FACTORY OF THE YEAR DEMONSTRATES OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) and A.T. Kearney have opened nominations for the second Factory of the Year competition.

AFGC Director of Industry Affairs, Ms Samantha Blake said the Factory of the Year competition which assesses factory performance has fast become the Australian industry’s recognised award for measuring operational excellence.

“Factory of the Year competition is an important initiative aimed at promoting the competitiveness of the food and grocery processing sector and its importance to the Australian economy,” said Ms Blake.

Mr David Gowans from AT Kearney said “It uses a robust, global standard of assessment having operated in Europe for more than 25 years and was first launched in Australia in 2017 with the inaugural competition winner Lion’s Salisbury Milk plant in South Australia.”

With rapidly changing developments in manufacturing through advanced technologies such as additive manufacturing, internet of things, big data, and advanced analytics, the bar for excellence is constantly moving.

Ms Blake stated “Australia’s $127.4 billion food and grocery processing sector is a vital contributor to the wealth and health of the nation. It sustains Australia through the provision of safe nutritious food, beverages and grocery products and directly employs over 320,000 people, with 40% of those jobs located in regional areas. The industry is faced with a number of challenges and in response Australian manufacturers must strive to achieve world-class excellence in operations.”

The value of the Factory of the Year for Australian food and grocery manufacturers rests in the strategic investment, productivity and operational excellence which are critical to sustainable growth across the food and grocery sector.

“The Factory of the Year Award is a great way for organisations to identify and drive improvements needed to deliver competitiveness both locally and globally.” concluded David Gowans, AT Kearney.
 

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James Mathews, AFGC
David Gowans, AT Kearney

For further information visit the Factory of the Year website.
To request a questionnaire and participate in the competition apply here.
Please send any questions about the competition to ANZFOTY@atkearney.com.