Double winners at MiCE awards 2019
We’re thrilled to announce that we were double winners at the Made in Central & East England (MiCE) Awards 2019! APRIL™ Eye took home the Digital Engineering/Technology Award and Kyle Constable, technical sales lead for Steam Infusion was recognised as the Apprentice of the Year. Insider's MiCE Awards are a celebration of all that's great about manufacturing, shining a light on the region's innovations so we’re delighted to have been acknowledged - adding to our success at the end of 2018. Following on from our regional win, we’ve now been entered into the national awards - keep your fingers crossed for us in June!
All Eyes on APRIL™
APRIL™ Eye is the world’s first artificial intelligence vision solution and since its launch, it has been widely recognised as a game changer for the global food industry. The judging panel chose APRIL Eye as the winner of the Digital Engineering/Technology award for OAL’s desire to create jobs and export opportunities using this technology. It fully automates the date code verification process to reduce the risk of product recalls and withdrawals caused by human error on packaging lines. It’s great that MiCE also appreciates how APRIL Eye can make a significant improvement to processes, safety, quality and efficiency and deliver cost savings to food manufacturers on their packaging lines.
APRIL Eye transforms the traditional date code verification process by combining machine learning and artificial intelligence, fully automating the date code verification process. Rather than relying on operators to check the date code is printed correctly on every pack, APRIL Eye can remove the human error inherent in these boring, repetitive tasks by reading back the date code. The system can deal with variations such as lighting, positioning, print quality and placement to eliminate errors, protect consumers and the brand while at the same time reducing labour costs and waste.
High achiever
The MiCE Awards judging panel chose Kyle as their Apprentice of the Year for his "ongoing unwavering commitment to his personal development". We certainly agree with them!
Kyle Constable is a degree apprentice at OAL, helping UK and European food manufacturers adopt OAL’s Steam Infusion technology to ensure they maximise the benefits of the cooking process. With a strong background in the food industry having previously worked for Nestlé as a manufacturing apprentice, he is currently completing a degree in Food & Drink Manufacturing Operations Management at the University of Lincoln.
But Kyle doesn’t just take his own personal development seriously. As he represents a success story of taking an apprenticeship route to gaining a degree qualification within the food industry, he uses this experience to mentor students as part of the OAL CSR programme and takes every opportunity to encourage students to consider a career in engineering. It’s wonderful for Kyle to be recognised for such a prestigious award as it endorses his hard work combining studies with great results at the company.