SOME of the brightest business brains from the North East Chamber of Commerce membership will be hoping for a fairytale ending when they head to London to represent the region at one of the UK’s most prestigious business awards.

The Annual British Chambers of Commerce Awards attracts the cream of UK business talent and this year a kitchen manufacturer, housing association, beanbag producer, coffin maker and a firm more used to preventing explosions that creating them are planning to make a big bang at the awards.

The North East has performed well at the ceremony in recent years, with Simply Bows and Chair Covers, Nortech Solutions and the Harland Corporation all claiming honours in the last three years.

This year the regional champions will be Nobia, Derwentside Homes, A-Belco, The Bazaar Group and JC Atkinson.

Nobia is Europe’s largest kitchen specialists developing, manufacturing and selling kitchens across 20 brands in Europe. Nobia boasts three UK manufacturing plants, with its Darlington operation the company’s flagship factory, employing 600 people and securing a 24 per cent increase in turnover last year.

Factory Manager, Paul Colman, said: “We have invested £8m in new equipment at the Darlington plant in the last year and we’re adhering to lean manufacturing principals that have not only upped productivity, but also helped upskill our experienced and committed workforce.”

With customers including Magnet, Wickes, Homebase and Hygena, Nobia is a major player in both business to business sales as well as sales direct to the customer.

“The main objectives for the Darlington site are to continue to optimise and streamline the production set up,” added Paul. “Nobia is Europe’s leading kitchen manufacturer and have an annual turnover of over £1.2 billion of which the UK supply 40%. We are taking business away from experts in Italy and Eastern Europe as well as being competitive in the Far East, particularly China.

“Our success is helping grow the Darlington plant in a sustainable manner. Our employees are learning new skills and our equipment is cutting edge. We are expanding our product line and breaking new ground in foreign markets – it’s fair to say the next few years promise to be exciting for everyone at Nobia.”

At Darlington, panels are drilled and edged, ready for assembly or packing. Once assembled they are pressed by some of the most advanced equipment in Europe - manufacturing 90 units an hour over four production lines. With the aid of robots, the Darlington team is able to pack over 300 items an hour on three packing lines.

It is not just kitchens that interests one of the region’s major housing providers. Derwentside Homes is one of the top five most profitable housing associations in the UK and provides affordable and market rent housing in North Durham.

The organisation, based in Stanley, employs 231 people, will contest the national Award for Commitment to People.

The firm, which owns 6,700 properties and has seen turnover increase by £8m since 2008, is overseen by Chief Executive, Geraldine Kay.

She said: “Our people are our greatest asset – organisations are not successful, the people within them are. That is why we’ve strengthened our focus on the “people” side of the business to make sure that our employees are at the centre of everything we do with the organisation. We want an inspirational environment where everyone can flourish and enhance and grow our business.

“We constantly review our people and processes to ensure the right people are in the right jobs and have made enormous strides in ensuring our workforce feels valued and their input is not only welcomed but encouraged. We aspire to be an “Employer of Choice” not just with competitive employment terms and conditions, but by fostering a working environment that protects the physical and mental wellbeing of employees.”

Derwentside Homes has a strong focus on skills, behaviours and empowerment. Its cultural change programme “Step it Up” encourages innovation, improves performance and recognises outstanding contributions made by staff.

JC Atkinson is the largest independent manufacturer of coffins and caskets and will be competing in the Excellence in Innovation category at the awards.

The Washington firm manufactures and distributes over 70,000 coffins a year. As well as traditional coffins, JC Atkinson produces a picture coffin range, wool coffins as well as Fairtrade endorsed wicker, bamboo, seagrass alternative ranges.

Managing Director, Julian Atkinson, said: “We take a great deal of pride in our work and have a long heritage of producing beautifully crafted coffins from high quality materials, so it is fantastic to not only be recognised at a regional level, but also compete on the national stage.

“We have worked incredibly hard to ensure we maintain our position at the forefront of the industry by working pro-actively with the funeral trade about the values of the many options which now exist and most importantly, we constantly work hard to deliver the choices to the highest possible service standards.”

The company supplies funeral directors across the UK and Northern Ireland, from single branch, privately owned funeral homes to national funeral director chains.

Sales and profits increase each year by around 10 per cent per annum thanks to prudent management, organically growing market share and increasing average sales prices.

The funeral market fluctuates in size and is dependent on a single number (number of deaths). The UK rate has dropped significantly with people living longer, declining by around 40% in the last 30 years, but JC Atkinson has grown market share despite this declinine.

A-Belco makes explosion-proof electrical equipment. It will compete in the Achievements in International Business category.

The Ashington company makes industrial enclosures, control stations, industrial plugs, sockets and combination units for the control and distribution of electrical power and will take on the cream of exporting talent from across the UK.

CEO Brian Trench, said: “We have worked incredibly hard in recent years to break new ground in exports by establishing a network of distributors throughout Europe, USA, Australia, UAE, South Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

“For that to be recognised at a national level would be a fantastic achievement for everyone associated with A-Belco and would cement our reputation as a blue-chip supplier to our growing list of customers.”

The company also manufactures electrical equipment switchgear for industrial, rail, and infrastructure applications; with customer ranging from the oil, gas and petrochemical industries to power stations, pharmaceutical, marine and transport industries.

Sales have increased year on year from £3m in 2010 to £10m by 2014, with product revenue rising by 30% in the last year alone.

“Being first to market with this product allowed A-Belco to make significant inroads into the oil and gas industry, with our Hadar floodlight becoming virtually an industry standard,” added Sales Director Bill Armstrong

The final North East champion started as a one-man hobby and grew into a 30-strong business.

The Bazaar Group is the UK’s leading designer, manufacturer and online retailer of bean bags. Launching its dedicated website in 2005 with 50 products The Bazaar Group now sells more than 700 units from multiple digital storefronts.

The Cramlington company will compete for honours in the Small Business and Internet & ICT categories at the November awards.

As a specialist bean bag and soft furnishings designer The Bazaar Group differentiates itself from high street competitors through online presentation and product quality and innovation. Its customer base includes UK, German, French and Spanish consumers, UK and international educational catalogue companies.

Owner and Managing Director of The Bazaar Group, Mark Dolder, said: “We are a family-run business that has maintained a ‘small company, big thinking’ attitude. This has allowed us to make great strides in the last 12 months with our successful entry into the European market and the educational market.”

The business has grown steadily with no outside investment consistently achieving turnover growth of 20% year on year since its inception in 2005.

NECC Chief Executive, James Ramsbotham, said: “We are taking an incredibly strong showcase of North East talent to the BCC Awards this year. All are fantastic champions for regional business.”