Accu named Exporter of the Year at Made in Yorkshire awards

Accu, a UK-based precision engineering component distributor, has won the Exporter of the Year category at the Made in Yorkshire awards held at the Royal Armouries in Leeds. The company, alongside other category winners from the evening, will now go forward to the national Made in the UK awards in June.

Accu was praised by the Made in Yorkshire judging panel for its global approach, which has contributed to the rapid growth of a business that supplies 115,000 active customers in more than 125 countries. The company prides itself on stocking one of the widest ranges of precision components (over half a million), which can be purchased via its e-commerce platform, providing same-day dispatch. The judges applauded Accu’s strong export performance, a major contributor to its average 40% annual growth.

The company is currently expanding its North American presence by establishing a new Indiana-based distribution centre. Looking ahead, Accu sees significant opportunities to expand into mainland Europe and Australia, via targeted digital marketing, enhanced logistics and a further-expanded component range.

The Exporter of the Year award was presented to the company’s Managing Director Alastair Morris, who said: “This award really is a fantastic honour as it recognises our passion for expanding the business across the world. The fact that we do things differently gets noticed, and by playing a part in modernising the engineering components industry, we have reached a point where we supply over 70% of the world’s leading manufacturers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our team in Huddersfield for making our export vision a reality.”

Accu was founded in Huddersfield in 2012 by Martin Ackroyd and Antony Kitson, who recognised the inefficiencies of traditional methods of sourcing components, which include bulky catalogues, unclear pricing and long lead times. Their vision was to serve as a screw supplier offering a streamlined, online shopping experience where engineers could access components with a few clicks and receive them the next day.

Over the past 14 years, Accu has grown rapidly into a global distributor, catering to customers who require everything from a single component, through to millions.

Accu today employs 130 people, operating from a 45,000 sq ft facility. The company was awarded the King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade (2024), in recognition of exceptional scaling and global market disruption. The company’s ethos ‘Building Tomorrow’ is proudly displayed on the front of its headquarters, demonstrating its focus and dedication to growth.

The past 12 months have seen Accu enter an extended relationship with Huddersfield Town football club by becoming its Official Engineering Partner. This includes a five-year agreement to become the club’s exclusive stadium naming rights partner. The club’s home ground now proudly displays the Accu brand, now known as the Accu Stadium.

Accu has been a dedicated engineering partner in a number of high-profile global environmental projects over the past year. This has included collaborating with Tandem Ventures, an organisation which specialises in science, technology and conservation innovations, and Project Seagrass, a marine conservation organisation, in the development of the world’s first underwater seagrass harvester. Accu also advised on and supplied components for the innovative WHASER system, which was developed by Tandem Ventures, and whale protection charity Whale Wise, to provide precise measurements of humpback whales, offering valuable insights into their health and status.

To enhance the company’s global activities, Alastair has recently returned from a Trade Mission alongside Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin as part of a business delegation to promote advanced manufacturing opportunities in Switzerland and Germany.

The Made in Yorkshire Export Award follows Accu recently winning the title of International Company of the Year at Insider Media’s Northern International Trade Awards.