Fibex Composites, the specialist supplier of GRP Composite products and solutions, has won a prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the innovation category for its Trenchlite® product – a versatile and lightweight alternative to pre-cast concrete trenching systems.
Now in its 55th year, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the country and recognise outstanding achievement in four categories: innovation, international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity through social mobility. The innovation category highlights products and solutions that have fulfilled a gap in the market, have achieved outstanding commercial success and provide clear benefits to customers and even the wider industry. Alongside in-depth analysis of the innovation itself, the rigorous award criteria also include the wider market context and competitive landscape as well as the performance of the business and how it works with its customers, suppliers and employees.
Launched to the market in 2017, the Trenchlite® GRP cable troughs provide a 95% weight saving compared with the equivalent pre-cast concrete product but can still withstand loads of up to 40 tonnes. The lower weight makes installation safer and easier. Weighing just 31kg, each Trenchlite® section can be manually moved into place by two people without the need for lifting equipment or additional safety measures.
Additionally, the weight saving of Trenchlite® allows up to a 70% reduction in transportation requirements. A full vehicle load of 26 precast concrete troughs weighs around 21 tonnes. In contrast, 104 Trenchlite® troughs, weighing just 3.5 tonnes, can be loaded onto each vehicle. This means fewer deliveries, which in turn makes site logistics simpler and significantly cuts CO2 emissions as well as reducing costs for the client.
Ashley Jones, Managing Director of Fibex said: “We are delighted to have received this prestigious award and are proud to be recognised among other UK businesses that are leading the way and demonstrating the best of what we offer as a country.
“Trenchlite® has been a huge success story for us as a business and its impact on the market has allowed us to grow rapidly. The product’s clear benefits and USP have resulted in us securing sizeable orders with some of the world’s largest companies and brands as well as contributing to vital infrastructure projects.”
The Queen’s Award for Enterprise is the latest in series of milestones for the business. In 2020, Fibex expanded its production capabilities significantly and relocated to a site that will allow further growth of the business. The business also doubled the number of people it employs.
To find out more about Fibex Composites, Trenchlite® and the rest of the product range visit fibexcomposites.com.