Latest news with #Queen'sAwards
Business News Wales
3 days ago
- Business
- Business News Wales
KLA's $138 Million Investment Brings New Jobs, Innovation, and Global Opportunity to Newport
Newport is celebrating a major boost to its economy and its future as a technology hub. Newport is celebrating a major boost to its economy and its future as a technology hub, following the recent announcement that KLA Corporation, a global leader in semiconductor process control and enabling technology, has opened a cutting-edge $138 million research and development (R&D) and manufacturing centre in the city. The investment is not just a win for KLA, it's a game-changer for Newport. With space for 750 highly skilled employees, the new 237,000-square-foot facility will create a wave of new job opportunities, helping to strengthen the local workforce, attract top technical talent, and grow Newport's reputation on the international stage as a centre of engineering and manufacturing excellence. KLA's local roots run deep. Its Wales-based product division, SPTS, has been a leader in semiconductor equipment innovation since 1984, winning multiple Queen's Awards for excellence in R&D and export. Now, with this expansion, the company is doubling down on Newport's role in the global semiconductor ecosystem, ensuring that cutting-edge technologies developed here will support industries like advanced packaging, power devices, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), radio frequency (RF), and photonics. The Newport site features 25,000 square feet of R&D cleanrooms, 35,000 square feet of state-of-the-art manufacturing space, and dedicated customer collaboration and demonstration areas. This will not only enable KLA to meet rising global demand, especially as AI accelerates the need for advanced chips, but it will also serve as a key anchor for Newport's growing electronics and semiconductor community. 'This investment is about more than expanding KLA's capacity, it's about investing in Newport's future,' said Dan Collins, site leader and general manager at KLA. 'We're creating high-quality jobs, advancing technology, and deepening our long-term partnerships with the local community. It's a powerful moment for Newport, and we're excited to play a leading role in shaping what comes next.' Welsh and U.K. government leaders also highlighted the significance of KLA's decision to grow in Newport. 'We have a globally renowned compound semiconductor cluster here in Wales,' said Jo Stevens, Secretary of State for Wales. 'KLA's investment strengthens our position as a leader in this vital and growing industry — driving innovation, economic growth, and opportunity for people here in Newport and beyond.' As KLA opens its doors to a new era of innovation, Newport stands ready to reap the benefits, more jobs, enhanced skills development, and a place on the global map as a city helping to power the technologies of tomorrow.
Business News Wales
20-05-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
Brand Hatchers Wins King's Award for International Trade
Brand Hatchers has been awarded the King's Award for Enterprise in International Trade. Founded by Emily Griffiths and her father Chris Howarth, Cardiff-based Brand Hatchers has grown from a family-led startup into a global business, now selling products in more than 36 countries. Its flagship brand Brain Blasterz is the leading sour candy brand across Europe and the Middle East, while its fast-growing e-commerce brands – Nurture by Nature (self-care and wellness) and Guitar Lab (musical accessories) – are category leaders on Amazon UK, US, and EU. 'Winning the King's Award is a huge moment – not just for us as a business, but for the people and values behind it,' said Emily Griffiths, co-founder and CEO. 'We built this company with an international mindset from the start, and to now be recognised at this level is an incredible honour. 'I'm incredibly proud to lead a company that proves ambition, and compassion can go hand in hand. Our flexible workplace policies don't just support our team – they make it possible for me to juggle leadership and family life too. We're showing that you can grow internationally without compromising on people, culture or purpose. 'This award is also a testament to the hard work, creativity and dedication of our amazing team in Cardiff. Every success we've had has been driven by their energy and belief in what we're building – I'm incredibly grateful to work alongside such talented and passionate people. 'Working with such a wide variety of markets and clients is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do,' Emily said. 'It keeps us learning, evolving, and pushing forward.' The King's Awards for Enterprise, formerly known as the Queen's Awards, are the highest official UK awards for British businesses. As a recipient, Brand Hatchers will now be entitled to use the King's Awards emblem for the next five years – a mark of outstanding achievement in international trade.
BBC News
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
West Midlands firms celebrate Kings Awards success
A pioneering engineering firm is celebrating after receiving The King's Award for Enterprise in & Worrall is one of 12 businesses across the West Midlands to get a King's Award on Tuesday in various by the government as the UK's most prestigious business award, they recognise some of the best companies operating in the country in a range of sand casting specialists Grainger & Worrall, based in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, works with automotive and aerospace companies across the world. But it is the firm's cutting edge work in an area known as gigacasting that has attracted attention in recent years, particularly with electric vehicle (EV) car chassis have been produced from hundreds of parts which are then welded together by robots on a production gigacasting means casting structures in much fewer - often just two - very large parts which are then technique ultimately cuts manufacturing time and costs, as well as producing lighter structures, key for EV production, a spokesperson for the firm says. The firm has previously won three Queen's Awards and Mr Eldridge said they were all "very special".He said The King's Award "reflects the dedication, creativity and expertise of our talented team" and that there would be a chance for them to celebrate properly later in the year."We are putting Bridgnorth on the global map when it comes to producing components that will help drive sustainable manufacturing for years to come," he added. Hereford-based business Level Peaks received The King's Award for International by ex-UK Special Forces veterans, the firm supplies defence and security equipment to the UK government and governments Swinton, its business director, said the award served as a "meaningful recognition" of its growth."It stands as a testament to the commitment, professionalism, and contributions of the individuals within our organisation who have made that progress possible," she Pure Spring Water Ltd, also in Hereford, was recognised in the innovation category for launching the world's first spring water bottle made from 100% recycled aluminium. Matt Crocker, managing director, said the firm was thrilled with the accolade."Since launching four years ago, we have sold over 10 million bottles," he said."Innovation is at the heart of everything we do - not just in our products, but in how we think, how we work, and how we challenge convention to create real impact and become market leaders. "To win a King's Award is an extraordinary honour and a testament to the hard work and creativity of our entire team."The award programme, now in its 59th year, has recognised more than 8,000 companies since its inception in recognised in the innovation category wass TMT First, a Staffordshire-based business that offers a mobile component repair process, designed to reduce costs, improve sustainability and eliminate electronic waste.A spokesperson for the company said they aimed to keep "technology alive for longer". West Midlands recipients Berrington Pure Spring Water LTD, HerefordshireGrainger and Worrall Ltd, ShropshireTMT First Limited, StaffordshireKPM Marine LTD, BirminghamLevel Peaks Associates Ltd, HerefordshireMobell Communications Limited, StaffordshireBowers & Jones Ltd, BilstonExol (Holdings) Limited, WednesburyMade Media Ltd, BirminghamRunFlat International Limited, BirminghamSEADA Technology Ltd, WorcestershireFabweld Steel Products Ltd, Shropshire
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The maternity label loved by Princess Kate during all her pregnancies and a row over ditching of its classic 'regal look'
It was a favourite of the Princess of Wales for all three of her pregnancies – but now maternity fashion label Seraphine is embroiled in a right royal row. Four years after selling the business for £50million, founder Cecile Reinaud has claimed the brand has abandoned its British heritage. Ms Reinaud, 51, accuses the firm of losing its way with a rebrand that ditched its 'regal purple' for what she described as a 'Scandinavian' look. She opened Seraphine's first store in 2002 in Kensington, west London. It has since expanded into France and the US. Seraphine sells products ranging from maternity jeans, leggings and dresses to nursing jumpers and breastfeeding covers. The brand received huge attention worldwide when Kate, then the Duchess of Cambridge, wore one of its pieces in the first official pictures of Prince George in 2013. The Jolene fuchsia dress sold out in two hours and she wore Seraphine outfits again in 2015 when pregnant with Charlotte and in 2018 while expecting Louis. Other fans of the label include Myleene Klass, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Anne Hathaway and Kate's sister Pippa Middleton. In 2021, the business was sold to Mayfair Equity Partners, but it has since struggled with falling sales. Seraphine's owners might have been hoping for a boost last week after a 'modernising' rebrand. Instead, it provoked the backlash from Ms Reinaud, who wrote in a LinkedIn post: 'My original vision was to create clothes you'd want to wear even if you weren't pregnant. 'That guiding principle seems to have vanished now. Just yesterday, the brand unveiled a new logo that makes it resemble a Scandinavian label. 'Why abandon our unique British heritage and signature regal purple? Seraphine was once a proud example of British fashion entrepreneurship, recipient of two Queen's Awards: now, it seems to have lost its recognisable identity.' Ms Reinaud also said she was 'devastated' by the ousting of Seraphine's creative director Chelsey Westwood, adding: 'Her immense talent was at the heart of the brand's success. 'Her creative vision enabled us to dress some of the world's most high-profile celebrities: including becoming the maternity brand of choice for the Duchess of Cambridge.' A Mayfair Equity spokesman told the Mail yesterday: 'Last week was a hugely exciting moment for Seraphine, with the unveiling of its enhanced website and refreshed brand identity that incorporated consumer desire for a modernised look and feel.'
