Held on the evening of Wednesday 22nd 2019, at the National Conference Centre near Birmingham, the 4th annual Motion Control Industry Awards Dinner once again provided a wonderful celebration of business and professional excellence.
Co-located with DFA Media’s Smart Industry Conference, and the BCAS Annual Conference, which were each staged during the day at the same venue, the key facets of personal endeavour, technical innovation, engineering advancement and commercial acumen were all acknowledged and rewarded.
Hosted by veteran Broadcaster and Journalist, Penny Smith, with an impressive, if unusual, musical performance by funny man Rod Deering, the evening was heralded a great success. The achievements and endeavours of some 37 Finalists were presented to the enthralled 200 strong audience in an atmosphere of great anticipation, before the nine worthy winners were revealed, as follows:
Technical Innovation of the Year – Sponsored by Hydraulics & Pneumatics
Winner: SMC Pneumatics – EX600W Integrated Wireless Valve System
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Environmental/Energy Efficiency Award – Sponsored by Rexroth – a Bosch Company
Winner: Brammer Buck & Hickman: Compressed Air System Audits
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Project of the Year – Sponsored by ABB
Winner: JETCAM International – Expert Nesting Software for Amada Laser
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Manufacturer of the Year – Sponsored by Elmo Motion Control
Winner: Gardner Denver
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Distributor of the Year – Sponsored by SMC Pneumatics
Winner: Pennine Pneumatic Services
Contribution to Skills & Training – Sponsored by BFPA
Winner: ABB – Drives & Motors Training
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Engineer of the Year – Sponsored by Parker Hannifin
Winner: Juan Carlos González Villar – Kabel.Consult.Ing
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Lifetime Contribution – Sponsored by BCAS
Winner: Mr Kevin Prince – Atlas Copco/Power Technique
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Lifetime Contribution – Sponsored by BFPA
Winner: Mr Phil Keep – MP Filtri
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Industry Support
Commenting on the awards programme, Chris Buxton, Director & CEO at the BFPA said, “The 2019 MCI Awards Ceremony was another excellent event which represents the very essence of the growing trend towards generic Motion Control in the Fluid Power sector. There is currently no other event or awards ceremony that addresses this trend and I look forward supporting an even bigger celebration in 2020, when of course it co-locates with the suite of related exhibitions at the NEC!”
Parker’s UK & IRE Marketing Manager, Adrian Foster said of the awards, “Parker were once again delighted to sponsor the MCI Awards and particularly the ‘Engineer of the Year’ category, as encouraging young talent and supporting them in developing their skills is fundamental to the future success of our industry. The evening was again very enjoyable and a wonderful way to acknowledge achievements and celebrate success.”
Vanda Jones, Executive Director of BCAS, who this year co-located the Society’s Annual Conference with the Awards Dinner added, “This year’s MCI Awards Ceremony once again excelled itself and provided a much-valued occasion for recognising and rewarding the fantastic achievements that this important sector has to offer. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and my congratulations go to all the Winners.”
Tom Green, Marketing Manager – Industrials Group at Gardner Denver said, “The MCI Awards is always a highlight in our calendar. A fantastic event promoting, and rightly celebrating, the best and brightest in our industry. We were so proud to be named alongside our peers in the ‘Product Innovation’ category for our air analytics platform, iConn, and overjoyed to win ‘Manufacturer of Year.’ This award is an industry seal of approval for all the hard work and investment carried out in our European production facilities to ensure we continue to offer the best service for our customers. The MCI Awards is quickly becoming a must have for any serious member of the Motion Control Industry.”
This view was echoed by Ian Harrison, Managing Director of Pennine Pneumatic Services who took home the coveted ‘Distributor of the Year’ Award, “We were thrilled to receive this award, especially against such stiff competition. To be nominated was fantastic, to be a winner a complete shock and shows just how hard our team work. The night was a real celebration of our industry and we were proud and humbled to be part of it. Congratulations to all nominees and winners alike.”
Kevin Prince, General Manager and Director at Atlas Copco who was singled out for special recognition commented, “I was delighted and humbled to receive the Lifetime Contribution Award from BCAS at the Motion Control Industry Awards dinner. Recognising the importance of our industry in every sector of business is a key activity and even more so during this time of political, economic and technological change. We need to continue to attract new talent to our industry, increase diversity and invest in people to ensure we have a sustainable future. Events such as this play a vital role in lifting our profile.”
Further details
For more information on both the Winners and Finalists in this year’s awards programme, please visit the website – https://mci-awards.com or call Andrew Castle at Touchwave Media on 07785 290034 ([email protected]).
