Exceptional engineer named Young Manufacturer of the Year at acclaimed industry awards

Sam Bennington, Senior Project Implementation Specialist at Encirc Beverages, scooped the prestigious accolade at The Manufacturer MX Awards 2024.

Sam—who has a 1st class master's in mechanical engineering—was presented with his award at a black-tie ceremony and gala dinner at the Titanic Hotel Liverpool on 27 November, the culminating event of this year's The Manufacturer Live. Speakers on the night included Dr Alice Bunn OBE, CEO, Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE); Simon Evans, Vice President and Trustee, IMechE; and The Manufacturer’s Grace Gilling and Henry Anson.

With a combined heritage of over 50 years, The Manufacturer MX Awards are widely regarded as the gold standard in the manufacturing industry, recognising and celebrating both companies and individuals who are achieving amazing things.

Organised by The Manufacturer in partnership with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and with the support of this year's headline sponsor Columbus, The Manufacturer MX Awards are also the only peer-reviewed and judged programme of their kind for UK manufacturing.

The Manufacturer MX Awards exist to encourage, benchmark and celebrate manufacturing excellence, with every stage of the programme adding value for participants, regardless of their excellence maturity.

Rigorously assessed across 11 categories—including the new Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) category —and over a three-month period, The Manufacturer MX Awards provide tremendous value for every company that takes part, often revealing both strengths and weaknesses many didn't know they had.

Grace Gilling, Managing Director of The Manufacturer, praised all those who entered, saying: "The remarkable accomplishments of the winners showcase their unwavering commitment to excellence in manufacturing. With a stringent evaluation process grounded in peer-reviewed criteria, the selection ensures that each finalist is measured against the highest industry standards. The intense competition among these exceptional finalists highlights the extraordinary quality and innovation present across the breadth of UK manufacturing."

The Manufacturer MX Awards are supported by leading industry partners, headline sponsor Columbus and category sponsors: Autodesk; Cranfield University; Discovery; Epicor; RS UK & Ireland; Schneider Electric; Smart Manufacturing Week; and SugarCRM.

The Manufacturer is always proud and willing to beat the drum for UK manufacturing and that includes this annual recognition and celebration of all the amazing companies and individuals in the sector.

Here are all of The Manufacturer MX Awards 2024 winners:

Manufacturer of the Year 2024 (sponsored by Columbus) – Encirc Beverages

Runner up Manufacturer of the Year 2024 (sponsored by Columbus) – Britvic

Young Manufacturer of the Year 2024 (sponsored by RS UK & Ireland) – Sam Bennington, Encirc Beverages

Sustainable Manufacturing (sponsored by Schneider Electric) – Thorn Lighting Factory

Product Innovation & Design (sponsored by Autodesk) – Luxfer Gas Cylinders

Achieving Customer Value (sponsored by SugarCRM) – Leyland Trucks

Operational Excellence (sponsored by Cranfield University) – Encirc Beverages. Highly commended: Johnson Matthey

International Trade (presented by Manufacturing Industries Division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers) – Webtec Products. Highly commended: Janus International Europe

Supply Chain Excellence (sponsored by Smart Manufacturing Week) – Encirc Beverages

People & Skills (sponsored by Discovery) – Evtec Automotive

Smart Factory (sponsored by Epicor) – Sertec. Highly commended: British Sugar

Manufacturing in Action (presented by The Manufacturer) – Aurrigo

Equity, diversity and inclusion (sponsored by Cranfield University) – LISI Aerospace