A NORTH Essex-based packing equipment company has been named as runner-up for a national export award.

Pacepacker Services, from Great Bardfield, qualified for the Outstanding Export Award category of the Future Manufacturing Awards – organised by the manufacturers’ organisation EEF – by winning the section in the regional round for the South East.

The company, which makes packing, pick and place and palletising equipment for use by manufacturers operating in food and bulk solids industries, narrowly missed out on the national award but was praised by the judges for its flexibility in responding to customer needs and changes in the marketplace.

Dennis Allison, managing director at Pacepacker Services, who was presented with the runners-up award during a ceremony at the Plaisterers’ Hall in London, said: “For many years, UK Government has been urging private companies to help the country survive and beat the recession, and we are one of those organisations who have grown in a tough economic climate.

“We used the support structure available to UK companies by listening and then implementing advice we received from our bank Barclays, our trade association the PPMA and UK Trade and Investment to help create and roll-out an ambitious export plan.

“We hope that our story will inspire other small companies to take an informed leap of faith to help make them more profitable and stable long-term.”