Member Article

North East company wins top industry accolade

North East-based safety solutions provider Draeger Safety UK Ltd. has been awarded one of the UK’s top manufacturing accolades by industry experts.

Blyth-based Draeger Safety UK, which is one of the region’s biggest employers in manufacturing, won the overall Institution of Mechanical Engineers Award at last night’s Manufacturing Excellence Awards. The company also won the Financial Management category and the Professional Engineering Award for Logistics and Operational Efficiency.

The annual Manufacturing Excellence Awards is one of the most successful and long established manufacturing award programmes in the UK, celebrating the success of businesses across the UK.

Draeger Safety UK was awarded the top accolade after demonstrating excellence in a number of key business areas including customer focus, innovation, logistics and operational efficiency, people effectiveness, business development, financial management and sustainable manufacturing.

Draeger Safety UK provides safety solutions which help protect people as well as infrastructure here in the UK and across the world. It works in a range of sectors including oil and gas, chemical, fire and rescue, law enforcement and general industry. At its North East plant, which employs over 400 staff, the company develops and manufactures a range of specialist safety solutions including breathing apparatus and emergency escape equipment. In addition it produces complementary electronic components and assembles and distributes fire and gas detection systems both to the UK market as well as exporting overseas.

The award was presented to Draeger Safety UK by Minister of State for Business & Enterprise Michael Fallon at a ceremony compered by former politician Michael Portillo.

Malcolm Irving, Head of Operations Region Europeat Draeger Safety UK said: “We are delighted to win the overall Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Manufacturing Excellence Award. It clearly is a fantastic achievement for the business, our people and the North East and demonstrates the high standards and the commitment to manufacturing excellence we implement across the organisation. This was genuinely a team effort, supported by and with input from every area of our business.

“We were nominated alongside some great businesses and it is very important to acknowledge the success manufacturing continues to have at a local, regional and national level across the UK, despite the continued difficult economic climate.”

Summing up the reasons for the business’ ongoing success, Draeger Safety UK’s Managing Director Mike Norris concluded: “Customer focus, innovation and efficiency are key to our business and ensure we continually grow within our target markets. We are also a forward-looking business, continually investing in our people, infrastructure, systems and vitally in R&D. By doing all of these, we continue to meet the needs of the market and remain one of the leading manufacturers of safety solutions, both here in the UK and across the globe.”

Philippa Oldham, Head of Manufacturing at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and one of the Manufacturing Excellence judges said: “Draeger Safety UK is an example of what can be achieved through ambition and commitment. The company’s focus on customer service and quality was what impressed the judges, along with the management of the company’s onsite processes and procedures which we judged to be first-class.

“The company has also shown that it is committed to growth by investing significantly over the last five years to develop new products in order to help the business expand still further.

“Draeger Safety UK is a truly spectacular company which illustrates that manufacturing is very much alive and thriving in Northumberland and the UK more widely.”

To find out more about Draeger Safety UK, visit www.draeger.com

For more information about Manufacturing Excellence: http://www.mxawards.org/

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Draeger Safety UK .