CBM award winners 2024: Darren Wilding, Joshua Wood (both G-TEM), Kayleigh Simm (KMF Precision Sheet Metal), Ben Higgins and Martin Hinckley (both Sertec Group)
At the prestigious Confederation of British Metalforming’s Company of the Year event, the Sertec Group walked away with the top prize. The precision automotive engineering specialists employ over 2000 people across its ten global locations.
The judges at the event said that they were impressed by “its [the Sertec Group] journey to excellence.” Said journey sees an increase in productivity, enhanced on-time delivery and improvements in its employee engagement approach.
“It has been another difficult year for the metalforming sector, who are facing up to global conflicts, continued supply chain disruption and high inflation,” said Steve Morley, President of the Confederation of British Metalforming (CBM). “In spite of all this, our members have continued to show great resilience and innovation to post increased sales, export growth and investment in safety, people and new technology.”
He continued, “This is illustrated by the winners at our Annual Dinner. All of them are striving to be the best they can be in their respective fields and, importantly, are committed to raising the profile of our sector and what UK manufacturing can do.”
Other winners at the Confederation of British Metalforming's Company of the Year event
Alongside the Sertec Group, other organisations and individuals were celebrated at the awards. Kayleigh Simm from KMF Precision Sheet Metal was awarded Apprentice of the Year, with G-TEM a double winner on the night.
Simm’s win is a huge accomplishment for herself and women in the industry in general. After joining KMF Precision Sheet Metal in 2022, she has gone on to advocate vocational learning for young people, which has seen her lead career fairs for the company in 15 schools and colleges.
“It is fantastic to have a female engineer win the Apprentice of the Year title, and this will no doubt help us attract more girls into our sector,” said Geraldine Bolton, CEO of the CBM.
“Our Annual Dinner continues to be an excellent vehicle for promoting and celebrating the very best of the UK’s metalforming sector. In addition to the awards, more than 200 guests also enjoyed an inspirational talk by Dave Heeley OBE, who has earned the nickname of ‘Blind Dave’ after raising hundreds of thousands of pounds completing marathons and other endurance challenges.”