Emplas has made it through to the finals at this year’s G-Awards in three categories: the new Rising Star Award; Training and Development Initiative of the Year; and the Fabricator of the Year category.

Having won the Fabricator of the Year title last year, Emplas entered the category for 2022 on the strength of operational efficiencies of up to 15%, which have supported it in making a commitment to hold prices for six-months, from February this year.

The entry also highlighted Emplas’ apprenticeship and company-wide training and development programmes, which have underpinned the operational gains it has made this year and provide a foundation for the commitment it made to its customers.

Ryan Johnson, managing director, Emplas Group, said: “We’re delighted to have made the Fabricator of the Year shortlist for the second time in two-years and will clearly be keeping our fingers crossed that we can repeat last year’s performance.

“It’s a fiercely contested category with some great fabrication businesses shortlisted in it, so all we can do is do our best and see how it goes on the night. Either way, we’re pleased to have made the cut and delighted that the hard work of the team and our commitment to our customers has been recognised.”

The Emplas Fabricator of the Year entry also highlighted its new smart complaints procedure which digitises and streamlines customer complaints, returns and re-ordering process, and its Quality Road Mapping programme, which includes weekly reviews including with its own retail business T&K Home Improvements.

In addition to sourcing energy through its own solar panels, Emplas has also driven the sustainability agenda with a major upgrade of its fleet to new lower emission engines.

Dawid Hajduk is Emplas’ shortlisting in the Rising Star category. Now operations support leader, he joined Emplas straight from school as an operations apprentice.

Three years on, and three promotions, later, he was nominated after picking up significant additional responsibility and performing a vital role in Emplas’ planning and scheduling team during COVID-19 disruption.

This included single handily managing Kolorplas Emplas’ bespoke paint spraying service, including processing orders, stock control and line management responsibilities – when he was still only 18-years old!

“We’re a big and complex business. If you step back and you look at what we make every day, the vast majority of products that we make – bespoke, no two frames the same – it’s incredible,” continued Ryan.

“Planning that, scheduling production so that products get made but also are manufactured as efficiently as possible and on time, with multiple competing demands, it’s almost a miracle every day.

“It’s the product of a great team, in the factory but also testimony to our planning, the systems we have and those that we’re developing – and Dawid plays a massive part in all of that,” he concluded.