UK medtech companies receive Queen’s Awards

  SEVEN UK MEDTECH COMPANIES are among the winners of the UK’s most prestigious annual prize for business success: the Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

This year, the Queen announced 139 business awards: 85 for outstanding achievements in International Trade, 42 for Innovation and 12 for Sustainable Development.

The benefits of winning a Queen’s Award include publicity, recognition and employee pride. In a recent survey of 2007 business winners, 80% of respondents believed their Queen’s Award had added commercial value to their firms.

Each winning company receives an engraved crystal bowl and is entitled to use the coveted Queen’s Award Emblem on packaging and marketing materials for five years.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: “Queen’s Award winning companies are standard-bearers for the very best of British business. These firms embody the spirit of enterprise and innovation that is so vital to the future of Britain’s economy.”

Medtech winners of Innovation Awards:
• 4fx Healthcare Ltd (Mansfield) for developing a patented nasal aspirator for safely removing congestion from babies’ noses.
• Activa Healthcare Ltd (Burton-upon- Trent) for developing a wound dressing that reduces pain from epidermal damage, a stocking for patients suffering from chronic lymphatic diseases, and a leg ulcer treatment kit.
• Owen Mumford Ltd (Woodstock) for developing Unistik 3, a single-use capillary blood sampling instrument that incorporates a patented pain reduction technology, used by healthcare professionals and diabetes patients.
• TrichoTech Ltd (Cardiff) for developing and commercialising a technique to analyse hair samples for evidence of drug abuse.

Medtech winners of International Trade Awards:
• Owen Mumford Ltd (Woodstock) manufactures medical devices for drug delivery, blood sampling and other purposes. Over six years its export earnings have increased by 156%.
• Quest Personal Care Global Limited (Manchester) imports, distributes and cross-trades in non-liquid personal care products (e.g. wipes and plasters). Over three years its export earnings have more than quadrupled.
• Vascutek Ltd (Inchinnan) manufactures and markets sterile implantable vascular grafts, stent grafts and heart valves. In the last three years its export earnings have grown by more than £11m.
• Xiros plc (Leeds) designs and manufactures implantable devices for use in orthopaedic and sports medicine. Over the past six years it has increased its export sales to more than £3 million per annum.

Another International Trade Award winner was MSI Recruitment Ltd (London), which supplies permanent and contract staff to medical and technical industries. Its export income has grown by 186% over three years.

Siemens Medical appoints technology PR specialists

  SIEMENS MEDICAL SOLUTIONS has awarded its trade PR remit in the UK to technology PR specialists Media Safari. Their knowledge of the diagnostic imaging marketplace and enthusiastic team were cited as selection factors.

The campaign will involve raising the profile of Siemens’ range of medical imaging devices, including MRI, CT, mammography, ultrasound and surgical imaging applications.

Chris Wright, Marketing Communications Manager at Siemens Medical Solutions, said: “Media Safari presented a strong and knowledgeable team during the pitch process. They came out clear winners, showing that they could meet the challenge of our media demands and support our customer and business communication needs in the future. Their enthusiasm, experience and understanding of the health marketplace are complemented by a drive for results – a first-class communications partner.”

Siemens Medical Solutions is one of the world’s largest healthcare product suppliers. Media Safari is a marketing communications and PR consultancy working with technology companies in the UK and Europe.

CHASE makes two catches

  MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE RECRUITMENT COMPANY CHASE has added two experienced specialists to its team.

Steve Waller joins CHASE as part of the company’s ongoing CSO expansion programme. Steve has spent over ten years in pharmaceutical sales and marketing resourcing, and in his last appointment was Business Director for another industry consultancy. He brings extensive industry knowledge on his return to frontline resourcing.

Andreas Knight also joins CHASE’s expanding consultancy team. Andreas has worked for over seven years in pharmaceutical resourcing.

Olympus UK opens Vision House

DIAGNOSTIC AND HEALTHCARE solutions provider Olympus UK has opened its new UK corporate headquarters at Vision House in Watford.

The VIP opening event at Vision House included the launch of Olympus’ new clinical chemistry analyser, the AU680, which was viewed in a new onsite demonstration suite.

Following a meal at the Grove Golf Resort Hotel, guests met at Vision House for a series of presentations and an exclusive tour of the new demonstration facilities. David Ricketts, Laboratory Manager at North Middlesex Hospital, discussed the benefits of the AU680 analyser.

The tour of Vision House covered a range of Olympus UK healthcare product groups: patient safety, voice, endoscopy and microscopy. The demonstration facilities gave the guests an overview of how the company’s platforms are integrated.

Underpinning this range of products is the Olympus Managed Services Contract, which allows complete vendor choice. Robin Modak of Genmed ME, Olympus UK’s financial partners, said: “The Olympus Managed Service Contracts are developed totally with the customer in mind. This is your contract, to meet your needs to deliver the best technical and financial solution.”

Leanne Annereau, Olympus UK’s Marketing Manager – Scientific, summed up the event: “We were delighted to open our doors to so many customers, not only to launch the new facilities but to demonstrate our continued commitment as their lead pathology and healthcare solutions partner to deliver innovative technical solutions and comprehensive business support services.”

Kirkham Young supports local community

HEALTHCARE AND SCIENTIFIC SALES RECRUITMENT company Kirkham Young is sponsoring two community organisations in the Sussex region.

Making a donation to the hospice charity Demelza James and sponsoring a rugby club’s junior match kit have enabled the Hailsham-based company to make a difference to the local community.

This sponsorship follows Kirkham Young’s support of Oxfam’s GiftAid initiative at Christmas, and reflects its commitment to social responsibility.

“We wanted to be able to turn all our hard work into something beneficial for the wider community,” said Director Tina Young. “These organisations offer two fantastic services to the local area – Demelza James providing a hospice at home service for over 150 children in the South East with life-threatening and life-limiting illness, and Heathfield Hurricanes Rugby Union Club giving the chance for over 350 children to play quality minis rugby. We are delighted to be able to offer our support throughout 2008.”

Remtec strengthens its medical expertise

REMTEC SEARCH AND SELECTION, the Cambridge-based international medical technology recruitment company, has added a medical science specialist to its recruiting team.

Claire Button has a degree in Medical Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Immunopharmacology. Claire then left science to bring up her family, working as a charity fundraiser and later joining a Venture Partners group.

Ian Sandison, Commercial Director for Remtec, commented: “Claire’s scientific background and expertise will quicken our growth within the areas of life sciences and biotechnology, complementing our already strong name in the medical technology market.”

Remtec Search and Selection celebrates its tenth year in 2008.