A LASER micro-manufacturing firm from Abingdon has won Royal approval in the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise for the second time.

Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire Tim Stevenson OBE, presented The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade to OpTek Systems, during a visit to the company’s UK Headquarters in Blacklands Way, Abingdon.

Mike Osborne, founder and CEO at OpTek Systems, said: "Being recognised with a second Queen’s Award for Enterprise is a great honour.

"International trade is central to our business and this award recognises the investments we’ve made in developing our network and the hard work and dedication of all our staff and partners."

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are presented each year to UK businesses that show exemplary business conduct and innovation.

Winners are able to use the Queen’s Award emblem for the next five years and are invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace in July.

Having been given the award in 2011, it means the company will be able to use the emblem for a whole decade.

A total of 249 Queen’s Awards have been announced this year for outstanding business achievement in the fields of International Trade, Innovation and Sustainable Development.

OpTek Systems, founded 16 years ago, has developed laser micro-manufacturing technology which produces hi-tech manufacturing equipment for firms in Europe, North America, south Asia and South America.

With a team of about 35 staff, it has doubled its exports in recent years and set up overseas subsidiaries.

A recent development, partially supported by Innovate UK, has resulted in a £1m deal to commercialise a new, compact version of OpTek’s patented LaserCleave technology.

The Lord-Lieutenant last month paid tribute to the achievements of the team and highlighted the fact that OpTek was only the third in Oxfordshire area to win more than one award in his eight years in the post.

Dr Osborne said earlier that the company was selling systems in China, and the biggest firm it supplied

has two million employees and makes iPhones for Apple.

OpTek Systems has an impressive track record of both developing new or novel laser processes.

Typical processes include cutting, drilling and welding, which are routinely applied in production in microelectronics, photovoltaics, telecom, datacom, biomedical, and fibre laser manufacture.