Businesses and organisations throughout the county have scooped top honours at this year's Wales Quality Awards.

Newport-based consumer finance company Picture Financial, which has seen its income soar to more than £100m this year, was named as Overall Winner and also claimed the Customer Service prize.

The firm employs 200 people and after launching three years ago is the fastest growing provider of secured home loans in the UK with a customer base of more than 29,000 borrowers.

Run by the Wales Quality Centre (WQC) the Award is based on the internationally respected European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model, one of the world's most rigorous frameworks for measuring the quality of an organisation's operations.

To be considered for a Quality Award an organisation has every aspect of its operations subjected to in-depth scrutiny by a team of industry experts.

Mandy Cameron, Picture Financial's human resources director, said: "We're absolutely thrilled to win. The EFQM Model has helped us to push the company forward and played a significant role in the company's success."

"We've achieved quality through continuous improvement spear headed by a proactive management team that encourages staff at all levels to be creative and innovative," she added.

The region's other winners were Cwmbran-based civil engineering specialists Capita Symonds which picked-up the Construction prize, and Torfaen County Borough Council's Planning & Public Protection department that received the Most Improved Organisation prize.

The Award enables firms to put all aspects of their operations under the microscope, from customer service and skills development through to financial management, environmental performance and corporate social responsibility.

David Phillips, WQC chief executive, said: "Picture Financial has excelled in many areas it has a clear plan for development across the organisation, understands the needs and expectations of its customers, and has dynamic leaders. An emphasis on quality exists throughout the organisation along with a strong team-working ethos at all levels. I congratulate all the winners for their outstanding efforts.

"Businesses use the Awards to get to the heart of their operations, bring their strengths and weaknesses into sharp focus and give them a clear view of how they can become stronger and more competitive," he added.

Those entering the awards undergo a comprehensive independent assessment of their operations against the EFQM standards and receive detailed feedback on where they need to improve. The assessment is carried out by highly-qualified and experienced assessors.

The scores achieved during the assessment are evaluated to discover the winners. Following the Award process entrants can further enhance their performance by acting on the feedback from the Wales Quality Centre, and re-applying for next year's Awards.

Mr Phillips added: "In many respects the Award process involves the most rigorous X-ray available of a company's fundamental health. All entrants benefit from taking part, whether or not they win a prize. The Award enables companies to drive their business forward and is a strong indicator of what they are likely to achieve in future and not just what has been achieved so far."

Details on how to apply for next year's Award are available on the Wales Quality Centre website: www.walesqualitycentre.org.uk