Author: Crush_Admin

Double nomination at the Make UK Awards

Briggs of Burton are at the forefront of supporting both UK Manufacturing and Engineering. We support some of the biggest beer, distilled spirits, food and pharmaceutical brands globally by delivering large EPC projects.

Briggs have been shortlisted for not just one but two categories this year. Last year, we achieved runner’s up for the Business Growth and Strategy category. This year, we have been nominated for Business Growth & Strategy and Energy & Sustainability. The Make UK judging panel have recognised many of our recent successes.

The Make UK judging panel have been impressed by Briggs’ accelerated growth globally in existing and new markets. The committee also recognised our drive to always offer our customers sustainable engineering solutions across all industries.

This is the first time we have been recognised for our achievements in Energy and Sustainability at a formal awards event.

​​​​​​​The two award nominations are followed by a successful win at the Made in the Midlands Awards earlier this year when Briggs were awarded Manufacturer of the Year (Over £25m). 

Our global team made this success a possibility by helping us to be a safe and flexible engineering company.

About Briggs of Burton

If you have eaten or drunk it there is a chance that Briggs of Burton has helped to produce it.

Briggs are the engineers behind supplying the equipment, engineering and automation to the world’s largest food, alcoholic beverage, and pharmaceutical manufacturers

Today Briggs employs over 280 colleagues across six sites in the UK, Scotland, USA, Mexico, China, and Australia. The team deliver turnkey engineering projects for leading household brands covering North America, Europe, Central America, Africa, Australia, and Asia. Briggs’ benefits from a global network of stainless steel manufacturing facilities, including their own located in Burton on Trent and Prestonpans, Scotland.

Briggs’ are actively developing sustainable engineering solutions, focusing on their customer’s requirements towards carbon neutrality. 

Posted in Uncategorised

Briggs’ Corporate Partnership with APM

Briggs of Burton have recently formed a corporate partnership with APM (Association for Project Management). As a corporate partner, Briggs are joining over 460 organisations from an array of sectors. Organisations that all share a passion for development of their project management knowledge and competencies.

APM is a great partner for Briggs as it formalises and enhances its Project Management Office (PMO) initiative. A number of our Project Managers already have APM qualifications and membership, which supports our decision to partner with them. APM is a recognised professional body and offers a route to Chartership. The association is also noted as best in class resources and training facilities.

APM Partnership Development Manager, Marcus Pathan visited Briggs this week to provide an introductory session to the team, with a focus on learning and development.

Peter Manning, Head of Project Management Office (PMO) said:

“It’s great to be part of the APM Corporate Partnership programme which will help our Project Managers to develop their skills, broaden their networks and keep up to date with the latest Project Management tools, ultimately benefiting our customers in the delivery of large EPC projects.”

About Briggs of Burton

If you have eaten or drunk it there is a chance that Briggs of Burton has helped to produce it.

Briggs are the engineers behind supplying the equipment, engineering and automation to the world’s largest food, alcoholic beverage, and pharmaceutical manufacturers

Today Briggs employs over 280 colleagues across six sites in the UK, Scotland, USA, Mexico, China, and Australia. The team deliver turnkey engineering projects for leading household brands covering North America, Europe, Central America, Africa, Australia, and Asia. Briggs’ benefits from a global network of stainless steel manufacturing facilities, including their own located in Burton on Trent and Prestonpans, Scotland.

Briggs’ are actively developing sustainable engineering solutions, focusing on their customer’s requirements towards carbon neutrality. 

Posted in General

Congratulations to Mark Phillips on achieving his Fellow status from the IChemE

Congratulations to Mark Phillips for receiving his Fellow status from the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).

Mark has successfully achieved the highest grade of membership from the IChemE as a result of his significant contribution to chemical engineering, experience in a leadership position and demonstrating technical excellence throughout his career.

We caught up with Mark recently who shared his journey and his inspiration to becoming a Fellow :

What lead you on the journey to want to become a fellow?

I have been a member of the IChemE in one capacity or another since I started my chemical engineering degree at university.  The Fellow membership grade is the highest that the IChemE offer and so it was always something to aspire to, both personally and professionally.

What did the application entail?

In terms of the application, it is about demonstrating that you are in a position of senior responsibility in chemical (process) engineering and that you have a made a significant contribution to the profession for a sustained period of time.

Does it involve your role/ working activities at Briggs?

My work at Briggs has made a significant contribution to achieving Fellow membership.  I have been part of major project and proposal work within the Brewing & Distilling sectors over the years, and I have had the opportunity to lecture students on Process Engineering at university and present technical papers at international conferences.  I have also been very fortunate to work with great people along the way.

Who inspired you to become a fellow?

John Hancock became a Fellow of the IChemE a few years ago and so it has always been in the back of my mind since then.  I have worked closely with John for the 18+ years I have been at the company and to achieve the same membership grade as him is something that I am proud of.  Gareth Cure also championed engineers obtaining chartered status & further registrations and delivered presentations on how this was a route to progress within the company.

What are you doing to inspire the next generation of engineers?

I am a mentor and lead for the Briggs Engineering Graduate Training Scheme (IChemE Accredited Company Training Scheme – ACTS) that has the aim of developing engineers on a pathway to achieving chartered status.  I am always available to support and provide advice for engineers that are interested in achieving chartership and the process that it entails.

Congratulations again Mark, we look forward to seeing further positive developments with the Briggs Engineering Graduate Training Scheme!

Posted in Awards, General

Briggs Group Awards Event

It was great to see so many of our team attend the Briggs Group Awards event at the Branston Golf and Country Club in person or virtually last week. A big thank you to everyone for supporting us and we hope you all had a great time coming together as BR1GGS.

The award’s event celebrated the achievements of our global team in the form of long service, excellent performance, and recognition of those who achieved professional accreditation.

Congratulations to all of the winners!

Long Service Awards

10 Years – Craig Patton, Dawn Buckley, Paul Banham, Rob Davis, Jamie Collyer, Peter Manning, and Julie Fletcher and Joyce Hill

15 Years – Callum Spencer, Graham McCrorie, Matt Sawdon, Paul Dowd, Phillip Truman, Steve Vickers, Trevor Sykes, and Martin West

20 Years – Michael Armani

25 Years – Andrew Edwards, Gary Thursting, Lee Houldsworth, Paula Myatt, Peter Zupkus, Rachael Ward, Robert Buxton, Colin Wright, Nathan Durose and Steve Dixon. George Meharry and John Cuthbertson

30 Years – Mark Treherne, Steve Crockett, and Kevin Leach. David Allan, Diane Hall, and Martin Allan

35 Years – Martin Pantall

40 Years – David Peden, Jason Machin, and Bob Tarnai

Category Awards

Emerging Talent Award – Graduate – Alistair McDermid

Emerging Talent Award – Apprentice – Jakub Spiewak

Company Values Champion – Dave Spence

Engineering Spirit Award – Nick Aitken

Outstanding Achievement Award – Rob Goodhand

Health & Safety Champion- John McGrane & Jamie Collyer

Operational Excellence Award: Rachael Ward

Customer Centric Award: Steven Marshall

The Dream Team Award: ABI Cartersville Team

Mentoring Champion Award: Rob Davis

Greatest Impact of the Year Award: Steve Mason & Tom Barnett

Professional Awards

CEng IChemE

Tom Barnett, Ian Murfin, Chris Sinclair, Pritpal Singh

CEng IMechE

Sam Hancock

Fellow IMechE

James Smith

Fellow IChemE

Mark Phillips

 

Posted in Awards

Briggs named ERP Today Finalists

ERP Today have officially announced that Briggs of Burton and Sapphire are finalists for the “Transformation Project of the Year” category.

With award categories covering individual distinction, project excellence and product innovation, the ERP Today Awards provide a powerful opportunity to demonstrate innovative leadership, customer success and responsibility.

The application highlighted the successful partnership between Sapphire Systems and Briggs’ to transform their digital infrastructure globally. Briggs required a system that would allow them to grow quickly globally. The integration of RISE with SAP S/4 Hana cloud has allowed Briggs to enhance their processes and make intelligent decisions in line with their growth aspirations. This growth has been made possible due to Sapphire’s support. Its become a game changer for the business.

To read more about Briggs’ journey follow this link: Briggs of Burton celebrate completion of RISE with SAP Integration | Briggs of Burton (briggsplc.com)

To see the full list of finalists of ERP Today awards, you can follow this link: 2022 Finalists – ERP Today Awards

Posted in Awards

Briggs’ Engineering Director features in podcast

Briggs of Burton’s Engineering Director, George Crombie recently joined Thinking it Better’s ‘One Thought at a Time’ podcast.

George began his journey surrounded by engineering and crafting from a young age. Taking his passion of understanding how things are put together, he joined Briggs on a summer internship which led to his current role of managing large global engineering projects and overseeing all engineering activities for the group. You can read his profile here – https://briggs-plc.crush-test.co.uk/leadership/george-crombie/ 

George highlighted Briggs’ growth over the last 5 years, delivering projects in the Brewing, Distilling, Pharmaceutical and Food industries. George spoke passionately about the Briggs team taking pride in supporting the creation of so many household brands. From breaking ground at a plant, to seeing a tangible product and being able to share it with family and friends is satisfying.

He continued to say:

“We can have the toughest day on the plant, but also be able to step away from that. With those same colleagues, friends and socialise with them. Have a sense of fun, look back at what you’ve done”.

Briggs always strives to encourage their team to separate the serious from the fun which helps them to deliver what we promise.

George adds that the team are always interested in the job they’re performing, which leads to a sense of pride. The team are eager to follow Briggs on a journey to deliver exciting projects. George, as an Engineering Director foresees a continuous plan to grow the company across sectors and bringing the team along on that journey.

To listen to the full podcast, follow this link: George Crombie | One Thought at a Time #10 – YouTube

 

Posted in Engineering, General

Briggs of Burton forms strategic partnership to explore new carbon reducing technologies

Ardgowan Distillery announced the appointment of Briggs of Burton in October 2021 last year to lead the design, build and engineering of their carbon negative distillery. Now, both Ardgowan and Briggs have joined forces with Heriot Watt University’s International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD) exploring new carbon reducing technologies.

Close to 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced by Scottish malt and grain distilleries and breweries every year. Whisky washbacks, used in distilleries as fermentation vessels, are generally fitted with CO2 extractors but this CO2 is rarely collected. The North British Distillery is one of the notable exceptions, producing CO2 for the beverage industry. However, the high costs and multiple challenges involved in using the existing technology makes it difficult for smaller companies to use.

Ardgowan produces 755,000 kg of CO2 every year from fermentation processes. However plans are in place to use Briggs’ proven technologies to drive down carbon emissions. This includes the use of high temperature heat pumps.

Heriot-Watt University’s expertise across engineering and distilled spirits, will be able to explore and validate a wider range of carbon reduction technologies. The Ardgowan project is also designed to overlap with MSc Brewing and Distilling projects at the University.  Regardless of scale, this will expand the range of strategies explored and provide some facts about the various routes the industry could take.

Scott Davies, Head of Marketing commented:

“Both Ardgowan and Briggs of Burton will greatly benefit from research conducted by Heriot-Watt University, providing an independent perspective and broader scope when identifying opportunities across the overall malt whisky production process and its supply chain. The Ardgowan Distillery is being designed to accept process developments through its modular construction. This means research conducted through this partnership can be directly adopted at the distillery, enabling Ardgowan to continuously assess and seek to reduce its carbon impact from the outset. As a Heriot-Watt alumni, it’s a great opportunity to help give back to the next generation of brewing and distilling engineers and scientists.”

The project will be based at the ICBD at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh campus. The ICBD has access to its own pilot brewing, fermentation, and distillation facilities with labs for all aspects of brewing and distilling research including analytical capabilities.

The research is funded through the Food and Drink Net Zero Challenge fund, which was set up by Interface and the Scotland Food and Drink Partnership to support Scotland’s food and drink businesses as part of the Recovery Plan funded by the Scottish Government.

Each funded project is designed to accelerate businesses on the journey towards net zero and improve their environmental sustainability, utilising the world class knowledge base and facilities across Scottish universities, research institutes and colleges. The collaboration will update the academic community and wider industry on findings to encourage widespread adoption and impact.

Posted in Distilling, Engineering

Briggs win Manufacturer of the Year Award

Briggs of Burton are proud winners of the prestigious Manufacturer of the Year category at Insider Media’s “Made in the Midlands” awards.

The awards evening hosted at the Macdonald Burlington Hotel in Birmingham celebrated the region’s top manufacturers. Above all, the evening recognised products, innovations, and ideas over the past 12 months. Our team attended in full force representing several key business functions demonstrating our One Briggs ethos.

The judges are impressed with Briggs’ global coverage and reach. Recognising Briggs’ ambition and drive to celebrate their team and engineering projects. In addition, they demonstrate safety, show flexibility and honesty to their customers, partners and colleagues and delivering what they promise.

To sum up, a huge congratulations to our team on a momentous occasion. Our team are raising a glass to more achievements this year.

If you are interested in reading more, follow this link : Awards celebrate the Midlands’ top manufacturers | Midlands Manufacturing News | Insider Media

Posted in Awards

Driving passion for STEM as Briggs gets behind community project to design and build an eco-inspired racing car

Briggs of Burton backs youngsters bid to race at the iconic Goodwood track as part of a community project to encourage more young people into the world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).

Hilton Formula 24 is an innovative  project run by local science and technology company STEM Venturi, giving youngsters aged 9 to 16 the opportunity to design, build and race an electric car as part of a nationwide competition run by Greenpower Educational Trust. Primarily run through schools, the group are the first community team of its kind in the Midlands and one of only a handful available across the UK.

Briggs, work with leading blue-chip companies around the world to deliver turnkey engineering solutions, are supporting the project through sponsorship funding and providing engineering expertise to help local youngsters to take part.

Specialising in leading engineering solutions for the brewing, distilling, food and pharmaceutical industries, the company has not only donated £5,000 to support the project but will also provide the opportunity to hold test runs for the racing car at their new Global Technical Centre. Experienced engineers from the company will also provide technical talks on related engineering topics and hands on demonstrations on techniques such as sheet metal bending and welding.

Tom Barnett, Business Development Manager at Briggs as well as a STEM ambassador, said the project was a great opportunity for the company to inspire young minds looking at a career in engineering.

“Briggs is proud to be able to support HF24 and this community project. More needs to be done to encourage and support young people who are interested in a career in engineering,”

“The UK is home to a wealth of leading engineering expertise and projects like HF24 help to nurture and encourage new talent and helps to support the growth and development of our current engineers.”

A team of 12 9- to 14-year-olds have so far put together the basic structure of the race car, with work now turning to designing the outer shell as well as completing the electronics and solar powered charger for the battery.

The group will then go on to test and race the car with drivers aged 11 and over taking it in turns to race around various UK tracks to qualify for the final championship race at the end of the year. The final will be held at the iconic Goodwood race circuit, in Chichester, famous for the super car Festival of Speed.

Holly Davies, Founder of STEM Venturi  which offers coding and STEM opportunities to young people, said it was a great opportunity for young people to get hands on experience within the industry.

“Receiving financial support from Briggs has given the project a much-needed boost. Having the opportunity to work with engineers from Briggs who are equally passionate about engineering and encouraging young people to get involved with STEM is rewarding.  The project’s core aim is to help the youngsters learn and develop their soft skills such as problem solving but also learn the fundamentals of engineering in a fun way.”

“We are there to help and supervise but the real work, ideas and skill comes from the young team working together to bring their vision to life. It’s really refreshing to see them in action and the friendships they are forming along the way.”

The team meet every Sunday in Fauld, and it is hoped that the bespoke car will be ready to test by the end of the month with the team facing their first qualifying race at the historic Goodwood race circuit in May.

The event by Greenpower Education Trust aims to inspire young minds to consider a role in engineering after research by The Royal Academy of Engineering found a skills gap of around 104,000 STEM graduates every year and 56,000 technicians.

STEM Venturi’s purpose is to prepare students for their digital future. They do this through fun hands-on coding and technology projects including 3D design and printing, game design and coding, programming robotics and more. The small, not-for-profit organisation run after-school technology clubs, holiday clubs, online coding courses and an innovative 3D printer loan scheme for schools across the Midlands.

Posted in Uncategorised