AW Precision one of the UK's 1,000 most inspirational SMEs, says London Stock Exchange Group

The company had to demonstrate positive growth in revenue over the last four years plus an increase in employee numbers, workspace, contract wins or patent filings. A family business that is the leading manufacturer of punch and die products and components throughout Europe and the USA, it was established in 1972 in a village near Rugby. "One man and one machine," says Andrew Whitworth, operations director and son of the founder, Geoffrey Whitworth. Since then, the firm has grown to become a 90-employee, £6 million+ turnover operation that exports its products around the world. The London Stock Exchange report detailing the 1,000 inspiring British companies was compiled by leading sales software business Growth Intelligence. The company tracks the performance and activity of millions of businesses in real time. Xavier Rolet, CEO of the London Stock Exchange Group, says: "Our own research, and that of many other organisations, has shown that it is almost exclusively these companies that have generated new, net job creation in the UK since the financial crisis. "Our selection criteria not only require companies to have shown growing revenue in at least three of the past four years, but also to have outperformed their sector peers. And not just in terms of revenue, but either by growth in employee numbers, work space occupied or number of filed patents. We are looking for the innovators of tomorrow." Mr Whitworth continues: "We supply a wide range of industries with standard and bespoke products, and we also undertake subcontract manufacturing. One of the things that has helped us survive over the years is not being over reliant on one sector. As well as supplying a resurgent automotive sector, we undertake contracts for electrical manufacturers and general heavy engineering. We even supply some jewellery makers - it's pretty diverse. "With an ongoing commitment to new machinery and an ability to manufacture around the clock – often, importantly, responding to very short customer lead times – our approach underpins our belief in working closely with every customer, irrespective of order size or complexity. "Our family-owned status allows decisions on structure and investment to be made very quickly, and that is so important in such a competitive and challenging environment. We have never stood still and I believe our commitment to innovate has been crucial in riding some of the difficult economic conditions over the last 40 years. We've seen several recessions, as well as one or two booms."