(October 19, 2011)



Brammer, the UK’s leading distributor of industrial maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) products and services, celebrated the very best in manufacturing performance improvement at its 2011 Manufacturing Forum and Awards Lunch.

Held at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, the awards were presented by Lord Digby Jones, the renowned former trade minister and ex-director general of the CBI, who also gave an insightful keynote address on the future for UK manufacturing industry in the global economy. More than 120 senior delegates attended the forum, from all sectors of UK manufacturing.

The Manufacturing Forum provided delegates the opportunity to participate in workshops on ‘The role of continuous improvement in asset maintenance strategies’ led by Graham Paterson, Group Manufacturing Excellence Manager of Premier Foods, and Alan France, Operations Director of Idhammer Systems, and ‘Continuous improvement in procurement and supply chain strategies’ by Dr Keivan Zokaei.

Now in their fifth consecutive year, the annual Brammer Awards showcase and celebrate the finest examples of sustainable manufacturing, production efficiency improvement, product and service innovations that Brammer, and its supply partners, have delivered to help customers improve their manufacturing operations.

The award winners were as follows:

• Sustainable Manufacturing – Coca Cola Enterprises
• Increased Production Uptime – Cargill
• Reduced Maintenance – Ball Packaging
• Business Process Improvement – Diageo
• Supplier Relationship Management – SKF

This year’s event also saw Brammer formally receive the prestigious Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) Certification Standard in Procurement Policies following a thorough assessment programme that reviewed the company’s processes against strict criteria. Brammer is believed to be the first engineering component distributor to achieve this standard.

Ian Ritchie, Managing Director for Brammer UK, said: “It was our privilege to host this event, celebrating the key innovations that improve manufacturing industry competitiveness, at Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry . Manchester is a city with such a fascinating history of manufacturing and engineering innovation, and we could think of no better location for an event that focuses on the advancements made by the UK manufacturing industry to remain at the forefront of the global marketplace in the 21st century.

“Our annual awards ceremony highlights those businesses that have made outstanding operational improvements to reduce costs, optimise processes and improve the sustainability of their manufacturing operations. We were honoured to have Lord Digby Jones attending the event to deliver both the keynote address and Brammer awards and we would, once again, like to congratulate all our finalists and winners on their well-deserved awards.”

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