24 ★ FINANCIAL TIMES MONDAY APRIL 22 2013

InnovationFrom sustainedresearch to simpleideas, creativitytakes many formsPage Q2

Inside »

EnterprisepromotionThe winners showthe value of havinga good mentorPage Q2

InternationaltradeCompanies arefinding profitableniches overseasPage Q3

Five years into the most pro-longed economic downturn ofmodern times, British busi-ness could do with cheeringitself up. A glance through

this year’s winners of the Queen’sAwards for Enterprise should help.

From a maker of mass spectrome-ters to a nail bar chain, from a makerof milking equipment to a supplier offood supplements to support fertility,the winners of the awards – firsthanded out in 1966 – are a showcasefor the country’s ability to createinnovative products and services andsell them around the world.

The 2013 list, published to mark theQueen’s birthday on April 21, contains152 awards, mixing FTSE companieswith private businesses and subsidiar-ies of foreign-owned groups.

The number is down slightly on therecord of 209 awards in 2012, but thequality remains high. At the core ofthe list are dozens of often unsungsmaller companies, for which theawards provide important recognition.

The drive that these companieshave shown, particularly in boostingsales to emerging markets in Asia,Africa and South America, combinedwith their versatility and innovation,exemplifies the qualities required tohelp return the UK economy tohealthy growth.

More such businesses are needed.The overall performance of the UK’stradeable sector has been, as the Bankof England puts it, “disappointing”,particularly given the 20 per cent fallin the real value of sterling since thestart of the financial crisis.

Weaker than expected exportsaccounted for almost all the shortfallin economic growth in 2012 comparedwith earlier forecasts from the Officefor Budget Responsibility.

“The Queen’s Awards for Enterpriseare one of the most internationallyrecognised and sought-after awardsthat a UK business can achieve. Theygive companies prestige, an edge over-seas and a well deserved boost,” saysMichael Fallon, the business minister.

He says the awards highlight “ourstrong entrepreneurial streak and theexcellent businesses we have up anddown the country who are growing,creating jobs, making a valuable contri-bution to the economy and helping usto compete in the global race. I applaudeach and every one of the winners.”

The awards demonstrate the UK’sstrength in sectors ranging from infor-mation technology and engineering tolegal services, education, construc-tion, architecture, horticulture, soft-ware, oil and gas, printing, medicaldevices and many more.

Winners include a publisher ofonline scientific information, the

world’s only commercial specialist inbreeding and propagating hybridDianthus (pinks), developers of gamesfor mobile phones, makers of bodyarmour and mailroom equipment andsuppliers of whisky, beer and cheese.

Some are household names, such asRegatta, the outdoor clothing special-ist, and Tyrrells Potato Crisps, thepremium snack maker, both of whichwin international trade awards. Manyother winners, such as Keltic Seafare,a supplier of Scottish shellfish, whileperhaps less known to the Britishpublic, have seen their exports soar.

Other winning businesses rangefrom enterprises with as few as twoemployees to FTSE companies such asDe La Rue International, which winsan innovation award for novel bank-notes to foil counterfeiters, and Ren-ishaw, which wins one for developinga multi-sensor probing system for co-ordinating measuring machines.

Two companies have won awards inboth the international trade and inno-vation categories: Niftylift, which

makes mobile aerial platforms for thebuilding and maintenance sectors,and Reid Lifting, which makes light-weight, portable lifting equipment.

Spinko – Harrison Spinks – whichmakes bed springs, is a winner in boththe innovation and sustainable devel-opment categories. Sun Mark, a mar-keting and distribution company inthe fast-moving consumer goods sec-tor, has become the first company towin an award five years in a row.

Awards are given for achievementin three categories: internationaltrade, where there are 116 winners;innovation, with 27 awards; and sus-tainable development benefiting theenvironment, society and the econ-omy, with nine. There are also eightenterprise promotion awards to indi-viduals for efforts to encourage entre-preneurship.

Judges said the standard of entriesthis year was high, with 25 per cent ofentrants winning an award. Fourteen

Continued on Page 26

Entrepreneursoffer shiningexamples ingloomy timesEven as theUK economy continues tostruggle,manyworld-beating businessesare f lourishing, writesBrianGroom

In pursuit of new markets: exports of Keltic Seafare’s Scottish shellfish business have expanded rapidly

These companies showthe qualities required if theUK economy is to get backto healthy growth

FT SPECIAL REPORT

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise

SustainabledevelopmentEnvironmental andsocial impactsoften go togetherPage Q3

Read moreAn interview withClaire Dove ofBlackburne House,and profiles ofKeltic Seafare andReid Lifting

On FT.com »

FINANCIAL TIMES MONDAY APRIL 22 2013 ★ 25

Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2013 - Q2

While the UK economy hasshrunk since the financialcrash of 2008, the number ofbusinesses has grown.There were an estimated4.8m private sector busi-nesses in the UK at thestart of 2012, the highestestimate since data werefirst collected in 2000.

At least 200,000 busi-nesses were started in 2011,a year-on-year rise of 4.4 percent – proof that toughfinancial and economic con-ditions have not stymiedenterprise.

The eight individualrecipients of the enterprisepromotion award representan array of academics, busi-ness advisers and socialentrepreneurs.

Mike Herd is executivedirector of the Sussex Inno-vation Centre, a businessincubation companyattached to the Universityof Sussex. SInC is a self-sus-taining business that sup-ports university spin-outcompanies and other localorganisations.

Liz Towns-Andrews isdirector of research andenterprise at the Universityof Huddersfield, which wasvoted Entrepreneurial Uni-versity of the Year 2012 inthe Times Higher EducationAwards.

Ian Smith is vice-princi-pal at Surbiton High Schoolin London and has taughtbusiness and enterprise for20 years, while also helpingwith Young Enterprise, aneducation charity throughwhich schoolchildren set upbusinesses and other organ-isations.

Richard Gallafent is aLondon patent attorneywho provides voluntaryadvice on intellectual prop-erty and licensing mattersfor inventors.

The youngest winner thisyear is Rajeeb Dey, just 27.He founded Enternships,which places young peoplein start-up or entrepreneur-ial companies. The organi-sation evolved from MrDey’s work as president ofOxford Entrepreneurs, theUniversity of Oxford’sentrepreneurs’ society.

“After 2008 there was alot of graduate unemploy-ment and it was the perfecttime to set up,” says MrDey. “The best way to learnabout business is to work ina start-up.”

Mr Dey is also a co-founder of StartUp Britain,

a national campaign to pro-mote entrepreneurship,backed by David Cameron,the prime minister. Alongwith entrepreneur Sir Rich-ard Branson, it has per-suaded the government toprovide £117.5m for start-uploans for the under-30s,with more than 2,000 loanshanded out so far.

Lady Cunningham is anenterprise developmentcoach with Ways Into Suc-cessful Enterprise in Cum-bria, which supports andmentors disadvantagedindividuals and groups toset up businesses, enteremployment or become self-employed.

John Vernon is a volun-tary adviser with Oxford-shire Business Enterprises,mentoring start-ups andsmall and medium-sizedbusinesses.

Finally, Claire Dove picksup the Lifetime Achieve-ment Award for EnterprisePromotion. She is chiefexecutive of BlackburneHouse in Liverpool, whichtrains and supports womenin business.

It is important to strike abalance between passionand profitability, Ms Dovesays. “Social enterpriseswant to make money. It’swhat we do with the moneythat is the difference.”Read more about ClaireDove: ft.com/queens-awards

Wise heads help raw talentEnterprise promotion

Winners show thevalue of having agood mentor, findsAndrew Bounds

When it comes to a keyindicator of innovation –spending on researchand development as aproportion of gross

domestic product – the UK “still trailsbehind most of our main competi-tors”, according to the 2012 innova-tion report by the Department of Busi-ness Innovation & Skills (BIS). So asthe 27 winners in the innovation cate-gory of the Queen’s Awards for Enter-prise are announced, the hope is thatthey can serve as an inspiration totheir UK peers.

The UK performs relatively well onhigh-quality research, producing 14per cent of the world’s most fre-quently cited scientific papers, accord-ing to the BIS report. Yet, as winnersindicate, British innovation goes wellbeyond science.

Science is certainly well representedthis year. Equipment designed andmanufactured by Wiltshire-basedNanoSight can measure nanoparticlesthat have dimensions of less than one-

millionth of a metre. The companyhas been recognised for its contribu-tion to advances in manufacturingprocesses, as well as to medical andpharmaceutical research.

Originating from a scientificresearch programme, the Pregnacarerange of micronutrient food supple-ments developed by London-basedVitabiotics helps “support womenwho are trying to conceive”. It mightalso help reduce unhealthy births andsupport foetal development, as well asaiding postnatal breastfeeding andfostering healthy brain and eye devel-opment in babies.

But while scientific research canlead to breakthroughs in healthcare,sometimes all it takes is a good idea –as was the case with the productdeveloped by Hydrate for Health, atwo-person company based in Bristol.

It was when Mark Moran, now chiefexecutive, was recovering from a spi-nal operation and unable to get him-self a drink that he conceived of theidea of the “hydrant”. The drinkingaid is similar to a sports drinking bot-tle but has a clip that allows it to beattached to beds or wheelchairs.

Along with science-based andhealthcare innovations, the awardsreflect the UK’s strength in engineer-ing. This year, several of the innova-tions support the energy sector – bothrenewable sources and fossil fuels.

In the field of renewables, the newclass of seabed ploughs and trenching

equipment developed by Soil MachineDynamics supports the installation ofoffshore wind power marine infra-structure.

However, not all innovations areabout equipment or technology. Thisyear’s awards include a company thathas been recognised for a methodol-ogy – one designed to improve thelives of young people.

Livity, a London-based marketingagency, invites young people from allbackgrounds to its premises, a formerpiano factory, to help create market-ing campaigns aimed at young people.While there, they receive mentoring,training and support – improvingtheir employment prospects.

Sam Conniff, chairman and co-founder, stresses that while Livity hasa social mission, profitability mattersjust as much as the creative process.“We fly the flag for profit,” he says,“because if a business is not finan-cially sustainable, it’s not going to behere to make a difference.”

Inspirationalbreakthroughs

The UK performswell on high-qualityresearch, producing14 per cent of theworld’s mostfrequently citedscientific papers

Growth business: NanoSighttechnology can measurenanoparticles that havedimensions of less thanone-millionth of a metre

Innovation

From sustained research tosimple ideas, new businessmodels take many forms,writes Sarah Murray

26 ★ FINANCIAL TIMES MONDAY APRIL 22 2013

Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2013 - Q3

“The worst thing that hashappened is that accountantshave taken over the business,and the entrepreneurialinventiveness that has beenthe backbone of British industryfor the past 200 years hasbeen superseded by accountantshaving their products madein the Far East at a tenth ofthe price so they canmake more money.”

Denis WickFounder, Denis Wick Products

of the winning companieshave 10 employees or fewer,while 133 have fewer than250 employees.

Among the smallest com-panies, Metal Events andHydrate for Health eachhave two employees. Theformer, as its name sug-gests, organises events forthe global metals industry,for which it wins an inter-national trade award. Thelatter wins an innovationaward for developing ahands-free drinking systemto reduce dehydration inhospital patients and resi-dents of care homes.

The oldest companiesamong the winners includeRoyal Society of ChemistryPublishing, a not-for-profitscientific publisher, learnedsociety and professionalbody for chemical scien-tists. Winn & Coales Inter-national, which makes anti-corrosion tapes, coatings,sealants and waterproofingproducts, was established in1883. Both win internationaltrade awards.

Elsewhere in the interna-tional trade category, for-eign-owned winners includeInca Digital Printers, a Jap-anese manufacturer ofindustrial digital flatbedink-jet printers; Swiss-owned Mettler-Toledo Safe-line X-ray, which sellsX-ray systems to the foodand pharmaceutical indus-tries; and Sweden’s Eurofor-est, which harvests andmarkets British timber.

Manufacturing, which isstruggling to recover fromrecession, provides a widerange of winners, includingSteelite International, aStoke-based maker ofceramic tableware for the

Continued from Page 24 hospitality industry; Pear-son Engineering, a Newcas-tle upon Tyne-based makerof military engineeringproducts such as landminerollers, mine ploughs andbulldozers; and TotalpostServices, which makes mail-room equipment.

Nails Inc, a London-basedcompany established in1999, is among the more col-ourful winners: it set out toestablish a chain of brandednail bar concessions in lead-ing department stores withhigh footfall, and has cre-ated a worldwide businesswith the help of a tradingpartner, Sephora.

Fever-Tree, established in2004 “to create the perfectgin and tonic”, now mar-kets a portfolio of premium,natural mixer drinks sold to35 overseas markets. TheCambridge Satchel Com-pany, which started tradingin December 2008 from akitchen table, manufacturesand sells traditional leathersatchels directly to custom-ers and top stores.

In the innovation cate-gory, ADF Milking, based inWest Sussex, wins an awardfor developing a “milkingcluster-based automatic dip-ping and flushing system”,which has reduced the riskof disease associated withmilking cows.

Winners of the Queen’sAwards are visited by aroyal representative andpresented with a crystalbowl to mark their achieve-ment. They also attenda reception at BuckinghamPalace and can use theQueen’s Award emblemin advertising, marketingand on packaging for aperiod of five years as asymbol of their quality andsuccess.

Entrepreneurs offershining examples

In terms of numbers, thewinners in the sustainabledevelopment category rep-resent a weak showing inthis year’s Queen’s Awardsfor Enterprise. Just ninenames appear in the list,but individually they arerich in ideas.

A name change in 2001for the category, fromawards for environmental

achievement, reflected theneed to recognise organisa-tions that are not onlyaddressing their environ-mental footprint but alsotheir social impact. Thisyear, several winners havebeen rewarded for this jointapproach.

Based in Newcastle uponTyne, the Shared InterestSociety, a lender to Fair-trade buyer and producerorganisations, uses loans toshape the way they do busi-ness by imposing require-ments on their managementpractices.

However, environmentalimpact is a considerationtoo. Shared Interest usesloans to foster environmen-

tally sustainable practices,such as the use of locallysourced materials andorganic production methods.

Social impact is the mainfocus for The WorkspaceGroup, a Northern Ireland-based social enterprise thatfosters community regener-ation by encouraging enter-prise and self-employment.

Yet, as with Shared Inter-est, the group’s activities –which include undertakingenergy efficiency and localenergy generation projects –show the line between socialand environmental impactis not always clear cut.

“There is a significantopportunity to develop eco-nomic activity from envi-

ronmental sustainability,”explains Brian Murray,chief executive of the Work-space Group. “We havedeveloped a model for sus-tainable energy projectsthat can be applied to anyarea, with the outcomebeing local job creation,energy cost reduction, car-bon dioxide savings, invest-ment opportunities and var-ious other social impacts.”

Even when it comes towildlife conservation, therelationship with humansremains an important one.Scottish Seabird Centre,which wins its third sus-tainable developmentQueen’s Award since 2004,is a conservation charity.

Yet in promoting responsi-ble tourism, it acknowl-edges that bringing societyand nature closer togethercan protect wildlife.

In doing so, the centre ispart of a broader globaltrend. Development groupsand environmental organi-sations – which once hadvery different missions –have moved closer togetheras they have seen that pro-tecting the environmentand fostering economicdevelopment are not con-flicting aims.

Wessex Water Services,for example, wins in thesustainable developmentcategory in part because itis the first water company

to establish catchment man-agement agreements withfarmers outside its ownlandholdings.

The company works withfarmers to help them man-age their use of nitrates andpesticides to reduce waterpollution.

Several award winnersare addressing resourceconsumption. Seasalt, aclothing company based inPenzance, is working toreduce the environmentalimpact of its clothing andaccessories. Seasalt is thefirst UK fashion company tomeet Soil Association stand-ards on organic cotton, andhas adopted measures suchas waste reduction.

Green approaches add social value to the mixSustainable development

Environmental andsocial benefits oftengo hand in hand,writes Sarah Murray

When Metalube wasfounded in 1989 all itssales were to UK cus-tomers. Last year theManchester-based busi-

ness, which makes lubricants for thewire and cable industry, sent 96 percent overseas. It is a familiar story forthe UK’s manufacturers as factorieshave moved abroad.

But Metalube, a £7m turnover busi-ness with 31 staff, has gone furtherthan most in pursuit of new markets.It opened a sales office in China in2005, and now has a presence in Indiaand Brazil. Overseas sales have grown50 per cent in three years, earning thecompany its first Queen’s Award.

But not enough British companieshave followed its lead. Brazil, Russia,India and China accounted for just 7per cent of total UK exports in 2011,against 54 per cent for the EU, accord-ing to the Confederation of BritishIndustry, the business lobby group.

The value of exports to the Briccountries rose 42 per cent between

2008 and 2011, compared with anincrease of 9 per cent for sales to theUS and 10 per cent to the EU. Yeteven if growth continues to pick up asit has done in recent years, exports tothe fast-growing Bric economies willnot account for the majority of theUK’s total until around 2047.

Katja Hall, chief policy director ofthe CBI, says “there is a mountain toclimb” if the government is to meetits stated aim of doubling exports to£1tn a year by 2020.

Douglas Hunt, Metalube’s commer-cial director, says his previous experi-ence working for a multinational hasgiven him useful contacts to set upoverseas offices. “All the people wehave taken on are those I knew andtrusted,” he says.

Mr Hunt says British businesseshave to compete with local outfitsthat happily grease palms to win con-tracts. “Corruption is there – it is theelephant in the room. You have toprotect yourself, your intellectualproperty and your integrity, because

it is very easy to wreck your reputa-tion,” he says.

However, the risk is worth thereward, he says. “There are unbelieva-ble opportunities in these marketsthat could transform our business.”

Deloitte, the professional servicesfirm, has identified export growth askey for the UK Futures 1000, the coun-try’s fastest-growing businesses.

David Sproul, Deloitte chief execu-tive, says four things mark out thesecompanies, including “the knowledgeand confidence to export”. In commonwith Metalube, they tend to be worldleaders in a particular niche, be pri-vately held with a long-term visionand are able to change quickly andadapt their culture to foreign markets.

Andrew Graham, chief executive offamily-owned Graham & Brown, awallpaper maker based in Blackburn,says there is a tremendous appetitefor British crafts among the emergingglobal middle class.

His company has been selling toNorth Africa and further afield,

helped by government-backed creditinsurance. UK Export Finance hasextended insurance coverage beyondcapital goods and project work.

Tyrrells Potato Crisps, the snackmaker based in Herefordshire, isanother winner that has benefitedfrom the government’s export push. Itplays up its British roots and has beenselling bags of crisps in Russia for £5 –more than double the UK price – afterDavid Milburn, managing director,joined David Cameron, the UK primeminister, on a trip to the country.

Peter Birtles, a director of SheffieldForgemasters International, one of thelast British-owned steelmakers, saysits heritage and knowhow haveallowed it to export huge components.

The company originally madearmour plating for battleships butnow has few domestic customers.“British industry has no need for Shef-field Forgemasters – 70 per cent of ourproduction is exported,” Mr Birtlessays. “But we have found a model thatworks – and are having fun.”

Industry startsto scale theexport mountainInternational tradeCompanies are findingprofitable niches overseas, saysAndrewBounds

Lubricating thesale: Metalubeopened a salesoffice in China in2005, and nowhas a presence inIndia and Brazil

FINANCIAL TIMES MONDAY APRIL 22 2013 ★ 27

Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2013 - Q4

“The life blood of business is enterprise.Through designing, creating, developing,manufacturing and supporting productsand services you are able to solvecustomers’ requirements and developrelationships with them.Enterprise summarises theingredients that makebusiness – strategy,culture, people, attitudeand a willingness to putthe customer first.”

Steve Fitz-Gerald Marshall Aerospaceand Defence Group CEO

International trade: Winnershave demonstrated theirbusiness has achievedsubstantial growth inoverseas earnings and incommercial success (for theirbusiness size and sector)either through outstandingachievement over three yearsor continuous achievementover six years.Innovation: Winners havedemonstrated their business

has substantially improved inareas of performance andcommercial success by either:outstanding innovation,continued over at least twoyears; or continuousinnovation and developmentover at least five years.Innovation achievements areassessed for invention, designor production; performance ofservices and products;marketing and distribution; or

after-sales support of goodsor services.Sustainable development:Winners demonstratecommercially successfulproducts, services andapproaches to managementthat have major benefits forthe environment, society andthe wider economy either byoutstanding advance over atleast two years; or continuousachievement over five years.

Sustainable developmentachievements are assessedfor invention, design,production, performance,marketing, distribution, aftersales support of goods orservices; or management ofresources or people, andrelationships with otherorganisations (or theirrepresentatives). Businessescan enter more than oneaward category.

Enterprise promotion Thisaward recognises people whohave played an outstandingrole in promoting the growthof business enterprise and/orentrepreneurial skills andattitudes in others, forexample by giving up theirtime to help potentialentrepreneurs in education orin starting a business. Thereare eight recipients this yearSource: BIS

Queen’s Awards for Enterprise Methodology

When a company hasbecome a market leaderdesigning and manufactur-ing innovative bed springs,purchasing a farm mightnot seem the most obviousstrategic move.

But in the case of Spinko– which trades as HarrisonSpinks – the farm itacquired in 2009 has becomean integral part of its opera-tions and has led to theLeeds-based business win-ning two Queen’s Awards –one for innovation and theother for sustainable devel-opment.

“When we first looked atthe farm, we weren’t think-ing in terms of our carbonfootprint,” says RichardNaylor, Harrison Spinks’business development man-ager.

“We looked at ourselvesand asked what we did. Theanswer we came up withwas that we are makers ofcomfort.

“Keeping our own sheepwas our way of becominginnovative in the use of nat-ural fibres.”

As well as rearing Texel,Leicester and Swaledalesheep to provide wool formattress upholstery, the300-acre farm enables Harri-son Spinks to grow natural,non-woven materials, suchas hemp and flax.

This approach means thefamily-owned company canattack the market verti-cally, says Mr Naylor. “Ifyou look at other manufac-turers, they buy the compo-nents and assemble them,”he says.

“We take the view thatinnovation means makingcomponents ourselves – notonly the springs but thenatural fibres.”

Harrison Spinks’ farm hasbrought other benefits. Thesite, which includes agrade II-listed building, isjust 20 miles from the com-pany’s factory in Leeds,reducing the company’scarbon emissions, and ishome to diverse wildlife,such as several protectedspecies of birds.

The business, whichemploys 300 people and cantrace its origins back to1840, has since bought a 50-acre woodland in NorthYorkshire, which it hopeswill provide timber forbed frames and fuel for thefactory.

Nevertheless, HarrisonSpinks’ main innovationand core business remainsits low-height pocketspring, which comprises asmall spring inserted into astandard pocket spring.

The company’s patentedmanufacturing processallows the springs to bemade in high-densitysheets.

Its products are marketedunder brand names such asSpinks Springs, Spink &Edgar and Somnus, and thecompany is the largest bedsupplier to the John Lewisretail chain.

However, HarrisonSpinks’ springs are alsosuitable for many applica-tions in addition tothe mattress market, suchas upholstery, office, auto-motive and aviationseating.

Mr Naylor says HarrisonSpinks recently signed adeal with Johnson Controls,one of the leading US carparts makers, which willsee the Yorkshire com-pany’s pocket spring tech-nology replace poly-urethane foam in the seatsof some US-made cars overthe next few years.

“Our springs are lighterthan foam and so theymake the cars more fuel-ef-ficient,” says Mr Naylor.

“They also take up lessroom, which means theseats can be thinner, allow-ing more leg room.”

Spinko exploitsfertile new fieldsManufacturing

Buying a farm hasbeen a boost for thebed spring maker,writes Paul Solman

When you see a construc-tion crew operating atenormous heights in alittle cage on a steep gra-dient, the chances are

Niftylift is to thank. Now one ofEurope’s largest manufacturers ofmobile elevating work platforms –cherry pickers to you and me – Nif-tylift is an object lesson in Britishengineering and entrepreneurship,and is the winner of two Queen’sAwards – one for international tradeand one for innovation.

The company has focused on pro-ducing machines for the rental mar-ket – 90 per cent of its business – andthis means ensuring they are whatJohn Keely, Niftylift managing direc-tor, calls “idiot-proof”.

Throughout the downturn the com-pany raised investment in researchand development. “That’s why we gota leap ahead – a lot of competitorsspent three years not developing any-thing,” says Mr Keely, also acknowl-edging the advantages of being a pri-vate company with low bank debt.

Other much larger companies havebenefited from Niftylift’s technologi-cal knowhow. Steel manufacturer andconstruction firm Severfield-Rowen

spent “about two years and £6m try-ing to develop a low-weight machinethat would allow steel buildings to goup much faster”, says Mr Keely. “Wecame along and adapted somethingwe already had in about six weeks.Severfield-Rowen won the Shardbecause of that product.”

Niftylift is a leader in producingfuel-efficient and low-emissionmachines – something it was doing“long before it became fashionable”,says Mr Keely.

Today, 75 per cent of Niftylift’s salesare exports, supported by a dealer net-work covering more than 40 countries.“We have been exporting for 25 years,but at the beginning we focused onlocal markets – France, the Nether-lands, Belgium and Sweden,” he says.

Niftylift makes marketing videosavailable in dozens of languages attrade shows – Mr Keely himselfspeaks French and German. For cus-tomers whose language is not pro-vided for, Niftylift has a solution: fiveor six years ago it introduced a smallcorporate brochure that was devoid ofwords, relying entirely on picturesand numbers to showcase its productrange. “Others have copied us, but wewere the first,” says Mr Keely.

“We never add too many countriestoo quickly. So say we start off inFrance, we make sure France is upand running well before we addSpain,” he says of the company’smeasured expansion strategy thataims to add two new territories ayear. “Luckily, we moved into sellinginto America in about 1994. It is sucha big market, which has helped us.”

In the US, Niftylift faces competi-tors with $4bn in sales, but this doesnot faze Mr Keely. “It is almost betterto have big competitors, because theyare not very agile,” he says.

But there is one country above allthat Niftylift is proud to call a majormarket. “In the early days I wouldn’thave tried to sell into Germany – Ididn’t think our quality was goodenough,” he says. “They won’t acceptanything but the best. That our prod-

uct is now accepted in Germany is abadge of honour.”

Mr Keely is developing new marketsin South America but is also bullishabout the outlook at home. “Ourindustry is quite a bellwether. We feelit six months before anyone else – in2015 London is going to go bonkers inconstruction,” he says.

Roger Bowden founded the companyfive years after graduating in engi-neering from Brunel University, andNiftylift maintains a strong relation-ship with his alma mater and otheracademic institutions. In spite ofactive outreach and the kind of home-grown success story that makes head-lines, attracting talent is a challenge.

“We have links with a number of uni-versities – we do postgraduate schemes.We also work with schools, but it isnot easy encouraging young people toget into engineering,” says Mr Keely.

“The engineering graduates aremore often than not overseas stu-dents. Engineers are valued more inother countries. We run apprentice-ship schemes for school leavers, butin spite of all the advertising we do, itis almost impossible to find people.Nobody wants to do it – they are notinterested in engineering.”

Niftylift forgesacademic linksto raise itselfabove the crowd

EngineeringThework platformmaker is bigon research and exports but finding youngBritish talent is tough, writesLiz Bolshaw

Reaching newheights: Niftyliftaims to expandinto two extracountries a year

‘We also work with schoolsbut it is not easyencouraging young peopleto get into engineering’

See online »Read in-depthcoverage, moreprofiles and thecomplete list ofwinners for allcategories atwww.ft.com/queens-awards