A broad range of companies have been recognised across four categories

Hair dissolving laundry technology, firefighter PPE and construction skills are among the varied areas of expertise among this year King’s Award for Enterprise winners in the Yorkshire & Humber.

A total of 14 firms from South Yorkshire to North Yorkshire and spanning East Yorkshire to West Yorkshire have been recognised in the highly prestigious programme, which is now in its 60th year. Among the region’s winners are AW Hainsworth & Sons Limited, C-Kore Systems Limited, Ideal Boilers Limited, Ionix Advanced Technologies, VAC-EX Limited, Ardent Limited, Cares Laboratory Ltd, Independent Forgings and Alloys Ltd, Irwin Mitchell LLP, Sport:80, Vuba Chemical Innovations Limited, M.B.Roche & Sons Ltd, Sewell Ventures and Techbuyer Limited.

The Yorkshire & Humber firms are among 186 recipients, with Hull and East Yorkshire alone seeing the highest number of awardees in a decade. For Hull’s Ideal Boilers, which employs nearly 1,000 people, the award is the fourth – having previously won three Queen’s Awards .

It was recognised in the Innovation category with CEO Adam Foy saying: “Receiving The King’s Award for Enterprise is a great honour and an incredibly proud moment for us. As a major UK manufacturer with a proud history and heritage, we’re delighted to receive this royal recognition for how we’re shaping the transition to heat pumps across the UK.

“The King’s Award reflects the scale of ambition and commitment our team has shown in transforming not just our own business, but in leading the evolution of the wider UK heating industry.”

Jim Dick OBE, the Lord-Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire said: “I am delighted to congratulate the recipients of the King’s Award for Enterprise in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire. These outstanding businesses exemplify excellence, ambition and innovation, and their success reflects the strength and diversity of our local economy. This prestigious recognition is richly deserved, and I hope it gives them great pride and confidence as they continue to grow and inspire others across our region.”

The team at Barnsley-based Cares Laboratory developed Vamoosh – a formula that dissolves pet hair in the washing machine. The breakthrough product was launched in 2017, is now in more than 5,000 UK retail outlets across grocery, pet, DIY and value channels, and has sold millions of units, building strong consumer loyalty and retailer demand.

In the last 18 months the business has grown its export partners from four to 12 globally. Vamoosh is now found in 30 countries including Australia, Germany, South Africa, the Nordics and most recently the USA.

Tom Abbey, founder of Vamoosh, said: “ We’re absolutely delighted to receive the King’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade. To see the growth of Vamoosh recognised in such a prestigious way is an honour for the whole team. Over the last few years, we’ve worked incredibly hard to grow the brand internationally, bringing our patented innovations to households around the world, so it’s fantastic to see those ecorts recognised with the UK’s highest business award. This achievement is a real reflection of the passion, dedication and innovation across the entire Vamoosh team, and we’re excited for what the future holds.”

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.”

Overall, 76 businesses have been recognised for International Trade, 52 for Innovation, 36 for Sustainability and 22 for Promoting Opportunity

Mumbai: Mahindra & Mahindra’s consolidated net profit surged 42% from a year earlier in the fiscal fourth quarter, driven by growth across its automotive, farm equipment, and services businesses. Supply chain woes, however, weighed on margins in the company’s automotive business.

Net profit at the tractor-to-technology group rose to ₹4,668 crore in the March quarter from ₹3,295 crore a year earlier. Revenue from operations climbed 29% to ₹54,982 crore, from ₹42,599 crore, reflecting sustained demand for Mahindra’s SUV and tractor portfolios despite a challenging macro environment.

Standalone profit surged 53% to ₹3,737 crore while revenue grew 25% to ₹39,601 crore during the quarter. The company sold 307,000 units in the March quarter, a 21% increase from a year earlier. Tractor sales surged 36% to 120,000 units. Automotive margins remained largely flat during the quarter as production constraints and supply-side bottlenecks dented profitability despite strong volume growth. The company’s auto EBIT margins inched up marginally to 10.9% in Q4 FY26, from 10% a year-ago due to operational disruptions.

Anish Shah, group MD and CEO, termed the results as a “breakthrough performance” across group companies despite geopolitical headwinds and multiple disruptions. He pointed to the strength of M&M’s diversified portfolio that allowed group to continue growing despite volatile even external conditions.

For FY26, consolidated net profit grew 32% to ₹17,099 crore and revenue climbed 25% to ₹1,98,639 crore. Standalone profit in FY26 rose 32% to ₹15,639 crore and revenue rose 25% to ₹1,47,765 crore.

On the impact of geopolitical uncertainties, Rajesh Jejurikar, executive director, auto and farm sector said, “We’ve not lost any volumes in March and April because of shortage of gas. There are other supply-side issues related to manpower that have caused some production loss.”
“On demand, most of our SUV customers are not affected by fuel price increases, but our LCV portfolio will be sensitive to inflationary pressures,” he said.The company’s EV arm, Mahindra Electric Automobile, crossed sales of 55,000 eSUVs since launch, achieving the top rank by revenue market share in the eSUV segment at 37.4% in FY26.

M&M’s board declared a dividend of ₹33 per share. CFO Amarjyoti Barua noted that strong cash generation-with a standalone closing cash balance of ₹41,159 crore-has provided flexibility for future growth. For FY27, the management guided mid-to-high teen SUV volume growth and mid- single-digit tractor industry growth, subject to geopolitical uncertainty subsiding.

Shares of M&M closed 3.4% higher at Rs3,211.65 apiece on the BSE, outperforming a 0.3% decline in the benchmark Sensex.

Mahindra bets big on AI; eyes Rs4,100 crore revenue impact in FY27
The Mahindra Group is putting artificial intelligence to work across its businesses — from the shop floor to the call centre — and its impact on profitability.

Addressing the quarterly earnings press meet, Anish Shah, group MD & CEO, said in the automotive business, AI-led initiatives are targeted to generate more than Rs 4,100 crore in revenues in FY27, enhance customer satisfaction by 2-3 percentage points, and cut new product development timelines by 10%.

At Mahindra Finance, the targets are sharper—Rs 10,000 crore in disbursements through AI-driven customer acquisition, 80% of operations running autonomously, and 75% of live loan collections AI-assisted.

On the shop floor, cameras and computer vision are being used for quality inspection; in marketing, AI is handling personalised outreach at scale. The group has also set up a two-tier oversight structure to ensure AI is deployed responsibly across all its businesses.

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.”

Asian stocks climbed and oil dropped after President Donald Trump signaled progress toward a final agreement with Iran, giving record-high global equities fresh momentum.

MSCI’s gauge for Asian equities climbed 1% to a record with technology shares leading the gains on renewed optimism for the artificial intelligence trade. South Korea, a poster child for AI investments, jumped 5% to an all-time high, with Samsung Electronics Co. reaching $1 trillion valuation.

Brent, the global crude oil benchmark, fell 1.3% to about $108 a barrel following Trump’s comments. The dollar, which emerged as the haven of choice during the Middle East conflict, weakened.

Contracts for the S&P 500 Index advanced 0.3% and those for the Nasdaq 100 climbed 0.7% after Trump’s comments, as cheaper oil bolstered expectations for easing inflation and stronger growth. The Wall Street gauges closed at a record high on Wednesday and the tech rally appeared to have more to run, with strong earnings from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Super Micro Computer Inc.

With geopolitical risk premiums easing, the prospect of lower energy costs and reduced uncertainty improves the outlook for global growth, reinforcing support for equities even at record levels. The backdrop also dovetails with a revival in the artificial intelligence trade, as easing inflation pressures and improved sentiment bolster expectations for stronger corporate earnings.

“Our base-case for markets and the economy has been that there will be a near-term resolution between the US and Iran, allowing for energy prices to fall after the Strait of Hormuz is reopened,” said Chris Senyek at Wolfe Research.
Trump said he would pause a US-led effort to help stranded ships exit the Strait of Hormuz to see if an agreement with Iran to end the war could be finalized.“Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday.

Cheaper oil lifted the debt market with US long bonds rebounding during the New York session, sending the 30-year yield back below 5%. Even so, bond traders are boosting wagers that the Federal Reserve’s next policy move could be an interest-rate hike rather than a cut.

Elsewhere, the yen strengthened 0.1% to about 157.70 per dollar. Gold rose 0.8% to about $4,590 an ounce.

The rebound in global stocks from their Iran war lows has been so narrow that the market is primed for broader gains triggered by even slightly positive news, according to strategists at JPMorgan Chase & Co. led by Mislav Matejka.

“Many investors are trying to read the tea leaves on the next shoe to drop with the Iran war and oil prices, but stocks have historically moved on quickly from geopolitical events, and we believe this current issue is no different,” said Julian Koski at New Age Alpha.

A baby formula brand has recalled three batches after a toxin was discovered, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

According to the FDA’s report on Saturday, The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) voluntarily recalled its imported a2 Platinum Premium USA label infant formula for children between 0 and 12 months after additional testing found cereulide.

The recall highlights potential safety risks tied to cereulide contamination, a toxin that can cause vomiting and is difficult to eliminate once present in food products, raising concerns for parents of infants who rely on formula.

Cereulide is a heat-stable toxin produced by the bacterium Bacillus cereus that is primarily responsible for the “emetic” or vomiting type of food poisoning. It is notoriously difficult to eliminate because it can withstand high cooking temperatures and the acidic environment of the human stomach.

POPULAR POTATO CHIPS RECALLED DUE TO SALMONELLA FEARS

A total of 63,078 units were affected, with an estimated 16,428 units sold to consumers. 

The affected batches were only sold in the U.S. through the brand’s website, Amazon and Meijer stores.

“Importation rights expired on December 31st, 2025, and the Product has been discontinued and removed from sale prior to the initiation of the recall,” the FDA’s report read.

The recalled formula was sold in 31.7 oz tins with use-by dates of July 15, 2026, January 15, 2027, and January 21, 2027. Batch numbers include 2210269454, 2210324609 and 2210321712.

FROZEN PIZZA SOLD AT WALMART, ALDI RECALLED OVER SALMONELLA CONCERNS

A representative for a2MC did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.

No illnesses have been reported, but consumers are urged to throw out affected batches or return them to their place of purchase for a full refund.

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This recall follows a similar incident earlier this year, when Nestle, Danone and Lactalis pulled infant formula products over potential cereulide contamination, according to a prior FOX Business report.