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Kentec celebrates receiving King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade

Kentec Electronics, the leading manufacturer of innovative life safety solutions, yesterday officially received the prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade, presented by the Lord Lieutenant of Kent, The Lady Colgrain, at an event held at the company’s Dartford headquarters.

The event was attended by local dignitaries, the Mayor of Dartford, Councillor Avtar Sandhu MBE, MP for Dartford, Jim Dickson, and CEO of Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, Tudor Price.

More than 250 Kentec employees joined the event, which took place in the heart of Kentec’s factory facility, where more than 180,000 products are manufactured onsite every year.

The prestigious prize was accepted on behalf of Kentec by managing director Kevin Swann, who said “It is a great honour to receive a prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise today. We have plans to grow the business further, expanding on our work in international trade.

“Kentec has been a significant employer in Dartford for more than 40 years, and to now be recognised for our outstanding export growth is a huge achievement for the whole Kentec team.”

The Lord Lieutenant remarked: “Kentec has grown to become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of life-safety solutions, yet has remained firmly rooted here in Dartford. It is a wonderful example of specialist British engineering and manufacturing expertise developed here in Kent and successfully taken to markets across the world.”

The King’s Award for Enterprise recognises Kentec’s outstanding export growth over the last three years, in which time overseas sales have risen by 69%, with exports now responsible for over two-thirds (67%) of the firm’s turnover.

Kentec is one of only 185 organisations nationally to be recognised with a prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise in 2026. The Award acknowledges the company’s outstanding achievement in International Trade.

Kentec was founded in 1985 and is one of the world’s leading life safety solutions manufacturers of conventional, analogue addressable fire detection and extinguishant control panels. All product development and production is undertaken from the firm’s headquarters in Dartford, Kent, where it employs 250 people.

The King’s Awards for Enterprise – previously known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise – were renamed in 2023 to reflect His Majesty The King’s commitment to continuing the legacy of HM Queen Elizabeth II in celebrating exceptional UK businesses.

Now in its 60th year, the King’s Awards for Enterprise remain the UK’s most prestigious business accolades. Successful organisations may use the esteemed King’s Awards Emblem for the next five years, signalling excellence to customers, partners, and global markets.

For further information, please visit www.kentec.co.uk