Manufacturing Champions

Reward your star site performers and help us showcase the buzz of being in UK manufacturing to the nation by entering Works Management's Manufacturing Champions Awards. The Manufacturing Champions Awards, supported by The Manufacturing Institute, are an exclusive opportunity to celebrate the people who supercharge factory success. From the manager whose deft leadership skills have inspired employees to go the extra mile to the shift team whose eureka moment has led to a monumental safety improvement, WM wants your help to shine a light on the men and women whose passion and professionalism helps British factories take on the world. The Manufacturing Champions Awards will also strive to promote the exciting opportunities on offer inside the factory gates and dispel the myth of manufacturing as a career backwater. If you are proud to manufacture in the UK and believe in celebrating your outstanding performers then WM wants to hear from you. A full list of award categories and entry forms can be found at www.manufacturing-champions.co.uk We encourage you to enter yourself or a colleague or factory team who have gone above and beyond expectations in the past year. The winners will be announced at a gala lunch in Manchester on 4 December. With the government's renewed interest in manufacturing, there's never been a more important time to show we have the raw talent to rise to the challenge of rebalancing UK plc. Manufacturing has hidden its light under a bushel for too long – join us in celebrating our Manufacturing Champions. How the Manufacturing Champions Awards will work: The awards are now open for entry. We invite entries from manufacturing employees representing businesses large and small. Entrants will be asked to demonstrate: • Outstanding performance: how the entrant has eclipsed expectations to deliver tangible bottom line benefits to their business. • Leadership/teamwork: how the entrant inspired and influenced others to support their initiative or bought the best out of each other as a team. • Flair/invention: how the entrant innovated to drive factory floor performance. • Added value: how have the entrant delivered added value to customers. There are categories for teams and individuals. Entrants are invited to enter themselves or colleagues by completing an online entry form, which asks you to give proven examples of workplace achievements, corroborated with supporting facts and figures. Get started now at www.manufacturing-champions.co.uk Entries will close on 15 October. Successful entries will then be reviewed by a panel of judges comprising industry leaders and top manufacturing names. The winners will be announced at a glittering gala lunch in Manchester on 4 December. Works Management is delighted to be supported in the Manufacturing Champion Awards by The Manufacturing Institute (TMI). TMI is an independent charity which has, over the past 20 years, helped businesses achieve operations excellence through education, training and consultancy services. TMI's mission to inspire, educate and improve the performance of manufacturing companies, their employees and the wider public encapsulates the Manufacturing Champions ethos. Why enter? Employers: 1) Reward you star performers on the national stage: this is an opportunity to give your high-achievers a public pat on the back and promote your business as the home of world-class talent and dynamic continuous improvement thinking. 2) Help us show the buzz around being in UK manufacturing: the awards will challenge public misconceptions of manufacturing as an undesirable job by promoting the dynamic achievements of site employees. 3) Win new business: awards success offers a public seal of quality for your site and markets your business as the home of manufacturing excellence. Winners and their achievements will be profiled in WM magazine and across our website. 4) Entry is easy and cost free: entry forms can be completed online and updated at your leisure. We're including a checklist of judging criteria on each category entry form so you know what to include. Employees: 1) Personal development: entering the awards scheme offers you the chance to benchmark against your peers. The Manufacturing Champions Awards will offer you the chance to network with like-minded individuals and exchange best-practice ideas. 2) Reward your team/line reports: putting a colleague forward for a category prize is a great way to recognise the contribution of an unsung hero. Making the shortlist offers a badge of honour, reinforces best practice and inspires others to follow in that individual's footsteps. 3) Career development: winning an award marks you out as a unique talent. Awards can enhance your CV and trigger further recognition in the form of career development opportunities from your employer. 4) Inspire others: we all know manufacturing is fast paced, challenging, varied and ultimately a feel good place to work. But the message hasn't always reached the wider British public. The Manufacturing Champions Awards will help set the record straight by highlighting the rewarding careers on offer in the sector. The categories Manufacturing Leader Award sponsored by TMI The manufacturing leader who has enjoyed a meteoric rise within his or her company and inspires the people around him/her. The emphasis is on a team player with the ability to motivate employees to walk through walls to deliver success. Applicants will have made valuable changes and seized extra responsibility. The Manufacturing Leader will be a rising star. Manufacturing Team Award The factory team that's pulled together to produce the most impressive performance gains over the past year. Relevant teams include shopfloor manufacturing cells, shift teams, cross department kaizen groups or a standout factory department. Entries should have focused on an internal process or product improvement or worked alongside customers or supply chain partners to boost factory performance. Rising Star Award sponsored by Atlas Copco The apprentice/graduate or manager under the age of 25 who has made the most impressive start to their manufacturing career. Judges will look for a go-getter with an uncanny knack for delivering project success. Our winner could have delivered an innovative new factory floor process or have a track record in smashing KPIs and exceeding management expectations. Talent and determination to deliver results are the order of the day. Unsung Hero Award Rewarding the employee who goes above and beyond expectations to support site success. From coming in on a weekend to help out during a production peak to spearheading suggestion scheme ideas to improve their area, we want to celebrate those individuals with a 'can do' attitude. Has someone on your site gone the extra mile? If so we want to hear about it. Employee-led Innovation Award The Employee-led Innovation Award celebrates the employee or team whose bright idea has led to the most impressive performance gain for his or her site. The flash of inspiration could have been the simple change to line design that has boosted output or an adjustment to packaging that cut the landfill bill. From 5S to Six Sigma and poka-yoke – we want to hear about kaizen activity that has boosted performance, enhanced quality or added value to customers. Community Champion Award The trail-blazing employee or site team who have gone on the front foot to promote manufacturing with local schools, colleges, universities or parents. Judges want to see how those with a passion for production are challenging public misconceptions over the career opportunities in manufacturing. Safe Workplace Champion Award sponsored by Arco This award celebrates the site employee who embodies the 'safety above all else' ethic that's a cornerstone of world-class manufacturing standards. From proactively risk-assessing and counteracting potential shopfloor hazards from slips, trips, falls or working at height to leading the cultural buy-in essential to getting everybody to wear the correct PPE, the judges will be looking for an individual passionate about ensuring colleagues go home safe at the end of the shift. Start your entry now at www.manufacturing-champions.co.uk