Motion Control Industry Awards 2017 success

11 July, 2017

Staged again at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham, an enjoyable time was had by all those who attended the gala awards ceremony and dinner on 9 May.

The opening address was given jointly by James Maziak, president of BCAS, and Chris Buxton, CEO of the BFPA. Grace was given by Paul Dunlop, president of the BFPA and the awards ceremony was hosted deftly by comedian Dominic Holland.

The 2017 MCIA Judging Panel convened at the London offices of BCAS in March to review the entries in each category, and through healthy debate and a sophisticated scoring system the finalists were selected. Through a totalling up of the individual judges’ scores, the overall winners were also determined and then revealed at the awards ceremony.

Ever more sophisticated and digitised market

After this year’s event, Chris Buxton commented: “I am delighted to say that the 2017 Motion Control Industry Awards dinner was a great success. This year it did not benefit from being co-located with any industry exhibitions but still enjoyed high attendance with most of the key industry players in attendance. This success only adds credence to the belief that generic motion control technology is becoming the industry norm and that a narrow focus upon specific technologies no longer reflects the demands of an ever more sophisticated and digitised end-user market.”

He continued: “2018 will once again see the Awards Dinner co-located with the industry exhibitions so I have no doubt that the next event will be even better. Generic motion control is core to the future development of UK industry and the UK Motion Control Awards Dinner is the only event of its kind in support of this rapidly growing sector.”

Demonstrating expertise

Vanda Jones, executive director of BCAS commented: “The Motion Control Industry Awards has gone from strength to strength in its two years. It was extremely well-run from beginning to end and an excellent opportunity for industry to demonstrate its expertise and to network and socialise.

“I was also extremely impressed with the standard of entrants, with well-written and clearly explained submissions showcasing some real innovation – and it was great to see that all sorts of organisations big and small were recognised. Also, from our point of view we were delighted to see so much success with BCAS members winning and being shortlisted for many awards. There are some great success stories out there and the event gives us a real chance to celebrate this.”

Alastair Johnstone, managing director of Bosch Rexroth, added: “We were proud to be a sponsor of the MCI Awards for the second year running. The motion control industry is key to supporting British manufacturing. It is the products and ideas from this industry that help to maintain and drive forward the quality and competitiveness of British manufactured products. These awards provide a vehicle to recognise companies and individuals responsible for world-class product innovation and initiatives that would otherwise go unnoticed.”

The Winners

Technical Innovation of the Year

Sponsored by Beko Technologies

Winner: JCB Hydradig

Environmental/Energy Efficiency Award

Sponsored by Bosch Rexroth

Winner: Gardner Denver – Triple ROBOX Energy Screw Compressor

Project of the Year

Sponsored by ABB

Winner: Bosch Rexroth – Offshore Wind Farm Piling Template

Distributor of the Year

Sponsored by Beaumanor Engineering

Winner: Thorite

Manufacturer of the Year

Sponsored by Hydraulics & Pneumatics magazine

Winner: ABB

Contribution to Skills & Training

Sponsored by Drives and Controls magazine

Winner: The Bosch Rexroth Challenge

Engineer of the Year

Sponsored by Parker Hannifin

Winner: Graham Fick, Zikodrive Motor Controllers

Lifetime Contribution

Sponsored by BCAS

Winner: Derek Turnbull MBE

Lifetime Contribution

Sponsored by BFPA

Winner: Gary Wyles

Valued help and support

Andrew Castle, director of event organiser, Touchwave Media, said: “The awards could not have been brought to market without the help and support of the sponsors, and my team and I are extremely grateful for the support and commitment shown by them. Their contribution enabled the delivery of this awards programme and the presentation of the all-important gala awards ceremony, which provided a fantastic evening of fun and celebration for all those in attendance.”

About the UK Motion Control Alliance

The UK Motion Control Alliance is currently an alliance between the BFPA, the BFPDA and BCAS. The Alliance has been conceived to provide greater strength and significant benefits for members of these organisations; including cross fertilisation of training initiatives, more influence over regulation, broader technical support and enhanced business networking opportunities. The Alliance will provide its members with a stronger, more consolidated voice in their respective industries, and the MCI Awards Programme serves to underpin these key objectives.