Second set of finalists announced
With three weeks to go before the winners are revealed at a gala awards dinner we announce the three companies who have made it through to the final round of the Business Challenge 2008 International Award category.
Presented by The Royal Bank of Scotland (“RBS”), the judges have scrutinised the many entries in this new award category and in the end the following organisations (in alphabetical order) have been decided on as finalists:
- Allen & Heath
- Centrax Limited
- Racing Champions Worldwide Limited
Martin Wright, judge and Relationship Director, with RBS Corporate Banking for Devon and Cornwall commented:
“Our finalists have demonstrated highly successful strategies behind their international business operations, backed up with great results over the last 12 months. From the range of entrants for the award we also got a real sense of how different businesses in the region are increasingly making international trade a major part of their business strategy.”
Allen and Heath
Based in Penryn, Allen & Heath has been designing and manufacturing professional audio mixing equipment for nearly 40 years. The brand is renowned internationally for its high quality products, a number of which are recognised as industry standards in their sector. The company started out providing large mixing consoles for bands such as The Who and Pink Floyd and now has an extensive product range covering all elements of live sound, from small PA and installation systems to large scale digital touring and professional DJ equipment.
Managing Director Glenn Rogers remarked:
“Allen & Heath is an internationally-recognised manufacturer in the pro audio field, and we are proud of our global business achievements. To have our accomplishments recognised by a local organisation alongside our peers in other industries is very gratifying.”
Centrax Limited
Centrax Limited is a dynamic privately owned engineering company, based in Newton Abbot, which manufactures efficient power generation equipment.
It employs 250 people and exports over 90% of production. Recent strategic development has resulted in a dramatic increase in exports to a number of new countries, including Brazil, Pakistan, India and Russia.
In addition, the company has added a new product to its range; a generator set powered by Rolls-Royce’s flagship engine, the Trent. This represents a step-change in the size of equipment and contract value and is set to take the company to new levels of exports.
Director Guy West remarked:
“Centrax has been a committed exporter for over 50 years; we have built the company on innovative engineering and providing excellent support to our customers. This was recognised in the most recent Frost and Sullivan survey of power generation customers who judged Centrax to provide the best customer service in Europe. We have a tremendous team who have achieved the recent international successes and are very motivated to take the business to even greater levels”
Racing Champions Worldwide Limited
RC2 (the trading name of Racing Champions International Ltd), based in Pynes Hill, Exeter, is a toy company marketing its products across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. From being primarily UK focused, the Company has developed an operational reach which extends across 3 continents, with significant increases in revenues as a result. The opening of businesses in Holland, France, Germany and Spain over the last 3 years, along with a network of partners in 28 other countries, provides RC2 with a platform from which to distribute its best selling brands including Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, Lamaze, Britain’s Farm, The First Years and more.
Managing Director - Sales and Marketing - Clive Wooster remarked:
“We needed to be able to reach much bigger markets than just the UK and set out to create a selling and marketing model which would work across all our target regions. Key to this is giving the local teams the autonomy to meet the needs of local retailers whilst retaining central control of the major business components from our Head Office in Exeter - we call it the Satellite and Mother Ship approach. Hence we tend to work like a French company in France, a Spanish company in Spain and at the same time integrating these local business norms into our overall business model. Meeting these very differing retailer needs has been the key - one size fits all just wouldn’t have worked”.
Managing Director - Finance and Operations - Damien Weight added:
"To create this "Mother Ship approach" with the Head Office in Exeter, which Clive mentions, and to deliver the goal of acting like a local company in each country, investing in the right people and the best I.T systems was vital. This investment, in financial terms and time, has been very high but the proven success of this business model fully justifies our strategy. Being selected as a finalist for the International Trade Award raises RC2's profile as a true International player and will contribute greatly to our further expansion and will demonstrate to prospective country General Managers and prospective Exeter based support staff that we are indeed a Company with whom they should endeavour to work."
Please note a media pack is available from Liz Morgan (details below).
For more information please contact:
Liz Morgan
Bond Pearce LLP
Tel: 0845 415 6625
Email: liz.morgan@bondpearce.com
