ROADWATER-based Singer Instruments has followed in the footsteps of some of the country's top innovators in winning one of the most prestigious awards in their industry. The company's boffins were presented with the Annual Achievement Award of the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers for their new groundbreaking RoToR laboratory robot. Previous winners of the award include the originators of CAT and NMR scanners. RoToR, developed by Singer and incorporating technology licensed from the University of Toronto, works some ten times faster than existing instruments. The compact equipment, whose name derives from a combination of Roadwater and Toronto, can handle automatically a vast number of experiments involving biochemical interactions - vital in finding the causes of and treatments for cancers and other diseases. The company's service manager Ian Morgan said: "Using secure access via the internet, we can remotely monitor and run RoToR in labs anywhere in the world, so our back-up is first class. "With RoToRs in places like New Zealand, Japan and West-coast USA, this sometimes means odd working hours but that's all part of what we offer." Accepting the award on behalf of his firm at a special dinner in London Carl Saunders-Singer paid tribute to his 20-strong staff and West Somerset. "We have an excellent, very skilled small team who have produced a world-beating instrument," he said. "We are so lucky to be able to operate from our base on beautiful Exmoor whilst exporting to leading research laboratories in over 35 countries. "But it would be nice if mobile phones worked in our office." Singer technical director Trevor Clarke said that for a small company it was very well equipped. "For example, we use sophisticated 3-D computer modelling techniques to design our complex, lightweight chassis which is made from a single sheet of aluminium composite folded in a special way." He added: "Working in a small team means that design, prototyping and production engineering are treated in an integrated way and everyone gets involved. "We're very proud of RoToR and this award." Among the 150 guests at the dinner was RoToR user Dr Tim Humphrey of MRC in Oxford. He said the award was clearly well deserved. "It will I am sure lead to some significant advances in the way research is done." West Somerset's MP Ian Liddell-Grainger, who also present, added his praise for Singer's achievements. "Singer Instruments have a world-wide reputation for product excellence," he said. "They are just the type of company that West Somerset needs - high tech, high value-added products with a low carbon footprint. "Add to that the fact that 85 per cent are exported and they have a winning formula." * Carl Saunders-Singer is pictured with the award and, from the left, Harry Saunders~Singer, Andy Wooldridge, Trevor Clark and Ian Morgan. Photo: Steve Guscott