A1 crowned Manufacturer of the Year for second time

A1 Flues has been crowned Manufacturer of the Year at the East Midlands Chamber Business Awards – for the second year in a row.

We were singled out for praise for strong export growth, high levels of investment and benefitting from a ‘Brexit boost’ at the chamber’s Nottinghamshire award ceremony.

Our director John Hamnett said that retaining the title of Manufacturer of the Year is a huge accolade for the company and demonstrates the progress it is making year on year.

“It was a thrill to win the award last year for everyone at A1 – but to win it for the second year in a row is an unprecedented achievement for us,” said John.

“The Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business in the East Midlands and represents companies across the spectrum, which is why this award is all the more precious to us, as it demonstrates that a small business like ours can hold its head really high with the very best in this region.”

Over the last 12 months, we have reinvested profits to improve our manufacturing processes, which has included the purchase of a new £100,000 plasma cutter. This investment has led to a 30% increase in productivity and has directly led to the creation of new jobs.

At the start of 2017, we reported a £1m ‘Brexit boost’ after seeing a jump in turnover for the second half of 2016 as a direct result of the UK’s decision to leave the EU. We won lots of contracts because our costs remained stable while our UK competitors (who import their flues from Europe) were hit by 20% price hikes because of the fall in the value of the pound.

We have also seen growth in exporting. In the last 12 months, we have shipped systems for skyscrapers in Dubai and even as far afield as the Falkland Islands.

He added: “The team at A1 are the reason we are able to get such fantastic recognition because they are the ones who have put in the hard work to establish A1 as a UK centre of excellence for the engineering, design, manufacture and installation of commercial flue and chimney systems.

“We love the fact that a great group of people from a quiet corner of North Nottinghamshire not only have become UK market leaders but also, increasingly, are producing systems that are being used around the world.”