas sales have grown from £5 million in 2016 to £7.9 million in 2018 an overall increase of 59%. Exports now make up 58.36% of all sales. Its top five markets are the USA, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany and Ireland. However, the business has completed projects in over 70 countries. The company previously won the Queen's Award for International Trade in 2017. The company wins the Queen’s Award for International Trade for Outstanding Short Term Growth in overseas sales over the last three years.

Evans Vanodine International plc, was established in 1919, and is based at Brierley Road, Walton Summit, Preston (within the South Ribble local authority boundary). Starting from Salford, Manchester, the business now manufactures cleaning and hygiene chemicals in the UK and in four other international locations, exporting to 86 countries. It focuses on professional cleaning products and animal health cleaning and disinfection markets. International animal health operates through veterinary medicinal distribution and offers greater potential than UK’s wholesale market. The company won a Queen's Award for International Trade in 2015. In addition to its International Division Manager, Evans employs five regional sales managers to manage and provide support and training for distributors. Overseas sales have grown by 49% over the three-year application period and the proportion of sales exported has increased to 39% of total sales. The company wins the Queen’s Award for International Trade for Outstanding Short Term Growth in overseas sales over the last three years.

FPW Axles Limited., was established in 1982 via a management buyout of the then Accrington division of Moss Gear Co (established in 1910). The headquarters of the company are based at Unit D4, Enfield Road, Huncoat Business Park, Accrington, in Hyndburn district. The company specialises in the design and manufacture of steer, drive and drive/steer axels for every application of special purpose vehicles. Over the years, the product range was consolidated to allow specialisation of axle production and they gained a patent for the first oil immersive maintenance free front axle design. The company exports widely including to EMEA (European, Middle East and Africa); the Americas and Asia. Recently they have entered Germany and their focus for 2019 has been China. Overseas sales have grown by 69% across the last three years and the percentage exported has also risen from 44% to 53%. Their top overseas markets were Southern Ireland, Latvia, Slovenia, Turkey, and Switzerland. The company wins the Queen's Award for International Trade for Outstanding Short Term Growth in overseas sales over the last three years.

Leyland Trucks Limited is part of PACCAR Parts UK Ltd, which is part of PACCAR Inc in the United States. They are based at Croston Road, Leyland, in South Ribble district and originally started trading in 1896, joining the PACCAR group of companies in 1993.They design and manufacture commercial vehicles for a large range of transportation applications for the domestic and overseas markets such as France, Israel, Germany and Australia. They have grown a network of sales and service outlets with wholly owned sales branches in 13 European markets and over 1,000 dealers in 52 different markets worldwide. For such high turnover the company has demonstrated strong year on year growth in overseas sales rising by 46% overall and they have also seen strong growth in total turnover and profitability with reinvestment in the business to remain competitive. The company wins the Queen's Award for International Trade for Outstanding Short Term Growth in overseas sales over the last three years.

Orthoplastics Ltd., started trading in 2005, and is based at Grove Mill, Bacup, in Rossendale district, producing implantable ultra-high molecular weight products for the medical market. The company now supplies semi-finished orthopaedic devices to over 350 global OEMs. Its strategy is to expand global operations and support for emerging healthcare regions. This incorporates education of customers, assisting local regulatory bodies and meeting with surgeons and OEMs to support an innovative approach to new products and materials. Its main current markets are USA, Ireland, Puerto Rico and China and the company entered new markets in India, China, Turkey and Brazil during the application period. Overseas sales have grown by 99% over the three-year application period and the proportion of sales exported has increased to 98% of total sales. The company wins the Queen’s Award for International Trade for Outstanding Short Term Growth in overseas sales over the last three years.

Premier Tooling Systems Limited is based at Unit 4, Laneside, Altham Industrial Estate, Accrington, in Hyndburn district and started trading in 2005. They are a precision engineering specialist, supplying quality tooling design and manufacture to a wide range of industries including aerospace, automotive, defence, healthcare and packaging. They are a small family business with the simple objective "Look after your staff. Look after your customers. Train and grow at a pace that the company can financially cope with". They have demonstrated steep year on year growth in overseas sales rising by 195% overall during the three year period and have delivered strong commercial success through a manufacturing offer that is world class. Their percentage sales exported grew from 17% to 44% in a relatively short time period by selling in Vietnam and the United States. The company wins the Queen's Award for International Trade for Outstanding Short Term Growth in overseas sales over the last three years.

Slingco Limited is based at Station Road, Whitworth, in Rossendale district. The company was founded in 1980, supplying products that make installation and support of industrial electrical conductor, cable and hose, easier and safer. Markets include energy, transmission and distribution, oil and gas, renewables and transport. The company won a Queen's Award for International Trade in 2016. Key markets have oil and gas reserves, with USA the most important, although the company sells into 75 countries. American markets are handled by the USA sister company, with Europe and Middle East through the UK. The UK is the key manufacturing facility, with some manufacture overseas, directly or under license. Overseas sales have grown by 178% over the three-year application period and the proportion of sales exported has increased to 86% of total sales. The company wins the Queen’s Award for International Trade for Outstanding Short Term Growth in overseas sales over the last three years.

Standfast and Barracks started trading in 1923, and is based at Caton Road in Lancaster. It offers traditional rotary, flatbed and screen-printing techniques, alongside digital ink jet technology and is now market leader in digital fabric printing, across both the interiors and fashion/apparel industries supplying textile converters in the largest global markets of USA and Europe. The company now sells to eight of the top ten US textile convertors and has targeted New Zealand, South Africa, Korea and Spain. Standfast and Barracks works with stocking distributors, bringing added value to customers by offering a wide selection of designs. Overseas sales have grown by 69% over the three-year application period and the proportion of sales exported has increased to 20% of total sales. The company wins the Queen’s Award for International Trade for Outstanding Short Term Growth in overseas sales over the last three years.

Local award winner for outstanding achievement in innovation

Based in the unitary authority of Blackburn with Darwen, Simply Doughnuts Ltd., is located at Unit 6, Ordnance Street, Furthergate Industrial Estate, Blackburn and was formed in 2012. Simply Doughnuts Ltd has developed a unique, long shelf-life doughnut. Ordinary cooked doughnuts have a short (2-day) shelf-life, which can lead to a considerable waste of unsold product. Doughnuts can be frozen but this is energy intensive and requires extra time and space for storage and thawing before sale. After 18 months of research and years of refinement, the company developed a production process that yields a fresh doughnut with a shelf life of up to 30 days. Protected by trade secret, the process is a precise combination of quality ingredients, mixing sequence, mixing method, temperatures, time and frying. Available in six variants, the product is now stocked by many major UK retailers and sits in both the fresh and long-life categories. It has driven significant growth in turnover and employee numbers. The company wins the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category.

Lancashire-14 award winners since 1966

Since the award scheme was inaugurated, companies in the Lancashire-14 area have won or shared in 163 of these prestigious awards, 131 being given for outstanding international trade achievement, 28 for innovation achievement, three for outstanding sustainable development achievement, and one for promoting opportunity (through social mobility). A complete list of the winners located within the Lancashire-14 area since 1966, including a break down by category, is available in the full report (see below).

Full list of Queen's Awards for Enterprise winners in 2020

The full list of 2020 winners and recipients of the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise can be found via the London Gazette website in the Queen's Awards for Enterprise 2020 supplement (62978) and the 2020 press book (PDF document), which provides greater detail on each winner by region.

Page updated 1 June 2020