Harry Norman receives Lifetime Achievement Award
We’re delighted to announce that Harry Norman won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Food Processing Awards 2021 in Coventry for his contribution to the food industry as an inventor, entrepreneur and innovator. Here we share the story that led to this fantastic achievement.
Harry’s background
Over the course of a career spanning over 30 years Harry has dedicated himself to innovation, determined to shake up the food industry and improve how our food is made. He was once quoted as saying, “If people say you can’t go through that door, then I get a chainsaw and make my own door.” It’s this relentlessness and drive for success that has characterised Harry’s career, guiding him towards continuous innovation to meet evolving customer needs.
While studying control engineering at Coventry University, Harry Norman fell in love with automation and robotics. Following just a few years in industry, the ever-entrepreneurial Harry was 28 when he decided to build OAL. A newly married father of two very young children, it was a bold decision to set up a business on his own, especially as the family’s main breadwinner. But it was a risk that soon paid off as the company was profitable from the very first year.
Innovating at OAL
Propelled by customer demand for automation, OAL soon became a one-stop shop for turn-key processing systems comprising design, automation and support. Developing strong relationships with some of the biggest names in the food industry, Harry has led the OAL team to complete hundreds of projects, delivering high quality results and outstanding support.
His vast experience in the food industry and free-thinking has helped him to spot trends and stay ahead of the curve, starting with the invention of Autocoding and the launch of the OAL Connected suite of software solutions, which has helped to transform packaging lines and increase food safety.
Spurred on by this success, and against the backdrop of an industry stretched by rising costs, Harry was convinced that food manufacturing needed to change. He knew OAL could lead the charge, taking the strategic decision to set up a dedicated innovation team. This pivot led to significant investment in new technologies to disrupt the industry, starting with the acquisition of the game-changing cooking technology, which was rebranded to become Steam Infusion, in 2013.
Not content with acquiring technology, his next conquest was in the field of robotics. His inventions under the APRIL Robotics brand, including a robotic chef and weighing system, have been described as the greatest processing innovation in the last twenty years by one of the largest FMCG companies in world.
Not just an inventor
But it’s not all work. His competitiveness in business is matched only by his competitiveness in his personal life. A keen cyclist and runner, he has completed a variety of challenges, from marathons to cycling races, with customers and to raise money for charity. He’s also a consummate storyteller, entertaining the OAL workforce and customers alike with his one-of-a-kind humour.
