Last year the Wirral-based company, which specialises in the design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of conveyor systems, invented the Bendy Boom.
The conveyor system proved so popular with Sovex customers that it’s on track to be a bestseller and has just landed Sovex the Innovation and Creativity Award at the Wirral Business Awards 2012.
Sovex managing director David Lindfield said: “We’re thrilled that the ingenuity, determination and engineering expertise that resulted in our Bendy Boom has been recognised with this award. At Sovex we love engineering our way out of a problem and the Bendy Boom is a great example of that.”
The Wirral Business Awards recognise and reward the best Wirral businesses and this year’s awards event was hosted by BBC Radio Merseyside’s Roger Phillips, and was attended by over 400 leading figures in the region’s business world.
Sovex beat off stiff competition to land the award accolade which highlights the businesses which are cutting edge and inventive.
The Bendy Boom was created when worldwide parcel delivery firm DPD set Sovex a challenge.
DPD wanted to increase their parcel sorting capacity to cater for an increase in volume so they asked Sovex to produce a single vehicle loading system that could load and unload any height and length of vehicle, to help them achieve that goal.
Sovex engineers set to work on inventing a machine that could serve a Transit van or 45-ft long linehaul which would save customers’ money and time – and the Bendy Boom was born.
Mark Wilkes (DPD Director of Technical Services) committed to the project once Sovex had proven the Bendy Boom concept to his approval this was a phased approach and ensured that that DPD engineering staff were involved in the development as they would be looking after the machines after the warranty period.
DPD bosses were so thrilled with the Bendy Boom that they bought 14. Since then the Bendy Boom order book has been bulging and is proving to be such a hit with customers that it’s one of Sovex’s most sought after products because of its flexibility.
Lindfield said: “We came up with a solution that nobody really thought was possible. There was nothing on the market that could do what DPD needed so we invented it and filled a gap in the market.
“New product development is fundamental to us and is one of the things keeping Sovex on the top of its game in the midst of a double dip recession.”
