Substations are the heart of the power grid, transforming voltage levels from the power stations to our homes, ensuring we have electricity to light up our homes and charge our devices. Without them, we’d be left in the dark. Due to the unreliability of the primary AC power supply, substations rely on batteries to guarantee their essential operations can function around the clock. Should a transmission line or power source go done we could lose power entirely. It is the PB Design charger systems that provide the much-needed backup power to keep everything running smoothly.
PB Design & Developments Ltd (PB Design) recently submitted 6 entries for this year’s Make UK Manufacturing Awards which recognises the work, people, and businesses in the manufacturing sector. We were successfully shortlisted for the Southern Region in all 6 categories we entered. During the regional award dinner, held in October, we took home 3 awards, winning one category and runner up in two others.
- Winner – Developing Future Talent (South)
- Runner Up – SME of the Year (South)
- Runner Up – Health, Safety & Wellbeing (South)
In addition, Make UK announced a new award, “Manufacturer of the Region”, which, much to our surprise, we won. This award was presented to the Manufacturer of the Region in the south, covering manufacturing companies in both the South East and the South West. Manufacturers represented by Make UK cover all sizes and many different industries, so it was a real privilege for PB Design to have won this coveted award.
PB Design started in 1979 and in 2015 became employee owned, passing ownership to a trust (EOT). As an EOT all employees, or partners as we refer to ourselves, are all co-owners in the business. We are a small manufacturing business, who design, engineer and manufacture industrial battery charger systems for critical backup of the country’s infrastructure. Our products typically remain hidden behind closed doors within substations and only come to the fore in the event of a mains failure or blackout. These critical backup systems allow the utility operators (National Grid Distribution, UK Power Networks, Scottish Power, etc) to operate their equipment within the substation to get the lights back on.
“These awards are a testament to how far we have come as a company since we became employee owned in 2015. The last 3 and a half years have proved particularly challenging for UK manufacturing, and we have faced our own difficulties. Through commitment from our co-owners and investing in their future we have built a stronger future for ourselves. We entered these awards because we felt we had a story to tell. To be recognised for that is very rewarding for everyone here at PB Design. These awards and particularly the Manufacturer of the Region demonstrate that you do not need to be large company to make a difference.” – Mark Crocker, Managing Director.
Details on the South Winners and Runner-up can be found here:
