Sometimes we in the UK do not help ourselves when it
comes to publicising the vitality of our manufacturing
industry and our many successes.With that in mind, the
Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) has
initiated the Manufacturing Industry Awards.Graham
Dewhurst, director general, explains

It is often said in manufacturing that we
are one of the UK’s best kept secrets. In
a world where people can say with a
straight face that we are a post-industrial
economy, and that manufacturing will
inevitably end up in the low-cost
economies of the East, many assume that
manufacturing in this country is finished.

Of course as a reader of IPE you will
know that that is not true, but sometimes
we do not help ourselves when it comes to
publicising the vitality of the industry and
celebrating our success.

The MTA is developing the
Manufacturing Industry Awards event
through a collaborative approach with the
sector’s other Trade Associations, with the
aim of strengthening the engineering agenda
– both socially and politically – and to
demonstrate the significance and success of
the industry, and its heritage, in the UK.

Each of the Award categories will be
sponsored by a Trade Association and the
competition is set to be strong. It is free
and simple to enter the awards, and the
shortlisted entries will be voted for online,
by the manufacturing public.

There is also a scholarship award – the
AMTRI Scholarship, a £10,000 fund to
promote excellence in machinery
development and engineering
manufacturing. The Scholarship, open to
professional and graduate engineers
undertaking Continuous Professional
Development, aims to encourage cooperation
between industry and the higher
education sector.

Success in manufacturing is as varied as
the sector, and the categories for the
Manufacturing Industry Awards reflect
this.With a category to recognise excellent
apprentices and graduates, one to celebrate
excellent ‘green’
credentials, one
for outstanding
training, and
two to show
excellent
partnership
working – either as a
supplier, or with a sub-contractor, the
categories really are broad. A further
description of the categories, and their
sponsoring organisation, are listed below:
Young Engineer of the Year
Sponsored by the Engineering Industries
Association, EIA. the Young Engineer of the
Year award is open to engineers who
demonstrate outstanding commitment,
achievement or innovation in engineering.

Entrants must be 25 years or under, and
show great potential to be a future leader.

Employing companies, suppliers or
individuals can nominate their Young
Engineer of the Year, and the shortlist will be
judged online, by the industry.

Drive for Sustainable
Manufacturing
Sponsored by the Confederation of British
Metalworking, (CBM), the Drive for
Sustainable Manufacturing award aims to
recognise a dramatic improvement in a
company’s environmental credentials. This
may include a business change that has
resulted in waste reduction, or reduced
energy or water consumption, or shows
improved recycling credentials. It may also
include a switch to more sustainable
materials or services. Entries are welcome
from manufacturers, suppliers and subcontractors,
and the shortlist will be voted
on by the industry.

Best Training Scheme
Sponsored by the Gauge and Tool makers
Association, (GTMA), the Best Training
Scheme award identifies those training
programmes that are both innovative and
deliver results. Training programmes that
can show clear development of both the
youngest or newest entrants into the
industry, as well as long-standing staff, are
eligible. Businesses can enter their own
training scheme, or nominate a partner’s
scheme (client, supplier, contractor) and staff
can also nominate training schemes that they
feel are worthy of the award.

Best Supplier Partnership
Sponsored by the British Gear Association,
(BGA), the Best Supplier Partnership
celebrates
successful
relationships
between a
customer and
supplier. This can
include
manufacturer and subcontractor
relationships and
suppliers into sub-contractors
companies; essentially any business
partnership that has delivered excellence in
innovation, sustainability, value or delivery.

Entries must be submitted on a partnership
basis, with both parties endorsing the
submission.

Most Dynamic Sub-Contractor
Sponsored by the British Turned Parts
Manufacturers Association, (BTMA), the
Most Dynamic Sub-Contractor award
recognises the positive difference that
excellent and forward-thinking subcontractors
can have on industry. The award
is specifically looking for extraordinary subcontractors
who go above and beyond to
integrate and, importantly deliver, to help
businesses succeed. Although entries are
welcome from sub-contractors, those subcontractors
nominated by user-companies
will stand out from the group.

The online entry for the Awards is now
live at www.mtaawards.com (final date for
submission is Friday 4th February 2011).

Voting will be open for the manufacturing
public, via the website, between 8th and 25th
February, 2011.

The Awards ceremony will be held in
conjunction with the MTA’s Annual Dinner,
and will be staged at the ICC Birmingham
on 9th March 2011. The black-tie event is
sure to attract hundreds of colleagues from
the manufacturing sector. To book your
place, visit www.mtaawards.com or phone the
MTA on the number below.