The outstanding achievements of two leading joinery companies, two of the industry’s newest talents and a true health and safety professional were recognised at the BWF Awards last week.
See the photos here
The Technical Excellence Award, the BWF’s oldest and most prestigious award, went to Houghtons of York Ltd for its beautiful restoration of an eighteenth century Grade II listed residence in North Yorkshire.
In a new BWF award for process efficiency given for the first time this year, West Port Windows and Doors Ltd was praised for its innovative approach to improving the quality finish and extending the warranty life span of its products, and reducing paint wastage.
Recognising the importance of new talent in joinery manufacture and woodworking, two awards were given to young people working in the industry. Ben James of Tompkins Joinery was named as Apprentice of the Year. Samantha Chesson of Arnold Laver received the Trainee of the Year award.
Steve McWilliam at Howarth Timber was crowned the BWF’s Health and Safety Hero, an award for 2014 born out of the BWF’s campaign of the same name.
Iain McIlwee, chief executive of the BWF, said:
“The BWF awards have grown in stature and popularity over the years, and now truly showcase some of the best people in our industry and some of the most exciting products, processes and projects that can be achieved using wood.
“These awards are not just an industry patting itself on the back; they heighten the prestige and profile of the joinery industry among architects, specifiers and clients, and they inspire the ambitions of the next generation of joinery professionals to do even better. All the winners and runners up deserve our greatest respect and recognition.”
The BWF Awards were presented on Friday 21 November 2014 at a sell-out gala dinner at the Ironmongers Hall in the City of London, the largest event that the BWF has staged in over a decade.
The awards were sponsored by Didac, CITB, Accoya, Arnold Laver and Timbmet.
ABOUT THE AWARD WINNERS
Steve McWilliam – BWF Health & Safety Hero Award
Steve McWilliam is Fully Finished Production Manager at Howarth Timber (Windows and Doors) Ltd in New Holland, North Lincolnshire. (Peter Woods (left) collected the award on behalf of Steve)
Alan Shearer, General Manager at Howarth Timber, said:
“NEBOSH-qualified Steve is the go-to man for all matters relating to health and safety. For many years he has been the driving force behind our health and safety system and culture within the company. He also dedicates his personal time to promoting the welfare of others in his role as a volunteer with local paramedics.”
Steve McWilliam’s achievements have been remarkable. As well as his routine work assisting with customers’ health and safety queries and questionnaires, providing detailed risk assessments for his company and training others in health and safety matters, outside work Steve works as a volunteer community first responder for Lincolnshire Integrated Voluntary Emergency Services, in conjunction with the East Midlands Ambulance Services. In 2012, Steve received the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal for his services.
He pushed Howarth Timber to have a defibrillator on site – one of the most timely purchases every made by the company, explained Alan Shearer:
“Within a matter of weeks of us getting the defibrillator, one of our employees suffered a cardiac arrest at work. Through his presence of mind and training, Steve used the equipment to keep the employee alive nine times until the ambulance services arrived. The employee is now fully recovered and back at work.”
The judges of the BWF Health & Safety Hero Award, sponsored by Didac, said:
“Steve’s in-depth commitment and pure dedication too all matters relating to health and safety within his company is exceptional. This is clearly a person who thinks, lives and breathes all things health and safety, also illustrated by his involvement outside the workplace devoting many hours every week to his local community.”
The runner up for this award was Jon Gorf of Parker Joinery.
West Port (Windows and Doors) Ltd – BWF Process Efficiency of the Year Award
The BWF’s new Process Efficiency Award came about through a suggestion earlier this year by Howarth Timber. It celebrates the initiatives being taken in the industry to innovate and improve manufacturing production and processes, driving greater efficiency and performance. (Sean Parnaby of West Port (r) collected the award from BWF President David Pattenden).
The judges noted that this was a difficult award to judge, given the breadth of innovations in the industry today. It shortlisted three companies: West Port Timber Windows and Doors, Morland, and a joint entry from JELD-WEN UK and Howdens Joinery.
West Port won the award. While it already had a well-established and successful electrostatic on-line paint spraying system, the Cumbria-based company used ‘Lean Production’ principles in order to identify future improvements. ‘Lean’ is a term used to describe a system that produces what the customer wants, when they want it, with minimum waste, and is a well-known approach to improving manufacturing based on the Toyota Production System.
Two projects were commissioned by West Port: one improving the efficiency of the painting of timber windows to produce a better quality finish at a lower cost, and the other using the overspray paints from the spraying process and using this as a basis for applying a first coat to develop a cost effective system of increasing the warranty life span of its timber windows and doors. The savings from both initiatives have already exceeded £174,000.
The BWF judges said:
“West Port won for its real ‘Lean Production’ approach throughout. The team approach and training that accompanied these initiatives will have long-term impact bringing continuous improvement and a great deal of Lean understanding within the business.”
Houghtons of York – BWF Technical Excellence Award
Houghtons of York Ltd is a family run business which employs highly skilled craftspeople and uses traditional methods and materials to produce a broad range of bespoke commissioned work.
It has won the prestigious BWF Technical Excellence Award for an outstanding large-scale renovation and renovation of a late eighteenth century Grade II listed home in North Yorkshire. This involved the removal of all elements of a destructive 1970s refurbishment and the reinstatement of many period features throughout the original building. (Roger & Susan Silk of Houghtons (r) collects the award).
Houghton of York’s work included creating external doors, traditional sash windows with either internal splayed panelled linings or traditional multi-leaf shutters, internal mahogany doors, painted panelled rooms, and a polished mahogany library with flame veneer panelling and ebonised wood details. To the main house staircase, it created a cross banded continuous handrail with ramps and twists plus a wreath at its base.
In addition, clever and discreet adaptations to the joinery fixtures allowed the home owner, a wealthy businessperson, to hide away an array of high tech services, sound systems, data cabling, CCTV, home cinema and other equipment behind traditional period façades. This meant creating fittings such as removable cupboards and shelving systems that dismantle and wheel out to give access to the equipment and wiring.
The BWF judges said:
“Houghtons of York achieved fantastic results across a wide range of joinery disciplines and products, combining the most traditional of craft skills with a creative and technically innovative approach to the demands of a modern lifestyle in a listed period home, all the while working with an existing structure with all its variations in lines and levels.”
The other firms shortlisted for this award were T Manners & Sons, for the charge desk at Avon and Somerset Police HQ, and Colin Layzell for its Walrons staircase project.
The BWF Technical Excellence Award first started in 2010 as a memorial award to former BWF technical director John Hedgecock. Throughout the period the award has been sponsored by Timbmet.
Ben James – BWF Apprentice of the Year
Ben James, 20, has worked at Tompkins Joinery for four years, starting as a work experience student there before going on to complete his apprenticeship and achieve NVQ Level 3 and Diploma Level 3.
He has already completed a few high profile projects of his own, including the joinery for Dallas Burston Polo Club, the prestigious polo ground based in Southam, Warwickshire.
It is probably unsurprising that Ben has done so well at Tompkins, as he has been mentored by Tom McKillop, another outstanding member of staff at Tompkins who was the inspiration behind the BWF’s award-winning ‘Wow I Made That!’ campaign to attract more young people into the joinery industry. Ben also said he took inspiration from his grandfather, a handyman who was always creating things out of wood. (Ben, Nadia, Samantha and Adam (l-to-r) with their certificates).
Ben is a genuine high achiever. Although he didn’t enjoy school, he became Deputy Head Boy, and he also now coaches an Under 14s football team as well as helping to run and raise funds for the Gary Barton Memorial Trust, a cancer charity set up in memory of his uncle.
Andy Tompkins, owner of Daventry-based Tomkins Joinery, said:
“If something needs doing, Ben is there. He gets in early to start work and stays until the job is done. Attitude is everything, and Ben’s approach to his work is simply excellent.”
Dave Campbell, manager of the Woodworking Industry Training Forum (WITForum), the training arm of the BWF, said:
“Ben has produced some very high quality work for someone at apprentice level, and he is regularly stepping up to take full responsibility for projects.
“Apprentices like Ben are the jewel in the crown for British joinery manufacturing and woodworking. Our industry has earned one of the best reputations for training across both the construction and manufacturing sectors. Year after year, supported by the CITB, we consistently rank first or second in construction for apprentice numbers and the claiming of grants for training. We fully expect to see more rising stars like Ben.”
Highly commended in the BWF Apprentice of the Year Award, sponsored by the CITB, was Nadia Connabeer of Hayman Joinery.
Samantha Chesson – BWF Trainee of the Year Award
Another new award for 2014, the BWF Trainee of the Year award recognises that it is becoming more commonplace for joinery companies to bring in other trainees as well as apprentices. Trainees are often A-level qualified, undergraduates or graduates of all ages, work across many different office functions, and complement the skills set of joinery businesses.
The two candidates up for the BWF Trainee of the Year Award were Samantha Chesson of Arnold Laver, and Adam Smyth of Westgate Joinery. Samantha was announced as the winner.
Samantha, just 18, is now an estimator at Arnold Laver and has just completed her training. She knew straight away at 16 that she wanted to work, starting off at first as a personal trainer and beauty therapist. But through the Life Skills programme, Samantha was introduced to Arnold Lavers and she immediately caught the bug.
She says:
“I’ve come on leaps and bounds. I would never have thought there was so much to learn: handings, structurals, acoustics, wall widths, fire ratings, cut outs, finishes, floor plans… a door is not just a piece of wood! Now I have my own customer base and I love it.”
The BWF judges also commended Samantha for the speed of her development, moving from an office junior to being able to interpret complex technical drawings for work scheduling. She showed clear willingness to learn and go beyond the call of duty, really benefitting her company. As a direct result of their hugely positive experience with Samantha, Arnold Laver has now decided to launch a graduate trainee programme from January 2015.
As her boss at Arnold Laver said at the BWF Awards event:
“Samantha is like a sponge; she just soaks it all up. She is quick to understand and always asks good questions. She handles her own workload now, and has grown up so much in the time we have known her. Her technical ability and attention to detail is phenomenal for someone of her age. She makes us very proud.”
