On 21 April 2008, Olympus KeyMed was recognised by the honour of a Queen's Award for Enterprise 2008, in the category of 'Innovation'. This follows on from the company's previous Queen's Awards in 2004 and 2006, and was given in recognition of the creation of i -SPEED, a state-of-the-art high-speed video camera, which is achieving significant market success through its portability, flexibility and functionality.
The i-SPEED camera, developed by the design team at Olympus KeyMed, has a wide range of applications across many different industries and slows down high-speed events, allowing users to see exactly what is taking place, frame-by-frame. This has a particular value not only for analysis in research applications, but in problem-solving in process industries, for example in bottling or packaging factories.
The Award was given following Her Majesty the Queen's approval of the UK Prime Minster's recommendation that a Queen's Award be conferred on Olympus KeyMed and is widely recognised as the most prestigious business Award in the United Kingdom.
In today's global economy where the rate of change and level of competition is unprecedented, it is critical that companies continue to be innovative and the Queen's Awards provide an opportunity to celebrate and encourage such excellence in business. The standard is set deliberately high to ensure that those that win are among the elite of British business and for Olympus KeyMed to be given this Award, for a third time, is exceptional and a reflection of the hard work, commitment and
dedication of the entire Olympus KeyMed workforce.
The Awards Office has again congratulated Olympus KeyMed on its success, commenting "As Britain's most coveted commercial prize, it recognises an achievement of which Olympus KeyMed should be justly proud".
Paul Hillman, Group Managing Director, commented: "We are extremely honoured to receive the Queen's Award for Enterprise, the highest accolade Her Majesty can bestow on industry. For Olympus KeyMed to receive this Award is, in itself, a great honour, but to receive three Queen's Awards in such a short period, each in a different category, is not only extremely rewarding, but is a tangible recognition of the company's achievements across a range of its activities.
"It is particularly pleasing that the culture and ethos of the organisation and its people, who are at the heart of our success, are recognised in this way. This is clearly a reflection of the strength of Olympus' pursuit of innovation, both in the UK and also throughout the global organisation, which allows the creativity of our people to be channelled in the design, development and manufacture of sophisticated high quality products to meet the needs of our customers."
On 22 April 2008, Paul Hillman was invited to the Gladstone Library in London, by His Royal Highness, the Duke of Gloucester, where he attended the first of three official ceremonies celebrating the Queen's Awards for Enterprise 2008.
The second celebratory event will take place in July at Buckingham Palace, at a reception hosted by Her Majesty The Queen, and later in the summer the Lord Lieutenant, The Queen's representative, will again visit Olympus KeyMed to present the commemorative bowl, the formal mark of the Award.