A MACHINE which makes three million complex computer parts a year at a rate of one every 15 seconds has earned a Pendle electrical firm a top award.

World-beating Weston, Station Road, Foulridge, took the 1996 Machinery award for innovation in production engineering for its £1.7 million robotic device, the first of its kind.

The prestigious award, now in its 13th year, is organised by the influential engineering journal, Machinery, and sponsored by big engineering-related firms such as Mobil Oil.

It recognises the key role played by engineers in the development and application of innovative solutions to production problems, a role which can ensure a company's competitiveness.

A spokesman for Machinery told the Citizen: "Weston's winning entry took only one year to make because it was developed in house. The company therefore has a world-beating, unique manufacturing advantage that has been recognised by the engineers that voted."

A golden trophy was handed over at a Gala dinner at the National Motor Cycle Museum near Birmingham, which also marked the opening of MACH 96, the leading technology exhibition.

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