AN employee at Huddersfield engineering firm David Brown Gear Systems has won a regional award.

Ian Hemmingway (pictured) received the individual award at the seventh annual Yorkshire Productivity Awards.

The accolade came for his work to improve production efficiency at the Lockwood-based company.

The awards, which recognise outstanding productivity improvements among manufacturing firms in the region, were presented before an audience of almost 200 guests at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

Alastair Gladstone, divisional director of Yorkshire Productivity, said: “The manufacturing sector has something significant to celebrate this year.

“We are experiencing growth in traditional manufacturing sectors, in hi tech markets and green technologies with exports rising to their highest levels for some time.

“We have witnessed training being embraced to an unprecedented degree during the downturn in the economy.

“The winners deserve their awards in recognition of their resilience and commitment to continuous development in the face of adversity.”

Yorkshire Productivity is an Ilkley-based training organisation which helps companies to operate more efficiently and effectively.