Three Awards in Three Months! Fresh Accolades for Proto Labs

Telford, UK. June 29, 2010: No World Cup blues for the staff and management of Proto Labs Limited, as the company notches-up a hat-trick of prestigious and high profile awards. Just days after receiving the MWP Award at MACH 2010, the UK’s largest manufacturing exhibition, and only weeks after winning the Queens Award for Enterprise, the Shropshire company received The Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) Manufacturing Excellence (MX) Award for Integrated e-Business.

 Nominees for the MX Award - what many have called ‘the toughest award of all’, undergo a rigorous process involving self-assessment audits, company visits from a team of MX assessors and presentations to a panel of industry experts. The 2010 MX roll call of winners boasted some of the world’s best known engineering companies, including Siemens, BAE Systems, Autodesk, Leyland and Michelin.

The award ceremony was held at the Dorchester Hotel, London, on June 23^rd and representing Proto Labs was Commercial Manager, Mr. Damian Hennessey: “Reaching the finals of MX, and winning, is great recognition for the many people behind the scenes at Proto Labs,” he said. “For a professional body as prestigious as the IMechE to honour our business makes us all very proud, particularly as all too often the UK is dismissed as a viable location for ground-breaking engineering innovation.”

Proto Labs is one of the most exciting and fastest growing manufacturing companies in Europe. Since it was founded just five years ago, the company has radically shifted the economics and delivery times associated with the production of prototype and low-volume parts. Operating from its manufacturing location in the UK and sales offices in France and Germany means Proto Labs can provide first class service to customers across Europe who include both cutting-edge companies and world-leaders in many different industry sectors, such as medical, aerospace, automotive and domestic appliances.

The company offers two services: First Cut® delivers CNC machined parts in small quantities of 1-10 units in many plastics and aluminium, while Protomold® delivers injection-moulded plastic parts in quantities of 10-10,000+ in just about any thermoplastic the customer can think of. Either service can deliver parts in as little as one day.

But, what makes the Proto Labs process particularly innovative is the company’s ‘super-compute cluster’ and powerful software, both of which have been continuously developed in-house since the company was founded. A customer can upload a 3D CAD model of their part to the First Cut or Protomold websites and receive within hours a unique, web-based quote, including a detailed manufacturability analysis and accurate, all-in production price.

Mark Prisk MP, Minister for Business and Enterprise attended the 2010 MX ceremony and presented the various awards. But, this was not the first time Proto Labs has been here! The company also won the award for Integrated e-Business in 2006, presented on that occasion by William Hague MP. “In just a few years Proto Labs has helped many thousands of companies in Europe,” said Mr. Hennessey, “and receiving the MX Award for the second time is professional acknowledgment of how we are constantly improving our process; striving to make it answer the needs of the most important critics – our customers, both old and new.”