Veka Group has been shortlisted in four categories for the upcoming Burnley Business Awards. The Lancashire manufacturer has previously been named ‘Business of the Year’ twice in a row, and ‘Employer of the Year’ at the most recent BBA event.
For 2019, Veka Group is shortlisted for ‘Manufacturing Excellence’, ‘Employer of the Year’ and ‘Burnley Business of the Year’ while junior operations manager, Khaleel Mahmood, is a finalist in the ‘Young Employee of the Year’ category.
The nominations come weeks after Veka Group was crowned ‘Manufacturing Company of the Year’ at Lancashire’s Red Rose Awards.
Head of HR, Gabriela Hammond, said: “Veka Group is a major Burnley employer and we’re proud to contribute so significantly to the business community of our hometown. We’re delighted to be shortlisted in so many categories at the Burnley Business Awards; it’s always a pleasure to be recognised for our continuing hard work.
“Our ‘Manufacturing Excellence’ nomination comes thanks to our constant commitment to quality UK manufacturing, innovation in product development and an exceptional standard of customer service, including a 99.3% ‘on time in full’ performance figure. We’re also committed to reducing waste and energy consumption: 2018 alone saw enough energy saved to power 750 average houses for a full year!
“We made the shortlist for ‘Employer of the Year’ because we believe that our people are our most valuable asset, they keep the company going and growing,” she continued. “We nurture a positive culture that we call ‘Veka spirit’ and we’re proud to invest in all the training and development our teams could want, asking ‘what do you want to be doing in 12 months, how do we get there and what development do you need?’
“We’re committed to making sure all employees enjoy the ideal work/life balance and, as a result, Veka Group is well known for staff loyalty.
“Our entry for Burnley’s ‘Business of the Year’ detailed how, despite a challenging market, we have continued to invest millions into the business, shared our profit with employees, increased our employee number by almost 10% and made our business smarter, leaner and more efficient, meaning that we can predict healthy growth in both turnover and profits for 2019,” said Gabriela. “We have invested, in particular, in areas of high demand – such as laminated products – so that our customers are best placed to benefit from these growing market opportunities.
“We’re proud to support charities and local organisations and, over the last two years, Veka Group has raised or donated over £86,000. We’ve cycled, baked, run, painted, transformed a dilapidated bus into a children’s library, helped open a community kitchen, and slept out at Burnley FC’s Turf Moor, to name just a few of our activities!
“The fourth of our nominations is for ‘Young Employee of the Year’ Khaleel Mahmood,” she concluded. “Since joining Veka Group just less than two years ago, Khaleel has been instrumental in a host of initiatives and projects that have helped us become safer, more efficient and more profitable. This exceptionally hard-working young man, who we are preparing to be a future leader within the company, has proven himself invaluable in at least four different departments during his short time with us so far, and he’s been described as a ‘huge asset to the business’.
“We’re looking forward to celebrating a great night with other hard-working businesses in the stunning surroundings of Towneley Hall on 20 June and we’d like to thank employees, customers and friends for their continued support.”
