Twenty one companies make the shortlist of national Manufacturing Excellence Awards

Twenty one manufacturing companies have been shortlisted as part of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Manufacturing Excellence Awards business improvement programme.

Shortlisted companies will receive visits from expert assessors prior to attending a judging panel during the summer period. Winners will be announced at a prestigious ceremony on Tuesday 30 September at WMG, University of Warwick.

Christopher Simpson, Chairman of the Manufacturing Excellence Awards Executive, said:

“These twenty one companies demonstrate the breadth of fantastic manufacturing business in the UK.

“Apart from the opportunity to win a prestigious award, it is also great to see so many companies taking advantage of the free expert advice and feedback provided by our assessors, as part of the programme.”

The Manufacturing Excellence Awards programme has been helping UK manufacturing companies improve for over 30 years. This year marks the launch of a new, streamlined online process aimed at easing the path to gaining individually tailored expert advice.

The twenty one shortlisted companies are:

• Altro Ltd: Letchworth-based flooring manufacturer;
• BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd: Defence, security and aerospace company, based in Blackburn;
• Brother Industries (UK) Ltd: Electronics and electrical equipment company based in Wrexham, Wales;
• Building Adhesives Limited: Tiling adhesives and grouts manufacturer, based in Stoke-on-Trent;
• Coca-Cola Enterprises: Wakefield-based operations of international drinks manufacturer;
• Cummins: Diesel engine manufacturer, based in Darlington;
• Elster Water Metering Ltd: Luton-based water and energy meter manufacturer;
• Graphic Plc: Manufacturer of high technology Printed Circuit Boards, based in Crediton;
• Loadhog Ltd: Sheffield-based transit packaging innovator;
• Mabey Bridge Ltd: Chepstow-based manufacturer of steel bridging, infrastructure, wind turbine towers and heavy plated structural steelwork;
• Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group: Cambridge-based aircraft maintenance, modification and design company;
• MBDA: Stevenage-based missiles systems company;
• Mech-Tool Engineering Ltd: Darlington-based manufacturer of products that protect people and plants from blast, fire and heat hazards;
• Meggitt Polymers and Composites: Loughborough-based manufacturer of seals for aircraft and oil platforms, as well as flexible fuel tanks and coatings;
• Meltech: Blackburn-based company which manufactures cable coiling machinery, wire annealing furnaces, and continuous copper and aluminium extrusion equipment;
• Selex ES Limited: International electronics and information technology business, based in Luton;
• Subsea Technologies Ltd: Aberdeen-based subsea engineering business;
• Tek-Tanks Ltd: Supplier of water, waste and diesel fuel tanks to the Marine Industry, based in Alton, Hampshire;
• Tharsus: Engineering and contract manufacturing company, based in Blyth Northumberland;
• VerdErg Connectors Limited: Bromborough-based manufacturer of specialist equipment for offshore energy sector and;
• ZF Lemforder: Birmingham-based company that assembles corner units - suspension, drive shaft and brake assemblies for three Land Rover models.

The Manufacturing Excellence Awards was established in 1982 and is widely recognised in the business world for promoting the very best of UK manufacturing.

The 2014 Manufacturing Excellence Awards is run in partnership with AESSEAL®, The ERA Foundation, Grant Thornton, Lombard, NatWest, Renishaw and WMG. This year’s sponsor is Hexagon Metrology and Supporters are MAS (Manufacturing Advisory Service), the Department for Business and Innovation, the MTC, and Power Panels.

Notes to Editors

• Contact the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Press Office on 020 7304 6877 or email media@imeche.org
• The Institution of Mechanical Engineers was established in 1847 and has some of the world’s greatest engineers in its history books. It is one of the fastest growing professional engineering institutions. Headquartered in London, we have operations around the world and over 105,000 members in more than 140 countries working at the heart of the most important and dynamic industries such as the automotive, rail, aerospace, medical, power and construction industries. For more information about Manufacturing Excellence: www.imeche.org/manufacturingexcellence 
• AESSEAL® was established in 1979, and has grown to become one of the world’s largest mechanical seal and seal support system manufacturers.  Headquartered in Rotherham, AESSEAL® has operations in over 230 locations; selling reliability focused engineering solutions to over 100 countries. In addition to mechanical seals, a range of services including: engineering, technical support, repairs, asset management, condition based maintenance and equipment reliability assessments are offered. 
• The ERA Foundation contributes to the economic vitality of the UK by supporting activities that help bridge the gap between research and commercialisation in engineering (with a particular focus on the broad field of electrotechnology). Alongside its commercial activities, the Foundation provides charitable donations to trusts and professional bodies promoting the importance of UK engineering and supporting young engineers at formative stages of their careers. We sponsor several prizes which encourage entrepreneurship and industrial excellence; we also sponsor and help organise lectures and conferences, and produce reports based on independent analysis, making the case for the critical role engineering and productive industry play in the nation’s future economic health.
• Grant Thornton is one of the world’s leading organisations of independent assurance, tax and advisory firms. These firms help dynamic organisations unlock their potential for growth by providing meaningful, forward-thinking advice. Proactive teams, led by approachable partners in these firms, use insights, experience and instinct to understand complex issues for privately owned, publicly listed and public sector clients and help them to find solutions. More than 38,500 Grant Thornton people, across over 120 countries, are focused on making a difference to clients, colleagues and the communities in which we live and work. The UK Grant Thornton member firm provides services to over 40,000 privately held businesses, public interest entities and individuals. It is led by more than 185 partners and employs more than 4,200 of the profession's brightest minds. Find out more at www.grant-thornton.co.uk
• Lombard is the largest asset financer provider in the UK and has been voted ‘Best Leasing & Asset Finance Provider’ by Business Moneyfacts for six consecutive years from 2009-2014. Lombard provides various forms of asset finance to many different types of businesses, from SMEs to large multi-national corporates. Products range from Hire Purchase, Finance Lease, Operating Lease, to Sale and Leaseback, as well as specialist divisions that provide funding for manufacturing, sustainable and green energy, agriculture and technology products. Having celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2011, Lombard is headquartered in Crawley, West Sussex, with an extensive network of business centres situated throughout the UK. Lombard North Central Plc is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Lombard North Central Plc is an appointed representative of The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
• NatWest. At NatWest we recognise the importance of the manufacturing sector and have aligned our teams to ensure specialist support is available to our manufacturing customers. Our Relationship Managers have a specialist interest in the sector and work to better understand the wider issues which face manufacturing businesses. From assisting you with improving supply chain efficiency, helping you to realise your international trade ambitions and providing guidance around sustainable energy, our teams have the experience to support you.
• Renishaw supplies metrology and healthcare products used for applications as diverse as jet engine and wind turbine manufacture, through to metal 3D printing, dentistry and brain surgery. The FTSE 250 listed company employs 3,400 people globally, with over 70 offices in 32 countries and annual sales of £347 million, of which 94% is exports. The company has won numerous international awards, including 16 Queen’s Awards, and in 2012 its main UK assembly facility was named the UK’s Best Electronics Plant. 
• WMG was founded by Professor Lord Bhattacharyya in 1980 to help reinvigorate UK manufacturing. From its inception, WMG’s mission has been to improve the competitiveness of organisations through the application of value adding innovation, new technologies and skills deployment, bringing academic rigour to industrial and organisational practice. An academic department of the University of Warwick, it is one of the world’s leading research and education groups and an international role model for how universities and business can successfully work together.
• Hexagon Metrology offers a comprehensive range of products and services for all industrial metrology applications in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, energy and medical. We support our customers with actionable measurement information along the complete life cycle of a product – from development and design to production, assembly and final inspection. With more than 20 production facilities, 70 service centres and a network of over 100 distribution partners on five continents, we empower our customers to fully control their manufacturing processes. www.hexagonmetrology.co.uk