A Great Hallingbury-based company received an inaugural King's Award for Enterprise, for an invention which is set to "change the face" of commercial vehicle safety.
Aspöck UK, which is a branch of Aspöck Systems in Austria, supplies commercial vehicles with lighting systems, solar panels and cameras.
The company received the King's Award for Enterprise in the innovation category, for developing a radar-based reversing aid with automatic brake function, with a team led by Lee Rush.
The invention, called the RADC, has been developed to assist drivers reversing into loading bays, as well as in more public areas where reversing without obstruction could prove difficult.
Reversing is one of the most difficult parts of driving, and the RADC aims to improve the overall safety of commercial vehicles - which can find reversing especially challenging, particularly with the addition of a trailer.
The distance that the RADC brakes at can be tailored to a client's needs, and integration of the invention into a fleet of vehicles aims to save time and money, avoiding having to repair damaged vehicles after a collision.
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The RADC had been in development for some years before it was released to market and entered into the King's Awards.
Aspöck UK singled out sales manager Mark Toghill for praise, who engineered the project and brought the radar to fruition.
Managing director Lee Rush said:"We are immensely proud that the RADC has been recognised under the King's Awards.
"Aspöck has been leading the way in commercial vehicle lighting in the UK for many years, and we are very excited that we have now been able to apply the talents and knowledge of our employees to help improve safety in other areas of the industry.
"We hope to rewrite the standard for safety with this product, as well as forging long lasting relationships."
The King's Awards for Enterprise celebrate outstanding achievements by UK businesses, in the categories of innovation, international trade, sustainable development, and promoting opportunity through social mobility - with winners invited to a royal reception.
For more information on Aspöck UK, which is entering its 21st year, go to www.aspoeck.com.
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