Staff at London Heathrow-headquartered international transportation and logistics organization, Signet International, are celebrating winning The Queen's Award for Enterprise, the UK's most prestigious awards for business performance.

The company, which recorded record growth in 2007 with sales up 72% and annual revenues now approaching '15 million, is the only logistics company to be named among the 85 winners in the 2008 International Trade category just announced.

In further success for the company, Signet has also just been notified that it is a finalist in the National Business Awards, one of the most sought-after accolades for UK companies in both the private and public sectors. Signet is a regional finalist and again the only international transportation and logistics company in The Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year Award category. The winners will be announced on July 22nd 2008.

With branches in Banbury, Cardiff and Felixstowe, Signet International offers a full range of integrated transportation and logistics solutions. This combines worldwide air and ocean freight transportation, inventory management and supply chain solutions. Signet operates its own express European road network, serving 14 countries and is also a member of United Pallet Network, offering next-day and two-day pallet distribution in the UK and Ireland.

Having moved to a new 3,500 pallet capacity distribution center in Banbury last August, Signet is now looking for larger premises at Heathrow and plans to complete a move in 2008. It has doubled the size of its workforce in Banbury and Felixstowe in the past two years and achieved increases sales at its branches of between 135% and 562% in 2007.

Richard Newport, Managing Director of Signet International, said: 'The Queen's Award and our success in reaching the finals of the National Business Awards are a great tribute to our staff. We are one of the top 20 fastest growing international transportation and logistics companies in the UK and our growth ' +162% in 2007 compared to 2005 ' is purely organic rather than through acquisition.

'We work in a sector that is dominated by giant multi-national organizations and we see a significant opportunity to offer a premium quality of service to give us a competitive advantage. Whereas many of our competitors are seen by customers to now be too big and cumbersome, as a smaller business we offer the responsiveness, flexibility and tailored solutions that customers value, supported by sophisticated operational and financial IT systems applications. Our motto is 'do the ordinary things extraordinarily well.''