What has become an annual event the Namibian Manufacturers Association (NMA) hosted its sixth Manufacturer of the Year Awards Gala Dinner on 25 October 2018, at the Safari Hotel and Conference Centre, Windhoek.
Amidst much excitement, winners were announced.
Category 1: The NMA SMALL Manufacturer of the Year
1st Place: Kiyomisandz Beauty Products
2nd Place: Karakulia Weavers CC
3rd Place: GFG Slasto Supplies CC/TR Embrace Trading Enterprises CC
Category 2: The NMA MEDIUM Manufacturer of the Year
1st Place: Namibia Polymer Recyclers (Pty) Ltd
2nd Place: Ekango Salt Refiners (Pty) Ltd
3rd Place: Namibia Plastic Converters
Category 3: The NMA LARGE Manufacturer of the Year
1st Place: Guan’s Packaging (PTY) Ltd
2nd Place: Windhoek Schlachterei
3rd Place: August 26 Textile & Garment Factory
Category 4: The NMA CORPORATE Manufacturer of the Year
1st Place: Namibia Breweries Ltd
2nd Place: Namib Mills (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 Dairies (Pty) Ltd
3rd Place: Etosha Fishing Corporation (Pty) Ltd
Category 6: The NMA MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY award
1st Place: Plastic Packaging (Pty) Ltd
2nd Place: Rent-A-Drum Plastic Packaging (Pty) Ltd
3rd Place: Namibia Breweries Ltd
Judges Choice: The NMA Overall Winner: LARGE Category – GUAN’S PACKAGING (PTY) LTD
Judges Choice: The NMA Overall Winners: CORPORATE Category – NAMIBIA BREWERIES LIMITED and PLASTIC PACKAGING (Pty) Ltd
The NMA board of directors are satisfied that the judging process was executed in both a transparent and fair process.
Dr Michael Humavindo, Deputy Permanent Secretary at Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development represented the Honourable Minister, Mr Tjekero Tweya as the Guest of Honor.
Mr Jean Simonis, (founder of Simonis Storm and Co-founder of the Namibian Stock Exchange) was our “Keynote” speaker at the event and honoured the esteemed guests with powerful remarks on “Breakthrough during tough times”.
He highlighted the following three points in his speech. Engage, seek competitive advantage and change your value system. He further said “Seek your competitive advantage which is out there. Without it, the Namibian manufacturers will struggle to survive”. He also stated, that cutting cost was not the solution to the problem. He further urged local manufacturers to change their emphasis away from trying to exploit Namibia’s cheap labour. He also commended the Namibian Government for having some of the most accessible politicians in the world, making it easier for the private sector to engage with them.
It was encouraging to note some new first time entries into the competition. 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, Plastic Packaging.
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.
