Held at the Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool, the awards are the UK’s largest and most rigorous industry awards programme delivered by The Manufacturer magazine in partnership with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).
Returning as a category for the first time since COVID-19 restrictions were eased, the Manufacturing in Action award celebrates some of the UK’s most innovative and agile manufacturers.
Leonardo’s UK helicopter business received the award after impressing the judges with its product excellence, innovation, customer satisfaction, investment in people, training, effective management and efforts to become more sustainable.
The award follows a visit by the Editorial Team of The Manufacturer magazine to Yeovil in April. The visit featured in the “Oh Gosh, I’m a helicopter” episode of The Manufacturer podcast and comprised a comprehensive tour of the site, including Blades and Rotors, Training Academy, Avionics Rigs and Simulator facility, Final Assembly Line, and Structural Test Laboratory, and concluded with a presentation of the facility's capability, which highlights why the Yeovil site is the ’Home of British Helicopters’.
The tour also provided an opportunity to learn more about the AW149 helicopter – Leonardo’s proposal for the UK’s New Medium Helicopter requirement. The Yeovil site currently supports the global in-service AW149 market with the manufacture of the aircraft’s dynamics and transmission components with the company committing to a new production line on- site dedicated to the latest generation battlefield helicopter.
Adam Clarke, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters UK, enthused: “Leonardo is delighted to have been recognised with the “Manufacturing in Action” award at The Manufacturer MX Awards, up against other world-class manufacturers. This prestigious accolade enables Leonardo in Yeovil, the UK’s only onshore helicopter facility, to highlight its unique end-to-end helicopter capability, and celebrate our people and engineering with the manufacturing sector.”
Above: Colleagues from across Leonardo's helicopter business in Yeovil celebrate their TMMX Manufacturing in Action Award in front of the AW149 – Leonardo’s proposal for the UK’s New Medium Helicopter requirement.
The evening also celebrated The Manufacturer Top 100 2022 – a showcase of those individuals who go that extra mile in their work. Nominated by their peers and judged by an expert panel, they represent the very best of the UK manufacturing industry. Those recognised this year included Strategic Planning Manager, Jon Sackett, and Chief Engineer, Military Aircraft, Michael Overd.
Also at the awards ceremony as guests as IMechE, was the team of Leonardo Apprentices who won this year’s Apprentice Automation Challenge. The team received a round of applause after securing the company’s third win in a row on 2 September, as well as winning the peer review award. The team of five apprentices designed and built a product that reduces plastic waste, with considerations for older customers, and simplifying an existing process that would have real-world benefits.
The awards form part of an especially successful period for Leonardo with the colleagues around the UK being recognised for their achievements in the MAKE UK Manufacturing awards, the Multicultural Apprenticeship awards, and the Women In Defence awards.
