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The North East’s leading pump distributor and manufacturer – Tomlinson Hall – scooped two highly acclaimed awards at the pump industry’s most coveted National award ceremony.

Based in Billingham, Tomlinson Hall has once again been crowned UK Pump Distributor of the Year and the company’s Managing Director was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the pump industry.

Hosted by TV personality, Penny Smith, the Pump Industry Awards ceremony – organised by the British Pump Manufacturers Association (BPMA) – was held at Heythrop Park Resort in Oxfordshire, to celebrate the achievements of pump companies and individuals who achieve excellence within the Pump Industry.

Speaking about his Lifetime Achievement Award, Tony Keville, a third generation Tomlinson and MD of the business said: “The award came as a total surprise and I am extremely honoured to have been recognised for my ongoing commitment in the pump industry. It is fantastic to have also achieved this – along with being recognised as Pump Distributor of the Year – in the company’s 100th year of trading.”

Having been at Tomlinson Hall for over 45 years, Tony is responsible for the design and skilled engineering of Tomlinson Hall’s very own pump – Liquivac®. As one of the few wholly manufactured British pumps, it is a gamechanger in its own right with an innovative liquid ring vacuum design which has been adopted across the globe by utilities companies, chemical processors, food and drink producers and many more.

As a joint-founding member of the Pump Distributors Association (PDA), Tony has served as a chairman on the representative body on two separate occasions from 2002-2006, and 2012-2015.

Tony has very much acted as a voice for the pump industry delivering numerous best practice seminars, resulting in him becoming a highly sought after and respected advisor to both distribution partners and client engineering teams around the UK and further afield.

Colin Simpson, Business Development Director at Tomlinson Hall said: “We are delighted that Tony has been recognised with this award as he very much lives and breathes pumps and pump problems. He received a standing ovation for his integral role in driving the pump industry forward with his outstanding knowledge and impressive technical capabilities – which was thoroughly deserved.”

Tomlinson Hall is an approved global distributor of a wide range of leading pump manufacturers – including Crane ChemPharma & Energy, ITT Goulds Pumps and Grundfos – supplying pumps across the globe.

Over the past decade, the company has been awarded the title of UK Pump Distributor of the Year on seven separate occasions.

Colin said: “We firmly believe that not being tied to one pump technology or brand and working with global leaders using the latest technology is one of the key factors that has helped Tomlinson Hall to have secured this accolade on so many occasions.

“As a multi-award-winning business, we ensure that we do not become complacent and, as such, we consistently implement and attend training programmes to remain at the very forefront of our industry both in terms of knowledge and product offering.”

The awards add to the company’s string of accolades including being awarded as SME Business of the Year at the North East Automotive Alliance Awards, North East Business Awards and the North East Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC).

As part of its 100-year celebration, the business has chosen a combination of 12 good causes that include giving back to local community projects and national and local charities, including the likes of Billingham South Community Primary School and The James Cook University Hospital. Each month it will donate 100 sought after items.

Established in 1919, Tomlinson Hall is a long-standing distributor of major industrial pump brands. The company also manufactures the Liquivac® pump from its facilities in Billingham comprising two workshops on a 1.5-acre site. Providing a full end to end service from pump selection, supply and site visits right through to servicing and re-pairs, the company has worked with leading businesses across Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America and Asia.