Drive System Design triumphs again

British engineering specialist and three-time British Engineering Excellence Award winner Drive System Design (DSD) has been presented with The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. The success recognises the sustained growth achieved from its Leamington Spa headquarters – where it serves a growing portfolio of global vehicle manufacturer and Tier 1 supplier customers – and continued expansion overseas.

“Drive System Design has worked strategically to expand its global reach, focusing on the future needs of the automotive industry and their customers, and evolving its capabilities to address the challenges arising in the rapidly changing industry,” explains Mark Findlay, DSD managing director. “The Queen’s Award for International Trade is a wonderful reward for our team, who work tirelessly on innovative projects that help the advancement of automotive drivetrain development. I am delighted by this acknowledgement and extremely proud of everybody at DSD.”

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, the most prestigious business awards in the UK and established in 1965, this year recognised DSD’s successful delivery of an ambitious expansion plan. Over three years it has achieved substantial year-on-year growth with overseas sales rising from £2.1m to £5.4m, a total rise of 155%. The company, which has experienced 500% growth over the last decade, expanded its Michigan US-based subsidiary, Drive System Design Inc. with a $2m facility investment while delivering on its double-digit annual growth target. It continues to expand activities in the Asian markets, with notable recent successes demonstrating that the DSD reputation for engineering innovation is reaching still further afield.

“A growing proportion of DSD revenue has come from exports, even as our UK headquarters has continued to expand,” concludes Findlay. “The automotive industry has never experienced such a need for accelerated development of, in many cases, clean-sheet drivetrain technologies. DSD remains at the forefront of innovation in this field while expanding into defence, off-road and aerospace industries globally, demonstrating the impact of great British engineering.”

The Queen’s Award for International Trade recognises outstanding growth in overseas earnings and rewards companies for demonstrating steep year-on-year growth in overseas sales. The Awards celebrate the success of exciting and innovative businesses which are leading the way with pioneering products or services.