UK Laser Innovator POWERLASE Receives Royal Recognition for International Growth
23 Apr 2008
UK laser manufacturer POWERLASE has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category
The achievement is the latest in a string of awards achieved by POWERLASE and recognises the company as showcasing talent to an international audience.
Crawley, UK, 23rd April 2008 – POWERLASE Ltd, manufacturers of the world’s most powerful nanosecond Q-switched, diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) lasers, has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise. The award recognises POWERLASE’s continued successful expansion in the international marketplace and the laser innovator’s role in furthering the reputation of manufacturing excellence to an international audience.
The Queen's Awards are the UK's most prestigious awards for business performance, recognising exceptional achievement by UK companies. POWERLASE has been recognised in the International Trade category, by demonstrating significant growth in overseas earning.
The award has been presented to POWERLASE in acknowledgment of continued success within the company’s targeted international marketplaces. This includes significant expansion into the Korean flat-panel display television (FPD) marketplace. High-profile customer deals with leading consumer electronics manufactures have lead to POWERLASE’s class-leading laser technology being used by Samsung and LG.
The company’s ground breaking work in the research and development into next-generation semiconductor manufacturing techniques has also been recognised. POWERLASE is currently engaged in research partnerships with leading academic and research institutions across the world, including the Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography System Development Association (EUVA) in Japan, University College Dublin (UCD) in Ireland and the National the University of Central Florida (UCF) in US. The partnership with UCF has yielded significant research breakthroughs, resulting in POWERLASE being awarded Medallion member status at the University.
With significant inroads made in the FPD and semiconductor industries, the company is now expanding into new applications in other sectors, namely solar cell processing, micro machining and OLED displays – a rapidly developing high performance, energy efficient display technology. POWERLASE lasers are also being recognised as a critical element in the global research and development programme for next generation semiconductor manufacture.
Les Lockwood, Executive Director at POWERLASE, comments: “By working closely with our customers and partners in Mainland Europe, Korea, Japan and the United States, we have been able to identify their exact requirements and develop laser technology to meet their needs. This has really fuelled our international growth.
Having our achievements recognised by the Queen’s Award is tremendous for the whole team here at POWERLASE, and a great endorsement of the team’s success to date. We’re very proud of the award and with the knowledge that we’re helping enhance the reputation of the UK abroad.”
The Queen’s Awards are made each year by The Queen, on the advice of the Prime Minister, who is assisted by an Advisory Committee that includes representatives of Government, industry and commerce, and the trade unions. [1]
The latest award affirms the achievements of POWERLASE, which include victory at The Manufacturer Awards 2007 in the ‘Design and Innovation’ category, being named ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ at the Elektra Awards and the company being listed as the 21st fastest growing technology company in the UK by The Sunday Times TechTrack Rankings.
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About POWERLASE
POWERLASE Limited is an innovative, independent, high power Laser Company, focused on Diode Pumped Solid State (DPSS) lasers developed for industrial applications primarily for use in the materials processing and microelectronics markets for flat panel displays, microelectronics, automotive and aerospace sectors.POWERLASE is supported by venture capital from MTI Partners, Deutsche Venture Capital, DJF Esprit LLP, Alice Ventures and FNI Venture Capital.
POWERLASE Limited is ranked as the third fastest growing venture capital-backed company in the UK in the Daily Telegraph 2007 Business Growth Rankings and 21st fastest growing private technology company in the UK by The Sunday Times Tech Track 100 Rankings.
POWERLASE recently won The Manufacturer Award for Best Design and Innovation 2007 for the company’s work in the development of laser systems for the manufacture of Flat-Panel Displays.
For further information, please contact:Simon Hilliard or Blaise Hammond at Racepoint UK (formally Fuse PR)
Tel: +44 (0) 208 752 3217
Simon.hilliard@racepointgroup.com
[1] Queen’s Award website, www.queensawards.org.uk