This year marks the fifth anniversary of the awards, organised by Manufacturing Management magazine, which celebrate the teams and individuals who make UK manufacturing world-class.
Entries were received in eight categories from companies across all regions and sectors of UK manufacturing, demonstrating the depth of talent embedded in British industry.
“The quality of this year’s entries should be enough to change the minds of people who claim we ‘don’t make anything in the UK any more’,” said Chris Beck, editor of Manufacturing Management magazine. “The judging panel were extremely pleased to see such good work being done across the industry, and in companies of all sizes. This isn’t just an awards scheme for the ‘big boys’ who often get all the limelight – we celebrate the SMEs who make up the backbone of the economy and drive the country forward with their innovation and productivity.”
This year’s shortlisted companies are:
TEAM OF THE YEAR
- BIT Team, Crowcon Detection Instruments Ltd
- DRM Team, Devro (Scotland) Ltd
- Team Ryecroft, Ryecroft Foods Limited
- Greyhound Box
- Dispatch, Foam, Sewing & Tailoring Teams, Putnams Health Co
- Product X Team, Adder Technology Ltd
- Senior Management Team, Scapa Healthcare
MANUFACTURING LEADER
- Joan Stewart, operations manager, Hotter
- Daniel Phillips, kaizen coordinator, Triumph Motorcycles
- Kevin Thomas, pre-production manager, Allied Vehicles Group
- Gary Shiels, general manager, Devro (Scotland) Ltd
- Richard Draper, workshop manager, He-Man Dual Controls Ltd
EMPLOYEE-LED INNOVATION
- Paul Noble, operations director, Etex Building Performance UK Ltd
- John Kershaw, manufacturing operator, Scapa Healthcare
- John Bartlett, senior production planner, Scapa Healthcare
- Alex Francis, technical support, pre-production, Allied Vehicles Group
- Tom Hillman, principle simulation engineer, YASA Limited
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT CHAMPION
- Michael Vernall, EH&S manager, A. Schulman Inc Ltd
- Environmental Value Stream Team, Devro (Scotland) Ltd
- Kathryn Halstead, environmental group leader, PPG ACUK
- Paul Ferris, managing director, He-Man Dual Controls Ltd
HEALTH & SAFETY CHAMPION
- Nick Turnbull, health & safety manager, AkzoNobel
- John Gott, asset development engineer, Scapa Healthcare
- FLT Safety Team, Devro (Scotland) Ltd
- Team Ryecroft, Ryecroft Foods Limited
- Derek Smith, designer/H&S officer, He-Man Dual Controls Ltd
- Kathy Lakin, HSE manager, GKN Aerospace
RISING STAR
- Lewis Peters, production engineer, Allied Vehicles Group
- Jake Hodgkinson, fabrication supervisor, Bennett Architectural
- Georgina Stalker, project engineer, TSP Engineering
- Ewan Howell, engineering apprentice, Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems (UK) Limited
- Georgie Molloy, materials engineer, YASA Limited
- Calan Kenward, apprentice, LG Motion
- Lauren Sharples, operations apprentice, Silentnight
SKILLS & COMMUNITY CHAMPION
- Lynn Willacy, community & STEM ambassador, Air Products
- Matthew Davies, training advisor, TATA Steel
- Hannah Reid, quality systems technologist, Devro (Scotland) Ltd
- Christopher Greenough, commercial director, Salop Design & Engineering Ltd
UNSUNG HERO
- Stephanie Burgess, group HR manager, The Mereway Group of Companies
- Chris Kelly, large pack operator, Fuller Smith & Turner PLC
- Wayne Dobbs, facilities technician, A. Schulman Inc Ltd
- Marcus McMichael, vehicle assembler, Allied Vehicles Group
- Michael Howey, contract manager, Leadec
- John Pozzoli, manufacturing engineering manager, Crowcon Detection Instruments Ltd
- Frank Muir, hygiene technician, Devro (Scotland) Ltd
- Phil Draper, mobile installer, He-Man Dual Controls Ltd
“Several of these categories saw the judges at loggerheads trying to find a winner, which is exactly what we want!” enthused Beck. “My congratulations go to everyone who made the shortlist – even doing that is something to be proud of. I look forward to meeting you all and announcing the winners at the awards ceremony.”
The winners of the 2018 Manufacturing Champions Awards will be announced at a gala lunch on Thursday 6 December at the Midland Hotel, Manchester. To book your seat at the event, including a champagne networking reception, visit www.manufacturing-champions.co.uk
