Bury St Edmunds cleanrooms company - Ant Group - presented with Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade by Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant, Clare, Countess of Euston
A specialist company which supports a range of technology industries has been honoured by the Queen and is set to expand its global operations.
The Ant Group, which trades as Antistat and Integrity Cleanroom, is strengthening its team to further expand its American operations amongst other worldwide outlets.
The company, based in Easlea Road, Bury St Edmunds, supports production in the electronics, pharma, biotech, healthcare, defence and automotive sectors by creating ultra clean environments and specialist packaging.
Last week, Ant Group also received a visit from Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant, Clare, Countess of Euston, to receive the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade
It won the award in 2020 but the presentation was put on hold so that all the staff could return to work to take part in the celebrations.
John Hensley, who founded the company with a £2000 loan from the Prince’s Youth Business Trust in 1987, said: “The Queen’s Award is national and international recognition of our success.
“To be able to accept the award with the whole company here is really important to me.
I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved, especially over the last 18 months while we dealt with Covid and have been unable to travel.
“What has particularly impressed me is the can do attitude that permeates through the whole company – everyone’s good spirits and hard work getting the job done.
“We continue to forecast significant growth globally – technology companies such as ourselves need to be where the volume manufacturing happens and our agile nature positions us well to continue to expand our reach across the globe.”
Ant Group is now a global enterprise trading in 60 countries with 55 full-time staff employed in the UK, EU and the US.
It helps technology industries in the production of equipment by creating by environmentally controlled spaces. This can be anything from building cleanrooms to clothes and pens used by staff.
The rooms are free from unseen particles, such as dust, airborne organisms or vaporised particles, to aid production. The company has also helped in the fight against Covid by providing conditions in which vaccines can be produced. It also produces anti-static equipment.
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the UK and were established in 1965.
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