Thomas Dudley is Black Country Chamber's Business of the Year

A law firm and a removal company were among the other winners at the business awards event, but the night belonged to manufacturing with a string of impressive companies picking up most of the plaudits during the evening.

More than 320 people packed into the Black Country Chamber of Commerce's Business is Good for the Black Country awards dinner, at Wolverhampton Racecourse, where chamber president Paul Bennett called for companies to show more confidence.

"We have too many best-kept secrets in the Black Country," he said. Mr Bennett also spoke of the need for local companies to 'develop a more global outlook'.

He said: "Not only do I congratulate our winners, I applaud the many more businesses who have taken part in the process and the finalists that have made it to the shortlist.

"Our judges certainly had some difficult decisions to make. Long may that trend continue."

The awards, which attracted a record number of entries this year, were crowned by the presentation of the Business of the Year prize to Thomas Dudley.

The foundry and engineering company, which employs 250 people in Dudley, saw the official opening of its new £4.5 million moulding line by comedian Lenny Henry in September.

Last night the awards judges said the company was: "Seen as a benchmark creating an industry-wide standard and the judges felt they stood out in every aspect. They have show a very long term commitment to the region.

"Thomas Dudley Ltd is a family business which values its customers, employees and suppliers. It treats these as partners and builds a relationship based on openness, integrity and respect and this is enshrined in its core values."

Founded in 1920, Thomas Dudley is a major supplier of bathroom products, iron castings, plastic WC cisterns and iron and engineering castings.

Among the other winners was Wolverhampton's Nuclear Engineering Services, for Continuous Improvement. The judges said: "They have doubled the size in both staff and turnover and have also won new business in the nuclear new build sector investing in new technology."

Dudley furniture makers Boss Design won the award as Manufacturer of the Year, praised by judges as: "A forward thinking innovative company who service a national and international client base. They feature innovative designs and demonstrate a firm commitment to staff development and the company's future."

Furnace and foundry designers Mechatherm, based in Kingswinford, won the International Trade award. Judges said: "They have had contracts in every continent of the world, with recent large orders in Taiwan, Venezuela, Abu Dhabi and Europe."

In a surprise award on the night, Mechatherm was also presented a £10,000 export voucher by Paul Noon, regional head of the Government's export agency UKTI.

The Customer Service award was won by Black Country law firm QualitySolicitors Talbots, which has offices in Codsall, Dudley, Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Stourport and Wolverhampton. Judges said the firm went 'the extra mile - breaking barriers to make it easy for customers to work with them'.

Wolverhampton-based removals business Burke Bros Moving Group carried off the award for Service Provider of the Year. The judges said they had actively continued to train staff and work closely with suppliers to bring their costs down by 20 per cent, also reducing prices for their customers.

Lift & Engineering Services, from Cradley Heath, won the People Development award, praised for having 'unique training programmes'.

The keynote speaker at the event was Brigadier Gerhard Wheeler, commander of 143 (West Midlands) Brigade and the most senior soldier in the region, who spoke of the need for closer links between businesses and the expanding Army Reserve - the former Territorial Army.