I was pleased to congratulate local companies, Elekta Ltd and Edwards Group plc, who between them were successful in two of the three categories available for an award.
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the UK’s most prestigious business awards. They are bestowed each year to the UK’s best businesses by Her Majesty The Queen in recognition of their outstanding achievements.
I am delighted that two of our local businesses have this year been recognised for outstanding achievements in Innovation and International Trade and have been recognised with this year’s Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
I had the privilege to tour Elekta Ltd’s facilities, earlier in the year and to learn how the company built up pioneering experience utilising cutting edge technology to become the world-leading manufacturer of treatment solutions for cancer and brain disorders.
Elekta Ltd has earned the Queen’s Award for International Trade through its continuous improvement in company overseas sales, in addition to its steady growth of exports, calculated at 131 percent over the last six years. As a result, their Crawley plant’s workforce has almost doubled over the past three years to just under 700 and they have been working hard to ensure that they develop young talent by hiring 15 apprentices, many of whom are now in technical roles within the company and two who are undergoing training with Crawley’s Central Sussex College.
The company‘s keen commitment to apprenticeships and science outreach, such as supporting STEMfest, is exactly what we need to support science careers in schools and highlights the invaluable contribution Elekta Ltd makes across the town.
In addition, I am delighted that Edwards Group plc, a leading global manufacturer of vacuum and abatement equipment and services, has been recognised for enterprise and innovation. The recognition has been made for the company’s ‘cutting-edge’ nEXT turbomolecular vacuum pump, which following pioneering research and development can produce pumping speeds that are four times the speed of a Formula 1 car engine, that has sold over 8,000 units since its introduction in 2009.
With the company employing just under 900 people locally, the highly reliable, low energy consuming user-friendly pump is set to ensure that Edwards Group Plc continue to expand into new markets across the UK and globally and that it will remain an impressive asset to the local economy.
Aspiring local businesses that are amongst the best in their field are being encouraged to gain recognition for their excellence by applying for The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2013 – the most prestigious business awards in the UK.