Attended by over 500 members and guests, the event held at Park Plaza Hotel in Westminster on 28th February 2019, marked the MTA’s 100th anniversary.
During the centenary dinner, the MTA honoured four key figures from the manufacturing industry by presenting them with Outstanding Contribution to UK Industry Awards. Amongst the recipients were Sir David McMurtry, executive chairman of Renishaw and John Deer, deputy chairman.
Sir David and Mr Deer founded Renishaw in 1973 following the invention of the touch trigger probe, a device which revolutionised three-dimensional co-ordinate measurement. Throughout its history Renishaw has been dedicated to R&D, annually investing 13 to 18% of sales back into R&D. Until 1976 the company was based at Mr Deer's home in Chepstow, Wales, but today it is a global brand employing over 5,000 people in 36 countries.
“At Renishaw, we all feel extremely proud of Sir David and John’s achievements over the past 45 years,” said Will Lee, Renishaw’s chief executive, who accepted the award on Sir David’s behalf. “From modest beginnings in John’s house in Chepstow, they have overseen the growth of a hugely successful global company based on their founding principles of disruptive innovation, high quality manufacturing, excellent customer support and the development of talented people. It is a great honour for them to be recognised for their contributions to UK industry during the MTA’s centenary year.”
James Selka, CEO of the MTA said “Sir David and John’s achievements are a true British success story. Renishaw has grown from strength to strength under their guidance and innovation. They have been great supporters of the MTA throughout their history and champions of engineering excellence, so it was a real honour to present them with the Outstanding Contribution to UK Industry Awards at our centenary dinner.”
Renishaw’s founders have previously been recognised with numerous awards for their work in the industry. In 2012 they were awarded the prestigious Swan Medal from the Institute of Physics and in 2014 they were honoured with the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award at the Gloucester Citizen and Gloucestershire Echo Business Awards.
Renishaw www.renishaw.com
