Manufacturers in Cumbria are celebrating after being acknowledged at the first-ever Made Smarter Adoption Awards.
The ceremony honours manufacturing and engineering firms that have committed to adopting technology and digital skills to decarbonise, drive growth and digitalise.
The initiative is spearheaded by Made Smarter, a national movement centred on quickening the adoption of technology and skills.
Amongst the celebrations, McMenon Engineering Services emerged triumphant at the North West regional awards, clinching the Made Smarter Award for the Cumbria region.
Other shortlisted firms included Kong Climbing in Keswick, Northern Pasta in Kendal, Contour Campervan Furniture in Kendal, Solway Showjumps in Carlisle, and Cakes from the Lakes in Keswick.
Anand Puthran, CEO of McMenon, said: "We are thrilled to have won the Cumbria award which celebrates the progress we have made on our digital journey.
"Thanks to Made Smarter’s support, we have been able to invest in automation technologies that will vastly improve productivity and capacity of our calibration lab which is a great asset of the business and sets us apart from competitors.
"It will no doubt have a major transformational impact on McMenon.
“From the very start working with Made Smarter has been a positive, streamlined and frictionless process.
"The level of insight and experience of technology advice has been incredible.”
The Made Smarter Adoption Programme is a government-backed initiative providing support such as digital transformation workshops, expert technological advice and grant funding.
Since 2019, North West SME manufacturers have invested £22m in new technologies, expecting to create 1,600 new jobs, more than 2,850 upskilled roles, and add £242m to the economy over the next three years.
Donna Edwards, director of the Made Smarter Adoption Programme in the North West, congratulated the winners and nominees.
She said: "I would like to congratulate the winners and nominees who have all embraced digitalisation to become leading examples of UK manufacturing excellence.
“Digital transformation is challenging, particularly given the challenges the sector has faced in recent years, so it is right we recognise the forward-thinking nature of these businesses and their employees.
"I am incredibly proud of what the Made Smarter team has achieved over the last five years."
The Made Smarter Commission's co-chair, Brian Holliday, said: "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."
If you're interested to learn more about the efforts of Made Smarter or want to get involved, more information can be found at www.madesmarter.uk.
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