The outstanding achievement of the six Welsh companies that between them won seven Queen’s Awards for Enterprise this year was highlighted at a special reception hosted by Economy Minister Edwina Hart today.
Congratulating them on their success in the international trade and innovation categories the Minister said they were worthy role models that other companies could emulate.
The Minister said: “These companies are all highly innovative, invest significantly in R&D and product development and as a result are benefiting from increased turnover and sales, particularly in overseas markets.
“It clearly shows the importance of trading internationally which can open up major new markets and new business opportunities for companies while exports make a vital contribution to the Welsh economy.
“Internationalisation and Innovation are key priorities for the Welsh Government and both are vital components of company growth and success which is why we are making significant investment in both of these areas.
“The achievements of these six companies also illustrate that size is no barrier to success as a number are small companies that are competing on the world stage and leaders in their field.
“These prestigious Awards recognise outstanding achievement and are internationally recognised, providing a great marketing and advertising opportunity for companies that can use them as a symbol of their quality and success. I congratulate all six companies on their awards and would encourage other businesses in Wales to seriously consider entering the awards next year.”
Reid Lifting from Chepstow is one of only three companies in the UK to win two awards this year – they were recognised in the International Trade and Innovation categories. Reid Lifting previously won a Queen’s Award for Innovation in 2006. It is the third time that SRK Consulting (UK) Limited has won an award and the second time for Just Rollers from Cwmbran. First time winners from Wales include Bon Bon Buddies Ltd of Blackwood, SPTS Technologies UK Ltd, of Newport, and Airbond , of Pontnewynydd, Pontypool.
Award winners listed below
THE QUEEN’S AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE: INTERNATIONAL TRADE 2013
Bon Bon Buddies Ltd
Oakdale Business Park, Blackwood, Wales
Employs 155 people
Bon Bon Buddies Ltd is Europe’s leading specialist supplier of licensed character and branded confectionery.
Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, BBB is led by founder and Managing Director Chris Howarth, who identified a niche in the market in 1993. Sales grew to £13 million by 2003 and were further bolstered when the company started exporting. Sales continued to grow rapidly year-on-year, rising to £39 million in 2012.
Employing 155 staff, BBB has eight dedicated European sales and logistics facilities with further distribution in Central Eastern Europe, the Middle East and China. BBB also owns its own UK chocolate factory which produces for BBB and major confectionery brands.
With 90% of the range under leading license brands such as Disney, Warner Bros, Marvel, BBC, Mattel and Hasbro, BBB are the only license business in Europe to offer a complete product
The company exports to 40 countries including the majority of EU countries and in 2012 entered a number of new markets including Finland, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and the Middle East.
BBB aims to grow sales over the next five years to in excess of £80 million and the proportion of non-UK sales from 57% to over 75%.
Just Rollers plc
Cwmbran, Torfaen,
Employs 79 people
Established in 1970, Just Rollers plc, manufactures and refurbishes rubber and polyurethane-covered industrial rollers. It also manufactures and supplies rubber compound to the roller market under the name of Just Polymer Compounds. A current International Trade Queen’s Award holder, the company has, over the last three years, increased its overseas sales by more than 50%.
The company used its previous award as a platform from which to launch Project Enterprise in summer 2009. A strategic review provided a three year plan for company growth and identified that the main markets for new sales lay outside of the UK.
Innovation and partnership delivered growth well above plan and in 2012 the company had a turnover in excess of £8million.
European sales have remained a mainstay of the company’s continuing export development, in particular France and Germany. Export sales to the rest of the world account for over 30% of turnover.
Reid Lifting Limited
Newhouse Farm Industrial Estate, Chepstow
Employs 20 people
Established in 2000, Reid Lifting Ltd designs and manufactures lightweight, portable lifting equipment and solutions.
Winners in two categories for 2013 – Innovation and International Trade following on from an Innovation Award in 2006.
Reid Lifting establishes a loyal reseller partner base in Europe and exciting recent growth in USA and Australia.
The company held a strategic review after the economic crisis of 2008 where they identified the need to continue to innovate and export markets as offering the best chance for growth, focussing on markets where the health and safety benefits of their products were recognised.
The company has increased overseas sales by 75% over the last three years, with European sales accounting for 66% of its export turnover, and two-thirds of that into France.
Their French distributor was encouraged to develop business in the French speaking markets of North Africa and the West Indies and Distributors have been established in the USA and Australia as the company continues to expand its international reach.
SPTS Technologies UK Ltd, Newport
Employs 270 people
Formed in 1984, SPTS Technologies UK Ltd is a market-leading supplier of capital equipment that is used by worldwide device manufacturers to process semiconductor wafers.
Customers use their equipment to make products such as micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), LEDs, power devices and wireless communication chips.
SPT works with device manufacturers to produce the microelectronic devices that appear in a host of consumer goods including mobile phones, tablet computers and games consoles.
It has achieved export sales growth of 559% over the last three years with more than 95% of their revenue is generated through international trade into Europe, Asia and North America. The company invests heavily in R&D and after-sales support, employing around 270 people in Newport with another 230 employees in 11 overseas locations.
SRK Consulting (UK) Limited, Cardiff,
Employs 175 people
Established in 1988, SRK Consulting (UK) Limited provides professional consulting services to the global mining and metals sector.
A third time Queen’s Award holder, the company’s overseas sales have increased by 236% over the last six years. The company has wholly-owned consulting practices in the UK, Sweden, and Kazakhstan and other interests in the UK, Ghana, and
Turkey and is part of the larger company, SRK Global.
The UK practice generates the bulk of its overseas professional fee income from Africa, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Europe with a substantial portion also coming from North America and has seen an increase in staff numbers over the period from 66 to 175 over the last six years.
THE QUEEN’S AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE: INNOVATION 2013
Airbond,
Pontnewynydd, Pontypool, Torfaen
4 staff
The small company, Airbond, wins an Innovation Award for the design and manufacture of machines capable of creating spliced joints in carbon and glass fibres.
After considerable research, the company boasts the widest range of splicing capability in the world. Compared with alternatives of glued joints or knots, there are many benefits of splicing composite materials, which are mostly of very high value and associated with stringent production standards. They include increases in quality, consistency and structural integrity as well as reductions in materials waste and machine down-times.
Their commercially successful innovations are leading to financial saving in markets around the world.
Airbond is strong in research and development, devoting about 60 per cent of all its available man-hours to developing new and improved products.
Reid Lifting Limited wins an Innovation Award for developing two unique, portable gantry systems.
The first, PORTA-GANTRY 5000, a market leader with patented features, is a world first for aluminium gantries having lifting capacity of 5000kg. Being lightweight and with some patented features it facilitates easy transportation and manual assembly by just two people. Designed using finite element analysis and following extensive testing it complies with stringent quality and safety standards.
The second system, PORTA-GANTRY RAPIDE, designed in conjunction with Cardiff University, being ultra-lightweight and incorporating an integrated wheeled carrier, can be simply transported, rapidly deployed and easily folded for compact storage by a single operator. The product weighs just 33kg but lifts goods or personnel weighing up to 500kg and is suitable for application in confined spaces.
Compared with alternatives, the commercially successful innovations have led to more secure, safer and cheaper handling of artefacts and personnel in an extended range of situations.