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“You say which firms will be the making of Britain” -  The Mail on Sunday - Financial Mail

All over Britain, millions of smaller companies are battling through the tough economic climate – and winning. Financial Mail has led the way in reporting on these enterprises, which is why they are launching Made In Britain, a great new competition to celebrate the incredible diversity of small and medium businesses.

Over the next six months they will focus on many of the best up-and-coming smaller manufacturers. Readers can then vote for their favourite, which will be named the People’s Choice winner of the Financial Mail Made In Britain awards 2012. For full details of the awards, go to fmwf.com.

Doubling turnover and taking on much bigger global competitors would be tough at the best of times. However, WEMS International has achieved this during the prolonged downturn.

WEMS specialises in manufacturing and installing wireless building energy management systems. The technology controls and monitors essential services such as heating, airconditioning, electricity, gas and water.

The WEMS systems cut emissions of CO2 and reduce energy costs by between 15 per cent and 30 per cent.  And because the systems are easy to install many companies can expect to see a return on investment after a year. In the past 12 months turnover has risen from £6million to £12million and the company now employs 80 staff, up from 35 in 2010.

The business works with high profile clients, including BT, Boots Fitness First and we recently won the prize for innovation at the Green Business Awards in London.

Ivan McKeever, 48, is chief executive of WEMS International. He joined nearly two years ago with the remit of helping the company to grow to its full potential. WEMS now exports its products to countries including China, Turkey and South Africa.

Ivan believes that the firm is a great example of a British business that is creating new and exciting opportunities.  He says: ‘This technology was entirely invented in the UK and we spend a significant amount on research and development – in the last two or three years alone we have spent about £3million.

‘We are taking on global competitors such as Siemens and we are competing with the best on the technology front.

‘Made in Britain is not just about the manufacturing, but also about the intellect behind it. We’ve chosen to be in the UK because we believe that it is important to celebrate the talent and opportunity here. We have a wonderful workforce and the company is a great example of true British innovation'.

WEMS in the news — Financial Mail