Two Stockport manufacturers recognised in Made Smarter Awards

Two manufacturers in Stockport were among the first recipients of the Made Smarter Awards, recognising their efforts towards improving productivity through digital technology.

Firstplay Dietary Foods, a specialist food manufacturer, and Arden Dies, a die and tooling manufacture were named among the 158 businesses from across the North-west recognised with either gold, silver or bronze accreditation from the Made Smarter programme. Made Smarter is a government-funded and industry-led initiative helping SME manufacturers digitalise, decarbonise and drive growth, now in its fourth year in the region.

Both Firstplay Dietary Foods and Arden Dies were among 19 businesses to receive gold awards, the highest recognition of their engagement and advocacy of the programme.

Firstplay Dietary Foods, based in Stockport, makes a range of low protein products for people with Phenylketonuria (PKU) and other metabolic conditions which leaves people unable to eat protein without damaging the brain and nervous system, which can lead to learning disabilities. Made Smarter helped the business invest in new digital machinery, increasing its blending capacity, while replacing a manual weighing and packing process with automation. As a result, the business has increased production capacity 10-fold, reduced human error and waste, and is forecast to increase turnover by 30%.

Tom Fletcher, Managing Director of Firstplay Dietary Foods, said:

“For a small business like ours digital transformation is quite an overwhelming concept. Made Smarter’s support has been extremely valuable in helping us understand that solutions to our challenges exist and are within reach.

“We are thrilled to receive this award and will display it as a reminder of how far we’ve come and where we are heading.”

Commenting on the awards, Donna Edwards, director of Made Smarter’s North West adoption programme, said:

“The Made Smarter adoption programme is a huge success story for UK manufacturing. It has inspired leadership and evoked change in hundreds of businesses through technology and new skills.

“Digital transformation can be hard, particularly in the current climate and given the challenges the sector has faced in recent years, so it is right we recognise the hard work, dedication and forward-thinking nature of these businesses and their employees. They have embraced digitalisation to become a leading example of UK manufacturing excellence.

“We are delighted to launch our first Made Smarter Awards and hope that recipients will wear them like a badge of honour to inspire others around them.”