Two world-beating firms based in Dacorum have won royal recognition for their achievements.
High-tech imaging firm FFEI, based on Hemel Hempstead’s Maylands industrial estate, has scooped a third Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its pioneer work which is helping cancer experts pinpoint their diagnosis.
And the team at green energy experts RES, based in Kings Langley, are also celebrating today’s official confirmation of the prestige award.
FFEI has been recognised in the Innovation section of the awards scheme for the nation’s best and brightest companies, thanks to its development of a digital slide scanning system that has helped bring about significant advances in cancer diagnosis and research and pathologist training.
Managing director Andy Cook said: “We are delighted. The growth of our Life Science division has been built on our expertise in scanning and imaging. The success and worldwide sales of our digital slide scanner shows the value of FFEI’s approach to clinicians and pathologists.”
The system uses virtual microscopy to create high resolution 3D digital images of tissue samples mounted on standard glass slides.
Captured digital images can then be viewed locally on screen or instantaneously shared via the internet with colleagues and experts around the world.
Mr Cook said: “This provides valuable information to pathologists. By being able to refocus on different layers, they are better able to understand what is happening within the tissue. It’s far easier to see cellular relationships in a 3D context than comparing 2D images side by side.”
FFEI previously won Queen’s Awards in 2002 and 2011.
RES (Renewable Energy Systems), best known for its landmark wind turbine overlooking the M25, is one of the world’s leading independent renewable energy project developers and has been recognised in the International Trade category.
The firm, which is also a previous Queen’s Award winner, has developed and/or built more than 100 individual wind farms around the world, the bulk of them in America.
Overseas sales have increased by 352 per cent over the last six years, with 80 per cent of the business coming from North America.
RES is also expanding into new markets and has recently sealed deals for the first time in Canada, Sweden and Turkey.
Chief executive Ian Mays said: “We are absolutely delighted. As shown by our increased sales and staff numbers, RES is a British success story and has continued to grow from strength to strength.”