Lion last night hosted its annual Supplier of the Year Awards in a hybrid event with special functions for key suppliers held in Sydney and Auckland, connected by livestream.
Lion CEO Stuart Irvine welcomed Lion’s suppliers from Australia and New Zealand, as well as those who have supported the brewer’s rapid growth in the United States, and paid tribute to their partnership throughout the turbulence of the last two years.
“I would like to thank all of our valued suppliers who have worked with us through, what for many of us, will be the most challenging years of our careers,” Mr Irvine said.
“Fire, flood, pandemic and war – we have had it all, and our suppliers know better than most the huge effect this has had on supply chains. Whether it’s price, availability, or transport, but they have been unwavering in their commitment to working towards our objectives with us.
“These awards are all about celebrating the invaluable role they have played in keeping the beer flowing for us across our markets. Thank you to each and every one of you – and congratulations to all the finalists and winners.”
Lion Chief Supply Chain Officer Mauricio Ferreira, who joined the company at the beginning of 2022, said he was delighted to see so many of Lion’s valued suppliers in person for the event in Sydney, and so many across the Tasman in Auckland.
“As we evolve as a business, we are focused on searching for transformational innovation, all while continuing to work towards our sustainability commitments, and being a force for good,” Mr Ferreira said.
“Our progress against all of these initiatives simply would not be possible without the partnership and collaboration we see from our suppliers. These awards are about celebrating all they do to make our business hum, even in times of adversity.”
The category awards - across packaging, ingredients, logistics, engineering services and site services - recognise those suppliers who have perform the best in terms of delivery performance, quality, customer service, commercials and feedback.
The ‘Think Beyond, Adapt and Innovate’ Award recognises the supplier who demonstrated creative thinking and problem solving, which has enabled efficiency gains, cost savings or other innovative solutions to Lion over the course of the year.
And finally, the ‘Supplier of the Year’ Award recognises the supplier that has consistently exceeded our expectations and provided the best levels of service to Lion in terms of performance, quality and customer service in 2021.
Full list of nominees and award winners:
Award: Packaging (AU)
Winner: WestRock
Finalists: WestRock, Visy Glass, Interpack Pty Ltd
Award: Packaging (NZ)
Winner: Visy Glass
Finalists: Visy Glass, Opal Kiwi Packaging, Adhesif
Award: Ingredients (AU)
Winner: Barrett Burston Malting
Finalists: Hops Products Australia, Barrett Burston Malting, Bintani
Award: Ingredients (NZ)
Winner: Gladfield Malt
Finalists: New Zealand Hops, Gladfield Malt, Cryer Malt
Award: Logistics
Winner: Henning Harders (Australia) Pty Ltd
Finalists: Bevchain, Henning Harders, Sorted Logistics
Award: Engineering Services
Winner: M.E. Engineering
Finalists: KHS Pacific, Beca, M.E. Engineering
Award: Site Services
Winner: Dimeo
Finalists: Dimeo, MMS Group, Ecolab
Award: Think Beyond, Adapt and Innovate
Winner: M.E. Engineering
Award: Supplier of the Year
Winner: Visy Glass