In the high-stakes business of fresh milk, Robert Wiseman Diaries has been battling it out with Dairy Crest and Arla -- not without success.
In this year's Excellence Awards it had to fight off spreads producer Matthews Foods and organic yoghurt specialist Rachel's Dairy too. But it came out on top after the disappointment of second-place to Arla in the 2003 awards.
In a tightly-fought category, the judges decided Wiseman edged it thanks to what one described as "terrific work in supply chain management, with good work in HR and innovation"
That remark should please executives at Wiseman, who say innovation is the key to excellence in this sector.
And the judges found evidence of this across all elements of Wiseman's business, from increasing capacity at its Droitwich dairy to a world record breaking 500m litres, to reducing wastage levels across the company to less than half the industry norm.
It is also one of the few companies in any industry to achieve ISO14001 accreditation for its environmental management systems across its entire operation -- which means 19 sites in the UK.
According to its ISO 14001 auditor, SGS, Wiseman displays "genuine enthusiasm" for improving its performance. "An excellent level of commitment to the system was evident in all areas audited, from the small engineering projects redesigning processes to save water, to the purchase and implementation of the 'Reload' tanker system to maximise journeys and cut carbon dioxide emissions where possible."
The benefits of a newly commissioned reverse osmosis plant at its Glasgow dairy are already evident in reducing waste and improving effluent quality. And the company is finding new markets for recycling waste that previously went to landfill, including a partnership with a Scottish paper mill to recycle fibre carton material.
Meanwhile, Wiseman hasn't taken its eye off the ball on product quality. It was one of only four chilled food suppliers to receive a 'Values Award' from Tesco for its determination to "do our very best, all of the time, every time". And it has consistently demonstrated the lowest complaint levels among the three main milk suppliers to Sainsbury.
These developments have been made possible by continued heavy investment in IT. The company currently commits 10% of annual capital expenditure to IT, to ensure it gets the right orders to the right customers on time.
Category: Dairy
Winner: Robert Wiseman Dairies
Shortlisted: Dairy Crest, Matthews Foods, Rachel's Organic Dairy, Yoplait Dairy Crest