Newcastle, 2012-Nov-21
The judging panel, led by Cranfield University and the Institute for Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge, praised Siemens achievements, stating: “Its exemplar people management story is ambitious and forward thinking and, notably, was designed for the local workforce.”
Siemens, a global leader in turbine operations and maintenance for conventional and renewable power plants, employs over 900 people at its Fossil Service business in Newcastle. The Newcastle site also boasts an impressive £9 million training centre for service technicians. Zero Harm health and safety practices are at the heart of Siemens training and operations.
Siemens launched its new Zero Harm initiative to address health, safety and environmental (HS&E) issues in the business, resulting from the introduction of lean manufacturing in its operations and the change in working practices. The successful implementation of the initiative has created employee engagement, ownership and accountability for HS&E, with the HS&E team transforming itself to provide a true support function for other departments. As a result, accident and incident figures have improved significantly and the project is being rolled out as an example of best practice across other Siemens sites.
More importantly, the relationship between management and employees has grown stronger and the culture has become more positive towards change and very much focused on a team approach.
Andy Tuscher, EEF Regional Director North, said: “Manufacturing is vital to economic recovery and companies like Siemens Energy Service Fossil are setting the benchmark for success. Its world-class culture change enforces what can, and should, be done by large business. Congratulations to the entire team on this impressive success.”
John Morris, CEO of JAM recruitment said: “The exceptional quality of the applications for this award is an encouraging reminder of the determination and innovation of British businesses. I’m confident the future is bright for UK manufacturing and engineering as a result.”
Paul Tranter, Head of HS&E at Siemens Energy Service in Newcastle commented: “We are delighted to receive this award for our Zero Harm initiative, which is a huge achievement for the team and for the business. Siemens is wholly committed to Zero Harm practices and we realised early on that the key to success was employee engagement. We knew that employees needed to fully embrace these new practices and make it a key part of everything they do. We could only do this by listening and engaging fully with our employees. Receiving the award is testimony to how far we have come and the efforts and commitment of every employee within the business to make Zero Harm a day to day reality. We are very proud of what we have achieved for our customers, employees and the business in the region."
Siemens will go forward to compete in the National Awards on 31 January 2013.
- ENDS -
Notes to editors:
About Siemens in the UK
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 169 years ago and now employs 12,972 people in the UK. Last year’s revenues were £4.4 billion*. As a leading global engineering and technology services company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges, across the key sectors of energy, industry, infrastructure & cities and healthcare. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company’s globa headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.siemens.co.uk
* Data includes intercompany revenue. Data may not be comparable with revenue reported in annual or interim reports.
For more information contact:
Rachel Odams
Siemens plc
Tel: +44 (0)1604 696 614
Mobile: +44 (0)7808 824209
Email: rachel.odams@siemens.com
