Middleton’s Vita Group picks up top prize at region’s manufacturing awards

LL-R: Michael Barber, branch director Manchester/North West, Aon plc, and Nick Wood, operations director, The Vita Group.

Leading PU foam manufacturer, The Vita Group, which is based in Middleton, has been crowned ‘Manufacturer of the Year (over £25m)’ at the North West Business Insider’s Made in the North West awards ceremony.

In the same week that The Vita Group published its landmark sustainability report, Enhancing Everyday Life, the judges said: “If you were to set up a new manufacturing company you would emulate The Vita Group. They are innovative and they invest in the local area. They are about longevity and a very exciting business, retaining customers for decades.”

Now in its tenth year, the Made in the North West 2022 recognises the products, innovations and ideas from the region’s manufacturers. Hosted in partnership with the Department for International Trade at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester, the event brought together the North West’s brightest manufacturers to celebrate how they are approaching sustainability, innovation, and the raft of challenges the last two years have presented.

As well as winning the top ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ category, The Vita Group was also shortlisted in the ‘Sustainable/Ethical Manufacturer Award’ and ‘Manufacturing Innovation Award’, recognising the company’s commitment to ESG.

Ian Robb, CEO of The Vita Group, said: “It is an honour for The Vita Group’s hardwork to be recognised at the Made in the North West awards. This latest accolade reflects that we continue to create positive value within the communities that The Vita Group operates whilst delivering commercial excellence.

“The whole team continues to pride itself on its ability to innovate within the PU foam industry, in a bid to educate the rest of the market about how we can all drive forward a sustainable future together.”

The Insider award is the latest recognition for the group in what has been a busy few weeks. Last month, The Vita Group received the Judges' Choice Award for International Trade at the MEN Business of the Year Awards.

Additionally, Vita Comfort‘s Middleton site, which provides premium products and services to the bedding and furniture sectors, recently received an International Safety Award from the British Safety Council while the UK Usleep team was officially recognised with a Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) award.
 

Read more: The Vita Group celebrates safety award winPublished: 25 April 2022