Lancashire businesses pick up King's Awards

A Blackburn tech company that began in the back of a garage during the COVID-19 pandemic has been awarded the King’s Award for Enterprise in the category of International Trade.

The King’s Awards celebrate outstanding achievement in innovation, international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity.

TT Instruments, the trading name of TechPlant, was co-founded by Muhammad Geloo and Aziz Bham in January 2021 with no investors or prior experience.

The pair built a specialist business selling test equipment including fiber optic network testers, oscilloscopes for electrical engineering and spectrometers for checking chemical composition of substances.

Five years on, it is a multi-million pound international business with a team of six, delivering consistent year-on-year growth with no down years since founding.

The Red Rose Awards finalists export to more than 70 countries worldwide, more than 57 in a single financial year alone, with 75 to 80 per cent of turnover from international customers.

Muhammad Geloo, co-director, said: “We are still having to pinch ourselves about getting a King's Award.

“It is one of those member where you just stop and take it all in.

“We are incredibly proud, not just for ourselves and the whole team who have worked so hard to get us here.

“It proves that effort and doing things properly pays off.”

Aziz Bham, co-director, added: “Muhammad and I are aware that we have barely scratched the surface of what is possible.

“The volumes of high-value surplus equipment in UK laboratories and corporate facilities are vast. We have proved the model works – now we are scaling it.”

Its customer base includes Google, Toshiba, Rolls-Royce, NHS teams, and universities across six continents.

The King’s Awards for Enterprise are marking a significant milestone this year, celebrating 60 years since the first Awards were conferred in 1966.

Formerly known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, the programme was renamed four years ago to reflect His Majesty The King’s wish to continue the remarkable legacy of HM Queen Elizabeth II by recognising the very best of UK business.

Since its inception, more than 8,000 British businesses have been recognised with this royal accolade.   

His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenants – The King’s representatives in each county – will be presenting the Awards to businesses locally throughout the year.

One representative from each successful business will also be invited to a special Royal reception event.

A Skelmersdale based engineering team is also celebrating after being named as a King’s Award winner for Enterprise in the Innovation category for its cable protection system, NjordGuard.

The product has been developed and manufactured at the Skelmersdale site and is the company’s seventh from the prestigious programme, which recognises outstanding achievement across UK industry.

NjordGuard is designed to protect the vulnerable section of subsea power cables at offshore wind farms, critical assets responsible for transmitting electricity to shore.

By safeguarding cables from excessive tension, temperature, bending, and harsh seabed conditions, the system helps prevent failures that can lead to costly downtime and lost energy generation.

Andrew Bennion, chief executive, said: “We’re incredibly proud to receive a seventh King’s Award for Enterprise and to be recognised for Innovation.

“Problem solving and innovation are deeply rooted in everything we do, driving how we work with customers to overcome complex challenges.

“NjordGuard is the result of years of focused R&D and reflects the expertise of our teams and their commitment to delivering reliable, forward-thinking solutions that support the growth of offshore wind.”

Blair McDougall, minister for small businesses and economic transformation, said: “A huge congratulations to every business receiving awards this year, who once again have illustrated the best of British innovation and talent. 

“These awards show that right across the UK, there are small businesses that are thriving, growing and succeeding and it’s only right that we champion these successes.”