Gloucester-based manufacturer Helipebs Controls Ltd has been recognised for its excellence in export in the 2016 Queen's Award for Enterprise – the UK's highest accolade for business success.
The firm, which can trace its roots in the city back well over 100 years, has received The Queen's Award for Enterprise: International Trade having grown its overseas sales by 142% between 2013 and 2015.
Helipebs are specialists in the design and manufacturing of hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders, which are used to exert a controlled force to push or pull something in all manner of industrial applications. Whilst its products may be best known within engineering departments, their application is much more widely known as they can be found in the tooling used on production of parts for Jaguar Land Rover or Dyson, clamping together equipment on oil well heads up to 3km under the sea, on testing rigs for aircraft wings and landing gear for Airbus, and for special projects in Formula 1.
The company has achieved such significant growth by extending its product range from quality standardised hydraulic cylinders to bespoke items, often serving the most rigorous and safety critical industries.
"We are so proud to have been bestowed this very great honour," says Ron Tyler, Director of Manufacturing and Finance. "It's testimony to our highly skilled workforce in Gloucester.
"Back in the 1990s we found ourselves battling cheap foreign imports, and so we decided to innovate high value bespoke products for industries where quality, expertise and communication were valued highly.
"In the past decade, as our reputation for excellent customer service and precision, quality engineering design and manufacturing has grown, we've extended our reach into international markets – whether that's for ÔÇİoff the shelf' products, or highly bespoke applications."
The 60-strong team designs and manufactures products for clients in many industries, including offshore oil and gas, aerospace, Formula 1, pharmaceutical, and wave and tidal energy, serving 55 countries around the world including China, Singapore, Malaysia, Scandinavia and the Emirates, as well as the UK.