Best Factory Award winners revealed26 September 2014

The winners of the Best Factory Awards (BFAs) 2014 have been revealed.

City Technology, Portsmouth, which makes gas sensors, took the coveted overall Toyota Material Handling Factory of the Year prize.

City also scooped the Innovation Award and Best Electronics & Electrical Plant Award at the BFAs run by Cranfield School of Management in partnership with Works Management.

Alcoa Manufacturing GB, Birmingham; Bosch Thermotechnology, Worcester; and Coca-Cola Enterprises, Sidcup scooped the other three main sector awards of Best Process Plant, Best Engineering Plant and Best Household & General Products Plant, respectively.

In the category prizes, Cummins Power Generation, Ramsgate was again winner of the Export Award. Bosch Thermotechnology, Worcester also took the Energy & Environment and Supply Chain Awards, InterFlex Group, Sunderland was named Best SME and Brita Water Filter Systems, Bicester won the Judges' Special Award. MSD, Cramlington was crowned People & Skills Development champion, LINPAC Packaging, St Helens was Most Improved Plant, and 3M UK, Newton Aycliffe scooped the Health & Safety Award.

There were also Highly Commended wins for Autoglym, Letchworth; Eaton Production International, Worksop; and Prism Electronics, St Ives.

Dr Marek Szwejczewski, director of the Best Factory Awards, commented: "This year's award winners cover the spectrum of UK manufacturing. They illustrate the renaissance that is taking place in UK industry. By focusing on high value manufacturing delivered through an emphasis on building world-class factories, they are experiencing sales, export and profit growth."

He added: "Reviewing this year's winners, we can see that they share several common traits; they have a clear manufacturing strategy, which is cascaded down the organisation to the factory floor. The winners are customer-focused; they listen to the voice of the customer and have a strong improvement ethos as part of their DNA."

Max Gosney, Works Management (WM) group editor said: "Passion and pride in the job shines through in all 13 finalists. But passion alone isn't enough to carry a site to world-class status. Our winners have skillfully fortified shopfloor enthusiasm with ambitious business objectives. Every individual works towards specific targets that feed into site-level goals like tributaries flowing into a mighty river."

He added: "Employees on our shortlisted sites bubble with self-belief and bust a gut to offer up extra ideas about how to make it better, faster, smarter and more cheaply."

The Best Factory Awards took place at London's 8 Northumberland Avenue and attracted an audience of around 250 manufacturing leaders.

See the full list of BFA winners below:

2014 Best Factory Award winners

1) Factory of the Year 2014

Winner: City Technology, Portsmouth

Sponsored by Toyota Material Handling UK

2) Best Process Plant

Winner: Alcoa Manufacturing GB, Birmingham

Sponsored by Schaeffler

3) Best Engineering Plant

Winner: Bosch Thermotechnology, Worcester

4) Best Electronics & Electrical Plant

Winner: City Technology, Portsmouth

5) Best Household & General Products Plant

Winner: Coca-Cola Enterprises, Sidcup

Highly Commended: LINPAC Packaging, St Helens

6) Best SME

Winner: InterFlex Group, Sunderland

7) People & Skills Development Award

Winner: MSD, Cramlington

Highly Commended: Alcoa Manufacturing GB, Birmingham

8) Export Award

Winner: Cummins Power Generation, Ramsgate

9) Supply Chain Award

Winner: Bosch Thermotechnology , Worcester
Highly Commended: Cummins Power Generation, Ramsgate
Sponsored by Buck & Hickman

10) Most Improved Plant

Winner: LINPAC Packaging, St Helens

Sponsored by Brammer

11) Health & Safety Award

Winner: 3M UK, Newton Aycliffe

Sponsored by IOSH

12) Innovation Award

Winner: City Technology, Portsmouth

Highly Commended: InterFlex Group, Sunderland

Sponsored by Sony UK Technology Centre

13) Energy & Environment Award

Winner: Bosch Thermotechnology, Worcester

Highly Commended: Eaton Production International, Worksop
Sponsored by Atlas Copco

14) Judges' Special Award

Winner: Brita Water Filter Systems, Bicester
Highly Commended: Autoglym, Letchworth
Highly Commended: Prism Electronics, St Ives

Ian Vallely

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