Last year the former Editor of this title said he was always impressed by “ingeniousness, inventiveness and sheer will to win” shown by the supply chain teams that entered the Supply Chain Excellence Awards.
I was a little late to the party, having joined as Editor in September. But I was privileged enough to participate in the judging process. I’ve been involved in a few awards in the past, but to say winning a Supply Chain Excellence Award is rigorous experience is an understatement…
In a previous life I would often chair judging panels where a serious amount of peer review takes place. And every so often, one of the senior professionals who had donated their time and expertise to the process would say “I wish we could get these companies in and ask them a few questions…” Well, to win a Supply Chain Excellence Award that happens. You present to your peers in person, you are questioned and challenged and that will to win is paramount.
It is a unique process, the in-depth nature of the scoring process combined with face-to-face interviews make getting on the shortlist for all 20 categories a serious achievement; so joining that exclusive club of winners something really special.
Last year the Overall winner was Superdry, with its logistics partner Clipper. Again, I was lucky enough to interview Clipper and Superdry last year about their achievements together (and in the case of Clipper on the very morning before they headed down to London to find out if they had won this award, and I can certainly report lots of crossed fingers at the time). It’s a remarkable partnership that has embraced creative thinking; teamwork; has been scaled internationally from humble beginnings in the UK and is embracing the very latest cutting-edge technology to transform the fortunes of both parties.
Tonight’s ceremony, at the Park Lane Hilton in London, will offer a chance to look back at the achievements of those in this industry, and look forward to the bright future this sector has ahead.
Furthermore, the ceremony could not take place without a) a lot of hard work from my colleagues here at Akabo Media and b) the support of our sponsors: BluJay Solutions; CHEP UK and Ireland; Clipper Logistics; DP World; Flex; Geek +; Smart Freight; Voiteq and XPO Logistics.
Good luck to all the contestants and I look forward to welcoming you all this evening.
