Accutronics, the Midlands-based battery specialist has won the heavily contested Lombard Award for Innovation in Products and Processes at the Manufacturing Excellence Awards. The company was handed the trophy by Michael Portillo, the former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister, at a ceremony held at The Dorchester in London on November 27, 2012.
An expert in the design, development and manufacture of rechargeable batteries for high performance electronic devices, Accutronics’ smart batteries offer advanced functionality and features such as charge control, fuel gauging and device communication.
One of Accutronics’ products, the Intelligent Power Vault (IPV) is a perfect example of the company’s commitment to innovation and lean manufacturing practices. IPV is a unique multi-battery power source which is ideal for powering medical and industrial devices. The innovative modular design of the IPV provides flexibility and scalability and permits transportation without the costs normally associated with large Lithium Ion batteries.
The Intelligent Power Vault also provides a wealth of vital battery data to its host equipment from its USB and serial interfaces, ensuring that information about remaining runtime is reported accurately and efficiently.
“This is the first year we have entered the Manufacturing Excellence Awards so we were not sure what to expect and actually taking home the trophy is a great confidence boost for us as a manufacturer,” enthused Rob Phillips, managing director of Accutronics. “Furthermore, the rigorous MX application and assessment process gave us a bird’s eye view of our business strategy and provided very valuable benchmarking feedback.
“These past three years have been incredibly exciting for us and no efforts were spared when it came to research, product development and improving manufacturing processes,” Phillips continued. “I am proud that we bucked the trend and brought manufacturing and engineering back from China to the UK, which is no mean feat in the current economic climate,” he concluded.