Best of British manufacturing: The Manufacturer MX Awards 2021 winners announced

Posted on 12 Nov 2021 by The Manufacturer

The winners of The Manufacturer MX (TMMX) 2021 Awards have just been announced at a black tie ceremony and gala dinner in Liverpool, the culminating event of this year's Digital Manufacturing Week.

Organised by The Manufacturer in partnership with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the TMMX Awards are widely considered the gold standard for the manufacturing industry and are the only peer-reviewed and judged programme of their kind.

With 2021 such a challenging year, it was, arguably, more important than ever to encourage, benchmark and celebrate manufacturing excellence, which is why we were delighted to announce a record number of nominations for this year’s TMMX Awards. 

With categories ranging from recognition in innovation and sustainability, through to apprenticeships, leadership and staff engagement, there were plenty of opportunities for UK businesses of all sizes and sectors to be recognised.

Judges included previous TMMX Awards winners, IMechE Fellows, representatives from each of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult Centres (HVMC), leading academics and industry experts.  

The Manufacturer are proud to support and champion the UK manufacturing sector, which has shown over the past 12 months its incredible agility, adaptability and resilience, all testimony to the manufacturing excellence that is out there. Your achievements, and those of your team, should be acknowledged.

Now, for this year’s TMMX Awards winners…


Manufacturer of the Year 2021 – Lander Automotive

TMMX Awards 2021 - Manufacturer of the Year - Lander AutomotiveBirmingham-based Lander Automotive is a market leading supplier of metallic and plastic manipulated tubular assemblies, welded structures and trim products, across multiple applications.

Among other things, the judging panel was impressed by Lander’s “excellent grasp of customer demand and focus on OTIF deliveries, supplier quality and delivery performance.”

Upon receiving the award, the Lander team said: “We’re absolutely humbled and really surprised to be picking this up. It’s a great honour and we’re really happy”.

Judging partner:


Runner up Manufacturer of the Year 2021 – ASM Assembly Systems Weymouth Ltd

TMMX Awards 2021 - Runner Up Manufacturer of the Year - ASM Assembly Systems WeymouthASM Assembly Systems Weymouth Ltd is the world’s largest supplier of best-in-class equipment and technological process partner for the electronics industry with almost 15,000 employees. ASM today supports electronics manufacturers all over the world in setting up their Integrated Smart Factory.

The judging panel was impressed with ASM’s commitment to R&D, highlighted by the fact the firm reinvests 9-10% of revenue back into this area. One of the judges commented: “ASM has a very sound product innovation process that marries with the strategic company objectives”.

Judging partner:


Young Manufacturer of the Year 2021 – Catriona Booth (Jaguar Land Rover)

TMMX Awards 2021 - Young Manufacturer of the Year - Catriona BoothCatriona Booth is Lead Launch Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover, which she joined as a Graduate Engineer back in 2015.

Speaking about Catriona, one of the the judging panel said: “Catriona is a humble and approachable leader, whilst also being smart and considered in her approach. I believe this is setting her for a future senior leadership role in the industry.”

Sponsored by:


International Trade – Diamond Hard Surfaces Ltd

TMMX Awards 2021 - International Trade - Diamond Hard Surfaces LtdTowcester-based Diamond Hard Surfaces Ltd is a materials technology company and solution provider to high endurance applications of a unique amorphous diamond material; Adm™ which gives extended life in high temperature, chemically aggressive and abrasive environments.

The judging panel was impressed by Diamond’s International Trade journey, including its USPs against competitor products/solutions, as well as its impressive growth (300% in 2020 alone).

Sponsored by:


Leadership & Strategy – Gripple Ltd

TMMX Awards 2021 - Leadership & Strategy - GrippleLTDSheffield’s Gripple Ltd is a market-leading manufacturer of wire joiners and tensioners for agriculture, and suspension solutions for construction.

The judges described Gripple as a “unique organisation” and praised the firm for its corporate social responsibility efforts. “It was good to see that the company has also enshrined social responsibility into their charter, mandating that some of their profits go to good causes and engaging with the local community. Gripple are clearly proud of their Sheffield roots and want to give back”.

Sponsored by:


People & Skills – AE Aerospace

TMMX Awards 2021 - AE Aerospace - People & SkillsAE Aerospace, which is based in Birmingham, is a machine to print, subcontract precision machining company for the Aerospace, Marine & Defence industries. It manufactures low to medium volume prototype components, through to original equipment and higher volume manufacture, plus spares & legacy parts.

Something that stood out for the judging panel was AE Aerospace’s passionate and compassionate team right from the top. “They have a strong desire to train and develop young people.  We could feel genuine support from the leadership who wanted the best for everyone”.

Sponsored by:


Supply Chain Excellence – Lander Automotive

TMMX Awards 2021 - Supply Chain Excellence - Lander Automotive

In addition to being named “Manufacturer of the Year”, Birmingham-based Lander Automotive also scooped the Supply Chain Excellence crown. A fantastic achievement and testimony to all the team’s hard work.

Sponsored by:


Sustainable Manufacturing – Accolade Wines’ The Park

TMMX Awards 2021 - Sustainable Manufacturing - The ParkThe Park is Accolade Wines’ drinks manufacturing, warehousing and distribution facility in Avonmouth. With The Park, Accolade is driving its mission to transform the drinks industry with agile, bespoke solutions utilising its scale and sustainable footprint.

The judges praised The Park for its significant sustainability initiatives, especially its carbon neutrality, “the result of a huge journey and investment, which required persistence and strong employees and stakeholder engagement”.

Sponsored by:


Achieving Customer Value – TSP Engineering

TMMX Awards 2021 - Achieving Customer Value - TSP EngineeringCumbria’s TSP Engineering offers technical solutions to complex problems, delivering heavy engineering to Swiss watch tolerances. TSP Engineering provides a full range of services from design, consultancy and project management to manufacture and refurbishment along with electrical engineering, instrumentation and testing.

The judging panel praised TSP for its range of ISO accreditations, its focus on people and its general structure and controls.

Sponsored by:


Operational Excellence – Lander Automotive

TMMX Awards 2021 - Operational Excellence - Lander Automotive

Lander’s third award of the night. The team’s operational excellence prowess impressed the judges and secured this category for Lander.

An amazing achievement by a hugely talented yet humble team.

Sponsored by:


Product Innovation & Design (SME) – Origin

TMMX Awards 2021 - Product Innovation & Design (SME) - OriginOrigin is the UK’s leading specialist manufacturer of bespoke aluminium bi-folding doors and windows. Despite Origin expanding globally to the US and Dubai, the family ethos remains very much at the heart of the company.

Origin impressed the judging panel with its innovative product development. One of the judges said: “Origin is clearly a business that is growing / innovating across a broad range of fronts, including services”.

Sponsored by:


Product Innovation & Design (Large Enterprise) – ASM Assembly Systems Weymouth Ltd

TMMX Awards 2021 - Product Innovation & Design (Large Enterprise) - ASM Assembly Systems Weymouth

As well as winning the coveted “Runner Up Manufacturer of the Year” title, ASM Assembly Systems Weymouth Ltd also secured the Product Innovation & Design (Large Enterprise) category. A fantastic achievement for the team and a fitting acknowledgement to all their effort and hard work.

Sponsored by:


The Manufacturer and IMechE would like to thank our sponsors, judging panel and volunteers that helped make the TMMX Awards programme possible. The Manufacturer will catch up in due course with each of the winners to get their reaction and find out what’s next at their firm.

Do you have what it takes to win at the TMMX Awards 2022?

The TMMX Awards are open to manufacturing businesses, and individuals that work directly in a manufacturing business, of all sectors and sizes. As long as you are a manufacturer with a production facility based in the UK, you can enter!

We will publish more information about next year’s TMMX Awards as soon as it’s available.

TheManufacturerMXAwards.com