22 April 2020 | Dura Composites
Leading composite materials firm Dura Composites has scooped a second Queen’s Award for Enterprise, this time in the Innovation category, for its pioneering rapid-deployment train station platform solution known as Dura Platform.
The Queens Awards are a royal seal of approval for the UK’s most outstanding businesses, and Dura's 2020 award follows The Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade which was presented to the company in 2017.
The prestigious awards celebrate companies who are making an exceptional contribution to enterprise and the Innovation category honours those that have shown commercial success as a result of demonstrable innovation. Each entry is judged by a specialist panel that makes a recommendation to the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee. Her Majesty the Queen then decides the winners, who each receive an official grant of appointment and an invitation to a celebratory reception at Buckingham Palace.
Dura Composites’ award-winning innovation is Dura Platform - a height-adjustable composite train station platform that reduces gaps between the train and platform edge to enhance passenger safety, is rapidly installed and therefore reduces passenger disruption.
With several unique patented features, Dura Platform allows contractors to replace or overlay onto damaged or subsided train station platforms a low maintenance Glass Reinforced Polymer (GRP) structure in modular lightweight sections that are suitable for lifting by hand and which enhance passenger safety by virtue of an advanced anti-slip surface, in-built water management and concealed sub-surface fixings. Fast becoming the de-facto alternative to traditional concrete, Dura Platform is designed to be especially easy to deploy in hard-to-reach station sites where large cranes or heavy machinery cannot be used.
This year over 90% of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise winners are SMEs like Dura Composites. SMEs play a hugely significant role in Britain’s economy and local communities – providing around 16 million jobs nationwide. With key client Network Rail’s commitment to work more efficiently and closely with small and medium-sized enterprises and to spend a third of its annual expenditure via SMEs by 2022, this award comes at a great time for Dura Composites who are fully committed to continuing to innovate the Dura Platform solution.
Commenting on the award, Stuart Burns, Dura Composites’ Managing Director said; “The gap between the UK’s trains and platforms is getting bigger, with new carriages making it harder than ever for passengers trying to board and disembark trains – particularly those with limited mobility or visual impairments. The Dura Platform solution can be easily deployed to accommodate new rolling stock and improve overall safety for passengers, and this award serves as great recognition of the innovation and true problem-solving that’s at the heart of everything we do at Dura Composites.
With all businesses experiencing immense challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s a tremendous morale boost for Dura Composites to have our ingenuity recognised by Her Majesty the Queen. We are truly proud of the passion, determination and skill of our dedicated team in demonstrating the power of composites to our clients across the private and public sectors.”.
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