The lucky winners are:

Day 2: Regis, who won the ‘Deco for Divers’ publication kindly donated by Mark Powell

Day 3: Matthew, who won the O2EII nitrox analyser

Day 4: Matthew, who won a waterproof MP3 player

Today’s game Santa Sweep sees you keeping Santa off the fire, have you registered your score yet?? Good luck!

The company, which was set up by Alan Harbottle in 1981, is now recognised around the world in the sectors it serves – military, commercial diving, sport diving, hospitality and industrial safety.  Analox is a leader in the design and manufacture of gas sensors and analysers.

The staff celebrated in Las Vegas style in June with a party at Middlesbrough Football Club.  They also enjoyed a light hearted look back at where the staff had been (and what hair styles they had sported) when Analox was born.

The company’s birthday coincided with another milestone – the 50,000^th Analox 50 to leave the production line.  With thanks to Willy Wonka for the inspiration, Analox created ten golden Analox 50 units.  One can be now found in Analox’s UK headquarters, one in its US offices, and the other eight are displayed in distributors’ premises.

To help Analox continue to grow, the company divided its operations into two distinct divisions; Analox Military Systems and Analox Sensor Technology.  Mark Lewis, Managing Director of Analox Group, commented: “We have decided that development of two well-defined and distinct brands will help to further build our reputation in military and commercial sectors.  We have identified that a large percentage of our growth can come from military markets around the world, and it is vital that we have a well-recognised and respected brand targeting this sector.”

A number of new product lines were launched in 2011.  In February, Analox launched the SDA series, designed for the Commercial Diving Industry, a range of fixed external chamber analysers used to control levels of gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide.  The new products offer commercial divers the very latest digital technology in gas detection.

The new ACG was also introduced in 2011.  It is a multi sensor gas analyser specifically designed for the analysis of contaminants in compressed breathing air.  It can be permanently connected to a compressor outlet, enabling you to continually verify the quality of your breathing air and is suitable for use by military divers, commercial divers, sport divers, and in industry.

Analox’s EII CO carbon monoxide analyser was launched to military and commercial diving markets – this product was developed in response to growing concern about carbon monoxide contamination of divers’ tanks.

Analox has expanded the training and additional services available to its clients.  It now provides online live support across all sectors between 7.30am and midnight (UK time).  There is also 24 hour telephone support available for commercial diving clients.

Through its partner LBJ Maritime Inc in Louisiana, Analox now offers dedicated training for the Hyper-Gas MkII in the US.  Standard courses will run four times each year, with bespoke training also available on demand.

Analox has launched online training and risk assessment services for hospitality and industrial workplaces.  Working with Gas Safe Consultants Ltd, Analox now offers On-site Advisory Surveys, Risk Assessments and Online Training Workshops to assist clients in all their gas detection needs.  Analox has also introduced a Cellar Risk Assessment form to help UK businesses ensure they meet health and safety regulations – this can be downloaded free from Analox’s website.

A year after joining the SC21 programme – a military-led change programme designed to accelerate UK supply chain competitiveness – Analox has devised a continuous sustainable improvement plan or CSIP.  This supports the company’s strategy, focusing on what the business needs to improve in order to full its strategic objectives. The company invited other regional firms interested in the SC21 programme to an ‘Industry Best Practice’ Day in November 2011, givingthe others the opportunity to learn from Analox’s experiences.

In 2011, Analox began working towards ISO:14001 certification by introducing an Environmental Management System, focusing on areas including waste management, recycling, emissions and energy usage. As part of the scheme, it joined the Government-backed Cyclescheme which allows staff to purchase a new bike at a reduced cost, paying by monthly instalments.  By summer 2011, more than 1 in 5 staff members were regularly cycling to work in Stokesley.

Analox’s continued use of the internet and ICT to develop its business and engage with its clients earned it a place in the final of the Teesside heat of the North East Business Awards, organised by the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette and Newcastle Journal.

In 2011, Analox’s products have had roles in a high profile television series and the largest ever NATO Sub Marine rescue exercise.  In March, Analox’s Aspida appeared in an episode of Jamie’s Dream School on Channel 4.  Dream School Students spent three days and nights sealed in a sealed biosphere where they used the Aspida to monitor the oxygen levels to ensure the plants were creating enough of oxygen for humans to survive.

In May and June 2011, gas monitoring equipment developed by Analox Military Systems played a vital role in the world’s largest submarine rescue exercise off the coast of Spain.  The Analox Sub MkIIP and Sub MkIIF were used in Submarine Rescue Vehicles (SRVs) taking part in the NATO exercise to ensure that the atmosphere within the SRV remains safe for its humans occupants.  The exercise, code-named Exercise Bold Monarch 11, involved 2,000 personnel and 20 nations including for the first time ever a Russian submarine.  Another ‘first’ of the exercise was that journalists were invited to join a ‘rescue mission’ descending in a US Navy pressurised rescue module to dock with the Russian submarine  Alrosa ‘bottomed’ on the seabed.  BBC footage of journalists and crew descending to, and docking with, the Russian submarine clearly showed the customised Analox Sub MkIIP and Sub MkIIF monitoring the atmosphere in the SRV.

Analox has attended a number of exhibitions and conferences in 2011, including Underwater Intervention in New Orleans, Dive 2011 in Birmingham and DEMA 2011 in Florida.  Martin Robson, one of the most experienced Tec Diving Instructor Trainers, gave two Analox-sponsored presentations at DEMA to raise awareness of the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Analox has continued to support not only its two chosen charities but also a number of local appeals as well as the fundraising activities of its staff.  The two charities it supports each year have been chosen by the staff; Help for Heroes is the charity created to help those wounded in the current conflicts, and Great North Air Ambulance is the charity funded air ambulance which responds across the whole of the North of England.

Throughout 2011 the company has also supported local campaigns, and the fundraising exploits of its staff including the Stockton River Rat Race.