Sailing specialist Spinlock grabs country's top business award
by Gail Willows 21 Apr 2016 01:01 BST
21 April 2016
Spinlock's Deckvest on Dongfeng Race Team © Spinlock
Iconic sailing brand Spinlock has been handed Britain's top business award for its part in boosting the country's international trade. The Isle of Wight-based company was today named as the winner of a coveted Queen's Award for Enterprise for its success in the global sailing market.
Despite its relatively small staff of just 50 employees, Spinlock has become the world's top brand for rope holding technology and personal safety, and prides itself within these sectors for leading the way in innovation and technological advancements.
Its rope cleats, clutches and jammers are the industry standard and are used on hundreds of thousands of yachts of all sizes worldwide. Spinlock was handpicked for an award in the International Trade category by a panel of industry experts. The judges praised Spinlock's substantial growth and continued commercial success overseas over the past six years.
The Queen's Award for Enterprise is Britain's highest accolade for business success, celebrating the country's achievements in innovation, international trade and sustainable development.
Spinlock is among a small number of companies nationwide to receive an accolade for international trade this year.
Chris Hill, CEO of Spinlock, said: "We're delighted to win this Queen's Award for Enterprise. We have won many awards over the years for innovation but this award recognises our ability to turn successfully designed products into a commercial success on a global scale. It recognises the deeper level of success that Spinlock has achieved. Lots of companies win design awards for products that never actually make it to market but we have converted our designs into commercial success."
Spinlock's heritage dates back to 1968 when it began selling navigational instruments from offices in London. The move to Cowes on the Isle of Wight in 1976 and the development of its own product range has since grown to become the industry leader in rope holding technology for yachts and the go-to brand for rope cleats, clutches and jammers. In 2006 it launched the Deckvest, a revolutionary life jacket that challenged complacency in the safety sector and is now among the world's most popular safety products. The Spinlock team control the complete design and production of all its products from its facilities in Cowes supported by a sales and marketing team based both in the UK and USA.
Representatives from Spinlock will attend a prestigious award winners' reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on July 14.
The company will be presented with their award by Major General Martin White CB CBE JP, Lord Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight, at a prestigious ceremony later in the year.
For more information about Spinlock visit www.spinlock.co.uk