An automotive component company was named Manufacturing Company of the Year following record turnover growth and international expansion.
Automotive Insulations (AI), received its award at the Made in the Midlands Awards 2014 which were held in May.
The company, which has tripled its turnover over the last four years develops and manufactures acoustic insulation materials and components for the automotive industry.
In the last 12 months, Automotive Insulations has opened a factory in Germany. It has another in Sweden as well as its home facilities near Birmingham.
But although AI is now a thriving enterprise, it has come through hard times. Judges at the Made in the Midlands awards acknowledged that it “was once on the edge” and commended the dedication of its MD Jim Griffin for showing leadership and commitment to turning the company around.
Through persevering with investment in innovation, diversification, joint ventures and workforce development, AI has been able to recover and expand, both in the UK and internationally.
AI will now go forward to compete against other regional winners at the national Made in the UK Awards in Liverpool in July.
In the manufacturing-rich region of the Midlands, AI was unsurprisingly up against some strong competition for the Manufacturing Company of the Year title.
Other firms which vied for the title included industrial giant Siemens, garden products manufacturer Hozelock and fellow automotive supplier, Brose.
Jim Griffin said he was delighted that AI had been recognised as a special success story.
“We have experienced a period of unprecedented growth over the past two years thanks to some bold decisions and an investment in staff and technology,” he explained.
“It hasn’t always been easy, and this award is a great vindication of the commitment of all our staff, from machine operators through to the management team.”
AI specialise in several niche manufacturing processes including cut and seal technology, lightweight acoustic solutions and composite solutions.
Testing has been brought in-house with the installation of their own acoustic testing facility which enables the identification of absorption and transmission loss of different materials.
The company has also developed their own lightweight material known as Xlite™ which is mouldable and weldable. It is used in the Range Rover Evoque as well as other car models and can reduce weight by up to 70% according to the company.
The Manufacturer of the Year Awards.
Keen to celebrate the success of your own organisation and the contributions of your staff?
Enter TM’s annual awards scheme, The Manufacturer of the Year Awards.
The scheme celebrates the achievements of manufacturing businesses and individuals across 14 categories and crowns an overall victor for The Manufacturer of the Year Award title.
The awards are free to enter and the prize giving ceremony takes place on November 27 in Birmingham. 1,000 guests are expected to attend this event in 2014.
The deadline for entries to The Manufacturer of the Year Awards 2014 is July 31.
