The pandemic brought some unexpected benefits for us here at Longworth, with lockdown and home-working helping us to find the time to enter industry awards for the first time. It was all worthwhile, with Longworth securing shortlisted positions for 3 different national awards!
Make UK Awards – SME of the Year
With evidence of 3 years’ financial growth and a strong commitment to job creation, Longworth presented our DEECOM® technology and the long road to commercialisation we’ve experienced, achieving more in 2020 than ever before.
With new, global contacts leading to impressive orders delivered overseas during a pandemic and following Brexit, 2020-21 got off to a great start.
Transformational digitalisation followed, along with a strong R&D offer, investment in our own onsite laboratory and plans to invest in staff training and development and to increase jobs by 17% in 2021-22.
Judges recognised the tireless efforts, sound management and eternal optimism of us and our long-standing team and we’re over the moon to be seen as one of the best from an amazing pool of British manufacturers! Read more about DEECOM® technology on our main site.
Make UK Awards – Innovation 2021
Our team rarely think of themselves as innovators, preferring to ‘just get the job done’, so we’re thrilled to be able to illustrate that it’s not just us who believe they bring engineering innovation at its best.
The entry told judges of a specific innovation; our solution for commissioning DEECOM® technology in Thailand during a travel-ban period of the pandemic. Usually this project would take 1 or 2 engineers from 1 to 2 weeks and would include, long haul travel, accommodation, visits to site every day, plus language barriers and jet lag to contend with.
Our team found a way to commission remotely, sending a manual and tools in advance, using the HMI and PLC that all DEECOM® units have installed for monitoring and data capture; and they conversed over the internet using cameras and translation tools, communicating with the installation engineers on the customer’s site.
This approach saved Longworth and the customer thousands of pounds in cost, vast amounts of CO2 and our most precious resource – staff time.
So successful was it, that they followed it up by installing another DEECOM® in the USA soon after, using the same method.
We’re now looking to formalise this service and offer it to customers as standard using VR headsets with built in translation in a truly innovative, Industry 4.0 development. Read more about our innovative approach on our main site.
Composites UK – Sustainability Award
Shortlisted for the environmental effects made possible by our DEECOM® waste management technology within the composites industry.
DEECOM® reduces, recovers and allows the reuse of pristine carbon and glass fibres along with resin monomers, it emits only water vapour into the atmosphere making it a ‘clean’ alternative to more established recycling methods.
DEECOM® is sustainable in itself; a low energy, clean system using only water and energy – there are no toxic fumes, hazardous emissions or expensive solvents required.
In addition, DEECOM® brings sustainability to those employing it – they can reduce, if not negate waste, reduce energy, drastically reduce their carbon footprint AND reduce their costs.
Chairman John Norris says, “It’s no wonder the cost of carbon fibre is high. The industry budgets for significant waste and then pays to have it disposed of – it needn’t be this way! BUT…it’s no good recycling fibres if we aren’t willing to then use recycled content. We must ALL find a place for recyclate in our supply chain.”
Our task: to launch an emerging technology into a new industry, across multiple sectors, in new world regions, all from a low TRL, no contacts and very limited budget. But we love a challenge… read more about how we help the environment on our main site.
Director Jen Hill says, “Whilst a win at the Awards in November would be the icing on the cake, we’re so pleased to have been recognised through shortlisting, instilling in the team that they are indeed some of the UK’s most innovative engineers, with a razor sharp focus on sustainability. We’re really pleased and looking forward to the awards evening.”