Five Suffolk businesses honoured in King’s Awards for Enterprise 2023

The King’s Awards for Enterprise are for outstanding achievement by UK businesses in the categories of:

• Innovation
• International trade
• Sustainable development
• Promoting opportunity through social mobility

This year’s Awards are the first King’s Awards for Enterprise since they were introduced by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1965. The King’s Awards for Enterprise are internationally recognised as the most prestigious UK business awards, rewarding business excellence with an aim of boosting business growth and development.

The five Suffolk businesses recognised in this year’s awards are:

PCE Automation (Beccles) – King’s Award for Innovation

Winning its second Award in three years, PCE Automation is at the forefront of UK Automation, specialising in bespoke automation, repeat automation, and value-added services, including pre-automation and aftercare services to address the varying needs of customers across a range of industry sectors including ocular, medical and pharmaceutical. The organisation has been awarded the King’s Award for Innovation, recognising its worldwide reputation for innovation and quality.

Purple Line Ltd (Wherstead, Ipswich) – King’s Award for International Trade

Purple Line Limited is a leading manufacturer of recreational vehicle accessories and revolutionary self-inflating camper trailers. Its portfolio includes the Quattro range of intelligent caravan motor movers, FullStop Security an extensive range of mechanical security devices for a wide range of recreational vehicles, as well as the range of OPUS multi-award winning self-inflating camping trailers.

The Ipswich-based company has been awarded the King’s Award for International Trade, shining a spotlight on its leadership and export growth on a global scale.

Sackers Ltd (Ipswich) – King’s Award for International Trade

Established in 1929, Sackers is a multi-disciplined metal and waste recycling company. The services they offer range from large multinational contracts recycling contracts to local domestic skip hire. They operate from two state of the art recycling centres in Claydon and Needham Market and employ over 110 people. They trade across the whole of the world, with their major hubs in India, Pakistan, China Japan and SE Asia and have a turnover exceeding £65m.

The Ipswich based company has been the Kings Award for International trade, shining a spotlight on its leadership on a global scale.

Coracle Online Ltd (Newmarket) – King’s Award for Promoting Opportunity through Social Mobility

Coracle is an EdTech company whose mission is to create a world where everyone can access education. Its specialised e-learning software is used by prisoners at 86 institutions across the UK, providing them with access to courses from partners including The Open University, the Prison Education Trust and the Shannon Trust. It is also a major e-learning provider to the maritime industry with a user base spanning 70 countries.

Coracle has been awarded the King’s Award for Promoting Opportunity through Social Mobility, the first award in this category to be won in Suffolk.

Pump Street Ltd (Orford & Rendlesham) – King’s Award for International Trade

Founded in 2010 by father and daughter team Chris and Joanna Brennan, Pump Street is an award-winning bakery and craft chocolate maker. With operations based in Orford and Rendlesham, the self-taught bakers and chocolate makers share an enthusiasm for all things gourmand.

The baker and chocolate maker has been awarded the King’s Award for International Trade, recognising its global leadership in its field.

On winning their Awards, the companies said:

Ollie Cook, Business Improvement Leader, PCE Automation, said: “The PCE team is undoubtedly our greatest asset and is burgeoning with great minds. We’re not content to do things the way they have always been done and to be recognised for our contribution to innovation reflects the team’s excellence, future-focused purpose and innovative mindset that has allowed us to obtain The Kings Award for Enterprise – The most prestigious British business award.”

Jonathan Harrison, founder and Managing Director of Purple Line Ltd, said: “As a company, we have always believed in the importance of international trade and have made it a cornerstone of our business strategy. All of this allows Purple Line and its brands to continuously expand our business, develop relationships and is the foundation to our outstanding continuous growth throughout the UK and across the world.”

David Dodds, Chief Executive Officer, Sackers, said: “We are over the moon with this recognition. We have faced some incredibly challenging times over the last few years, so to be able to achieve growth of this level shows that our growth strategy and investment has been the right decision. We will continue to invest and increase our throughput to maintain this growth and international trade growth further. It’s only been made possible with the team I have around me and I would like to thank them for all their hard work in making this possible.”

James Tweed, Founder of Coracle said: “All across the world there are groups of people who lack education and digital skills and, as a result, are becoming excluded from society. Prisoners are one of these groups and, if we want to reduce crime and reoffending, then education is the way to do it.

Our society is becoming digital on every front and we must ensure everyone has the skills to live and work in this type of world. That’s our mission and having the King’s support means so much.

I am now proud to employ a fast-growing team of people. The Coracle team is also delighted to be the first Suffolk-founded company to win in the Promoting Opportunity through Social Mobility category.”

Joanna Brennan, Co-Founder, Pump Street, said: “We are so honoured to have received this award in the first year of King Charles III’s reign. His Majesty’s ethics align closely with ours in terms of sustainability, the delivery of quality produce through fair means. We have spent a great deal of time and put heavy emphasis on nurturing relationships across the business by frequently visiting and supporting our local and international partners ensuring a personal connection. We are proud of our British heritage, but thrive on global connections to ensure we maintain an innovative approach to flavour which we feel was a defining factor in our win.”

In anticipation of presenting the Awards to each company on behalf of His Majesty The King, Lady Clare, Countess of Euston, H.M. Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk, said: “These are The King’s first Awards for Enterprise and how delighted we all are that the outstanding  winners in Suffolk represent all that is best about business  excellence here.

Suffolk leads the way nationally and internationally in a number of sectors, and I congratulate each of the winners for their inspirational leadership and example.”