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Companies and individuals across the warehousing and third party logistics (3PL) sectors were rewarded for excellence at UKWA’s Annual Awards for Warehousing 2012 ceremony, which was held recently at London’s Dorchester Hotel.
This year the Association received a record number of entries in all categories. The winners were chosen by UKWA’s Awards Committee, which comprised Phil Culling, Chairman of storage systems specialist Redirack; Mel Grainger, a past chairman of UKWA; and Roger Williams, the association’s Chief Executive Officer.
Roger Williams commented: "UKWA’s Awards are established as symbols of achievement in the 3PL sector and emphasise the importance of logistics within today’s economy. The high number and quality of the entries we received underlines the professionalism that runs through the modern logistics industry."
A total of nine awards were presented and the winners were:
Young Employee of the Year
Winner: Joanne Dolan – Paul Ponsonby Ltd
This new award was open to any employee not in a supervisory or managerial role under the age of 25 and was won by Joanne Dolan from Paul Ponsonby Ltd. In her first year with the company, Joanne recruited nine new accounts, redesigned Paul Ponsonby’s website and compiled competitor analysis and market positioning reports.
Environment Award
Winner: Elddis Transport (Consett) Ltd
The Award to the company that demonstrates the most significant and successful application of ‘Green processes, procedures or monitoring’ during the year went to Elddis Transport (Consett) Ltd. The judges were impressed by a number of green initiatives undertaken by Elddis, which included employing a leading vehicle aerodynamics expert to design a bespoke ‘spoiler’ to fit to its vehicles, which has had a significant impact on the company’s fuel consumption.
Team of the Year
Winner: Amethyst Group
The Team of the Year award – for the company or depot that demonstrates an outstanding team effort during the past year in their warehousing operations – went to Amethyst Group. The company’s Fradley Park distribution centre near Lichfield in Staffordshire recently increased throughput by 25 per cent.
Warehouse Manager of the Year
Winner: Steve Nelson – Boughey Distribution
The judges were looking for an individual with excellent personal and professional qualities and Steve Nelson from Boughey Distribution fitted the bill.
Steve was nominated by Boughey’s Warehouse Director, Bernard Murphy, who said: "Steve’s management style is collaborative and he understands the importance of involving the team in his decisions. Since Steve joined there has been a significant improvement in the efficiency of operation and productivity within the warehouse and the team has become more motivated."
Training Award
Winner: Briggs Equipment
This award is given for training achievement and can be awarded to an individual, organisation or jointly to both.
Briggs Equipment impressed the judges with their forklift service engineers’ apprenticeship scheme. The company has heavily invested in a national apprenticeship scheme to train and educate school leavers into becoming fully qualified and multi-skilled engineers and last year, Briggs welcomed six new recruits who are now fully integrated members of Briggs’ team of engineers.
Technology/Innovation Award
Winner: Redirack Ltd
RediRack collect this year’s UKWA Technology and Innovation Award for its recently developed automated pallet storage, retrieval and sequencing solution. The judges felt that the Redirack system represents a major step forward in warehouse design and operation by combining new and innovative technology with advanced storage systems to provide greater efficiency and substantial reductions in operating costs.
Customer Service Award
Winner: Century Logistics Ltd
The judges sought evidence of customer insight and a customer focused culture within an organisation and were most impressed with Century Logistics Ltd’s entry.
Century’s managing director, Stephen Basey-Fisher, said: "The whole ethos of Century Logistics revolves around partnership. If a customer finds a task not part of its core business and/or would benefit from specialist skills, Century develops a bespoke service to undertake that task."
Best New Member
Winner: Williams Shipping Ltd
This is a corporate award given to the company showing the highest professional standards of warehousing on joining UKWA and this year it went to Southampton-based Williams Shipping Transport Ltd.
Chairman’s Award
Winner: Richard Hunt
The UKWA Chairman presents this Award to an individual or company who has made a real and lasting contribution to the logistics industry.
UKWA chairman John Maguire of Flexi Narrow Aisle Ltd chose Richard Hunt. Best known, perhaps, for his work with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (he was the CILT’s first national chairman and subsequently became President of the Institute), Richard was Chief Executive of Exel Logistics Europe before its merger with DHL. He has worked with Cranfield University and the Highways Agency Advisory Board and was awarded the CBE for his services to Logistics and Transport in 2004.
Over 400 UKWA members and their guests, together with suppliers to the warehousing industry, attended UKWA’s Awards for Warehousing 2012 ceremony.
The main sponsor of the event was Jungheinrich UK Ltd, while individual Awards were sponsored by: Lutterworth EcoLighting Ltd, Redirack Ltd, Knapp UK Ltd, Toyota Material Handling UK Ltd, Clarion Events Ltd, Briggs Equipment UK Ltd, Psion (UK) Ltd, RedPrairie Ltd and Hoppecke Industrial Batteries Ltd
