The Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Warren J Smith, has visited the detector product manufacturer GJD to present the firm with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise. Councillor Ian Duckworth the Mayor of Rochdale and other guests also attended.
After introductions, the guests were given a guided tour of the offices and factory by Mark Tibbenham, GJD’s Managing Director, and John Hale, GJD’s Operations Director. The tour showed the company’s manufacturing processes including finished products. Both the Lord-Lieutenant and the Mayor talked to the staff.
The Lord-Lieutenant then presented the crystal bowl commemorative item to Chris Moore, GJD’s Technical Director, pictured right, who is one of the longest serving staff members. The citation scroll was presented to Irene Newberry who has worked in the assembly department at the company for 28 years, and June Allen who has worked in the soldering area at GJD for 27 years. Irene and June are retiring next month.
Mark Tibbenham said afterwards: “It was a great honour to welcome the Lord-Lieutenant to our business to present this prestigious award. On behalf of all at GJD I would like to thank the Lord-Lieutenant for making this an extremely enjoyable and memorable day. Receiving the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise is a fantastic achievement for everyone at GJD. It is amazing recognition and high praise for all of our staff who always put in so much hard work and dedication to make the company what it is today”.
GJD was one of only 102 companies in the UK to achieve this accolade for its international trade, thanks to the company’s growth and success in export trade over the past six years.
Tibbenham said: “The company has gone from strength to strength. We have been quick to recognise the changing needs of the export markets and the importance of developing the latest technology to meet those requirements.”
Mark Tibbenham and Ana Maria Sagra-Smith, GJD’s Sales and Marketing Director attended a reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, July 11. Visit www.gjd.co.uk.
