The Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Diane Hawkins visited Warrington-based lighting manufacturer Ansell Lighting to present it with its King’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation.
Ansell, based on Stonecross Industrial Park in Warrington, was recognised for its patented Panel Pod product in the first King’s Award for Enterprise honours in 2023.
The award was presented to Ansell’s Managing Director, Mark Abbott, at a ceremony at the company’s headquarters, which was also attended by the MP for Leigh, James Grundy, the Mayor of Wigan, Councillor Kevin Anderson, the Deputy Mayor of Warrington, Councillor Carol Benson, and local Warrington Councillors, alongside key members of staff.
The Panel Pod was created in response to an identified industry need, and converts an LED panel light into an emergency light in less than sixty seconds, without needing a conversion kit or additional ceiling fixture to install. Emergency lighting is required by British law and workplace health and safety guidance, so if the lights go out in the case of fire or other incident it stays on for up to three hours.
Since its launch in 2014 almost 500,000 Panel Pods have been sold worldwide.
The King’s Awards for Enterprise recognises outstanding UK businesses, with recipients being able to use the esteemed King’s Awards Emblem for five years.
Mark Abbott, Managing Director of Ansell Lighting, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Lord-Lieutenant, Deputy Mayor and our local politicians to Ansell. Achieving this award, especially in the first year of the King’s Awards, was testament to the hard work and dedication of our innovation team and everyone involved in the business.
“Ansell is an ambitious and growing business, and the launch of Panel Pod was genuinely transformative for us, and it continues to contribute significantly to our ongoing success. It is fantastic to have been able to celebrate that success with our staff and the business community in the North West.”
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