UK Sensor Manufacturer Wins Prestigious Factory of the Year Award

Honeywell Company, City Technology (UK), manufacturer of gas sensors, has won three awards in the prestigious 2014 Best Factory Awards run by Cranfield School of Management in association with Works Management magazine. The hat trick included Best Electronics & Electrical Plant, the Innovation Award and the coveted Toyota Material Handling Factory of the Year prize, which was won by Sony in 2013.

The awards were announced on Friday 26 September at a ceremony in London. They recognise UK manufacturers who lead the way in continuous improvement and deliver enhanced performance for their customers. City’s UK manufacturing facility in Portsmouth beat a host of well known names to the Factory of the Year Award, including 3M, Bosch Thermotechnology, Brita Water Filter Systems and Coca-Cola Enterprises. City was also nominated for a fourth award – People & Skills.

Rob Love, City Technology’s site leader in Portsmouth, explained that innovation and continuous improvement is a cumulative process built on solid foundations of world class quality. “Our gas sensors use complex electrochemistry processes that provide gas detector manufacturers with the highest levels of reliability in some of the most challenging operating environments. It is a huge responsibility to know that an individual’s life depends on our sensors. They simply have to be manufactured to the highest quality.

To win the Best Factory Award is a major achievement, not only because of the tough judging process, but also due to the strength of the other finalists. Amongst the factors recognised were 10% improvement in operational efficiency, hitting our customers’ requested delivery times 98% of the time, significant growth in turnover and reductions in downtime. Winning the award for innovation is also a fitting tribute to the contribution made by every one of our 300 employees in Portsmouth, as we continue to bring innovative new sensing solutions to the market.”

Sean Clay, General Manager, Honeywell Sensors Division, said, “The sustained improvement in all aspects of City’s performance, from developing innovative new products through to world class manufacturing techniques that significantly improve quality, has enabled us to cement much closer relationships with our customers. To win three awards in such a prestigious awards programme is a fantastic achievement. It recognises our world class position. I congratulate everyone at our Portsmouth site for their efforts in achieving such outstanding manufacturing performance.”

Dr Marek Szwejczewski, director of the Best Factory Awards, commented: “Reviewing this year’s winners, we can see that they share several common traits; they have a clear manufacturing strategy, which is cascaded down the organisation to the factory floor. The winners are customer-focused; they listen to the voice of the customer and have a strong improvement ethos as part of their DNA.”

The Best Factory Awards took place at London’s 8 Northumberland Avenue and attracted an audience of around 250 manufacturing leaders.