Nine winners showcasing innovation and a commitment to add value to customers were recognised across categories including Manufacturing Team, Community & Skills Champion and the Unsung Hero Awards.
Top talent recognised at the Manufacturing Champions Awards included Rising Star Award winner Kodi Gledhill, from Coca-Cola European Partners, who was recognised for both her engineering skill and for her work encouraging more women into manufacturing.
Also, Safe Workplace Champion Award winner Fraser Rankine of Farne Salmon & Trout was acknowledged for his tireless efforts to reduce onsite accidents and mental health at the company’s site in Duns.
New to this year was also a SME Innovators Award, which was scooped up by the OEM Sales & Engineering team at Elfab Ltd, who demonstrated their innovative approach to creating wealth within the business and beat their competitors lead times by seven weeks.
“This year saw the highest quality of entries in the four-year history of the Manufacturing Champions Awards,” said Chris Beck, editor of Manufacturing Management magazine. “With our winners coming from a range of industries, and from everything from multinational corporations to small, family-run organisations, it demonstrates the depth of quality we have in manufacturing in the UK.”
The Manufacturing Champions Awards, hosted by broadcaster and journalist Steph McGovern, gathered hundreds of manufacturing leaders to celebrate the men and women who make UK production lines sing as well as showcasing the exciting careers on offer in the sector.
Full Manufacturing Champions Awards 2017 winners:
Manufacturing Leader Award: Winner: Kenny Macfarlane, Handrail Creations
Manufacturing Team Award (sponsored by Fujifilm SIS): Winner: Waste Reducation Team, DEB Ltd
Highly Commended: Coca-Cola PET Lines, Coca-Cola Helenic Bottling Company
Safe Workplace Champion Award (sponsored by Arco): Winner: Fraser Rankine, Farne Salmon & Trout
Highly Commended: Lee Dale, operations manager, PEME
Skills & Community Champion Award (sponsored by Brammer and Buck and Hickman):
Winner: Ian Green, Nissan Motor Manufacturing
Highly Commended: Jim Wallace, Arconic Manufacturing (GB) Ltd (Kitts Green location)
Employee-led Innovation Award (sponsored by Sony UK): Winner: Philip Edwards, Fujifilm Speciality Ink Systems
Unsung Hero Award: Winner: John Dawson, Fogarty Filled Products
Rising Star Award (sponsored by Swinton Business):
Winner: Kodi Gledhill, Coca-Cola European Partners
Highly Commended: Daniel Blake, TrakRap Limited
Maintenance Award: Winner: Business Unit 2 Maintenance Team, Weetabix Food Company
SME Innovators Award: Winner: OEM Sales & Engineering, Elfab Ltd
