The Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire, Mr William Arthur Bromley-Davenport, joined staff from flooring manufacturer Flowcrete to celebrate the company’s achievement of The Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
Mr Bromley-Davenport officially handed over the award to the staff, at a special celebration held at the Chimney House Hotel in Sandbach.
Flowcrete, which is based in Sandbach, has grown from its roots in Cheshire to include offices across 29 countries.
Its global activities saw it take The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category.
Mark Greaves, managing director of Flowcrete, recently went to a reception at Buckingham Palace, where HRH The Queen congratulated this year’s winners of the award.
He said: “The achievement of this award has been a milestone for the company. It’s been great to celebrate this success as a team.”
Flowcrete’s Achievement of the Award
Flowcrete UK Ltd, a world leader in specialist industrial and commercial flooring, secured the award in the International Trade category for its innovative approach, operational excellence, relationship building, brand development - and increasing exports by 150 per cent in the last three years.
Since Flowcrete’s launch in 1982, the Group – of which Flowcrete UK is the founding company - has grown to include 29 offices and manufacturing centres of excellence across the globe - employing more than 40 different nationalities.
The company’s international client list includes Bentley Motors, Jaguar, GlaxoSmithKline, NASA, Kraft Foods, O2 Arena, Wembley Stadium as well as Paris Charles de Gaulle, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok Airports, to name a few.
Despite the economic downturn, Flowcrete’s international expansion over the last 12 months has included the opening of new offices in Vietnam and India, as well as major growth in the Middle East where turnover has increased by 200 per cent over the last twelve months alone.
Flowcrete has also forged new relationships with applicator partners in the Caribbean, Russia, Peru, Chile and Argentina.
Supporting Quotes
Mark Greaves, managing director of Flowcrete, based in Sandbach, said: “As a company, we have always put a great emphasis on developing innovative new products and investing in our people, and that has been the reason for our success across the world.
“We think about how our systems can be improved or how a new product can have a revolutionary effect - and then work to make those ideas a reality.
“This policy has positioned us at the forefront of the industry, enabling us to develop faster-installation floors, lighter floors, energy-saving floors, cleaner floors – and allowed us to export our knowledge onto the world stage – providing the opportunity for a British manufacturer to become a global leader today.
“An example of this is how we were able to compete with the low cost flooring systems on the Continent. To enter this market, we introduced colourful seamless floors suitable for use in the commercial sector, and hygienic polyurethane floors with bacteria-fighting properties, which had not been readily available in mainland Europe.
Tony Gear, Flowcrete’s export director said: “Flowcrete UK’s export sales currently involve construction projects taking place in more than 50 countries worldwide, and in conjunction with more than 70 different applicator partners.
“No matter what the geography is, our language stays the same. We are committed to quality, high training standards and exceeding customers’ expectations – in everything we do.
“It’s this commitment to excellence that means we can guarantee the same levels of service, no matter where in the world a Flowcrete floor is installed. We are delighted that our growth in Flowcrete UK’s export market has been recognised by this award.
“This is excellent news for the company overall and we feel a great sense of achievement. The accolade will have a positive effect on the business, opening doors with new clients and helping us to build relationships with new flooring partners worldwide.”