Excellence in Manufacturing Process

Home / Excellence in Manufacturing Process
Need Help
Request a Callback

You’re thinking about entering the Excellence in Manufacturing Progress Category? Excellent!

Nominations are open for consideration of the Excellence in Manufacturing Process at the annual Hunter Manufacturing Awards.

Registration takes 5 minutes. Applications are open from 8 May and close 19 July. If you have been unable to meet the deadline, please contact HMA to make an alternate arrangement.

Please read the following definition before completing your application form to ensure you are submitting in the correct category.

Definitions & Guidelines

To assist you with this application the judges have provided some guidelines.

When providing your answers, the “For Example” / guidelines we have suggested for each question are not intended to be exhaustive. They are designed as examples and prompts to help you understand the judges’ requirements. It is important that where you state that you have evidence in support of the specific question you are answering, you need to provide that evidence – usually, a generic brochure or company overview is not sufficient.

Manufacturing Process

Excellence in manufacturing process will be assessed by examining evidence of measurement of a number of essential inputs and outputs.

Nominations are open to any manufacturing company that has developed or introduced a manufacturing process by improvements to inputs (through planned investment in any or all of production capability, systems, services and people ) resulting in increased profitability, emanating from improved efficiency/productivity, reduced waste, better quality etc.

The judges will look for evidence of planning, targeted improvements, leadership and commitment and outcomes.

Note – Applicants may find that their application into the Excellence in Manufacturing Process category may also be a ‘fit’ for another category, such as marketing, product design, innovation, export, etc. By adapting the information to fit the criteria of other categories you give yourself the opportunity for your product, process etc to be profiled in more than one sector.

Download the full application pack and category questions

Apply Now Back to Top

Example Information Required

Each of the listed criteria must be addressed and where possible, evidence provided

Photographs, drawings, etc, may be included as an attachment to this application form and should be labelled clearly for the judges. E.g. Question 3 – evidence provided

Please address the following criteria and restrict the content of each criteria response to 200 words or less. For example; Question 1 can only have a maximum of 200 words.

Maximum File Size

The entry form allows a maximum file size of 20MB to be uploaded. If you are having issues with the size of your example files, please contact Carol McEwan on info@hma.org.au or call 0438 242 899 to make an alternate arrangement to send your file(s).

Download the full application pack and category questions

Apply Now Back to Top

Judging Criteria & Values

Below is a breakdown of each question, the criteria judges will be looking for and the value of each question.

Question Judging Criteria Value
  1. Describe the "pre' situation. Describe and quantify, where possible in $ and time, the investment made in planning for the process improvement.
  • How was the need to improve identified
  • How was the effect on the business assessed and quantified
  • What form did the business case take that resulted in the project being approved to proceed
  • How was the planning stage managed to ensure the success of the project e.g. workplace consultation. communication and engagement, allocation of resources, contingency planning
  • Other

5 / 50
  1. What targeted KPI's or improvements to KPI's (to be measured) were nominated and documented before commencing? A measure of improved profitability (disguised for commercially sensitive reasons if necessary) is mandatory.

Are the KPIs and measures used for the project:

  • relevant to the project
  • sensible and achievable
  • measurable
  • have a defined time frame for achievement
  • written down, communicated to all stakeholders and reviewed regularly
  • Other

5 / 50
  1. What investments ($ and/or time) were made?
  • Production capability, e.g. production capex
  • Systems, e.g. inventory management, measuring
  • Services, e.g. utility supply and cost, maintenance practices
  • People and teams, e.g. management structure, training, incentives
  • Innovation and/or innovation process

5 / 50
  1. Describe the "post" situation and quantify improvement in profitability and all other nominated KPI's.

Answers to this question need to match the KPIs listed in Question 2. Direct correlation between the project approved KPIs and the results will provide conclusive evidence of success. Sustainability of the change and KPIs needs to be demonstrated.

25 / 50
  1. Describe any pleasing/exceptional non quantitative outcomes achieved, and if there were any, what it might mean for your organisation.
  • Improved reporting at all levels
  • Improved relationships between management and staff.
  • Greater engagement by staff and improved culture
  • More effective teams showing greater initiative to further improve the business
  • Potential further improvements in related processes
  • How these outcomes can be leveraged to bring about change in other sections or groups within the business
  • Other

5 / 50
  1. What if any unforeseen benefits emerged and how might these be applied to other processes/products/locations?
  • Improved accountability for targets at all levels in the organisation
  • Ability to apply the improvements to other sections within the business
  • New or expanded markets not envisaged in the original KPIs
  • Greater recognition internally and externally of the skills and worth of the business that might lead to further investment in improvements
  • Other

5 / 50

Download the full application pack and category questions

Apply Now Back to Top

Previous Year's Winner

Excellence In Manufacturing Process – Nupress

2018 Winner – Nupress

This award is very often fought out on a battlefield of capacity vs capability where capacity can be defined as doing more of the same product at lower cost while capability is being able to do many different products at competitive cost.

Nupress opted for capability and in doing so opened up opportunities in very closed markets such as the domestic and global defence industries.

A good result for Australia, a great result for Newcastle!

Back to Top

Apply Now

Please Register first before completing your application form. Registration takes 5 minutes and close 19 July. Applications are open from 8 May and close 19 July.

Follow the below link to start the registration process.

Apply Now