Search on for the best exporters in Yorkshire

YORKSHIRE is blessed with world class exporters who are respected on the global stage.
Sewtec Automation by Mark Newton PhotographySewtec Automation by Mark Newton Photography
Sewtec Automation by Mark Newton Photography

We’re looking for entrants who want to emulate the stunning success of Sewtec, who triumphed in the exporter of the year category at last year’s Excellence in Business Awards.

Robotics specialist Sewtec designs and manufactures bespoke automation systems for the food, pharmaceutical, personal care and tobacco sectors. Its clients include Nestlé, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

More than 85 per cent of the company’s sales are exports. It has strong and growing sales in 17 markets across all six continents including the USA, Brazil, China, Germany, Russia and Australia.

Last April, Sewtec announced plans to double turnover to £32m in five years, leading to the creation of an extra 80 jobs across the company’s mechanical design, software, engineering and sales functions.

As part of its expansion plans, the Dewsbury-headquartered business has also opened a new mechanical and software engineering design office in Wakefield. This year’s Exporter category is sponsored by Associated British Ports (APB), a major UK port operator.

Commenting on the award win, Sewtec managing director, Mark Cook, said: “Winning the exporter of the year award last year meant a great deal to us.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It recognised the outstanding contribution everyone at Sewtec makes to the ongoing success of our business in international markets, and helped further raise our profile within the region and beyond.”

Greg Wright, The Yorkshire Post’s deputy business editor, said: “The region has some incredible firms who have embraced the opportunity to engage with overseas markets.

“This award provides these outstanding firms with the opportunity to gain the recognition they deserve. We will be delighted to receive entries from firms of all sizes and across all sectors.”

The 2019 Excellence in Business Awards from The Yorkshire Post are officially open for entries and we want you to be part of the celebration.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

From the multi-national giants to the innovative start-ups of the future, we want you to gain a place among the brightest and best.

Many of the winners have gone on to enjoy success on a global scale. Over the years, the awards have attracted a host of high profile speakers, including David Cameron, who attended when he was leader of the opposition.

This year’s event sees a larger list of categories and a raft of new sponsors as the awards celebrate Yorkshire’s world-class business community.

The 2019 event sees professional services giant Grant Thornton once again back the Companies with a Turnover of between £10m and £50m category and Yorkshire Bank is again sponsoring the Companies with a Turnover up to £10m category.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They are joined in the main sponsors’ list by private equity giant LDC which is backing the entrepreneur category.

Elsewhere, rail operator LNER will sponsor the young business category, CityFibre is sponsoring technology and digital and Openreach will back the innovation award.

This year’s event will take place on November 7.

The venue and speakers will be announced in the coming weeks and the closing date is June 7.

Last year’s Excellence in Business awards featured a keynote speech from Shadow Brexit Secretary, Sir Keir Starmer, who praised the vision and enterprise of business leaders.

For information about all the categories in this year’s awards and details of how to enter, visit www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/businessexcellenceawards/.

There will also be a special lifetime award.