Nestlé held their UK Supplier Awards event at The Queens Hotel in Leeds, with over 300 suppliers and key Nestlé personnel in attendance.

Over the course of the last year Smurfit Kappa has continued to work in partnership with Nestlé on a number of initiatives to help support their Virtuous Circle programme, which focussed on working together, adding value and driving profitable growth. Smurfit Kappa supply Nestlé from various sites throughout the UK. Gayle Waywell, Smurfit Kappa National Account Manager, who manages the Nestlé account, collected the award on behalf of the Smurfit Kappa team.

Nestlé outlined the purpose of the Outstanding Service Award: “Our suppliers have a direct impact on whether our factory is able to run and when things go wrong, the consequences can be severe. As a manufacturer, Nestlé recognises that things can and do go wrong. However, the way a supplier deals with and communicates incidents can make the difference between a plan change or a stopped line. The Customer Service Award is a way to celebrate those suppliers who have either delivered a consistently high level of service or who have shown proactivity to overcome significant obstacles.”

David Hix, Supply Chain Director Nestlé UK and Ireland, commented, “The number of entries we received was over 110 across all the categories, and the quality of all submissions was outstanding. The nominations demonstrate supplier’s outstanding commitment to the ever important collaborative relationship that our companies benefit from.”

Two Smurfit Kappa employees - Jessica Steadman and Theresa Long - also received a specific award, ‘Above and Beyond’. In total, only half a dozen people who support Nestlé on a day-to-day basis received this award.