Tamworth-based Ascott Analytical Equipment Ltd (www.ascott-analytical.co.uk) was presented with the Export Award at the Made in the Midlands Award ceremony in May, beating five other nominated companies on the short-list.

The company will now go forward to the Made in the UK finals to compete against other regional winners in Liverpool on 22 June.

Established 30 years ago, Ascott manufactures corrosion test chambers used by suppliers in the automotive, aerospace and coatings industries.

It won the award for developing sales in export markets through a global network of 65 distributors and agents, delivering almost 90% of its 2016 revenues from outside the UK (over half of this coming from developing Asian markets).

Developing a global profile has led the company to create marketing material in 21 different languages, including brochures and translated Web sites hosted in local markets; in 2016, the company supported local distributors by attending a number of international trade exhibitions.

Ascott chairman Chris Gates said: “Locating the right local partners was a time-consuming and laborious process, but finding the right people to work with, understanding local cultures, and supporting them with marketing material in their own language has allowed us to build a successful and loyal network of sales partners around the world. This approach has been the cornerstone of our success.

“This award means a lot to everyone in the business — recognition of all the hard work everyone has put in through the years and also that the strategies employed by the business have been unusually successful.”