Designed to recognise excellence in export, import and international trade achievement, Penn was selected as the winner of the Wales category in recognition of the company’s diverse global customer base.

Peter George, chief executive of Penn, said, "Penn’s international presence is fast-growing with 70 per cent of our client base being outside of the UK. We’re increasingly working with more overseas companies who need our services, manufacturing or import and release of commercial and clinical pharmaceutical products into the European market. To win the International Trade Award is a real boost for Penn, recognising the investment we have made to extend our geographical footprint across Europe, North America and Japan to better serve international companies. We believe the range of services we offer and our commitment to providing timely, personal and flexible management of projects has been key to our success.

Ian Campbell, Consultant Editor of ITT and co-chair of the judges said: "We were very impressed by Penn’s breadth and depth of knowledge and experience in their niche area. Customer-driven with a global reach and a mature quality management system they represent the very best of UK manufacturing industry and are worthy Welsh winners."

Sponsored by HSBC, The International Trade Awards aim to identify the UK’s most successful and innovative exporters, promote the leading exporters of local and regional areas to encourage international trade by all companies and further develop community awareness of the importance of exporting to the UK’s economic future.

Penn will join 11 other regional winners across the UK to compete for International Trade Company of the Year at a gala luncheon and awards ceremony in Spring 2009.

The award-win comes shortly after the announcement in April of Penn’s investment in a new world-wide sales force, a new high containment processing suite and the official opening of Penn’s new storage and distribution facility at its headquarters in South Wales, UK. These investments further compliment Penn’s highly specialised pharmaceutical development services and products. The new The 75,000 sq. ft, state-of-the-art, temperature-controlled storage and distribution facility increases Penn’s current storage capacity seven fold, making it one of the EU’s largest facilities with regulatory approval for the storage and distribution of IMPs and commercial product for use in clinical trial programmes and is the fulcrum in Penn’s existing network of global distribution hubs.

The new high containment facility supports a growing market need for high containment contract services.

Penn is a leading UK company that provides a range of fully integrated and cost effective pharmaceutical development, clinical trial supply and custom manufacturing services to the international healthcare industry. Penn’s expertise and unique range of services are designed to support pharmaceutical and biotech companies across the world with drugs in development and help them progress these from clinic to market: fast, efficient and cost effective.