Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2022

Hummingbird Sensing Technology, the expert manufacturer of gas sensors for medical and industrial applications, has won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade.

This accolade has been awarded to Hummingbird as it has demonstrated significant growth in international trade over the past six years. Part of this growth is attributed to the ways in which Hummingbird responded to the Covid-19 pandemic in order to meet a surge in demand for its sensors as the global need for medical equipment reached an all-time high.

When the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, methods were developed to increase productivity in order to meet heavy demand from partners in the healthcare market as the global need for critical care ventilators soared. The team effectively implemented a three-year development program over the course of 14 weeks, introducing stringent hygiene measures on-site and a seven-day-a-week shift system to allow better social distancing.

To meet the increased demand from the healthcare industry, the team developed a new, faster-to-produce model of the paramagnetic oxygen sensor for non-medical OEM customers in an effort to maintain commitments to industrial customers.

Andy Cowan, President of parent company Servomex, said: “We are incredibly proud to know that Hummingbird products and services have had – and continue to have – a positive impact on society and technological progress, benefitting the environment, healthcare and quality of life globally. This is an incredible achievement and I want to thank everyone involved for their dedication during what was a very challenging time for so many.

“We’re seen by our customers as a global business operating with a local level of service and support, and it’s this that has driven our outstanding growth. This approach also paid dividends during the recent pandemic and the increased demand for critical care medical devices. Existing and new customers around the world turned to us to meet the requirements for increased supply, something that was facilitated by our existing export network and ongoing partnerships.”

Hummingbird Sensing Technology was launched in 2011, manufacturing gas sensors for medical and industrial applications such as critical care ventilators. In 2016, Hummingbird won the Queen’s Award for Innovation for the development of a small, vibration-resistant sensor designed for medical critical care applications.

Since its formation, Hummingbird has developed world-leading technologies that redefine gas sensor performance. Customers include major producers of equipment such as critical care medical devices, gas analysers for industrial applications, research instruments and deep-sea diving analysis.