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Record Entrants Increased Competition For This Year’s Queen’s Awards Winners

01/06/2003

Materials World

This year's winners of the UK's top awards for business performance, The Queen's Awards for Enterprise, were announced on 21st April, the Queen's personal birthday.

Meeting the stringent criteria imposed by the Award Committee, as well as beating off stiff competition
from 1,008 other applicants - an increase of almost 12% compared to 2002, though fewer awards were
made - ensures the continuing prestige of these awards. The Awards, open to organisations
operating regularly as part of the UK economy, are presented in three categories - International trade,
Innovation and Sustainable development.

In the Innovation category, Morgan Group Technology and Thermal Ceramics UK, subsidiaries of Morgan Crucible Company, won awards for the introduction and continuous improvement of its Superwool fibres with 'greatly improved biosolubilitv'. Superwool is a polycrystalline fibre that can be broken down into a powder by fluid in the lungs, and is then absorbed into the bloodstream and excreted from the body. 'This is the first refractory fibre to be sold without an attached danger warning,' says Alan Begg, Director of Technology for the Morgan Group. Developing this material was a huge technical challenge for Morgan, as it needed to be chemically stable at extremely high temperatures for refractory applications, yet unstable enough to break down in the Iungs. 'Winning the Queen's Award marks the fact that Superwool is both a commercial and technical success,' savs Begg.

Another Award in the Innovation category was presented to Delcam, in recognition of its ArtCAM software used in the manufacture of products incorporating intricate decoration. Jewellery, coins, badges, medals, signs and footware are just some of the products made by artists, designers and engravers using the software, which allows them to use computer manufacturing techniques alongside their traditional skills. ArtCAM is used by artists who would struggle with a traditional engineering CAD package, as it uses colour extensively and has a more artistic interface.

Oxford Instruments won an Innovation award for its Discovery 900MHz nuclear magnetic resonance superconducting magnet, developed for analysing large, complex biomolecules. The Discovery allows high resolution structural determination of proteins, and will push forward the boundaries of research in novel therapeutics. Its spectrometer generates a magnetic field 400,000 times stronger than that of the Earth.
‘The 900MHz is one of the most technically challenging magnets ever developed,' says Steve McQuillan, Managing Director of Oxford Instruments Superconductivity. 'It's wonderful that the commitment and hard work of our workforce has been recognised by the Queen's Awards.'

INEOS Silicas has been recognised for its innovative development, commercialisation and after-sales service of Sorbsil Chamelion desiccant silica gel - a safe, alternative moisture indicating system. The Sorbsil Chamelion gel fills a gap left when the previously used colour indicator, cobalt dichloride, was shown to be a possible carcinogen.

Other materials/mining-related winners in the Innovation category include:

Awards for International trade were made to:

Only 10 awards were made in the area of Sustainable development. One award was made in the materials/mining area, to Rockwell Glass Ltd, for its sustainability approach to glass packaging production through recycling, technology and educational programmes.

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