Traka, the intelligent access management systems company, has been awarded a third Queen’s Award for Enterprise. Traka won an award for innovation for its work to automate the management and security of high-value and mission critical assets within workplaces. The firm says that its lockers use a mix of RFID and biometric technology so users can manage, secure and audit access to devices ranging from police radios to tablet computers in schools. For more about The Queen’s Awards, see www.queensawards.org.uk.
This is the third time the company has won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise and recognises the work done by the firm to create the electronic key management market in the UK and abroad. In this case, the development of a product for automating and tracking the usage of high-value items. It follows the company’s most successful year, which saw a £5m contract win with the Ministry of Justice to supply Traka electronic key cabinets to potentially every HM Prison in the UK. The company has grown to over 100 employees and generated turnover of £10m in 2011.
CEO and founder of Traka, John Kent said: “The secret of our success has been the development of our core solution, the electronic dispensing of keys, to solve common problems faced by many organisations. Whether its radios in police forces or iPads in schools, more organisations now operate shared pools of high-value electrical items and Traka’s intelligent lockers are helping them to manage and secure access to these precious assets. With each new product we’re essentially creating a new market. This is another very proud moment in Traka’s history and it is an honour to have been recognised for the third time for our continued efforts to find innovative solutions that meet our customers’ different needs. The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise demonstrate that innovation in Britain is alive and well.”
Organisations like schools, police forces and security firms that use and distribute shared high value portable devices – such as laptops, airwave radios and data terminals – often find this equipment to be prone to being lost, damaged, mislaid, stolen or even borrowed. With Traka, access to devices is via biometric or card access, meaning organisations have control and an audited at-a-glance overview of who accessed any device at any time, creating a greater sense of user accountability and ensuring the devices are always returned after use.
Traka won a Queens Award for Innovation in 2004 and a Queen’s Award for International Trade in 2008. This year, the intelligent locker was recognised for “outstanding innovation” in the Queen’s Award for Innovation category, which will be presented in a ceremony presided by the Queen at Buckingham Palace in the autumn.
Awards in brief
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are for outstanding achievement by UK businesses in the categories of Innovation, International Trade and Sustainable Development. The Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion is awarded to individuals. The closing date for entries for the 2013 Awards is September 28, 2012. Enter for a Queen’s Award with the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills at http://www.businesslink.gov.uk.
