LOCAL Entrepreneur Tim Overfield, the Managing Director of C-Kore Systems, is delighted that the business has been honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2021 in recognition of their International Trade.

Having lived in the Ryedale area since 1977, Tim worked for several local businesses and has developed a deep understanding of the need for new and innovative ways to assist the oil industry to work subsea.

Tim started Zetechtics Limited at its base in Amotherby, Malton in 1993. A market leader in Subsea Control Systems for Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) it was honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise (Innovation) in 2003.

In 2007 a conversation with a major UK oil company identified the need for a small, stand-alone, measurement tool that could quickly and easily find faults in the underwater electrical networks for the offshore oil industry, and from there the idea of compressing all the test equipment into a tiny package (that can be used 3,000m underwater) was conceived. After several years of development the C-Kore Cable Monitor was ready to be used commercially and C-Kore Systems Ltd was formed in 2014.

Since then C-Kore has continued to add more high-tech products to its range and in 2019 it was C-Kore’s turn to be honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise (Innovation) recognising its new products and how they improved safety and reduced environmental risks whilst decommissioning subsea oil fields such as those in the North Sea. In more recent years C-Kore moved to its own rural premises in North Yorkshire but continues to work very closely with its sister company, Zetechtics.

On being honoured with a 3rd Queen’s Award Tim commented, “Both Zetechtics and C-Kore’s products are at the forefront of innovation and our reputation for this is known extensively in the industry. As such we deal with companies from as far afield as Australia, Brazil, USA, Africa, Norway and Singapore. This award recognises this and our belief that being based rurally does not stop a business being global facing.

It shows that North Yorkshire in general and Ryedale in particular, is a great location for high-tech businesses and their supply chains. Ryedale has a fantastic quality of life and good local services. I hope this recognition will encourage other high-tech businesses to invest in the local area”.