What has become an annual event the Namibian Manufacturers Association (NMA) hosted its fifth Manufacturer of the Year Awards Gala Dinner on 19 October 2017, at the Safari Hotel and Conference Centre, Windhoek.
Amidst much excitement among the esteemed invited VIP guests, other equally important guests and participants the winners were announced.
Category 1: The NMA SMALL Manufacturer of the Year
1st Place: Karakulia Weavers CC
2nd Place: Embrace Namibia Enterprise CC
3rd Place: Unleashed Design CC
Category 2: The NMA MEDUIM Manufacturer of the Year
1st Place: Ekango Salt Refiners (Pty) Ltd
2nd Place: Slowtown Coffee Roasters CC
3rd Place: Machine & Tool Maintenance Engineers
Category 3: The NMA LARGE Manufacturer of the Year
1st Place: Guan’s Packaging (PTY) Ltd
2nd Place: Closwa Biltong CC
3rd Place: Windhoek Schlachterei
Category 4: The NMA CORPORATE Manufacturer of the Year
1st Place: Namibia Breweries Limited
2nd Place: Namibia Dairies (Pty) Ltd
3rd Place: Plastic Packaging (Pty) Ltd
Category 5: The NMA BEST AMBASSADOR for Manufacturing in Namibia
1st Place: Guan’s Packaging (Pty) Ltd
2nd Place: Namibia Breweries Limited
3rd Place: Plastic Packaging (Pty) Ltd
Category 6: The NMA MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY award
1st Place: Rent-A-Drum (Pty) Ltd
2nd Place: Plastic Packaging (Pty) Ltd
3rd Place: Guan’s Packaging (Pty) Ltd
Judges Choice: The NMA Overall Winner: LARGE Category – GUAN’S PACKAGING (PTY) LTD
Judges Choice: The NMA Overall Winner: CORPORATE Category – NAMIBIA BREWERIES LIMITED
The NMA board of directors is satisfied that the judging process was executed in both a transparent and fair process.
Hon Immanuel Ngatjizeko, Minister of Trade, Industrialization and SME Development, delivered an insightful address.
Dr Thuli Madonsela, Chief Patron of the Thuli Madonsela Foundation, honored the esteemed guests with powerful remarks on “Corruption and unethical conduct must never become an excuse for the non-attainment of the manufacturing goals of Vision 2030 – How do we level the playing fields?”
During her speech she said “Corruption and unethical behavior should not be allowed to sabotage Namibia’s Vision 2030 or other National Development Plans”.
Adv Madonsela alluded to the fact that the best way to restrict corruption is through “epic leadership” She defined epic leadership as being ethical, purpose driven and committed to service.
She further stated that “Corruption creates an uneven playing field and affects every business person and every human being in a country”.
The Marimba Plus band of APC Tsumeb entertained the guests on a number of instruments.
An increased number of entries demonstrated that the NMA members realize the value of this this competition. Encouraging was that we saw a few first time entries. This is a clear indication that the NMA members support this initiative.
The judging process has remained unchanged. After preliminary judging to ensure that entries complied with the rules and regulations, the entries were judged by an independent panel of judges according to a predetermined set of criteria. The judging included a physical visit to some companies to verify certain information. Thereafter the marks were processed by the auditor of the NMA, Grant Thornton Neuhaus, who then verified the winners per category.
Honoring and recognizing hard work and high standard of the its members through this national annual event the NMA believes it increases the awareness and the important role which the sector plays in wealth and job creation in our country and the rest of the SADC region.
True to its commitment FNB National Bank Namibia again was the main sponsor of the event. The NMA is proud of this partnership. The NMA also thank all the other sponsors and partners who contributed to the resounding success of this awards dinner. They are, in no specific order: Guans Packaging (Pty) Ltd, Peralin Paints, Jaylo Productions, Dinapama Manufacturing and Supplies, Namib Mills, Ohlthaver & List Group, Plastic Packaging, Walvis Bay Salt.
The Namibian Manufacturers Association is committed to be of service to its members, advocating better working relations and dialogue between all stakeholders such as manufacturers, retailers, consumers and the government.