TWO Kent companies were honoured in the Manufacturing Excellence Awards, staged by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in London this week.

The county’s finalists were Jali Ltd, of Canterbury, and Aylesford Newsprint.

Small Business Minister, Nigel Griffiths said: "These companies have shown through excellence in design and product development, that we can take on our global competitors and succeed.

"Manufacturing matters. It creates a fifth of our national output, it employs four million people and it produces the majority of our exports. It is a key driver of innovation in the rest of our economy through advances in technology, new goods and processes.

"The success of UK manufacturing is crucial to our country's prosperity, both now and in the future. Companies like these show that with drive, with determination and with passion, manufacturers can and will win through."

Outlining the DTI's support for manufacturing, Mr Griffiths continued: "We are quite clear that UK prosperity now depends on a successful and dynamic manufacturing sector. We are committed to making sure that it continues to be at the heart of the British economy in the future. That is why, last month, we published our strategy for helping manufacturing companies to achieve their potential."