From last UK manufacturer of corduroy to a pest control specialist, firms rewarded for enterprise

QUEEN'S AWARD HONOURS FOR EIGHT

THE UK's last manufacturer of moleskin and corduroy material is one of eight regional firms to be recognised with a Queen's Award for Enterprise today.
Brisbane Moss Corduroys in Todmorden has been praised for its successful export markets at a time when British manufacturing is reeling from the impact of cheaper foreign imports.

It was included in a list of 112 companies across the UK which were declared winners of the annual royal business awards which recognise the achievements of firms in three categories – international trade, sustainable development and innovation.

The Queen's Awards, the oldest and most prestigious of business award schemes, praised a range of Yorkshire companies from the York-based allergy testing company Yorktest to Ward Shoes, a Sheffield firm that sells worn returns and end-of-range shoes to countries including Zambia and Sierra Leone.

Ward Shoes joined Brisbane Moss as a winner in the international category. Around 73 per cent of all its sales were to foreign countries during the past year. It trades in 17 countries with Nigeria and Ghana each accounting for 30 per cent of overseas sales.

Nisa International, part of the Grimsby-based grocery buying and distribution group Nisa-Today's, also picked up an international trade award.

The division, which employs 13 staff, exports more than 12,000 British food brands to customers in Spain, France, the Falkland Islands, the US and Canada. Its overseas earnings have more than trebled over the past six years from 85 countries worldwide.
Pest control specialist PestWest Electronics also picked up an international award.

The Ossett firm makes and distributes ultraviolet lights which kill insects.
Its overseas sales have more than doubled in the past six years with its products going to firms in agriculture, catering and pest control in more than 70 countries.
Marketing manager Heather Thompson, said: "Our approach to international marketing is one of flexibility."

Rotherham-based engineering group AESSeal won its sixth Queen's Award with an accolade for innovation. The seals specialist, which employs 700 staff, was praised for its use of the latest three-dimensional computer-based engineering techniques.
The Natural Wheat Bag Company, a Huddersfield business that sells grain-filled products designed to sooth aches and pains, was also recognised for innovation.
This category also included the Salamander Organisation based in York which designs software that helps blue chip firms address performance.

Managing partner Dick Whittington said: "The award is recognition that British companies can compete head-on with US technology. Salamander is meeting a need that industry giants like Microsoft and IBM don't address."

Osbaldwick-based Yorktest Group, which specialises in testing for food intolerance, was also praised for innovation.

Patients use the company's kits – available by mail order and at pharmacies – to take a tiny pin-prick blood sample which is sent to the laboratory for analysis and tested against commonly-eaten foods. Chief executive John Graham said the award would boost the company's reputation.

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