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Northumberland’s Draeger Safety wins top business award
November 24, 2011
Draeger Safety wins WMG Award for Logistics and Operational Efficiency at the Manufacturing Excellence Awards
24 November 2011
Northumberland-based Draeger Safety was rewarded with a top business award at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Manufacturing Excellence Awards, held in London last night (Wednesday 23 November).
The award ceremony was compered by Alistair Campbell, and attended by Mark Prisk MP, Margaret Beckett MP as well as a host of other top business names.
Malcolm Irving, Head of Operations at Draeger's Blyth site, is delighted that the business has picked up an award at this year's competition, and said:
"As a business we are absolutely thrilled to have come out on top in the WMG Award for Logistics and Operational Efficiency category – especially against such stiff competition. Also to be shortlisted in no fewer than five other key categories in this prestigious national competition gives us immense pride.
“The whole Manufacturing Excellence process has again provided us with a great opportunity to benchmark ourselves with other best practice organisations who are not necessarily operating in our industry sectors. We feel that our attention to detail, robust processes and the focused, quality-led approach to manufacturing excellence have all contributed to our ongoing success.
“All of the hard work that our employees put in day-in day-out is testament to why we've picked up the award in this year’s competition. To do this in such a difficult economic climate is a great achievement indeed”.
While Stephen Tetlow, Chief Executive of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers said:
“Draeger Safety’s win is hugely encouraging for manufacturing in Northumberland and UK manufacturing more generally.
“The Manufacturing Excellence programme is not just about celebrating manufacturing success around the country, but about providing practical advice for businesses to support them on their journey during these difficult economic times.”
Draeger Safety won the WMG Award for Logistics and Operational Efficiency at the Manufacturing Excellence Awards.
Draeger Safety UK manufactures life-saving safety equipment for a range of industry sectors which include fire & rescue services, oil & gas, chemical & law enforcement. Products include compressed air-breathing apparatus as well as flame and gas detection devices. A cutting-edge business which won 2010’s Innovation in Products and Processes Manufacturing Excellence award, Draeger employs state-of-the-art technology and measuring systems to ensure it stays on top in a highly competitive market.
Proving this to be true, the Blyth-based company, recently secured many fire & rescue contracts thanks to its ‘total solution’ approach which includes compressed air breathing equipment and advanced telemetry systems (which enables the officer in charge to wirelessly monitor the breathing rates and movements of his team).
Draeger is also an innovator in the way the business is run and as part of a wide-scale refurbishment programme operational dashboard displays have been installed which enable all production staff to view key statistics on company performance. The close attention Draeger pays to continuous improvement as well as resolving current & potential future issues within the supply chain also impressed the Manufacturing Excellence judges.
In terms of logistics and operational efficiency, the company has worked hard to reduce machine changeover times in order to allow small batches to be produced economically and thus minimise the need for stock holding. In April 2011, Draeger introduced a web based system for small orders which has already processed £270k of orders.
Impressively, out of the last 21 contracts for breathing sets for Fire Brigades in the UK, the company has won 19, in many cases replacing established competitors.
The company’s commitment to its staff was one particular area highlighted by the visiting team from Manufacturing Excellence. The company has a comprehensive communication programme as well as a robust system of support for staff issues and the development of individuals, and their staff talent programme encourages Draeger employees to develop and fulfil their potential.
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Manufacturing Excellence programme is the most successful and long established manufacturing support programme in the UK, and the only one that provides a detailed benchmarking and assessment process to help improve manufacturing businesses.
As part of the Manufacturing Excellence programme, companies can get a free consultancy package worth £20,000. Companies that enter are asked to conduct an in-depth self assessment and those who complete one or more of the eight parts receive a free, bespoke and confidential benchmark report. The best companies in each module receive a free visit from a team of expert assessors who verify the audit responses and offer practical advice and suggestions for the business. The winning companies in each category then receive an award at the Manufacturing Excellence Awards.
Manufacturing Excellence is supported by PwC, Autodesk, PP Business Improvement, The ERA Foundation, Lombard, WMG, Arup, and Barclays Corporate.