Doncaster firm awarded prestigious award for innovation by King

A pioneering Doncaster business has been handed a prestigious award by King Charles.

VAC-EX Design and Manufacture has been awarded The King’s Award for Enterprise 2026 in the Innovation category.

Founded in Doncaster, VAC-EX has spent nearly two decades developing safer, non-destructive excavation technology for use around critical underground infrastructure.

A spokesperson said: “Our products are used across the utility, rail, construction and infrastructure sectors, helping organisations excavate safely while reducing the risk of damaging buried services.

“The award-winning innovation is our T-VAC 2, a compact tracked vacuum excavator designed to operate in locations where traditional truck-mounted excavation equipment cannot access.

“Combining high-pressure air excavation with powerful vacuum extraction, the machine enables precise excavation around buried utilities while significantly improving safety and efficiency.”

The T-VAC 2 has delivered measurable results in the field, including:

Up to 65% reduction in excavation time in confined spaces

Up to 90% reduction in utility strike incidents

Up to 25% reduction in overall project costs

The spokesperson added: “As a British manufacturer, we are incredibly proud to receive one of the UK's highest honours for business innovation.

“The award recognises not only the success of the T-VAC 2, but also our wider commitment to engineering excellence, workplace safety and sustainable product development.”

This article was authored by Darren Burke for Doncaster Free Press and published under the title 'Doncaster firm awarded prestigious award for innovation by King', on Doncaster firm awarded prestigious award for innovation by King. It is reproduced above in accordance with section 30(2) of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.