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An SME manufacturer in Stockport has been named winner of the Made Smarter North West award in recognition of its digital transformation and participation in the Made Smarter programme.
Firstplay Dietary Foods, a specialist manufacturer of low-protein food for sufferers of phenylketonuria, will now progress to the national awards where the overall winner will be announced in Liverpool on June 27th. Last year saw the business awarded a Gold accreditation from the Made Smarter scheme.
The Made Smarter Adoption Awards champion SME manufacturers and engineering companies who have committed to adopting new technology and skills to digitalise, decarbonise and drive growth. The inaugural national awards come as the government-backed Made Smarter programme rolls out to more regions of the UK; it was first piloted in the North-west in 2019.
Commenting on the launch of the awards, Brian Holliday, Co-Chair of the Made Smarter Commission, said:
“The Made Smarter Awards celebrate digital transformation among SME manufacturers, and it is with great pride to see these inaugural awards taking place this year.
“I would like to congratulate all winners and nominees, from across all the regions, as we collectively celebrate the successes the Made Smarter adoption programme has helped support in each of the individual manufacturing businesses.
“The impact of the programme continues at pace with the creation of thousands of new jobs, the adoption of multiple digital technologies and empowerment of future digital leaders with our skills and leadership training.
“We are looking forward to the expansion of the programme into more regions in 2025. This allows us to truly support increasing manufacturing productivity, raising exports through international competitiveness, strengthening UK supply chains and creating new value streams and reducing CO2 emissions.”
Tom Fletcher (pictured), Managing Director of Firstplay Dietary Foods, said:
“Made Smarter’s support has been transformational to our business. The team has helped us create a digital roadmap, invest in game-changing automation and embed new digital leadership skills in our business. Our partnership with Made Smarter has been incredible and this award is the icing on the cake.”