Derbyshire fashion house David Nieper Ltd, scooped a hat-trick of awards at the prestigious finals of the National Make UK Manufacturing Awards in London .
The family business was voted National Gold Winner for Sustainability and runner up in Developing Future Talent, and , beating winning companies in all the six award categories across the UK.
Judges said the company, which has been a designer and manufacturer of high-end women’s fashion for almost 60 years, has shown a consistent and strong commitment towards having a sustainable business model.
Managing Director, Christopher Nieper who was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List for services to manufacturing, is recognised as an ambassador for sustainable business and sets an example for both David Nieper and the industry.
The judges added that the breadth of ambition across all three components of sustainability, and the determination shown by setting tough targets and meeting them time after time is highly impressive.
As well as a commitment to sustainability the company is opening its fifth factory to digitally print fabric in the UK rather than import it and set up its own skills academy which aims to train the talent of the future.
Christopher Nieper OBE, Managing Director, David Nieper Ltd commented,
“This is the first time in the 124-year history of Make UK/EEF that a fashion company has been recognised and named Manufacturer of the Year.
This is a real triumph for our family business. We take both our social and environmental responsibility seriously, so being recognised fo r Sustainability and Developing Future Talent, as well as being the best amongst our peers, means a lot .
“The fash ion and textiles industry is increasingly highlighted as one of the world’s most polluting industries. Decades of offshoring manufacturing has ultimately resulted in offshoring pollution; it is evident that change needs to happen on a major scale.
Winning a sustainability award goes to show that being a fashion manufacturer and a supporter of our planet are not mutually exclusive. We can all play our part in bringing about change through responsible production and consumption.”
The awards which recognise excellence among manufacturing companies in six categories, as well as four Apprentice categories across the UK, were presented at the annual awards ceremony of Make UK which was held at Canary Wharf in London and sponsored by Japanese IT solutions provider Hulft.
Claire Almond Director, Business Development EMEA at Hulft said. “Britain is one of the world’s biggest manufacturing nations, and it is a great privilege to be working with MAKE UK to help support and champion UK manufacturing. The sector is facing significant change, as a result of what is being referred to as the 4th industrial revolution, and it is important that businesses are given the right opportunities to properly position themselves for the future. We are looking forward to getting out to meet MAKE UK’s members and being part of such an important and credible awards programme.”
ENDS
About Make UK
Make UK, The Manufacturers’ Organisation, is the representative voice of UK manufacturing, with offices in London, Brussels, every English region and Wales.
Collectively we represent 20,000 companies of all sizes, from start-ups to multinationals, across engineering, manufacturing, technology and the wider industrial sector. We directly represent over 5,000 businesses who are members of Make UK. Everything we do – from providing essential business support and training to championing manufacturing industry in the UK and the EU – is designed to help British manufacturers compete, innovate and grow.
From HR and employment law, health and safety to environmental and productivity improvement, our advice, expertise and influence enables businesses to remain safe, compliant and future-focused.
About Hulft
HULFT is the flagship product from Saison, a Japanese IT solution innovator. Established in Japan in 1970 Saison launched HULFT in 1993. HULFT enables companies to automate traditionally manual processes, to eliminate the risks of duplication and errors which are inherent when rekeying data. HULFT can integrate legacy systems with more contemporary applications, and its comprehensive suite of connectors and intuitive software development kit (SDK) enable it to connect virtually any system to another. The HULFT solution has helped more than 10,000 customers across 43 countries automate, orchestrate, and accelerate the secure flow of information at scale.
www.hulft.com/uk
