HRH The Princess Royal visits Valeport to commemorate its 50th year

Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal visited Valeport, the UK manufacturer of instrumentation for the oceanographic and hydrographic communities.  The special visit commemorated 50 years of trading by the UK marine technology company.

During the visit to Valeport’s state-of-the-art riverside premises, The Princess Royal was welcomed by Managing Director, Matthew Quartley, who accompanied Her Royal Highness for a tour of the factory. The Princess Royal spent time chatting to Valeport staff in the machine mhop and assembly area and tried out the laser engraving machine, which had been set up to engrave the Royal Crest onto a gift which was later presented to The Princess Royal. 

Following the tour of the manufacturing facilities The Princess Royal unveiled a plaque to commemorate Her Royal Highness’ visit to Valeport and cut a celebratory 50th anniversary cake at a special reception also attened by local dignitaries.  

Commenting on The Princess Royal’s visit to the business which employs more than 90 people Valeport Managing Director, Matthew Quartley said:

“We are delighted to have welcomed Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to Valeport to mark our 50th anniversary.   It was a very special day for us. I am so proud of everything we have achieved in the last five decades and the visit is a celebration of the passion and commitment of our people, who are the heart of our business. 

“It was fantastic to host The Princess Royal and showcase the innovative work we are doing here in the UK for a worldwide customer base. And it’s important to me to recognise and thank all of our colleagues, both past and present, for their contribution and dedication which has bought us to this point - I’m pleased to say after fifty years Valeport is still a strong, dynamic and growing business, and we look forward to the next fifty years.”

Valeport has come a long way since its humble beginnings in Dartmouth, Devon (UK) in 1969 with its first product, a Braystoke Flow Meter, used in the feasibility study for the Thames Barrier project in London.  Today, the independent, family owned business which designs and manufacturers precision sensors and probes to deliver high accuracy data, exports 80% of its innovative technology to to a worldwide customer base that includes the environmental, energy, construction, dredging, civil engineering, scientific research and military sectors.