Accutronics wins manufacturing award

A Staffordshire engineering firm working in partnership with Aston University has received a national award for its manufacturing excellence. Accutronics, which develops and manufactures ‘smart’ rechargeable batteries and chargers for the medical, military and industrial sectors, has won the IMechE’s Lombard Award for Innovations in Products and Processes.

The Stoke on Trent company, which employs nine people, was described by judges as “an exemplar of how an agile small company can thrive against global competitors.” Established in September 2009, Accutronics is part of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Aston University — part-funded by the West Midlands European Regional Development Fund — to help develop and implement an innovative ‘continuous improvement’ programme. The core of the business is to develop process improvements linked to customer requirements, ranging from quality and flexibility to price control.

Rob Philips, managing director of Accutronics, said: “From our UK base, we export to customers in more than 30 countries, with 93% of our revenue derived from these sales. Working with Aston University, we have implemented strong customer focus alongside innovation at the very heart of our business. Our long-term strategy is to keep improving our customer services, lead times, flexibility, costs, price control and quality of service.”

John Richards, head of business development at Aston University, said: “This is an excellent example of how university expertise can be harnessed to help companies prosper in highly competitive national and international markets. We are extremely proud.”