Awards: Tomorrow is the deadline

The deadline for the 20th Anniversary Supply Chain Excellence Awards is Friday 22nd July (tomorrow) – and from the response so far, we are expecting a record number of entries again this year.

The winners of the 2016 Awards will be announced at a ceremony at the London Hilton on Park Lane on Monday, 14th November.

The Awards are the gold standard of supply chain achievement and winners include some of Europe’s leading companies including: Vodafone, BASF, Danone Baby Nutrition, Primark and GlaxoSmithKline.

Last year more than 600 guests saw book retailer Waterstones become Overall Winner, fighting off strong competition from Rhode & Schwarz, Philips Consumer Lifestyle, Suzuki GB, and the Department for International Development with Crown Agents and International Procurement Agency. Nick Hudson, head of supply chain at Waterstones, was delighted. “It’s fantastic to get the recognition. It shows we can turn it around in the supply chain.”

The Individual Contribution award went to Birgitte Stalder-Olsen, head of logistics at the International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies. Birgitte led the organisation to win the Overall Award in 2006.

The number of entries has been growing steadily year on year, and last year was no exception with 72 companies making it to the final stage of the awards judging.

What makes the European Supply Chain Excellence Awards special is the stringent process to analyse supply chain performance. Our judging team is made up of senior industry figures who bring years of experience to bear. Shortlisted companies are asked to make presentations to our judges and face detail questioning from panel members. It’s a uniquely exhaustive process that makes the Awards uniquely worth winning.

We ask all participants to register online. When you’re ready to send us your completed entry forms, simply use the details in your registration confirmation email to access the entry form and submission area online and upload the your entry files.

The first stage of judging is the shortlist. We will contact you to let you know if you have made the shortlist before it is announced publicly.

If you make it to the shortlist, you will be asked to present during a face-to-face session with two of our judges in central London in late September/early October.

Timescale

Deadline for Entries: 22nd July 2016

Shortlist unveiled: 12th August

Presentations: 20th September to 14th October

Awards Dinner: Monday 14th November, Hilton Hotel London

Industry Sectors Awards

These Awards recognise excellence in the organisation and management of a complete supply chain, celebrating the best within an entire industry sector and so are among our most revered trophies.

Automotive: For manufacturers and operators of cars and commercial vehicles.

Consumer Products: For manufacturers and suppliers of consumer goods, including FMCG / CPG, from food to fashion, tools to toiletries.

The flex Award for Hi-Tech, Communications and Electronics: For telecoms providers and manufacturers of electronics goods and hi-tech equipment, from semiconductors to smart consumables.

Manufacturing (incl. Industrial and Aerospace): For manufacturers of industrial, plant and equipment, including aerospace and defence.

Public and Third Sectors: For public sector and charitable not-for-profit organisations.

Retail/E-tail: For supply chains including major multiples, department stores and online retailers covering grocery, fashion, hardware, electronics and leisure goods.

Special Category Awards

The Awards recognise excellence in the implementation of a specific project.

Customer Service and Support: For projects that can demonstrate an improvement in customer service and support through more effective management of the supply chain.

Demand Forecasting and Planning: For projects with evidence of a demand forecasting and planning project directly improving the supply chain.

Environmental Improvement: For projects that have reduced carbon footprints, used resources more efficiently and/or minimised waste to the benefit of the supply chain.

Logistics and Distribution: For projects that involve national and/or international transport by air, sea rail or road which demonstrate an improvement in the efficiency of operations.

Reverse Logistics: For projects with evidence of a reverse logistics project directly improving the supply chain.

Sourcing and Procurement: For projects that have improved the performance of the procurement function through innovation and/or more effective management of the process.

Supply Chain Operations: For projects that evidence improvement in the supply chain operations of an organisation

Supply Chain Strategy and Design: For projects that demonstrate benefits to the supply chain through strategic developments in an organisation’s operations design, management and practice.

Supply Chain Visibility: For projects with evidence of visibility directly improving the supply chain.

Technology: For projects where the use of technology has had direct and quantifiable benefit to the supply chain.

Training and Professional Development: For projects that have resulted in improvements to the supply chain via strategic use of training and development programmes.

Warehouse Initiative: For projects that involve warehousing which demonstrate an improvement in the efficiency of operations.

Recognition Awards

These Awards cannot be entered. Seen as the most prestigious group of Awards, these are the ones to aim for and are judged on the merits of entries in the Special and Industry Sector categories as well as via nominations where applicable.

Innovation in Supply Chain: For projects that show a high degree of innovation – the judges are looking for new approaches to existing problems as well as innovative approaches to new challenges.

Best Small Enterprise: To recognise an entry from a company that is extra special given the size of the organisation, for organisations with up to 50 employees.

Best Medium Enterprise:   To recognise an entry from a company that is extra special given the size of the organisation, for organisations with between 50 and 250 employees.

3PL of the Year: To recognise the benefits provided by a 3PL in improving a client’s supply chain. Restricted to 3PLs who have entered one of the Industry Sector categories with a client. This would come from a combination of nominations from our customers as well as from the judges.

Rising Star: To recognise someone who is increasingly setting the supply chain world alight with their work but would otherwise not be recognised.

Team of the Year: To recognise a team who has worked together to the benefit of the supply chain.

Individual: To recognise an individual working within supply chain who has personally been responsible for outstanding achievements.

Overall Winner: To recognise one entrant as the outstanding practitioner within supply chain. This would come from the winners of the Industry Sector awards and would be decided by the final judging panel.