In 1989, Mike Riding, a young graduate technical sales person was visiting a sister company, VG Elemental Ltd., and witnessed the raising of a flag outside the company headquarters in Cheshire. It was a big blue flag emblazoned with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise symbol and a dream was born; the dream that one day he would start a company and that company would win a Queen’s Award and raise its own flag.
Fast forward 32 years and Mike Riding, now much older and wiser, will be raising a big blue flag emblazoned with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise symbol on Thursday, 29th April 2021, when a 32 year old dream comes to fruition with the award of not one, but two Queen’s Awards, to Process Instruments (UK) Ltd.
Process Instruments (UK) Ltd. was founded in 1998 by Mike Riding and Jonathan Cook, as a distributor of water quality analysers to the UK Water Industry (think of a device that monitors the amount of chlorine in your drinking water). In 2007 the company attracted investors and became a manufacturer. Now, in 2021, Process Instruments (UK) Ltd. comprises 30 people in Burnley, Lancashire, and exports all over the world. Having been profitable for the last six years and grown consistently year on year, it was finally time to try to realise the dream and apply for a Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
The Queen’s Award for Enterprise is split into four awards including International Trade and Innovation. As Process Instruments (UK) Ltd. excels in both areas, it was decided to apply for both and we are thrilled to have been awarded both, one of only five companies to have won a Queen’s Award in multiple categories. When asked for his reaction to this very public acknowledgement of Process Instruments’ success, Mike Riding said:
“After 32 years, I am absolutely thrilled that Process Instruments has been awarded two Queen’s Awards. What most people don’t realise is that the Queen’s Award is recognized globally and is a more stringent business award than any other, as it evaluates performance over multiple years. Being awarded two Queen’s Awards in the same year is particularly thrilling as it is a recognition of how a small technology company in Burnley can compete successfully on a world stage. The team of people at Pi are themselves world leaders in their fields and I am extremely grateful to them for enabling my 32 year old dream to come true.”
Now in its 55th year, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the country (and possibly the world), with winning businesses able to use the esteemed Queen’s Awards emblem for the next five years.
Applications for Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2022 open on the 1st May 2021. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/queens-awards-for-enterprise.