Royal honour for Warwick design company as it wins its second Queen's Award

The royal honour has been conferred on product design consultancy DCA Design International, of Church Street, for its success in international trade.

The company, which employs more than 135 people, helps to design everything from aerosols to autonomous cars and from toothbrushes to trains.

It reckons the products it has helped shape are used by billions of people across the world.

Much of the company's growth over the last 10 years has been the result of exporting its expertise in product innovation to multinational corporations.

Its markets include those in China, India, the US, France and Germany,

The new royal honour comes six years after the company was presented with its first Queen's Award.

DCA managing director Robert Woolston said: "While the person in the street will not necessarily know who we are, they will probably regularly use one of our products – whether they are brushing their teeth, administering medication or riding to work on a train.

"Since the early 60s, DCA has helped clients to design and develop market-leading products that users value every day."

Mr Woolston said since the last Queen's Award the firm had seen an increase in the digital skills needed by its staff to carry out their work.

He said: "We employ mechanical engineers and industrial designers but there has been an increase in the number of hardware electronic and software engineers, which illustrates how products and systems have developed to reflect an increased connected and digital content over the last few years.”

DCA has been involved with products like the SoloSTAR insulin pen, Stella Artois glassware, Sure and Lynx deodorant cans, the Scholl Velvet Smooth foot file and the new IEP high speed train for Hitachi, which is set to replace the 125 trains in the UK.

It has just seen the launch of its work with Elekta designing the MR Linac scanner, a world-first technology that simultaneously scans tumours inside the body while delivering highly-targeted X-ray radiation beams. The innovative scanner has been installed at Royal Marsden Hospital.

DCA also worked with Sanofi to develop the AllStar Pro re-usable pen injector - the latest generation of its award-winning drug delivery systems used by millions of diabetes sufferers across the globe.

The Queen's Award was presented to the company by the Lord-Lieutenant of Warwickshire, Timothy Cox at a ceremony at The Old Shire Hall in Warwick.

He told staff and dignitaries including the chairman of Warwick District Council, Councillor Stephen Cross and the Mayor of Warwick, Councillor Richard Eddy: "I'm delighted to present the Queen’s Award for Enterprise to DCA.

"The Lieutenancy is always keen to try to identify companies such as DCA to acknowledge the excellent work they do.

"DCA has been successful for its significant increase in overseas sales.

"Only 152 awards have been given for international trade across the whole country, so many congratulations to DCA.”