Epsilon - fit for the Queen

The longest serving member of staff Paul Moss was among three members of Epsilon’s team who met the Queen this week at an evening reception at Buckingham Palace.

Paul Moss has worked for explosion prevention experts Epsilon as an engineer for nine years and was joined by Sean Clarke, Epsilon’s Business Director and Steve D’Henin at the London event.

On Friday July 27, the Queen’s representative Lord Lieutenant of Clywd Trefor Jones CBE will officially present Epsilon with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Sustainable Development category at a special marquee celebration at Epsilon’s Deeside Lane, Chester offices, the UK’s largest "centre for excellence’ for explosion prevention. Epsilon’s award winning corporate culture will be on show, as business director Sean Clarke strums base guitar and leads the Epsilon band, to entertain fellow staff, friends and family.

Epsilon attended a celebratory reception in London where guest of honour The Queen and other members of the Royal family including The Duke of Edinburgh, made a speech congratulating the winners. The winners were announced on the Queen’s personal birthday this year; April 21.

Epsilon won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for continuously achieving the highest standards in business to the benefit of its customers, staff, suppliers and the wider community. Noteworthy in Epsilon’s Queen’s Award submission were its steps to become a carbon neutral company, reduction in its use of paper and its achievements on the impact for its work on the environment.

Sean Clarke, Epsilon’s Business Director, added:
""Meeting the Queen was a fantastic honour for members of the Epsilon team. Epsilon is the only Certification Body ever to receive this Royal Award for business performance, practices and ethics under the sustainable development category of the Queen’s Award. This reinforces to our customers that we continuously develop and provide the best service available in our field. We have developed world leading service levels and delivery models to meet the demands of the oil and gas industry, growing by an average of 30 per cent per year over the last five years. This growth is purely by "recommendation’ without sales or marketing personnel. We put our resources in to service as that is what is important to our customers.’’

Epsilon’s Technical Director Stephen D’Henin said:
“We are delighted to win this Award as national recognition for our efforts to run an ethical and sustainable business. We have employed and trained 20 new explosive atmosphere engineers in the last five years to become one of the largest companies of our type. Everything we have achieved has been because we have the very best people in this field.”

Epsilon has previously won a Small Business of the Year Award and Exporter of the Year Award as well as the DTI’s Commitment to Innovation. The company also has offices in Denmark and Texas, USA.

Epsilon is a European Notified Body and United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) Certification Body. UKAS carries the ‘Royal Crown’ insignia and is the only National Accreditation Body recognised by the UK Government.

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Notes:

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise award scheme originally known as the Queen’s Award for Industry, was instituted by Royal Warrant in 1966 following the recommendations of a Committee chaired by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. The Awards are made by The Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister, who is assisted by an Advisory Committee that includes representatives of Government, industry and commerce, and the trade unions.
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the UK’s top awards for business performance and are awarded in three categories; international trade, innovation and sustainable development. The Sustainable Development category of the Queen’s Award recognises outstanding and continuous achievement in the environmental and social impacts included in sustainable development.
Epsilon is a test, assessment and certification body, and is appointed by the UK Government as an EC Notified Body (No. 1712). Epsilon is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and certifies against National, European and International Standards and Directives.
Epsilon services include Equipment Intended for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres (ATEX) certification, site safety services (DSEAR), general product safety CE marking and Quality System Registration.
Epsilon, which was founded in 1998, works with some of the largest blue chip companies in the world; BP, Total Elf, Rolls Royce, BMW, British Sugar, Thermo and Scottish Power. Epsilon has a particular strength in the field of oil and gas and has opened the first (and only) ATEX test laboratory in Houston, Texas to support its US customers and reduce its own need for shipping and flights.
Epsilon is one of 119 Queen’s Award winners and has been chosen as prime contractor by companies such as Rolls Royce, BMW, British Sugar, Thermo, Scottish Power and many more and have planned and managed Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR) projects of several million pounds.
Epsilon is an ATEX Notified Body, by the UK Government and European Commission. Uniquely for a Notified Body, Epsilon is independently ISO9001:2000 certified so customer service levels are monitored at every point of the business. Epsilon’s Directors have taken the decision to make Epsilon a carbon natural company. Epsilon has reduced the amount of paper they use by 70 per cent over two years. Some reports to clients were 600 to 700 pages long and the use of paper has been significantly reduced by changing the default option on reporting to clients to “pdf’ rather than hard copy.
At 16,000 square feet Epsilon has the biggest centre of excellence in the UK. For the Latest Compliance Information Visit: ”http://www.epsilonex.com" target="_blank">www.epsilonex.com
The Greek Epsilon symbol is the Distinctive Community Mark for Explosion Protection. Previous winners of the Queen’s Award for Sustainable Development include Chester Zoo and Scottish Power Renewables last year.