04-05-2006

‘Clocking on’  Following the Queen’s awards   announcement to the workforce, MD Tony Hughes with senior managers and members of the export team synchronize a presentation timepiece - five mounted clocks set to local time for Hughes offices around the world.

Hughes Safety Showers of Bredbury, Stockport has been awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2006, one of the most prestigious awards made to British companies.

It recognises the significant and sustained growth in the company’s export business, which between 2003 and 2005 grew by an impressive 146%. The announcement is traditionally made on the Queen’s birthday, April 21st, and only a handful of companies are honoured in this way each year.

On Monday 24th April Tony Hughes, the company’s MD, attended a winners’ reception in London hosted by the Queen’s Awards Committee. It took place at the Gladstone Library on the banks of the River Thames and was attended by HRH The Princess Royal. Later in the year the Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester will visit the company’s Stockport manufacturing headquarters and formally confer the award with a Grant of Appointment.

Hughes Safety Showers is Europe’s largest manufacturer of industrial emergency safety showers and eyebaths and its products are used throughout industry for essential first aid in the event of an accident. Using equipment supplied by Hughes, casualties can quickly wash off chemical spills or other potentially harmful contaminants avoiding the risk of serious injury.

‘We are delighted to receive such a prestigious award,’ says Tony Hughes. ‘With a major share of the UK market we realised some years ago that further growth would rely on exports. We set ourselves the task of growing this side of the business and everyone has responded admirably. By extending our distributor network we have strengthened our position in existing markets and opened up completely new territories. We’ve also developed a specific range of export showers and eyebaths capable of operating in extreme climatic conditions – from the arctic to the desert.’

The company’s Germany subsidiary, Hughes Notduschen GmbH, has played a pivotal role in expanding the European business. A new Hughes North America office was opened in March and the company is also in the process of opening an office in Dubai that will provide a local presence in the Middle East to support the growing number of customers, especially within the oil and petrochemical industries.

In addition to emergency safety showers and eyebath/facewash equipment, Hughes also supplies a wide range of decontamination systems to the military, fire service, ambulance and civil defence organisations.

The company has pioneered the development of compact, lightweight portable showers for decontaminating emergency services personnel and large transportable systems for the mass decontamination of the general public. A variant of the company’s CUPOLAdecon 2 is now the British Fire Service standard decontamination unit for use in case of chemical spillages or chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incidents.

The company’s decontamination products are developed in close co-operation with civil and military authorities and are used throughout the world.

“We will continue to strive for commercial success through improved product performance and innovation,” says Tony Hughes, “We aim to inspire our employees through training and career development which in turn will ensure we are well equipped to explore new overseas market opportunities.".



Managing Director Tony Hughes (right) with Foreman Bill Parry (centre) and Export Sales Manager Paul Darlington inspect the latest shipment of eyebaths

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