BCF Awards celebrate best and brightest in the coatings industry

The winners of the British Coatings Federation (BCF) Awards 2017 were announced on November 23 at the annual BCF Awards in Cheshire.

2017 saw the addition of two new awards, the first of which was for Young Leader of the Year. This was awarded to Alison Henshaw from Fine Décor Wallcoverings. The second new award for Corporate Social Responsibility saw HMG Paints honoured as the SME winner for its Paint the Town Green campaign and PPG Architectural Coatings in the multi-national category for its Community Engagement Programme.

HMG Paints picked up a second award, whose apprentice Darren James won the Coatings Training Institute Student of the Year. Also with two award wins was AkzoNobel, who picked up the Customer Service Award with a programme that has proved to deliver impressive business improvements and the Sustainable Innovation Award for its new factory in Ashington, its most sustainable plant ever. The Sustainable Innovation category saw an uptake in entries in 2017, also awarding a winner for Sustainable Innovation Supplier, which went to BYK-Gardner Q.C. Instruments for its industry standard instruments designed to simplify digital approval in the automotive industry.

The Excellence in Training award was won by Fujichem Sonneborn, who impressed the judges with its overarching approach to training that focuses on competence over completion. Finally, the most long-standing award, the Coatings Care Overall Best Performer Award went to Crown Paints in Hull, and the Coatings Care Progress Award to the Tor Coatings site in Chester-le-Street.

Tom Bowtell, BCF Chief Executive, said, “In amongst the challenges that the industry faces, it is fantastic to take the opportunity to take a step back and see how the coatings industry continues to deliver outstanding performance across so many aspects of the business.”

BCF Awards 2017 Winners

Sustainable Innovation Award – Sponsored by Veolia

• Winner – AkzoNobel Decorative Paints UK – Ashington – AkzoNobel’s Most Sustainable Plant Ever

Sustainable Innovation Supplier Award – Sponsored by Veolia

• Winner – BYK-Gardner Q.C. Instruments – True Digital Masters

Customer Service Award – Sponsored by BMS

• Highly commended – Fujichem Sonneborn Ltd – Servicing its Customers on a Shared Path to Success!
• Winner – AkzoNobel – Transformation of a Paints Business

Excellence in Training Award – Sponsored by Cogent Skills

• Highly commended – AkzoNobel Dulux Academy – The Home Of Painting & Decorating Excellence
• Highly commended – Ricoh UK Products LTD – Customer Advanced Waveform Training
• Winner – Fujichem Sonneborn Ltd – Training with a Purpose, Training for the Future

Young Leader of the Year – Sponsored by Fenton Packaging

• Winner – Fine Décor Wallcoverings Ltd – Alison Henshaw

Corporate Social Responsibility Award

• Highly commended – Paint 360 Limited – Ticking the Right Boxes
• Winner – HMG Paints Ltd – Paint the Town Green Campaign
• Winner – PPG (Architectural Coatings UK & Ireland) – Community Engagement Programme

Student of the Year Award – Sponsored by Synthomer

• Winner – Darren James – HMG Paints

Coatings Care Progress Award

• Winner – Tor Coatings, Chester-le-Street

Coatings Care Overall Best Performer Award

• Winner – Crown Paints, Hull