Five North East companies celebrate prestigious King’s Awards for Enterprise

The North East winners include Palintest, Express Engineering Group, Inflo Group, Openworks Engineering and Forfusion

A handful of North East businesses are among those in the UK to be handed King’s Awards for Enterprise.

The prestigious awards, now in their 60th year, are rigorously judged and single out outstanding businesses from across the UK and Channel Islands for their contribution to economic growth and improving lives. They span the categories of international trade, innovation, sustainability and promoting opportunity.

The North East firms are this year among 186 recipients, representing a broad range of sectors. Regional winners include Gateshead-based electrochemical water testing firm Palintest, their Team Valley neighbours and subsea equipment maker Express Engineering Group, North Shields-based audit software business Inflo Group, Prudhoe-based drone capture tech creator Openworks Engineering and IT specialist Forfusion, based at Cobalt Park.

Express Engineering Group, which includes Express Engineering in Gateshead and QA Weld Tech in Middlesbrough, was recognised in the International Trade category for outstanding short-term growth. The maker of precision-engineered equipment for the offshore industry was founded in 1973 by the late Keith Thompson and has grown into a £60m turnover business employing about 330 highly skilled people across seven advanced manufacturing facilities in Gateshead and Middlesbrough.

Chris Thompson, chairman of Express Engineering Group, said: “I have dedicated more than 50 years to this business, and growing the company my father founded into a world-leading exporter has been an immense privilege. This King’s Award is a testament to our people, from those team members who have been with us for decades to the talented apprentices who are the future of our trade.

“Our growth has always been built on a foundation of technical expertise and a global reputation for excellence. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together, and I know that the business is in a stronger position than ever to continue flying the flag for North East engineering on the world stage.”

Openworks was founded in 2015 by five friends who shared a passion for engineering. The Prudhoe firm now employs 100 people who help produce its range of products for detection, tracking, identification and targeting of threats such as drones and uncrewed vessels. The Prudhoe-based business was recognised in the international trade category for its global reach, with exports accounting for about 90% of its sales.

Chris Down, chief executive officer at OpenWorks Engineering, said: “OpenWorks has scaled rapidly in the last three years to meet global demand for systems that can detect, track, identify and effectively target nuisance and malicious drones. Receiving the King’s Award for Enterprise in the international trade category is a huge achievement and a great honour; it recognises our team’s dedication to developing and supporting solutions that make a real difference to NATO and its allies.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve all achieved together, and of what we continue to build to provide enhanced situational awareness through AI to defence and security forces. Exporting isn’t straightforward, but it has certainly exposed us to many different forces that have built strength and experience into OpenWorks.”

Water testing innovator Palintest won an award in the Innovation category for its Kemio sensors. The Gateshead-developed technology was launched in 2019 and is the product of three years of in-house research and development. It is now used in more than 30 countries, in locations such as food production sites in the UK to naval vessels in Australia and desalination plants in Qatar. The method simplifies a previously complex process and delivers results in about a minture.

The firm’s research and development manager Kevin McDermott, who led the development programme, said: “Kemio is a Gateshead success story—developed entirely in the North East and now trusted worldwide in safety‑critical applications. Above all, it stands as a major achievement for Palintest’s engineering and scientific teams, whose skill, dedication, and collaboration made it possible.”

Technology and IT business Forfusion was successful in the Promoting Opportunity category for its work in developing talent and its support of Armed Forces personnel. The North Tyneside firm’s Civilian Work Attachment scheme helps ex-forces people transition into civilian employment, giving them hands-on experience across technical and operational teams, along with mentoring and career support.

Steven Forrest, chief executive officer and founder at Forfusion, said: “Receiving a King’s Award for Enterprise is a moment of real pride for everyone at Forfusion. Being recognised for how we champion opportunity, particularly through our work supporting veterans into civilian careers, reflects our belief that innovation and growth are strongest when people come first.

“We’ve built this business in the North East, and we’re proud that it now operates nationally while continuing to create meaningful pathways for talent to thrive across the sector. We’re proud of the business we’ve built, and we’re just as proud of the people who make it what it is.”

Inflo Group – recognised in the International Trade category – was founded in 2016 by four experienced auditors who saw a gap in the market to simplify processes for other auditors. The North Shields firm is active in the US market with its product that aims to automate more of the audit process and allow professionals to concentrate on value-adding activities.

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.”