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Wessex Region Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding engineering talent

Institution News Team

Wessex Region Engineering Excellence Awards
Wessex Region Engineering Excellence Awards

The Institution's inaugural Wessex Region Engineering Excellence Awards showcased ground-breaking work by individuals and organisations across multiple sectors.



As part of its commitment to improving the world through engineering, the Institution held its inaugural Wessex Region Engineering Excellence Awards on 9 October.

The awards celebrated engineering talent from across the region, showcasing the ground-breaking work undertaken by individuals and organisations across multiple industrial sectors. 

The awards were open to companies from all sizes across Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight, from SMEs to large multinationals. The black tie event, sponsored by Trant Engineering, Petrofac and QinetiQ was held at Winchester Guildhall.

The evening was hosted by Joe Crowley, roving reporter for BBC’s The One Show, and television personality and racing driver Tiff Needell was guest speaker, alongside Professor Richard Folkson, the Institution’s President.

The award-winning companies were:

  • Outstanding Product of the Year was won by Southampton based i2O Water for its Smart Logger. This innovative product offers a number of unique design features and is over 50% cheaper than previous products. It exceeds temperature and humidity requirements and allows pressure surge diagnostics.
  • Outstanding Project of the Year was awarded to Magma Structures who are based in Portsmouth. The company’s manufacture of the world’s tallest carbon composite freestanding masts, built using advanced composite manufacturing processes, was judged as outstanding in this category. 
  • Manufacturer of the Year was won by Dorset-based Superior Seals which won the award for high volume, mass production of a range of seals using lean and efficient tools and processes.
  • The overall Engineering Excellence award was presented to Magma Structures.

    • Engineering Excellence Award Winners

    Individual awards were presented to Institution members as follows: 

  • Engineer of the Year was won by Steve Austen for his work supporting the RNLI in Poole.
  •  Volunteer of the Year went to Steve Stubbing who works tirelessly in his spare time as a schools liaison officer in the Weymouth and Dorchester area.
  •  Young Member of the Year was awarded to David Tabner who has been instrumental in creating the Portsmouth & Isle Of Wight Young Member Panel.
    •  
    Nick Schulkins, Chair of the Wessex Region, commented: “The Wessex Region is full of hardworking, dynamic and innovative engineers, and these awards have given them the chance to have their stories heard.”

    Tiff Needell said: “I was incredibly pleased to be a supporter and guest speaker for the inaugural Wessex Region Engineering Excellence Awards. The awards were a fitting celebration of the outstanding work undertaken across the region and I was impressed by the winners' determination, innovation, and how they contribute to the local economy.”

    Find out how to get involved with next year’s awards.     
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