The Hunts Post Huntingdonshire Business Awards 2019 hosted a very entertaining evening on Friday 1st November 2019, to celebrate the strength and diversity of the businesses in the Huntingdonshire region.
The Hunts Post Huntingdonshire Business Awards 2019 hosted a very entertaining evening on Friday 1st November 2019, to celebrate the strength and diversity of the businesses in the Huntingdonshire region. The awards have been well supported for over 20 years and this year, yet again, there was a high calibre of entries from a diverse collection of firms and organisations.
Encocam was nominated for three awards: The Innovation Award (Brute Motorcycle, Herald Motor Co.); Supporting Young People and Business Person of the Year (Mike Ashmead).
There was intense competition in each category but we were thrilled that Mike Ashmead was awarded the Winner of Business Person of the Year, and we were finalists for the Innovation Award and Supporting Young People.
It was very enjoyable evening, well done to all the winners and finalists!
Dr Mike Ashmead OBE: We are proud to announce that Dr Mike Ashmead, Founder and Chairman of Encocam Ltd, was awarded the status of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list announced on Saturday 8th June 2019. His investiture was held on Friday 25th October at Windsor Castle, when he was presented with his award by HRH Queen Elizabeth II. (Shown in the main photo, credit: Jonathan Brady/PA).
The OBE was specifically awarded in recognition for services to Exports and Innovation in engineering.
Mike started the Huntingdon-based business in 1988; today Encocam Ltd employs over 200 people. He had an ambition to produce his own aluminium honeycomb and has developed a business with expertise in the design and manufacture of composite panels and energy absorbers. The company, which has developed market-leading products, began exporting in 1990. It is now one of the region’s largest exporters with offices in the UK, Spain, Holland, Germany, US and Japan, exporting over 80% of its total production. Dr Mike Ashmead, Founder and Chairman of Encocam, said:
When I started the company in 1988, I did not anticipate just how much it would develop over the years. Through the hard work and dedication of many people we have grown and continue to do so.
Dr Mike Ashmead
Dr Mike Ashmead has a BSc and PhD in Chemical Engineering from Aston University and has worked in the Engineering industry as a Chemical Engineer and a Process Development Engineer. Since the company began it has innovated and grown to eight divisions working in seven industries, ranging from energy absorbers and safety test products for the automotive sector, through to composite and decorative panels, motorbikes and racing products, all inspired by the engineering challenges set by our customers.
In 2018 Encocam celebrated 30 years of innovation and success; events were held across the business with employees, customers, suppliers and partners, to acknowledge this milestone. In 2017 the Automotive safety division of the company was also awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade, another great accolade which acknowledged the company’s progress.
Glass is one of the most versatile building materials and a great choice for architecture and interior design applications.
There are several advantages to using toughened glass, the main one being its safety features.
It is up to five times as strong as ordinary glass and can withstand surface compression of at least 10,000lbs per square inch (10,000psi). As a result it would need to be hit by a greater force before it shattered; If it did break it would crumble into small fragments, rather than into potentially dangerous jagged shards, making it safer to clean up. It is also more resistant to thermal breakage.
Mykon’s toughened glass panels are all manufactured with our aluminium honeycomb core bonded in between two toughened glass skins. Our striking panels are suitable for a variety of architecture and interior design applications including:
Mykon’s toughened glass panels are perfect for office partitions. The panels are aesthetically pleasing and a great alternative to comparable glass panels; ensuring privacy while allowing natural daylight in. All panels manufactured by Mykon are bespoke and are easily integrated to create an environment filled with light.
Individual panels can be specifically made to fit existing door systems or produced as a standard hinged door complete with fixtures. Mykon panels can also help improve the insulation of a property or building when used as an inner door by retaining heat when the front door is open, without blocking light.
Mykon architectural flooring panels are scratch resistant, easy to clean and highly resistant to deflection. Surfaces can be either sandblasted or made non-slip for safety. Additional underlighting or backlighting can also be applied.
When toughened glass panels are used for applications such as landings, mezzanines or staircases, they can illuminate dark spaces and reduce the need for electric lighting. Our panels can be manufactured to fit into any floor framework or staircase system resulting in a truly flexible design.
Mykon panels can be used to make a wide variety of bespoke furniture products such as drawers, cupboard doors, bookshelves or storage units. These are made to order with specification to meet customer requirements.
Our toughened glass panels can also be used for different types of work surfaces and worktops including bars, shop counters, dining tables and desks.
The Mykon team are always happy to discuss any bespoke project requirements you have so do not hesitate to get in touch with them. Alternatively, you can find out more about the range of products on the Mykon website.
Source: tufwellglass.co.uk
As part of our commitment to continuous improvement to our Health & Safety Management Systems, our Spill Response Team received valuable training from the Huntingdon Fire Brigade.
The Huntingdon Fire Brigade are part of the Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service and offer regular training sessions to help businesses best understand and conform to fire safety legislation relevant to their trade and the premises in which they operate. The Health & Safety team invited the Fire Brigade in to hold a training session for the Spill Response team and to discuss the chemicals stored onsite.
During the exercise the Spill Response team carried out their internal procedures, with a volunteer playing the role of a contaminated employee, who had come into contact with Hydrofluoric acid. In a real incident he would immediately be taken to be showered at the outside chemical shower, while the emergency services are called; the Fire Brigade and an ambulance would be requested. To simulate this, the Spill Response Team changed into their PPE (Personal protective equipment) and breathing apparatus and other employees in the vicinity removed their footwear to prevent further contamination.
On arrival of the Fire Brigade, the Spill Response Team would hand over to the Incident Controller, who then takes charge of the situation. Fire Officers, dressed in their protective clothing and breathing apparatus and demonstrated their procedures, (they would remove the victim’s clothing and give him a robe to wear); another team member acting as a First Aider, filling in an incident board. After the exercise, the Incident Controller offered advice on how internal improvements could be made, but overall, he was very impressed with the Spill Team’s performance.
This was also an opportunity for the Fire Services to understand the range of chemicals kept on site, as we are classed as ‘high risk’, ensuring that they are stored safely we are well prepared for an emergency.
The Health & Safety team felt that the training was very worthwhile.
Encocam is a member of the Apprenticeships Ambassador Network, there are currently 12 apprentices across the company studying skills such as Engineering, IT, Business Administration and Motorcycle Maintenance & Repair. As a result the business has enjoyed a great amount of success and can easily demonstrate what an important part of our future our apprentices are and will become.
To support a countrywide initiate to promote businesses and sectors to be more actively involved in apprenticeship schemes both Elaine Coates, HR Manager and Chris Hartley, HR Trainee Administrator, joined the Apprenticeships Ambassador Network, East of England in October 2018. Elaine is very proud to now be an Employer Apprenticeship Ambassador and Chris equally proud having recently being enrolled as a Young Apprentice Ambassador.
Elaine explains more about the network:
The East of England Employer Apprenticeship Ambassadors are all employers who have recruited apprentices as part of their workforce. As an Ambassador I am passionate about promoting the apprenticeship route within Encocam but also as part of a network of Ambassadors to also raise awareness and increase engagement to meet the needs of employers, communities and individuals across the country.
As a Young Apprentice Ambassador (YAAN) Chris is now part of a community of inspiring, driven apprentices and former apprentices who have chosen to register as Ambassadors in their local area. The YAAN gives today’s apprentices the opportunity to engage and inspire the apprentices of tomorrow.
Ambassadors will periodically be invited to promote apprenticeships to young people, their teachers, parents and employers through a variety of exciting events. In recent years, Ambassadors have found themselves presenting at awards ceremonies, speaking at the House of Commons, fronting national TV apprenticeship campaigns and attending high profile events.
Chris successful joined the network following the completion of the YAAN training day in March 2019 where he was tasked with creating a presentation based on his own apprenticeship story, before delivering the presentation to a room full of apprentices from all over the East of England.
We look forward to continuing our apprentice programme and championing the Apprenticeships Ambassador Network.
Aluminium honeycomb composite panels by BCP now available online: Our bespoke composite division has announced the launch of their new e-commerce platform selling standard composite panels direct from their website for same day despatch.
The 600mm x 600mm aluminium honeycomb composite panels are available in 5 different thickness ranging from 6mm to 25.4mm and are manufactured with ¼ inch (6.4mm) aluminium honeycomb cells.
BCP has been designing and manufacturing aluminium honeycomb composite panels for over 30 years and has a reputation for working with customers to solve their engineering challenges. Whilst BCP manufacture composite panels to various bespoke dimensions and thicknesses, their customers had requirements for smaller composite panels with a quick despatch; their goal with the launch of the e-commerce platform was to meet these demands. BCP aims to expand their online product range to offer additional dimensions in the near future.
Aluminium honeycomb composite panels have unlimited applications and have been used in a wide variety of products including rail and marine interiors and furniture, display structures, vacuum tables, architectural products and flight simulation decks for pilot training.
In addition to their strong, lightweight and durable properties, there are several benefits of using aluminium honeycomb composite panels. They have a longer lifespan than wood, lower energy consumption (reduced weight is the key advantage to saving energy), lower maintenance and refurbishment costs, are fully recyclable, and require less rework due to tighter tolerances. They are also easier to install, with a lower whole life cost compared to alternatives.
BCP’s 600mm x 600mm aluminium honeycomb composite panels are available to buy via their official website.
Based in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire and established in 1988, BCP has built up a worldwide reputation for working with customers on the design and manufacture of aluminium honeycomb composite panels. BCP’s lightweight but incredibly strong aluminium honeycomb composite panels and structures have unlimited applications and have been used in a wide range of industries including rail, marine, architecture and printing.
HRH The Duke of Kent KG visits Encocam: To mark the end of our 30th Anniversary year we were delighted to be visited by HRH The Duke of Kent KG, a special guest of our passive safety testing product division.
The Duke was greeted by Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Mrs Julie Spence, Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet, Warrant Officer James Smalley and Encocam’s Managing Director, Paul Cope. The Duke met staff from across the business as well as the newly-elected Mayor of Huntingdon, Cllr Steve McAdam.
Paul Cope and Head of Sales and Marketing, Helen Dighton, took the Duke on a tour of the Crash Test Dummy Laboratory. Engineering staff and apprentices were on hand to explain their role in the design, development, engineering, moulding and manufacture of innovative products used by automotive manufacturers and organisations to test vehicle and pedestrian safety world-wide. The display featured specialist deformable crash test barriers and our most recent test products.
It was an honour to welcome His Royal Highness to Encocam to celebrate the international success of the business, and to mark the end of our 30th Anniversary year. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to talk about our products which contribute to vehicle occupant safety across the globe, and to recognise the efforts of our staff who play such a vital role in our success.
Paul Cope, Managing Director
Asking questions about the development and testing process, the Duke was able to witness a series of live impact tests.
Following lunch the Duke was thanked by Paul Cope and was invited to unveil a commemorative plaque and sign the visitor’s book.
A crowd of staff gathered together to see the unveiling and went outside to wave goodbye to His Royal Highness before tucking into a special celebration cake to mark the event.
Herald, our motorcycle division, has had a busy start to 2019 with three shows in February and March. These events have been a great opportunity to debut the new models coming soon, including the British-built motorcycle, the Brute, and the Brat.
Herald Motor Co. entered the motorbike sector over a decade ago initially working with partners to import classically-styled motorbikes. However, our passion for motorbikes meant the goal was always to design and manufacture in Britain. As a division of an award-winning engineering company, we have the capability to design and produce parts in-house and the facilities to develop and manufacture our own British-built motorcycles.
We are proud to announce that the Brute 500 is the first bike to be designed, engineered and built at our headquarters in Cambridgeshire! Having completed the prototype, the next stage is final testing and development ready for sales in late 2019.
Inspired by the racetrack but built for the road, the Brute is our own modern take on the street tracker. These sleek machines are reminiscent of flat track racing, featuring elements of the dirt track racer but with everything required for the bike to be street legal.
Featuring a single four-stroke 449cc engine, the Brute also has adjustable Racetek front and rear suspension with our own unique floating-shock linkage system.
RaceTek, another division of Encocam, manufactures premium motorcycle spares and accessories. The parts are used on the current range of Herald Motor Co. bikes and on high powered performance race bikes.
Our Brat eats up the urban terrain and turns it into your own personal amusement park. Developed with partners to our exact specifications, this bike has an attitude to match its unique rugged looks.
Available in military green, iron grey or copper, it has additional features including monoshock rear suspension and a premium stainless-steel exhaust and will get your adrenaline flowing!
Herald also have a range of apparel available to buy online, including T-shirts, badges and hats, with a new collection of lifestyle and protective clothing launching soon.
To find out more, check out the Herald Motor Co. website
BCP table project with Paul Smith Ltd: Our bespoke composite panel division were delighted to be asked to make two tables for Paul Smith’s new flagship store in an exclusive new shopping district near Kings Cross, Coal Drops Yard. This regenerated area, opened in October 2018 is the site of the 19th century coal warehouses, which were built to store and transfer coal by rail from the north of England across London. Once the marshalling yards of the industrial revolution, Coal Drops Yard is now home to 9,290 square metres of shops and restaurants, housed in the sensitively restored Victorian brick arches.
Sir Paul Smith is an iconic British designer, renown for his creativity and use of fine fabrics, mixing traditional formal wear with modern high fashion. His collections of clothing and accessories are characterised by their inventive use of traditional craftsmanship. This British company founded in Nottingham in 1970 has expanded into over 70 countries. Paul Smith’s original guiding principle of ‘classic with a twist’ remains as the company’s core value. Each Paul Smith design is underpinned by a dry British sense of humour: quirky but not frivolous, eccentric but not silly.
This project presented an engineering challenge due to the length of the tables required and the customer’s requirement for minimal visual support. The BCP team worked closely with the Paul Smith team to design and manufacture a three metre and a four and a half metre long table, which were both one metre wide. This was achieved due to the high strength but low weight properties of the aluminium honeycomb core and aluminium alloy skins.The finished tables are strong enough to hold Paul Smith’s signature clothing and accessories, and during the shop opening they were used as a catwalk for the models! Before they were fitted into the store they were painted in the Paul Smith colours by BCP’s partner company based in Milton Keynes, SCC Coatings, who are also involved in painting trains – very appropriate knowing the history of the store’s location!
The Paul Smith team were thrilled with the outcome, and the tables are a key feature in the Coal Drops Yard store.
I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of myself and Mark McKay at Paul Smith Ltd to say a thank you to BCP and Encocam Ltd for supplying and installing our tables at Coal Drop’s Yard. An acknowledgement to all involved on the project, particularly during the final weeks of development and last minute problem solving on the workshop floor. As without this, we would not have realised the final product we have in our shop. The tables have received compliments aplenty all round. I certainly would like to keep in touch for any future projects of similar nature, now knowing BCP’s capabilities and services.
George Houzé, Assistant Designer, Paul Smith
We are pleased to announce our Oxford Brookes Racing 2018/19 sponsorship. This follows on from our sponsorship in the previous 2017/18 season and their great performance at Formula Student 2018, Silverstone, where they were Class 1 runners up out of 82 teams, the best performing UK team! They had great results in all categories: 2nd Design, 2nd Skid pad, 3rd Endurance, 4th Cost & Manufacturing and 5th Efficiency. In Formula Student Austria they finished 12th overall out of 30 teams, with a 2nd Skid pad and 3rd Business. Many congratulations to the team, their hard work paid off!
Corex aluminium honeycomb was used in the chassis of the car and Stonehill Engineering provided parts. We will be sponsoring them again for the coming year, 2018-19, when they intend to build a Class 1 combustion and for the first time in OBR history, a Class 2 electric car. It will be interesting to see the difference between the combustion and electric vehicles, in their build and performance.
The team consists of students from faculties across the university, unlike other Formula Student teams, they do not restrict entry to the team to engineering students only. There are many positions in the team apart from the design and build of the car which suit students with other strengths, like Marketing, Business and Finance. The students who lead the project are in their final year and those involved in the design are part of the Engineering faculty, their design and build contributes to their degree. There is a very limited budget, so as part of the business element of the project they approach companies for sponsorship.
See the video below where Scott Ley, Chassis Engineer explains the value of our Corex aluminium honeycomb and how it optimised the performance of the monocoque chassis and their plans to build the first fully moulded chassis, with the lightest and most aerodynamic features yet! We are looking forward to working with the team for the coming season.
Encocam attended The Hunts Post Huntingdonshire Business Awards 2018 on 2nd November, an evening dedicated to recognising and celebrating commercial success in the Huntingdonshire district. The awards, celebrating their 21st year, demonstrate the strength and diversity of local companies and their employees. The high calibre of the entries show the resilience and innovation of the business community in Huntingdonshire and the versatility that allows continued success.
Encocam was nominated for three awards, Apprentice of the Year, The Innovation Award and Business Development Award. We were up against tough competition from the region but came away with great results; Cellbond (Division of Encocam) was the Winner of Business Development, Insight (Road Safety product) was a Finalist for The Innovation Award and Chris Hartley, from our HR department was a Finalist for Apprentice of the Year.
Well done to all involved, it was a great night and the accolades received were well deserved!
Encocam has achieved a Silver in the internationally-renowned RoSPA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) Health and Safety Awards, the longest-running industry awards scheme in the UK. The RoSPA Awards scheme, which receives entries from organisations around the world, recognises achievement in health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.
The RoSPA Health and Safety Awards have become the key fixture in the health and safety calendar and offer organisations a prime opportunity to prove their ongoing commitment to raising health and safety standards.
Encocam are thrilled to have been presented with a RoSPA Silver Award, which showed that we have achieved a high level of performance, as a result of good management systems and are delivering consistent improvement.
The next step is to work towards the level of excellence required for a Gold Award.