Among the winners at the Queen’s Awards for Export and Technological Achievement this year, were Compaq Computer Corp’s manufacturing facility in Erskine, Scotland, for increasing export revenues by just under 450% to #297m over the last three years. Total shipments from the facility, including those to Compaq’s resellers, increased by just under 400% over the same period – some 80% of Compaq’s personal computer systems built in Scotland are now shipped abroad. GEC Plessey Telecommunications’ Payphone Systems division, whose Chorley, Lancashire factory sends out three of every four payphones overseas, also gained an export award, which it will proudly place on its corporate mantelpiece next to the technological award it picked up last year (CI No 1,657). This year, 127 awards were granted to UK companies for export achievement, and a further 38 for technological achievement, with no company being granted both. Chase Research Plc, Basingstoke, Hampshire, gained an export award for shipments of intelligent multiport boards and terminal server products to mainland Europe and the US; Compugraphics International Ltd, of Glenrothes, Fife, made its mark for exports of photomasks as used by semiconductor manufacturers; Enfield, Middlesex-based Data Connection Ltd pulled in an export award for consistent on-time shipment of complex computer software; Cambridge-based Domino Amjet Ltd came through with an award for ink jet printer shipments; Format International Ltd, Woking, Surrey, gained its slap on the back for increasing fourfold its computer software exports to 60 countries over the last three years; London-based Godel, Escher, Bach Ltd was rewarded for exports of its executive information systems software, which have trebled over the last three years; Newbridge Networks Ltd, Newport, Gwent, got an export award for the second year running for wide area network product shipments to mainland Europe, the Middle East and Africa; Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire-based Renishaw Transducer Systems Ltd came good for its robot-controlled manufacturing tools; and Specialix Ltd, Byfleet, Surrey, for exports of intelligent input-output controllers.
Z notation
On to technological achievement awards. IBM UK Laboratories Ltd in Hursley Park won its second award for technological achievement, this time in association with the Oxford University Computing Laboratory, for developing a mathematical programming method, the Z notation, and its application to CICS teleprocessing software. Acorn Computer Group Plc, Cambridge, was rewarded for its Advanced RISC Machine – ARM 3 – low-cost 32-bit processor; Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire-based Crosfield Electronics Ltd was recognised for development of Studio 9000, a computerised pagination system for use in the graphics art industry; Filtronic Components Ltd, of Shipley, West Yorkshire, gained an award for its microwave switched multiplexer; Marconi Electronics Ltd’s Stanmore Unit, Stanmore, Middlesex, was rewarded for its integrated microwave receiver for satellite television; Merck Ltd’s Industrial Chemical Division, Poole, Dorset, was recognised for development of chemical mixtures for liquid crystal displays; the Optical and Display Science Division of the electronics division of the Defence Research Agency also won its award for LCD chemicals; Clwyd, Wales-based Pilkington Communications Systems Ltd was commended for the development of a backplane connection system for optical cables; Racal Radar Defence Systems Ltd, Chessington, Surrey, was rewarded for developing the SADIE Associative Processor for identifying radar emissions for defence purposes. The penultimate computer-related award – alphabetically – went to Vector Fields Ltd of Kidlington, Oxford, for the development of a software package – Elektra – for design of electrical equipment, based on the finite element method of analysis. Finally, Kings Langley, Hertfordshire-based VideoLogic Ltd was recognised for developing a method of combining video and graphics signals on a personal computer display, with synchronised audio. Congratula
tions to all.
