Double delight as Cheltenham firm wins two Queen's awards

As posted on SouthWaestBusiness.co.uk

A CHELTENHAM firm which has become a world leader in the production of tractor units for towing aircraft was presented with two Queen's Awards for Enterprise last week.

Douglas Equipment at Arle achieved the unusual double, taking Queen's Awards for both innovation and international trade.

Last week the county's Lord Lieutenant Sir Henry Elwes was welcomed to the firm by chief executive officer David Weil and managing director Lee Brewis before being given a guided tour and meeting some of the 120 employees.

Sir Henry was shown the Douglas RAM Handler, which secured the Queen's Award for Innovation.

Developed for the Royal Navy and subsequently marketed to other navies, it has cut the aircraft deck handling time from seven minutes to just 50 seconds. More than 80 per cent of the company's products are now exported worldwide.


Other products seen in production were from the 'DC' (Douglas Conventional) range of aircraft towing vehicles and the 'TBL' (towbarless) fleet, which connect with the nose wheel of aircraft and have capacity to pull up to 600 tonnes.

Sir Henry was told that the ultimate destinations for these orders included Vietnam, Egypt, China, Korea, the UAE and an eight machine order for the Italian airline, Alitalia.

Douglas Equipment was presented with the Queen's Award for International Trade in recognition of substantial growth in overseas earnings and outstanding commercial success. Major overseas markets for Douglas include Europe, Scandinavia, North America, Middle East, North Africa, Russia, Asia, China, Far East and Australasia.

These markets are accessed by direct sales activity, a network of overseas agents, and through military attaches at embassy level.

Presenting the Queen's Awards Sir Henry Elwes said: "Once again the ingenuity and commitment of the Gloucestershire workforce has been demonstrated by Douglas Equipment, whose longstanding success is clearly evident."

Posted by Joe Martin providing business services for small businesses and the self employed. Find me at joemartin.co.uk