Oxfordshire Business of the Year 2001

Optical filters Ltd, Thame

A company aiming to provide better viewing for TV and computer users has been named Oxfordshire's Business of the Year 2001. Optical filters Ltd, based in Thame, aims to hike its turnover this year to £3 million with its new EmiClare screen shield.

The filter, fitted to electronic displays, protects them from glare, loss of contrast due to sunlight, electro-magnetic interference and impact, and can incorporate heat control to keep the displays at their optimum operating temperature.

Originally the Thame company's technology was aimed at the relatively high value but low volume markets such as the military. Now, after four years' research, its engineers have developed an improved filter that can be produced at lower cost to meet the demands of the growing commercial and consumer markets.

The innovation has been used in applications such as wide-screen plasma displays, on the Leopard II tank and in new medical scanning technology.

The new product has already resulted in a 60% sales growth for Optical filters in the first full year of marketing and the workforce has subsequently grown from 28 to 40 people over the course of this year.

Optical filters also won the Innovation category of these awards. The guest speaker at the awards ceremony was Mr Boris Johnson, Conservative MP for Henley, who paid tribute to all of the award-winners, saying that they were risk takers in a world increasingly worried about taking any chance.