MEN Business of the Year Awards Finalists 2018!
We are delighted to announce that Shirley Technologies Limited has been selected as a finalist for the MEN (Manchester Evening News) Business of the Year 2018 award in the 'Turnover £5m - £10m' category. Having already welcomed members of the judging panel to our Trafford Park premises for a site visit, we have been invited to deliver a final presentation to the judges next week (w.c. 9th October). We will then discover the panel's final decision when we attend the awards ceremony on Thursday 15th November; this is being held at The Principal Hotel in Manchester city centre.
Everyone at Shirley® and BTTG™ is thrilled at reaching the final of this prestigious awards process, especially in our centenary year; after all, we are rightly proud of our rich and lengthy history that has seen us drive several significant innovations, including the invention of partition chromatography that earned its founders – Martin and Synge – the 1952 Nobel Chemistry Prize. Having been set up to provide specialist support to the wool, cotton and textile industries, we continue to lead the way today in testing textile and other flexible materials to British, European and international standards; we also certify and audit against private label schemes e.g. OEKO-TEX®; and award CE mark. Our testing is rigorous, ethical and impartial, providing our clients and end users both at home and overseas with maximum peace of mind. These include the emergency services, for whom we ensure that their uniforms offer optimum protection.
We have sustained growth over many years through investing in staff, facilities and increasing our overseas presence. Our family-like corporate culture has helped to foster our excellent staff retention record; the average length of service is 12 years, but many staff have been with us for much longer. Following a major refurbishment, our PPE (personal protective equipment) and chemistry laboratories here at Trafford Park are now among the most advanced in the world. Exports constitute over 50% of our trade and our customers – both manufacturers and end users – in over 80 countries are supported by our 16 offices in 10 countries.
Speaking after Shirley Technologies Limited was confirmed as an awards finalist, our Chief Executive Stephen Donnelly said:
"Although technological advances have been key to our growth, the most important factor in any successful business is its staff. We are no exception and are committed to helping our employees – both at home and overseas – continue to flourish with us. Being named a finalist for this award means a great deal to us and winning it would crown our centenary year."
