NMHG vice president attains top management prize

Harry Sands, the Vice President of Manufacturing at NACCO Materials Handling Group has been awarded a top prize for the most outstanding performance on a management course.

Sheffield Hallam University awarded Mr Sands (53) the Don Earl Prize for the consistently high standards achieved on the MSc Management programme which he completed at the end of last year.

The programme was developed by NMHG in partnership with management consultants KIANG, who have been running the course at Sheffield for over two years. Participants benefit from a unique one to one form of coaching which allows them to participate without it impacting on their day to day business commitments.

Mr Sands has been with NMHG for 25 years. He began his career as one of the resident engineers working on the development of the Craigavon facility in Northern Ireland. He is currently Vice President, European operations, a remit which covers NMHG’s five manufacturing plants in Northern Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Holland.

“I think the strength of the course is that it allows participants to improve their knowledge and understanding of management concepts by focusing on real situations from one’s own business experiences.” states Mr Sands who is one of twenty NMHG employees who have participated in the programme over the past two years.

Over this period, Sheffield Hallam University have commented on ‘the consistently high standard attained’ by all NMHG participants who have included representatives from all departments, from Sales and Marketing to Manufacturing Operations.

“The MSc has allowed NMHG employees to develop their management skills via a focused, practical approach, the benefits of which can be felt throughout the company.” concludes Mr Sands.

NMHG’s commitment to invest in its employees continues. The latest intake of students have now started this year’s programme as the Sheffield Hallam management course enters its third year.

NACCO Materials Handling Group is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of fork lift trucks and warehouse equipment, branded under the names Hyster and Yale, and employs over 2,600 people in Europe.