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Leading industrial technology specialist Tracerco, part of the Johnson Matthey Group, is celebrating after winning a coveted Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2009 Innovation award for its radiation monitors. It is the third Queen’s Award the company has won in the past six years.

This year’s innovation award recognises companies that have demonstrated commercial success through innovative products or services. The awards winners are chosen each year on the advice of the Prime Minister who is assisted by an advisory committee, which includes representatives of Government, industry and commerce, and the trade unions. In 2003, Tracerco was commended in the innovation category for its Tracerco Profiler and 2005 saw the company bestowed with the international trade accolade.

Radiation measurement instruments have existed in one form or another for many years and have had various limitations for deployment in industrial environments or emergency situations. In 2006 Tracerco launched its range of intrinsically safe monitors which include the TRACERCO™ T201 Radiation Contamination Monitor, T202 Radiation Dose rate Monitor and the Mud Monitor. Intrinsic safety allows the equipment to function safely in the presence of explosive gas mixtures and Tracerco has successfully combined this concept with a number of innovative design features to provide a truly unique range of monitors in this demanding market sector. In addition to state of the art functionality, great attention to detail has been paid to user needs and aesthetics to give best possible user experience.

In response to industry demand and the success of the T202 and T201 monitors, Tracerco developed non-intrinsically safe versions which retain all of the environmental and functionality aspects of the original models but are not compliant for use in explosive atmospheres. These monitors offer a viable alternative to competing technologies which are restrictive, unsuitable for use in hostile environments and lack much of the functionality offered by Tracerco’s products.

Current legislation establishes a statutory requirement that as a minimum, all operational radiation monitors are subject to annual inspection and testing. As such Tracerco has established global monitor calibration and service facilities where trained and experienced staff are available to carry out speedy and effective repairs and calibrations on all types of portable radiation monitors.

Andy Hurst, Tracerco’s managing director, said: “Winning a third Queen’s Award is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the hard work, commitment and professionalism of our employees across the group. To be recognised again for our innovation shows that we are committed to developing industry-leading technology

“We will continue to invest in growing our people and service offering to ensure that Tracerco continues to offer the industry the most advanced solutions to its ever-changing needs. “Since its launch, we have experienced great demand for the radiation monitors and I have no doubt this will increase following the award. The products have proved a revelation and allowed our clients to reap the significant benefits associated with the technology.”