The engineering specialist LB Bentley Ltd has been awarded The Queen's Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2022.

The award recognises the British manufacturer's three-year trajectory of continuous growth in overseas sales between 2018 and 2020, with a significant growth in international trade.

Yesterday (Thursday), LB Bentley was presented The Queen's Award at its facility in Stroud. The award was presented to Rhys Jones, president of LB Bentley Ltd, and Perttu Louhiluoto, CEO of the Severn Group, by Edward Gillespie OBE, the Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, and Andy Hodson, Deputy Lieutenant.

Rhys Jones, divisional president LB Bentley, said "This award is a direct result of the dedication the entire LB Bentley team places on customer satisfaction and delivering value to our global customer base. Due to this, our customers return to us year on year with larger and more complex challenges.

"The greatest challenge now lies ahead and our strategic focus is to develop the product range to fit within other areas of the energy industry and affiliated industries, such as the subsea renewable energy markets, clean power generation and carbon capture.

"With years of expertise and a focus on research & development LB Bentley are looking to deliver solutions to support the 'future of energy'. It will be more complex and diverse and this suits us very well."

Perttu Louhiluoto, CEO of Severn Group, said "I would like to congratulate the team at LB Bentley for winning such a prestigious award. The continued hard work and dedication of our people, teamed with our world-class products and services, makes us the leading valve specialist for critical service and demanding applications."

LB Bentley has 133 employees and is part of Severn Group, a family of complementary specialist, high-end engineering and manufacturing companies who are a leading global force in the Energy and Industrials market with the ability to understand the requirements to export and operate in a global business arena, a very important factor for the growth of existing and emerging markets.

The Queen's Awards for Enterprise celebrate outstanding achievement by UK businesses in the categories of Innovation, International Trade and Sustainable Development. They are awarded annually by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister. He is assisted by an advisory committee that includes representatives of government, industry and commerce and trade unions.

LB Bentley was placed 99th in Punchline's recent list of the Top 100 Employers in Gloucestershire.