Mezzanine Specialist given King’s Enterprise Innovation Award
7th May 2024
The King’s Awards for Enterprise are the only awards to have the imprimatur of the monarch. Hi-Level Mezzanines, (who design and installs mezzanine floors for top brands including Amazon, Ocado, Tesco, ASOS, Next and DPD) won an Innovation award, with extremely tough competition – across the whole of the UK, only 59 awards for innovation were granted this year.
“The King’s Awards for Enterprise in Innovation celebrates the success of exciting and innovative businesses which are leading the way with pioneering products or services,” the Department for Business said.
The firm’s King’s Award for Enterprise win recognises its “outstanding business performance and commercial success” following the invention of a piece of high-performance engineering software called IQD (Intelligent Quote Designsuite).
A £1 million innovation
IQD evaluates multiple mezzanine design options for Hi-Level Mezzanines’ clients, selects the best option, simulates a design and calculates a quotation – all within a matter of minutes. It has also been expanded to become an integral part of every stage of the firm’s operations.
It has transformed customer service by delivering fast quotes, creating 2D and 3D models, tracking live projects and planning installations so they hit every project deadline, while Hi-Level Mezzanines’ turnover has doubled in the past five years. IQD is the result of ten years of innovation and more than £1 million investment.
Extremely proud
Angus Whiteman, Managing Director, said: “Hi-Level Mezzanines is honoured to accept The King’s Award for Enterprise in the category of Innovation. This accolade is a distinguished acknowledgment of our steadfast commitment to continuous development, and we are extremely proud to have been selected among such esteemed competition.”
Mr Whiteman, who has been invited to a reception with the King at Windsor Castle in the summer, added: “The award acknowledges the exceptional contributions made by our remarkable team whose diligence, expertise and unwavering efforts have been instrumental in propelling us to this remarkable milestone. For over three decades our business has been based in Hampshire and we take immense pride in our ability to contribute to both our local community and the wider manufacturing, warehousing and logistics industries.
“As we celebrate this fantastic achievement we reaffirm our dedication to the principles of innovation that serve as the cornerstone of our business. Looking ahead, we strive to continue our pursuit of excellence, driving us toward even greater accomplishments in the future.”
The award also recognises Hi-Level Mezzanines as a beacon of good practice through its support of local and national charities, its value engineering to minimise use of steel to reduce environmental impact, its donation of 1,000 trees to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and its status as an Employee Owned Trust, securing the future of the business and generating a deeper level of pride, ownership and commitment among employees.
Installing a mezzanine gives a business extra space, from beer storage for a brewery to room for the latest automation at an Amazon warehouse. Hi-Level Mezzanines has secured more than 300 projects over the past year alone, as forward-looking logistics, retail and manufacturing clients install mezzanines to make the most of their existing vertical space and avoid the costs and inconvenience of moving premises as they grow.
The company has 25 staff based in Petersfield, Hampshire, and has been operating for 33 years.