OPRO, the world’s leading provider of mouthguards are one of 200 organisations nationally to be recognised by winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation, the most prestigious business award in the UK, recognising and celebrating business excellence.
Awarded to businesses for outstanding achievement across four fields, international trade, innovation, sustainable development and promoting opportunity through social mobility, specifically OPRO have been awarded the accolade for the innovation behind their Snap-Fit mouthguard.
As a product that is protected by granted patent and registered design, it is unique, and the company believe impossible to copy. More importantly though, the innovation behind the product has allowed OPRO to position it as the only self-fit mouthguard out there that offers an instant fit, with no boiling or moulding required in order to fit the users mouth.
Also CE certified, as a result, sales of the innovative product have doubled over the last two years, now representing a high proportion of the company’s total sales.
As awards that were first established back in 1965, now in their 53rd year, Her Majesty the Queen approves all winners alongside the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, making today an incredibly special day in OPRO’s seemingly unstoppable trajectory as a company.
From a concept that became a reality over 20 years ago at a dining room table in Hertfordshire, OPRO has grown to become the most innovative and progressive mouthguard company in the world.
Their inception beginning when founder and former dentist Anthony Lovat created bespoke custom-fit mouthguards for pupils in various schools up and down the country, through passion and ingenuity, they have continued to push boundaries.
That has allowed them to go from strength to strength, from offering self-fit mouthguards that afford the same protection and retention as custom fit mouthguards, only to take that further with the Snap-Fit range whereby no boiling or moulding process is required.
As a company proud of their British heritage, with headquarters in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, they will receive their award during a royal reception this summer at their offices.
The Lord-Lieutenant of the County, Her Majesty the Queen’s local representative, will present them with a trophy and OPRO will also be granted with permission to use the esteemed Queen’s award emblem for the next five years.
David Allen, OPRO CEO, said: “We are honoured and proud to receive this award in recognition of all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes across the business. As a company, we pride ourselves on leading the way to produce pioneering products and this award perfectly represents that.”
As a company, OPRO are now the mouthguard partner of hundreds of teams and associations across the globe including England Rugby, New Zealand Rugby, Australia Rugby, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), USA Taekwondo, Great Britain Taekwondo, Wrestling Canada Lutte, Irish Hockey and Great Britain Hockey to name a few.
Allen added: “We’ve no doubt that this accolade will only help us to continue to grow our presence across the world of sport, as we strive to drive participation levels and foster safe sport by making our mouthguards truly accessible to all.”
