Shefford-based drainage systems manufacturer, ACO Technologies, has been awarded The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2006 for its new, high-capacity surface water drainage product, ACO Qmax®. It is the second time that ACO has achieved this prestigious accolade and it again recognises the company’s continuing commitment to developing groundbreaking construction products that help engineers and contractors achieve greater efficiency and productivity whilst protecting the environment.
Qmax took two years to develop and represents a substantial financial investment by the company. The system provides a completely new approach to controlling the run-off of surface water from large open areas such as car parks, distribution yards and airport runways. Its unique ovoid-shape and high-capacity allow it to quickly drain large volumes of water while protecting the main sewer system from flooding and the surrounding environment from contamination via leakage. It has also pioneered the concept of ‘value-engineering’ – a totally new approach to on-site construction that saves both time and money.
“It is a great honour to receive The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation for a second time. From its inception, our organisation has committed itself to developing products and adopting working practices that benefit not only our industry but the wider community in which we are based,” says Richard Hill, Managing Director at ACO Technologies. “By embracing change and always looking to improve every facet of our business, we have achieved sustainable, long-term growth and a market leading position – one that is now further reinforced with the success of Qmax.
“The development of the Qmax system would not have been possible without the total commitment of everyone within our organisation and, critically, the valued support of our suppliers and customers,” says Richard Hill. “Particular thanks have to go to the consulting engineers, Burks Green whose team helped greatly with product design and testing – their assistance and dedication to the project has proved invaluable.”
ACO Technologies received its first Queen’s Award in 2001 for the combined kerbstone and drainage system, ACO KerbDrain®. Manufactured from a specially formulated material called polymer concrete, which is considerably lighter and stronger than conventional concrete, the system was developed for highways applications and is now a common sight around the country.