Nominations open for 2018 Factory of the Year award

Are you proud of your factory performance? If so, you may want to participate in the second Factory of the Year competition.

Initiated in Germany by global management consulting firm AT Kearney, the competition was brought over to Australia with the help of the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC). It assesses factory performance across areas such as value creation, profitability, innovation, quality, agility and customer satisfaction.

The manufacturing industry is constantly evolving, and with the introduction of technologies such as additive manufacturing, Internet of Things, big data and advanced analytics, it is vital for factories to keep up with this change.

AFGC Director of Industry Affairs Samantha Blake said the competition recognises those who have achieved operational excellence.

“Factory of the Year competition is an important initiative aimed at promoting the competitiveness of the food and grocery processing sector and its importance to the Australian economy,” she said.

“Australia’s $127.4 billion food and grocery processing sector is a vital contributor to the wealth and health of the nation. It sustains Australia through the provision of safe, nutritious food, beverages and grocery products and directly employs over 320,000 people, with 40% of those jobs located in regional areas. The industry is faced with a number of challenges and in response Australian manufacturers must strive to achieve world-class excellence in operations.”

All companies that participate will receive feedback on their position in the competition compared to other companies, which will highlight areas for improvement as well as encourage competition in the industry.

“The Factory of the Year Award is a great way for organisations to identify and drive improvements needed to deliver competitiveness both locally and globally,” stated David Gowans, Partner at AT Kearney.

Last year, Lion’s Salisbury Milk plant in South Australia took home the award for its performance in three key areas: personnel productivity using automation, product and service quality, and its manufacturing excellence program driving continuous improvement.

To enter the competition, participants must fill out a questionnaire by 31 May 2018 and successful applicants will be visited on-site by the Factory of the Year team between June and August. Winners will be announced at the end of September and prizes will be awarded in March 2019.

For more information, click here.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/sittinan