EXPRESS &STAR BUSINESS AWARDS 2022

Meganwho hasproveda real role modelfor apprenticessince she joined GMSSecurityServicesfrom school

Meganstarted in thehuman resourcesdepartment assistingwith generaladministration,but herrole hasdeveloped sincethenand she hasbecome avital teammember

During hertimewithGMS she hasnot only completed herlevel 2 and3inbusinessadministration from 2015 to 2017 butisalso in the

MANUFACTURINGCHAMPION WINNER: LESTERS

Family business Lesters from Burntwood hada specialnight at theExpress& Star Business Awards.

TheManufacturing Champion awardcameonthe same dayit landed abig newcontractgiving it an extra reason to celebrate. the night, MichaelBrookesfromaward sponsorCollins Aerospacehanded over thetrophytothe teamfrom thepackagingbusiness

Managing director BillyHutchinsonsaid: “Wehavejustsecured our biggestever contract today

“Thisisa double result forus– it is absolutelybrilliant.”

Recruiting

Judges said Lester stood outfor howthe business hadcontinued to invest andgrow, includingbyrecruiting highly skilled individuals in specialist fields

They were impressed at how the business wasdriven by itscorevalueswhich allemployees supported andwereengaged with Lestersisone of Staffordshire’s fastestgrowing manufacturers.

It is aspecialistinlarge packaging, providingmillions of corrugated boxes, largeformatpackaging andheavy-dutycases.

Therise of online shopping has seen salessoarand Lesters, which wasfounded in 1983,has taken on 15 newstaff to take itsskilled workforce to 60 people

Astrategicexpansion plan will seethe companymovetowards £25 million annual turnoverby2024.

This will create afurther 30 new positionsatits 45,000 sq ft site at Mount Road

Thelastyearhas been transformational forLesters with itsgrowth finalyearofher business degree at University CollegeBirmingham whichshe started in 2018

Within 12 months of employment,Megan wassolely responsiblefor managing theHRscreening andvetting process. Sheprocessed everynew starterthrough avery stringentprocess,requiring strict attentiontodetail. In ordertofurther herpersonaldevelopmentMegan spent12monthsworking in the financedepartment.

Meganhas made asignificant impact to GMS. Last year,the owners acquired theWarrens Hall Riding School at Tividale andmovedGMS head office there.

Thismeant anotherchangein role forMegan whichinvolved moving back into theHRteamto manage thecompliancetasks while runningthe office function forthe riding school

Theridingschoolemploys anumberofapprentices andMegan men- tors them as they undertaketheir customerservice qualification

Sheconductsregular meetings with theapprentices to make sure they arekeeping on track with their learning andhelps them overcome anyissues. Shealso liaises with trainers drivenbyinvestmentinskillsand a £7minvestmentprogramme

Theother finalistswereMatthew Smith, of Lord Combustion Services,Oldbury andJasmine Massey,of FBCManby Bowdler, Wolverhampton.

That hasresulted in theinstallation of anew £3mTCY JumboCasemakerand theimpending arrivalof aTCY N6 3colourcasemaker machine.

These acquisitions have helped thecompany reduce lead timesand increase capacity

Therehas been a£2.5m investment in anothernew production line,which boasts arotarydie cut- terand Fossaluzzapre-feeder and auto palletiser.

At thefactory in Burntwood, Lestershas dedicatedshopfloor zonesthatare runbydesignated teams, with people working in these areasset differenttasks,including cleaning,organisingand implementingimprovements.These are alllinkedtobonus payments that aregiven outifpositiveefficiency gainsare made.

Allcosts aremonitored,and one- offmachinedparts aredesigned andmanufacturedin-house to improve runtimes

Thecompany hascompleted its firstacquisition with thepurchase of LestersLogistics,creatinga groupthatcan nowoffer afull packagingsupplysolution, from creation andproductiontostorage anddistributionofgoods

Theother finalistswereJenks & CattellEngineering,Wednesfield andWeatherite, West Bromwich