The Stationers’ Company Innovation Excellence Awards 2022 returned to London on 31 October.
A new way of creating spare parts for everything from warships to washing machines won the Innovator of the Year award. The Xerox ElemX 3D printer uses liquid metal to produce parts on demand, where and when they are needed, reducing costs and avoiding supply chain disruptions.
Ricoh UK also won the service development award for its supervisor software which analyses real-time data to help businesses save time and money.
The master of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers, Ms Moira Sleight, said, ‘The company always welcomed innovation and is as keen to do so today as it was nearly 600 years ago when it embraced William Caxton’s printing press. Innovation is so important not just for business growth but also for improving the lives of thousands, if not millions, of people.’
‘It is entirely appropriate that the cutting edge world of 3D printing should have so boldly captured the attention of our awards judges. They felt that the Xerox process, which can produce urgently-needed parts in hours instead of weeks, is truly a potentially-disruptive innovation just as Caxton’s press was.’
Xerox UK managing director Darren Cassidy, whose company is based in Uxbridge, Middlesex, said, ‘This award really matters to us. It is so important to get such prestigious recognition and it will inspire everyone at every level of our team.’
The Xerox ElemX printer uses aluminium wire rather than powder to produce droplets of molten metal which, guided by a computer, builds up layer by layer to produce a precise replica of parts which can range from a ship’s valve to an exhaust nozzle. It is already used by the United States Navy to produce parts at sea, saving time and money.
Winners in other categories included Cengage Learning, who offers students 24/7 access to textbooks, courses and digital products. TTS won the product design award for designing a desktop robot which allows children to access personalised resources.
