Left to right: Darren Wilding, Joshua Wood (both G-TEM), Kayleigh Simm (KMF Precision Sheet Metal), Ben Higgins and Martin Hinckley (both Sertec Group)

A supplier of millions of components every day to cars, lorries and engines has been named as the Confederation of British Metalforming’s Company of the Year at a prestigious event last night.

Sertec Group, which employs over 2,200 people across 10 global locations, beat off strong competition to win the main award, with judges impressed by ‘its journey to excellence’ that has seen it enjoy a major increase in productivity, improvements in on-time delivery in full and the implementation of a comprehensive employee engagement approach.

In front of 200 guests at The Grand Hotel in Birmingham, the Coleshill-headquartered company was joined on stage by KMF Precision Sheet Metal’s Kayleigh Simm who was named as apprentice of the Year, and G-TEKT Europe Manufacturing Ltd (G-TEM), which was a double winner on the evening in the HSE initiative and energy efficiency categories.

G-TEM, a global manufacturer of vehicle body structures, has implementing ISO 45001 with the aim of creating a safer working environment, while its commitment to reach ‘net zero’ by 2035 has seen it introduce quarterly energy audits and commission a 200% increase in its solar power capability. As a result, emissions have been slashed by more than a quarter (28%), with sales also growing by a 56% due to a raft of major new business awards.

Steve Morley, president of the Confederation of British Metalforming (CBM), said: “It has been another difficult year for the metalforming sector, which is facing up to global conflicts, continued supply chain disruption and high inflation. 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.”

Kayleigh Simm is putting ‘girl power’ on the industrial map after she was recognised as the CBM’s Apprentice of the Year. The 19-year-old joined Newcastle-under-Lyme’s KMF Precision Sheet Metal in 2022 and her drive for engineering has shone through as she progresses within the company and, importantly, in the way she champions vocational learning to other young people. This has seen her lead a KMF team at 15 school and college career fairs, as well as acting as an outstanding apprentice advocate on its Apprenticeship Open Day that attracted over 140 visitors. Kayleigh is now setting her sights on undertaking a degree in manufacturing engineering.

Geraldine Bolton, CEO of the CBM, added: “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. 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, who has earned the nickname of ‘Blind Dave’ after raising hundreds of thousands of pounds completing marathons and other endurance challenges.”

The CBM represents the interests of more than 200 UK manufacturers of fasteners, forgings, pressings, cold rolled and sheet-metal products. Its Awards were kindly sponsored by Crowe UK, Greenfields Energy Group, Steel & Alloy Gonvarri Industries, and the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC).