We are the Champions

Recent history has seen the good folk of UK manufacturing on the ropes more often than Muhammad Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle. Pummelled by privatisation and a power shift to the City under Mrs Thatcher. Then kept waiting in the porch at Number 10 while Blair and co quaffed bucks fizz with Britpop bands in the lounge. No matter. When the sector was written off and staring at defeat, we dusted ourselves off and rose to our feet. You and your teams embraced lean techniques and an avant-garde approach to empowering employees. All for one and one for all in the pursuit of outstanding performance, innovation and adding value. Now British production lines swing again: 'made in the UK' is globally coveted and the Cabinet's limo comes to the factory car park once more. But the people behind it remain largely anonymous. Of course, the Best Factory Awards and others do a great job promoting site and business-level achievements. However, there's nothing out there exclusively hoisting the grassroots manager or shift team up on the proverbial shoulders and saying: 'three cheers for these exceptional people'. It was brought home to me at a recent barbecue. Chatting with a friend's fiancé between incinerating sausages, we discussed our day jobs. He reflected that he'd once worked in a factory. The work was dull, depressing and lonely, he recalled – about as palatable as the charred chipolatas on which we munched. Cue a case for the defence to rival Henry Fonda's exploits in Twelve Angry Men. Manufacturing is vibrant, uplifting: a team sport where operator and ops director are equals in improving products loved by millions. One man remonstrating at a barbecue can only achieve so much. So please help us set the record straight. We want to hear about the unsung heroes behind your success. Pin up the pull out poster inside this issue on your notice board and get entering. Let's scream from the rooftops about our Manufacturing Champions. Enter the awards now at www.manufacturing-champions.co.uk