Firms vie for excellence awards

A HOST of North West companies and organisations have been selected as finalists in the prestigious North of England Business Excellence Awards 2009.
 
The winners will be announced at the annual awards ceremony at the Queens Hotel, Leeds on September 24, with guest speaker, the Rt Hon Rosie Winterton MP.
 
Established in 1994 in the North West, the awards were extended four years ago to also cover Yorkshire and the North East. They judge organisations against the Business Excellence Model, a well-established management tool for assessing business performance.
 
David Teale, chief executive of North of England Excellence, said: “We have been delighted by the number and quality of this year’s entries. Not only have we had increased interest from Yorkshire, but it also seems businesses are meeting the challenge of the recession head on and looking at long-term ways to improve their competitiveness. Those which can raise their game and thrive in these difficult times will emerge at the forefront when the upturn arrives.”
 
North of England Excellence brings together Excellence North West with Excellence Yorkshire and the North East Quality Group to create a single force to encourage organisations in the North to aspire to world-class standards. A not-for-profit organisation, It offers seminars, training and other support and also runs the annual North of England Business Excellence Awards.
 
The full list of finalists includes:

Private sector – 250 employees or more:

Liverpool Direct                                                                             Liverpool
Manchester Airport                                                                       Manchester
Northern Rail                                                                                 York
Siemens Transmission and Distribution                                    Manchester
Wincanton plc – HJ Heinz NDC (Wigan)                                   Wigan
Wincanton plc – Screwfix DC (Stafford)                                    Stafford

Private sector – fewer than 250 employees:

Brand-Rex Ltd                                                                        Leigh
HCSS Education Ltd                                                             Macclesfield

Public sector – fewer than 250 employees:

Contact Burnley – Burnley Borough Council                         Burnley
Holy Cross and All Saints RC Primary School                      Salford           
The Academy – Merseyside Police                                         Liverpool           
The Valley Community School                                                Bolton
 
Public sector – 250 employees or more:
The British Library (Operations & Services)                             Wetherby
Cheshire Probation Area                                                            Chester
 
Charity and not-for-profit sector:
Gentoo Group                                                                        Sunderland
 
In addition to the finalists, five companies were given certificates of commendation:

Home Insulation Services (NW) Ltd                       Preston
SABIC Maintenance Services Group                    Redcar
Aker Solutions E&C Ltd                                           Stockton-on-Tees
Arla Foods – Stourton Dairy                                    Leeds
Business Link Northwest                                         Preston