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CIL voted UK's Best Small Company by Cranfield School of Management
Managing director John Boston reports on a day of suspense at the London Hilton.
To see the full article from works management click her click
here.
After a day of high tension at the London Hilton, Park Lane on
September 29th we finally heard the announcement that made all
the waiting worthwhile; CIL was voted as Best Small Company at
the prestigious Best Factory Awards ceremony. The award was presented
to John Boston, Managing Director of CIL who received it on behalf
of all employees of CIL. A small company is defined as one employing
less than 500 people.
Now in their 14th year, the BFAs, are organised by Works Management
magazine in partnership with Cranfield School of Management. These
awards stand apart from other award schemes because of their rigorous
judging procedures. Every aspect of operational and manufacturing
performance is analysed during a long and intensive investigation
by three industry experts and, when you think of the scope of
the competition, it is a great honour that CIL has been voted
as the best company in the UK employing less than 500 people.
We consider this award as recognition of the high levels of investment
that we have made over the past few years to stay ahead and grow
when many of our competitors are standing still or in recession.
In the citation that accompanied the award the fact that we have
proved to be determined to stay ahead of the competition by replacing
95% of our equipment over the past five years counted strongly
in our favour, as did our ability to manage change, the modern,
clean environment on the shop floor and the high levels of motivation
of the staff. Another factor commented on was our determination
to develop our own products manifested by our innovative work
in developing a range of products using high power LEDs.
The report from Cranfield School of Management summed up by saying:
"When investment, flexibility, and simplicity on the shop floor
are combined with customer focus it isn't difficult to connect
why CIL is the Best Small Company this year."
From a more personal viewpoint it proves that it is not only our
customers who say 'wow' when they look around the new factory
- the team of highly qualified industry experts who make up the
selection panel had the same response. As one of our staff at
the awards ceremony said (rather immodestly I might add): "A lot
of companies might think they are the best and a lot of companies
say they are the best but, according to the Cranfield School of
Management, we are the best."
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