Smith and Nephew wins logistics award

Smith & Nephew, the Hull-based medical device company, has won the Logistics and Supply Chain Award at the Manufacturer Awards 2006.

The company was also shortlisted for the Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industries Award and Manufacturer of the Year.

Smith & Nephew’s advanced wound management division’s global supply chain was given the accolade after judges praised the “highly motivational environment” and its ability to meet stretching targets.

Furthermore, with the implementation of a new IT system to start next year, the panel suggested that there was “more to come”.

Joe Woody, president of Smith & Nephew advanced wound management, stated: “To be nominated in more than one category was a great achievement, and to have gone on to win the Logistics and Supply category is something that we are all extremely proud of.”

He added that this was testament to the importance of leadership, teamwork and strategy as key to bringing success.

Earlier this month, Smith & Nephew was praised in the 2006 Technology Innovation Awards for its Calaxo osteoconductive screw and the Versajet hydrosurgery system.

The Calaxo screw is designed to secure grafts in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. After it is screwed into the bone, it dissolves over time into the bone while simultaneously stimulating new bone growth in its place.

The Versajet was also praised for its ability to allow precise surgical operations using its pressurised, ultra-thin jet of fluid fired at supersonic speeds.