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News Release from: Conquest Business Media
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 22 September 2006
Wire joiners win manufacturing crown
Sheffield-based Gripple, a company that makes wire joiners, has beaten off competition from some of the giants of British Manufacturing to pick up the much coveted Manufacturer of the Year Award.
Sheffield-based Gripple, a company that makes wire joiners, has beaten off competition from some of the giants of British Manufacturing to pick up the much coveted Manufacturer of the Year Award At one point during the Awards ceremony, held at Coventry's Ricoh Arena, such a shock result looked most unlikely as Gripple failed to collect an award despite receiving five nominations
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 15 Mar 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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However, when it came to the evening's main prize, the company swept all before it to be acclaimed as Manufacturer of the Year 2006.
Gripple is an innovative company involved in the design, manufacture and marketing of wire-joiners known as 'Gripples', 200 million of which have been sold to more than 50 countries worldwide .
With a handful of staff at its inception in 1988, the company now has 180 employees and a £18 million turnover.
The Manufacturer of the Year Award was chosen from a shortlist of more than 30 UK-based companies drawn from a record 125 entries, and was given to Gripple for successfully and effectively combining all seven of The Manufacturer's criteria for excellence: leadership, innovation, a lean culture, people, information technology, supply chain collaboration and their manufacturing operations.
Glen White, CEO of Conquest Business Media, the company behind the awards, said, "We are delighted to present Gripple with The Manufacturer of the Year Award 2006, a much deserved accolade for an inspiring UK company.
Its success and growth is testament to all that is good in British manufacturing.
Congratulations!" The other finalists for the ultimate Manufacturer of the Year accolade were Bristol-based Rencol Tolerance Rings; Scotsman Beverage Systems from Halesowen in the West Midlands; and Hull's Smith and Nephew Wound Management.
The Awards dinner was hosted by the BBC's John Humphrys, in what was a tense and exciting evening for the major players of UK industry gathered for the Manufacturer LIVE 2006 in Coventry, the UK's leading manufacturing event.
The night also saw the presentation of 11 other industry-specific awards, with Rencol Tolerance Rings collecting two: The Skills and HR Award and The Automotive Industry Award.
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