LONDON - For the seventh consecutive year, records were set at the British Coatings Federation (BCF) awards dinner held on November 24 in Manchester. Nearly 140 guests gathered to celebrate success in the UK coatings industry, with 31 shortlisted entries from 25 different manufacturers.
The evening’s winners included Sherwin-Williams, whose Protective & Marine and UK Coatings divisions each won an award, AkzoNobel’s Dulux Academy, Crown Paints, Farrow & Ball, and Pronto Industrial Paints’ apprentice, James Skliarsky, who won the Student of the Year Award. BCF President Vincent O’Sullivan of PPG Architectural Coatings presented the awards.
The Excellence in Training Award was won by Dulux Academy, which impressed the judges with its innovative approach to raising standards within the painting and decorating profession and its proactive response to the need to attract new talent and up-skill the existing workforce.
The most longstanding award, the Coatings Care Overall Best Performer Award, went to Farrow & Ball in Wimborne. The Coatings Care Progress Award was given to the Sherwin-Williams UK Coatings site in Knottingley.
The Customer Service Award, now in its second year, was given to Crown Paints, which raised the voice of the customer across the whole business and into the board room, creating real business benefits, including an improved bottom line.
The winner of the Sustainable Innovation Award was Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings. The company’s winning entry, for Dura-Plate 301W, is a solvent-free coating that eliminates the need for grit blasting and allows application in cold and damp conditions, reducing painting downtime by up to 70%.
BCF’s Chief Executive Tom Bowtell said, “We’ve seen again that the coatings industry continues to deliver outstanding performance across all categories. It’s great to see another record year in terms of entries and attendance at the dinner, and it’s a welcome break from all the uncertainties around Brexit to take time out and celebrate the industry’s success.”
