Manufacturer of the Year 2018

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Before you begin, please read below: / Total Word Count:

The total word count of your entry should be no more than 3300 words.
Entry forms exceeding this word limit will not be accepted by the judges.

This category is open to any business or organisation, irrespective of size. The organisation must have a manufacturing operation being undertaken in Kent. This category includes: food, drink and print operations. The organisation must demonstrate outstanding performance in a number of aspects relating to their manufacturing operation. These should include commercial success and evidence of growth, delivery of innovation and continuous improvements, environmental credentials, enhanced supplier relationships and supply chain development. Entrants must have been trading for a minimum of two years as of March 31, 2018.

You may upload up to 5 supporting insertions at the end of your entry (eg: tables, graphs or photos). The maximum permitted file size is 5MB in total. Please note, we can only accept image files as part of your entry (jpg, gif, png or tif).

Please enter the entrant’s name and company name as you would like to see it appear on a certificate/award, should you become a winner.

This form contains 7 questions. Please ensure that you answer all questions. Any entries not adhering to the rules at the end of the entry form will be eliminated at the next round.

PLEASE NOTE: Your entry form will automatically be entered into the Kent Excellence in Business Awards 2018 (KEiBA)providing it meets their criteria for consideration, unless otherwise notified.
Please tick the box if you do not wish to be entered in to the KEiBA Awards:

Contact Name / Name of Entrant
Company Name
Company Address
Email Address
Website Address
Telephone Number / Twitter Account
Business Sector / Main Product/Service
Nature of Business / Number of full-time employees
Legal Status of Company
Year that the business started trading
Which Accredited Chamber are you a member of?

Please tick the box if you are not a member of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce

Must be completed* / Financials 2016 / Financials 2017 / Projection 2018
Turnover*
Profit*
Reserves*

Judges will be looking for your success and achievements in the following areas:
• Trends in your business turnover and profit levels.
• Key objectives for your business and how they will be achieved.
• How you stand out from your competitors.
• Innovation that has contributed to performance.
• Evidence of continuous improvement in manufacturing processes.
• Supplier relationships and supply chain development.
• How your business protects the environment and contributes to local communities.

  1. Please outline the trend over recent years in your business’s turnover and profit levels year on year together with a brief description of key events that have contributed to these over the last 2 years.

You should cover:

  • How your sales turnover has developed
  • How your profit has developed
  • The key events that have led to any changes. Please provide an explanation

Tip: Trends that are apparent from financial results are more important than absolute numbers. Describe the major events or initiatives that have driven the trends and what you have learnt from these to inform future strategies.

Details (up to 500 words)...

Continue to next question...

  1. What key objectives have you set for your business for the next 3 years?
    How will these objectives be achieved and what level of investment is required?

You should cover:

  • Main objectives for the next 3 years
  • How these will be achieved
  • Effects that these will have on the overall business

Tip: As well as the turnover and profit levels you have set for the next 3 years, you should express your vision for the company, eg staff levels, premises, geographical reach, new markets.

Details. (up to 500 words)...
  1. How will you monitor and measure your performance against these objectives?

Tip: These are likely to include financial measures, but could also include other measures such as repeat business, customer satisfaction, staff turnover etc.

Details.(up to 500 words)...

Continue to next question...

  1. What makes your business stand out from the competition?
    What is your competitive advantage and how has your business performance compared to the competition over the last 2 years?

You should cover:

  • Reasons why you think your business stands out from the competition, e.g. products, services, customer care, price
  • What you consider your one competitive advantage to be
  • Comparison of business performance compared to the competition, and research conducted to come to this conclusion where possible

Tip: Give reasons why you think your business stands out from the competition, eg: products, services, customer care, price, speed of delivery. Your recent performance could be compared to your business rivals.

Details. (up to 500 words)...
  1. Give examples of where you have improved quality, cost and delivery that has contributed positively to your manufacturing performance in the last year. Describe the processes, tools and techniques used by your people to continuously improve performance.

You should cover:

  • Details of staff development initiatives, and how they were put into practice
  • The impact that this training and development has had on your business, e.g. operations, profitability, work/life balance etc

Tip: To remain competitive, manufacturers must focus on creating a sustainable continuous improvement culture by engaging teams through Lean, SixSigma or a similar CI framework.

Details. (up to 500 words)...

Continue to next question...

  1. Please explain how your business works with and develops its suppliers. What steps are taken to optimise supply chain performance, reduce waste and improve quality across the whole supply chain.

Details. (up to 500 words)...
  1. Give 2+ examples where you have innovated in other ways that have contributed positively to your overall business performance in the last year (excluding improvements to manufacturing processes and supply chain developments covered in Q5 and Q6)

Details. (up to 300 words)...

Please tick the box if you do not wish to be entered into the KEiBA Awards:

Entry Rules

  1. Entries are treated in confidence.
  1. All entries must be electronic and in Microsoft Word format and not a pdf.
  1. Entries should be in English and must be checked for spelling and grammar.
  1. You may upload up to 5 supporting insertions at the end of your entry (eg: tables, graphs or photos). The maximum permitted file size is 5MB in total. Please note, we can only accept image files as part of your entry (jpg, gif, png or tif). Website links used within your entry will not be activated by the judges. Supplementary information may be requested at judging level.
  1. Please note that the maximum word count for questions 1 – 7 is 3300 words. This word count limit does NOT include the questions. If your entry exceeds this word count it will be disqualified by the judges.
  1. Entrants may be asked for staff or customer testimonials.
  1. Entries will be judged by an independent and impartial panel of judges.
  1. Finalists will be notified on the 16 February 2018. Award winners will be announced at the Awards Gala Dinner being held within the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral on 22 March 2018 at Canterbury Cathedral Lodge.
  1. Entry to more than one category is allowed.
  1. Applicants must be authorised to enter their organisation into the awards programme.
  1. Incomplete entries will not be judged.
  1. All entries will be acknowledged on receipt. Entry forms will become the property of Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce and entries will not be returned.
  1. Some applications apply to the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) awards. These awards are open to members at Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce. There is a charge for non-members wanting to enter the BCC awards.
  1. The Chamber reserves the right to withdraw an award from any applicant supplying false information within their entry. Judges reserve the right to audit any information supplied.
  1. Entries must be submitted via email to .
  1. The closing date for entries is at 5.00pm (GMT) on26 January 2018

By registering and completing an entry for the Awards you agree to these terms and conditions
Please tick the box to confirm you have read and agreed to the above rules of entry