A MULTI-award-winning Steeton company has picked up another honour.

Acorn Stairlifts has been named national runner-up in the exports category of the EEF Future Manufacturing Awards.

The scheme, spearheaded by the UK’s largest employers’ organisation, showcases top manufacturers across a wide range of industries.

Acorn first entered the awards in 2015, winning an ‘outstanding export’ prize at regional and national level and scooping the ultimate Winner of Winners title.

“When we entered again we didn’t realistically expect to replicate that level of success but we’ve done very well indeed,” said the company’s European and UK operations director, Nick Wilson.

“Back in November we won both the outstanding export and innovation categories at the regional EEF awards for the North East, Yorkshire and Humber, which put us into the national finals.

“To then be named national runner-up in the export category was a real honour, especially as the company which pipped us to the post went on to claim the Winner of Winners award.

“To have our exporting success recognised again at national level by EEF is something we’re very proud of.

“It’s a credit to the entire team at Acorn, which has shown yet again that British manufacturers can compete and win on the world stage.”

A trophy was presented by Bob Collier, from the Department for International Trade.

EEF chief executive, Terry Scuoler, paid tribute to the firm.

“It has a track record not only of securing impressive export success but also winning awards in a very competitive field,” he said.

“The fact that it has performed so well again this year in our awards tells me that its success is sustainable and its efforts continuous.

“The achievements are very well deserved.”

Acorn – which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary – is now the world’s biggest company dedicated to the manufacture, sale, installation and service of home stairlifts.

It produces more than 60,000 stairlifts a year at its sites in Steeton, Shipley and Haddington, Scotland.

Employing over 800 people in the UK alone, it exports to 84 countries worldwide and has wholly-owned subsidiaries in Ireland, Belgium, Italy, France, Germany, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA.

Export sales have been key to the company’s growth, particularly in America where it is now the market leader for stairlifts.