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https://kingsawards.blog.gov.uk/introduction-to-the-queens-awards-international-trade/

Introduction to the Queen's Awards - International Trade

Transcript

[Music]

Voiceover:

The Queen's Awards for Enterprise are the UK's most prestigious awards for outstanding achievement, and are the national recognition for business excellence.

There's an award for individuals, the 'Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion', and another for the longer established Award for business, with 3 separate categories:

  • International Trade
  • Innovation; and
  • Sustainable Development

[Caption: International Trade].

Karen Bradley (Communications & External Affairs, Toyota UK):

Toyota first announced it would start manufacturing Europe in 1989, and production started here in the UK in 1992.

Today, here in Derbyshire, we manufacture Avensis and Auris cars.

And at our engine plant in North Wales we manufacture engines and parts for global export.

All of our members were really delighted to win a Queen's Award.

Over the 3-year period of the application we have almost doubled our overseas export value to nearly £2 billion. We have also exported over 40,000 Avensis' to Japan - a real coals to Newcastle story.

Aslam Hatmi (General Manager, Techtools):

Techtools won the Queen's Award in International Trade.

A small company like ourselves have won a very big award. A wonderful achievement.

Techtools started in 1982. We're an export trading company supplying non-specialised material to the petroleum, construction and shipbuilding industries throughout the Middle East.

We don't physically see the goods. Most of our buying is done in the US and shipped directly to a freight-forwarder in Houston Texas. And from there it's shipped directly to our customer in the Middle East.

We faced a lot of challenges when we initially started out. Our first order was for a modest sum of £475, but we built on that through hard work and perseverance. And now we have a business which is turning over around £2 million.

It's not just for the big blue chip companies, it's for small companies like ourselves. It's worth it, go for it.

Andy Hurst (Managing Director, Tracerco):

Tracerco provide a wide range of process diagnostics and specialist measurement solutions to the entire process industry, from oil and gas recovery, right through to the manufacture of chemicals.

In 2003 we won the Queen's Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category for the profiler.

Over the last 5 years our exports have grown dramatically. They now represent over 70% of our total turnover, and we've been recognised with another Queen's Award in the International Trade category.

HRH the Prince of York:

I would encourage all of you, wherever you are, in whatever company and whatever field, to participate in the Queen's Awards.

I know that those who have participated and won awards in the past thoroughly believe in what it can do for your company.

So I wish you all every success.

Good luck.