The big, the small, the growing and the world-class prepare for judgment day as 52 companies, in businesses from beetroot packaging to luxury cars, make the shortlist for the 2011 The Manufacturer of the Year Awards.
The shortlist for the 2011 The Manufacturer of the Year Awards has been announced, revealing that over 50 companies have made the first cut across 11 categories.
Despite a tough year for manufacturing, the awards programme has received entries from the highest number of companies for several years, from big names including BAE Systems, Bentley Motors, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Herman Miller, Molson Coors, Premier Foods, Ricardo, Sheffield Forgemasters, The Royal Mint, Tata Steel Speciality and many more.
Class leading small and medium-sized companies, such as Avon Metals, JJ Churchill Engineering, Morgan Motor Company, Responsive Engineering Group, Drallim Industries – which is shortlisted in three categories – and many more joined the global heavyweights. Many companies had not entered the TMotY Awards in previous years.
The judges have shortlisted six companies in 10 of the categories, and all the shortlisters are now invited to attend a judging day on October 12th to make face-to-face presentations to the independent judging panel.
The competition is remarkable in its diversity, with entries from nearly every sub-sector of manufacturing. Automotive, food and drink companies, engineering consultancies, defence contractors, speciality steel, aerospace, precision components, luxury furniture, paint, food distribution and much more show how open the contest is and how difficult it will be to judge the winners.
Apprenticeships have been in the headlines in 2011, and a new category, the Young Manufacturer of the Year, was introduced this year to acknowledge the achievements of manufacturing employees under 25-years old. It proved to be a popular category as prestigious companies including BAE Systems (Samlesbury), Bentley Motors, Honeywell and Tata Steel made the shortlist, and with the pride poured into training standards, it is bound to be intensely competitive.
Other categories that will be fiercely contested include Leadership, where super-efficient bottling business Accolade Wines go head to head with rapidly growing JJ Churchill Engineering, Peter Bernard’s successful SME Responsive Engineering Group, window company turned solar-panel manufacturer and installer Alumet Systems UK, toiletries giant PZ Cussons and KPI-busting heavyweight and 2010 World Class Manufacturer award runner-up CNH UK of Basildon.
The World Class Manufacturing category also looks very tight, with BAE Systems Samlesbury site, makers of the famous Eurofighter Typhoon, going toe-to-toe with filtration experts Camfil Farr, CNH UK again, global office chair brand Herman Miller, super-lean printing and direct mail business Howard Hunt group and brewing giant Molson Coors Brewing (UK and Ireland).
Innovation and Design also looks tricky to call with three innovative and very different automotive companies – Ashwoods, Ricardo and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars – up against Polypipe Civils, G’s Fresh Beetroot and Ultravision CLPL.
Judging will take place on October 12 and the awards ceremony on November 9 following The Manufacturer Directors’ Conference 2012 (MDC), both at the Lancashire County Cricket Club in Manchester.
The shortlisted companies are:
Innovation and Design
Ashwoods Automotive
G’s Marketing – G’s Fresh Beetroot
Polypipe Civils
Ricardo
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Ultravision CLPL
Leadership
Accolade Wines
Alumet Systems UK
JJ Churchill Engineering
PZ Cussons
Responsive Engineering Group
World Class Manufacturing
BAE Systems, Samlesbury
Camfil Farr
CNH UK
Herman Miller
Howard Hunt Group
Molson Coors Brewing Company (UK & Ireland)
Operations
Apex Linvar
Bespak Europe
Fenner Dunlop
Inspirepac
Premier Foods
PZ Cussons (UK)
People and Skills
Apex Linvar
DavyMarkham
Hampshire Cosmetics
Hi Technology Group
R&R Ice Cream
Sheffield Forgemasters International
Sustainable Manufacturing
Alumet Systems (UK)
Avon Metals
Boots Contract Manufacturing
Camfil Farr
Crown Paints
Muntons
Best SME
Beagle Technology Group
Cosworth Group
Drallim Inudstries
Farecla Products
Morgan Motor Company
The Authentic Food Company
IT in Manufacturing
ANM Electronics
C & J Marine
Drallim Industries
Fairfax Meadow Europe
KTC Edibles
R.H.H Franks (New Milton)
Young Manufacturer of the Year
Kai Burkitt, BAE Systems Samlesbury
Daniel Butler, Bentley Motors
Joe Miller, Drallim Industries
Oliver Jones, Honeywell MK Electric
Rush Garfitt, Tata Steel Speciality
Thomas Woods, Tata Steel Speciality
Supply Chain
Cinch Connectors
Snorkel Lifts
The Royal Mint
Manufacturing in Action
Given to the best company profiled in The Manufacturer since November 2010
CNH UK
Coca-Cola Enterprises
Samworth Brothers
Thorntons
