Notts firms win Queen's Award

By [rtresidder] richard tresidder business editor

Three Notts firms, including the company founded by fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, are recognised today in the Queen's Awards for Enterprise.

Sometimes referred to as the corporate honours, they recognise the achievements of successful businesses.

Awards are held for five years and the winning firms can fly the prestigious Queen's Award flag and display the emblem on their letter heading, in advertising, on goods themselves and on commemorative items.

Notts winners are Paul Smith, Romax Technology, of Nottingham Science and Technology Park, and West Energy Saving Technologies, of Bramcote.

All three firms collect the Queen's Award for innovation.

W. Ball & Son, of Ilkeston, pick up the Queen's Award for international trade.

BGB Engineering and Cathodic Protection, both of Grantham, are also recognised for international trade.

The Lord Lieutenants of the relevant counties will present the awards.

A record number of UK companies have achieved what is one of the country's most sought-after business accolades.

Nearly 200 firms across the country are winners of the Queen's Awards for Enterprise 2009.

More than 1,000 nationally applied for the honour, which is awarded in three categories: international trade, innovation and sustainable development.

Paul Smith Ltd is one of the UK's leading fashion houses. It designs and manufactures men's and women's luxury clothing, shoes and accessories.

Founded by Sir Paul Smith, it has been trading since 1974 and today employs 637 people.

Paul Smith has its head office in Nottingham and showrooms in London, Paris, Milan, New York, Tokyo and Sydney.

Sir Paul holds twice yearly fashion shows in Paris (for men's clothes) and in London (for women's).

In this difficult and competitive high fashion sector, the company's overseas earnings in six years have more than doubled and exports as a percentage of production are now about 60%.

The Queen's Award assessor said that particularly noteworthy are its exports to the fashion centres of Europe: France and Italy.

The company's overseas earnings come mainly from Europe, North America, the Far East and the Middle East.

Paul Smith, which won a Queen's Award in 1995, collects an award for innovation.

Romax Technology is celebrating winning the Queen's Award for the second time. It picked up the award in 2004.

Founded by managing director and owner Dr Peter Poon in 1989, it is based on the Nottingham Science & Technology Park.

The company provides technical consultancy and product development solutions for clients within the transport and renewable energy industries.

It delivers engineering services and software for the design and analysis of gearboxes and drivetrains to leading manufacturers across the wind energy, automotive, aerospace, rail and marine sectors.

Romax receives the award for increasing exports more than threefold over six years.

This is attributed to Romax's consolidation of its success in providing engineering services and software to global automotive manufacturers, and its burgeoning new business providing design and analysis services for wind turbines.

The company has continued to grow, employing 110 people in offices in Britain, America, China, Korea, Japan, India France and Germany.

Romax is involved in environmentally significant research for next generation wind turbines and hybrid vehicles.

It works closely with Government and leading energy companies.

It collects a Queen's Award for innovation.

West Energy Saving Technologies is run by founder,Phil West, of Cow Lane, Bramcote.

From his loft, he assembles automatic ventilation controllers which detect when to turn on extractor fans.

The parts are largely made by other firms in Notts.

West Energy wins an award for the continuous development of his product, Ventmiser CMSM.

The patented devices provide precise control over fans or central ventilation systems by responding to the use of electric cooking appliances, electric showers and conventional showers.

Housed in single boxes, they are easy to install and require minimal maintenance.

Compared with alternatives, they consume less energy, have lower running costs and emit fewer carbon pollutants.

By reducing dampness, condensation and cooking odours, the controllers protect the fabric of dwellings from damage.

They also improve indoor air quality.

Mr West said the firm had sales of £338,000 last year, selling 3,090 units.

In his first year, 2002/3, Mr West sold 153 units.

He has already sold 3,170 units in 2008/9 as he approaches his year end.

Units sell for £113 upwards.

Mr West said he invented the device after he was called into The Maltings, student accommodation in Basford, Nottingham.

Fire alarms were going off seven times a night as a result of fat particulate in the air when students began to cook.

Mr West came up with the idea that ventilation could be turned on by detecting electricity in a cooker.

Today, the idea has broader uses and is sold as far afield as Gibraltar.

W Ball & Son, of Ilkeston, manufactures technical textiles under the trademark Baltex.

It started trading 178 years ago, in 1831, and today employs 29 staff, led by managing director Charles Wood

Technical textiles are produced from a range of high performance fibres.

Markets include Automotive, Aerospace and Protective Clothing.

Innovative fabrics have recently been developed for the Military and Healthcare areas.

The company, which sells its goods in more than 16 countries, previously won a Queen's Award for International Trade in 2003. Core markets are France and the USA and the company is now developing a strong presence in central European markets.

Market growth has been achieved through an experienced marketing and customer service team, working together with agents, who use pinpoint marketing for niche market areas.

Overseas sales increased 66% since 2006, equating to £670,000 of exports, for which it picks up the international trade category of the Queen's Award for Enterprise.

Grantham-based BGB Engineering designs and manufactures lightning conductors, among other things.

It collects a Queen's Award for International Trade.

The company, which employs 72, also designs and manufactures electrical slip ring assemblies.

Its products are used for rotary applications, underwater lighting and camera solutions, and wireless ethernet bridge systems for the transmission of high speed data or video links.

The slip ring systems, in particular, have wide-ranging applications within wind turbine technology.

It has won the award for the first time for increasing its export earnings by 126% over three years to nearly £12m a year.

Cathodic Protection Co, of Grantham, designs, manufactures and supplies specialist corrosion protection (cathodic protection) equipment and services to the oil, gas, petrochemical, water and construction industries.

It is winning the award for the first time for international trade, nearly trebling its export earnings in three years, to more than £6m a year.

It sells 87% of its products to 37 countries.

Success has been built on a sustained investment in the company's engineering and production capability.

The company, which employs 28, has formed strategic alliances with international partners.

These developments have enabled major overseas contracts to be won and delivered. With a strong network of agents and an overseas office in Abu Dhabi, the company is now a leading supplier of corrosion solutions around the world.