The 3M manufacturing plant at Aycliffe has won a national Best Factory Award for the second year running.
In 2014 it took the top honours in the Health and Safety category of the awards programme, organised by Works Management magazine in partnership with the Cranfield School of Management.
This year it was judged top in the category for Best Household and General Product Plant, which, as well as health and safety, covers every aspect of the operation from quality and service to productivity and financial performance.
3M Aycliffe, which manufactures respirators for worker safety and products for the vehicle aftercare market, was the only category winner to have triumphed two years in a row.
“It’s tremendous recognition for the plant and all of our people,” said site manager Colin MacLeod. “Our success is down to each and every one who works here.
“Being part of this awards scheme is a great way to benchmark ourselves externally against other companies throughout the UK and to learn from each other.”
Dr Marek Szwejczewski, director of the Best Factory Awards, commented: “We read a lot about the poor performance of UK manufacturing, especially the productivity gap. However, a visit to this year’s Best Factory Award winners quickly eradicates such misconceptions about the state of UK manufacturing.
“The best plants have been continuously improving in terms of delivery, quality and, importantly, productivity. The Best Factory Award winners provide the benchmark of manufacturing excellence and we are very proud to acknowledge and celebrate their achievements.”
Victorious 3M Aycliffe representatives at the awards ceremony – l-r: Fraser Shearer, Value Stream manager; Alan Wearmouth, European Quality manager; Colin MacLeod, site manager; Craig Wood, Value Stream manager and Andrew Wall, Technology manager.
