A TRAILBLAZING company is proving a real bright spark in the electronics world.

The growing reputation of the Peterlee electronics manufacturer Seaward was hailed yesterday by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in London.

But the company was not present to hear glowing tributes from DTI Minister Nigel Griffiths. As a finalist in the Manufacturing Excellence Awards announced recently, Seaward and other shortlisted companies were invited to an audience with Mr Griffiths.

Seaward, the market leader in portable appliance testing equipment, narrowly missed out on the top prize in both Customer Focus and Best SME categories of awards, run for the past 20 years by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.

Invitations to the reception were politely declined, however, as Seaward executives preferred to concentrate on the company's continued development at Bracken Hill, on Peterlee's South West Industrial Estate, where it has a 75-strong workforce.

Finance director Andy Woodhouse pledged that the company would be represented next year, provided Seaward goes one step further and takes a first place.

"We were in with a lot of the big boys in the overall award, up against names like Land Rover, so it has some prestige," he said. "We were in the running for three awards and we were absolutely delighted to get that far.

"But we don't want to be complacent. The outlook is rosy, the order book is strong, we are strong across Europe, in South Africa and we have an office in the US, so we're genuinely an international company.

"We have also just completed a large order with a company in Malaysia, for high voltage equipment, which is due for shipment."

Seaward was formed 20 years ago and from humble beginnings has settled on the present site for the last ten years, during which time turnover has reached £6m.

Recent expansion followed its biggest single investment with the acquisition of £200,000 worth of manufacturing equipment.