2009 australian business excellence awards - sai global · 13 excellence awards winners – 2009...

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2009 Australian BusinessExcellence Awards

04 Silver award winner – Computershare Limited – Operations

05 Silver award winner – SummitCare (Australia)

06 Bronze award winner – ABM Electronic Engineering (Aust) Ltd

07 Bronze award winner – Department for Families and Communities

08 Bronze award winner – Mildura Rural City Council

09 Bronze award winner – Schindler Lifts Australia

10 People Category award – City of Melville

11 Customer and Market Focus Category award – Downer EDI Works

12 Recognition – Engineering and Technology Group (Main Roads QLD)

13 Excellence Awards Winners – 2009

InsIdE

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2009 Australian Business Excellence Awards

IntroductIon

The Australian Business Excellence Awards, for over 20 years, has provided the country’s premier showcase for distinction, quality and merit.

During that time we have acknowledged the achievements of a wide-range of organisations regardless of size or industry.

This year has presented the toughest global economical environment seen since the Awards were launched in 1988. But, even in the face of unprecedented challenges, the desire to set new benchmarks, and attain excellence, has remained resolute.

A high quality selection of submissions were put forward for 2009 and from them, our judges have identified organisations that have proven themselves leaders in sustainability, enterprise and innovation.

To attain recognition, organisations have been assessed across a set of criteria which underscore commitment to not only sustaining bottom line results but to superiority of service, commitment to customers, philanthropic ideals, ethical behaviour and environmental sustainability.

Through the Awards we have the opportunity to not only shine a spotlight on these high achievers, but also to learn from them, and gain inspiration from their dedicated and systematic approach to continuous improvement.

While winners receive the ultimate seal of approval, all who submitted to assessment have gained from independent external scrutiny and facilitated a culture for excellence and continuous business improvement.

Models of brilliancethrough economic difficulty companies continue to prove resilience and commitment to business excellence

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Computershare is a global leader in transfer agency

and share registration, employee equity plans,

proxy solicitation and other specialised financial,

governance and communication services.

Founded in Melbourne in 1978, it now has 10,000

employees providing services in 17 countries

to more than 14,000 clients and a market

capitalisation of approximately $5 billion.

Computershare Limited – Operationssilver Award Winner

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SummitCare (Australia)silver Award Winner

SummitCare (Australia) has provided quality residential

aged care in Sydney for more than 40 years.

With a model that strives beyond regulatory mandates,

SummitCare’s dedication to delivering superior

facilities and service has seen each of its homes fully

accredited and externally verified as living the essence

of ‘continuous improvement’.

Its Quality Management Framework embraces and

prioritises feedback from residents and relatives which

is regularly canvassed through reviews, satisfaction

surveys and complaints.

SummitCare plans for business excellence. Its

strategies link effectively to key objectives and deliver

on current and future stakeholder demands. Aligned to

overall strategy, local plans undergo regular monitoring

against performance measures while external

benchmarking is used to form an objective view of

the organisation.

SummitCare is characterised by principled leadership,

a keen focus on residents and their families and

a desire to construct an open, collaborative and

continuous improvement culture.

Employees display passion, professionalism, and an

understanding of their contribution to SummitCare’s

goals. The building of capability is supported by formal

and informal education programs and achievement of

qualifications is routinely recognised.

Environmental considerations are reflected in

monitoring of energy and water use and in major

upgrades of facilities and development of new sites.

SummitCare is proactive in its efforts to positively

influence the direction of aged care at federal and

state government levels while management and

staff actively share knowledge and experiences via

participation in industry and professional forums.

Located at Yarra Falls in Abbotsford Victoria, the

Operations Group of Computershare is a discrete

business unit servicing Australian clients. It was

established in 2002 to consolidate and centralise

service delivery and has since achieved close to

150 per cent improvement in productivity. Over

recent years it has maintained a 90 percent

customer satisfaction rating.

The high performing company leverages technology

to achieve consistently high standards and has

developed the capacity to respond quickly to

external influences on strategic direction. Areas

for improved customer relations and service

are measured through sophisticated reporting

processes and an independent monthly

telephone survey.

‘Creating a great place to work’ has resulted in

reduced staff turnover, and increased retention

and promotion. Feedback and development

opportunities are opened up through surveys, focus

groups, secondment, job rotation and choice of

some 200 training programs.

A comprehensive leadership framework is

supported by monthly coaching of performance

and behavioural expectations and motivated

managers drive continuous improvement.

Operations’ core values and strategic intent

are evident in all aspects of the business

and align with core business activities and

performance.

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ABM Electronic Engineering provides hardware and

software support and maintenance. A family-owned

and run business, ABM started in 1983 and today

utilises more than 500 field technicians and 100-plus

service locations in Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

Its service systems span a range of industries,

including manufacturing, banking, retail, travel,

medical and government.

The successful small enterprise has a well-

articulated direction characterised by passion,

commitment, involvement of its people and a clear

focus on service delivery.

ABM Electronic Engineering (Aust) LtdBronze Award Winner

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Department for Families and CommunitiesBronze Award Winner

In its ongoing pursuit of business excellence,

ABM has recently designed innovative software

to support its operations. This has improved the

execution of operational processes, performance

measurement and on-the-job learning. The company

has a comprehensive quantitative approach to

assessing the quality, efficiency and effectiveness

of its core business.

Innovation is encouraged and supported with staff

keenly involved in the improvement process. ABM’s

cultural and leadership attributes are evidenced by a

staff retention rate which is five times superior to the

industry standard. Its corporate social responsibility

extends to charity funding, employment of staff with

disabilities and religious and cultural diversity among

its personnel.

Holding its own against much larger competitors,

ABM has prospered through its agility and

adaptability in the face of significant market

changes. Its Business Excellence Framework is

central to the organisation’s sustainability and

ongoing success.

The Department for Families and Communities

(DFC) is a large State Government department with

a vision to create a better life for South Australians.

The Department connects customers to quality

services in the areas of: ageing, disability, housing,

community development funding, family support,

youth justice, care and protection of children and

concessions.

Showcasing strong partnerships, the Department

has a broad range of non-government

organisations, advisory groups and customer

representative bodies that it regularly consults with.

It employs the connected services concept – an

approach to improve service coordination and

access for customers.

The Department has presented a concise and

clear five-year strategic plan – aligned to that of the

South Australian Government – which defines the

DFC’s purpose and direction.

DFC’s College for Learning and Development, a

registered training organisation, drives a culture of

learning and links skill development with strategic

direction. It promotes employee innovation and

creativity with a range of business improvement

programs and has a project management

framework that supports delivery of key strategies.

A transparent workforce plan ensures a sustained

future workforce capability and its range of

initiatives contribute to ‘green’ environments and

sustainable communities.

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Mildura Rural City is situated in Victoria’s

north-west covering around 10 percent of the state.

Its culturally diverse population of 60,000 inhabits

an environment comprising of Mallee vegetation,

grain farms, intensive horticulture, vibrant towns

and the picturesque Murray River.

Mildura Rural City Council (MRCC) consults

broadly in the community every four years to

review its 2025 Vision – the framework for the

City’s direction.

Mildura Rural City CouncilBronze Award Winner

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Schindler Lifts AustraliaBronze Award Winner

Continuous improvements to planning, and

performance benchmarking against leading

Australian councils have enhanced MRCC’s status

and its opportunities for attracting state and federal

government funding.

Councillors and staff, working on their own time,

take part in community consultation processes

such as workshops.

Senior managers place a priority on staff

satisfaction garnering broad feedback through

surveys. Managers demonstrate role-model

behaviour that is closely aligned to Values and

the Business Excellence principles. Leadership

competencies are measured and assessed and

access to the High Performance Leadership

Program further develops MRCC’s capabilities.

In the area of occupational health & safety, key

performance indicators reveal improvement over a

number of years which has resulted in significantly

reduced WorkCover premiums.

Environmental impact strategies include a number

of waste transfer stations, community sustainability

education, water use reduction, energy efficiency,

waste management and tracking of greenhouse

emissions.

Summed up by the phrase ‘Are We Doing the Right

Thing’ a strategic measurement system determines

whether Council is achieving desired outcomes and

assesses areas for progress.

Schindler Lifts Australia is one of the country’s

largest suppliers of escalators and elevators. With

600 employees and operations throughout the

country, Schindler designs, installs, services and

modernises building transport systems.

Propelled by a robust planning and measurement

system, Schindler Lifts is progressing determinedly

towards its goal of market leadership.

Strategic intent is effectively communicated across

the organisation while individual departments’

business plans link to the company storyboard and

current imperatives. Accountability for execution of

strategy is a driving factor of the organisation.

A greater understanding of its market has been

achieved through improved customer engagement,

networking and the commissioning of market

research. This has resulted in new markets, sales

and revenue growth and decreased churn rate.

The Schindler work environment encourages a

strong performance ethic through inclusiveness,

diversity and fairness. All customer facing staff

operate under a performance reward system and

have clear guidelines for client interaction.

With its global head office in Switzerland, the

company has worldwide resources to draw upon to

plan for mitigating market risks and for deploying

systems to support organisational effectiveness

and sustainability.

Achieving sustainability is a key factor in

Schindler’s planning. Driven by an acute

appreciation of workforce issues, in particular

engineering and trades skills shortages,

the company has strategies to address future

business needs such as an ageing skilled

workforce, leadership career development and

apprenticeship programs.

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The City of Melville oversees a vibrant community

8 km from Perth’s CBD, and has crafted a work

environment characterised by pride, achievement

and sense of belonging.

In striving to create ‘a great place to work’ the

City has implemented flexible work arrangements,

competitive pay, training opportunities and staff

benefits such as the purchasing of additional

annual leave.

City of MelvillePeople category Award

Its staffing solutions represent best practice and

contribute to the City’s ability to attract, recruit and

retain staff and foster succession. The result of

adaptable staffing – typified by a creative solution

of sharing people resources with neighbouring local

governments – enhances organisational capability.

The City’s well developed performance evaluation

system connects cohesively to continuing education

and development while a novel visual approach to

communication involving ‘models’ clearly explains

key processes and presents consistent messages

for all staff.

The City’s leadership program, now in its third

round, has seen continuous improvement and the

achievement of consistent leadership.

Improvement is facilitated by annual planning. The

link between business plans, the ‘People’ planning

model and the corporate plan promote a culture of

valuing people and deliver ‘a great place to work’.

Downer EDI Workscustomer and Market Focus category Award

Downer EDI Works is an organisation with a

$1billion-plus turnover and 1,700 employees in

Australia operating from 90 sites and offices.

It specialises in providing maintenance services

for the continued safe operation of essential civil

and rail infrastructure.

Clients include Local Government, State and

Federal Government, as well as public and

private companies.

Downer EDI Works’ contract with Main Roads WA

(MRWA), typifies the organisation’s client-focus

capability through keenly managed interactive

relationships.

Downer EDI Works structures an improvement

process that contributes to a greater understanding

of customer needs. In the case of MRWA this focus

has led to an effective working relationship that

helps both organisations respond quickly to the

demands of road users as well as planning

for better roads.

The process continues to evolve as

Downer EDI Works examines methods

of consolidating customer feedback to

build a complete customer picture. The

information allows Downer EDI Works to

prioritise and implement improvements.

In partnership with MRWA, expectations

and behaviours have been documented

in formalised customer relationship

management systems. Effective

communication is controlled through mutually

developed contracts, the client service charter,

customer management plan, newsletters,

protocols and committees with representatives

from both organisations.

At the operational level, Downer EDI Works

employees are encouraged to work collaboratively

with MRWA personnel to ensure a greater

responsiveness to customer requirements and

resolve issues on a win/win basis.

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Engineering and Technology Group is a specialist

engineering group within Main Roads Queensland.

Engineering and Technology provides leadership

in technical governance, maintains core technical

capability and delivers expert advice in Main Roads.

Its standards and specifications are the industry

benchmark for road infrastructure in Queensland.

Engineering and Technology Group is a leader in

technical data collection and analysis and its key

product developments have been used by others

to improve the road network. Engineering and

Technology Group supports knowledge sharing

with Main Roads, state, interstate and overseas

representatives through mediums including

Communities of Practice, placement of experts in

projects and Technology Forums.

Engineering and Technology Group – Main Roads QLDrecognition

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A range of processes ensure that knowledge is

harnessed and made available to all relevant

areas within the Group, Main Roads and Industry.

Knowledge transfer through mentoring and coaching

is also employed to support ongoing capability.

‘Technical Capability’ is one of six strategic programs

initiated to develop and retaining effective employees.

Initiatives include job rotation, internal promotions,

an extensive training framework, exposure to external

forums and research opportunities.

Sustainability is also supported through the

Business Excellence Framework, the adoption of

new technologies and assessment of the impact of

emerging technologies on service capability.

High-levels of competence and leadership are

imbued in the Engineering and Technology Group

culture and typified by extensive leadership and

management training being available at all staff levels.

Its strategic plan and programs align with Main

Road Queensland’s vision and priorities and

cascade to Branch Operational Plans.

2009 ExcEllEncE AWArds Winners

Business Awards

silver Winner

Computershare Limited – Operations

SummitCare (Australia)

Bronze Winner

ABM Electronic Engineering (Aust) Ltd

Department for Families and Communities

Mildura Rural City Council

Schindler Lifts Australia

CAtegory Awards

People

City of Melville

Customer and Market Focus

Downer EDI Works

recognition

Engineering and Technology Group (Main Roads QLD)

environmental Management

Rockdale City Council

Food safety Management

Snap Fresh Pty Ltd

oH&s Management

Optus

Quality Management Less than 50 employees

Safety Link Personal Response

3M Australia

Prysmian Power cables & systems

Honeywell

GPc Electronics

rPG (sA)

landis & Gyr

radio Frequency systems

Hemco Industries

clipsal Australia

Bradken resources

Veem

Australian safety Engineers

capital safety Group

GsA Industries (Aust.)

MsA (Aust.)

northern Iron and Brass Foundry

tyco Water

Quality Management 51 – 500 employees

CH2M Hill Australia

Heggies Australia

Quality Management 501+ employees

Hirotec Australia Pty Ltd

integrated Management

Rockdale City Council

systeMs Awards

20 yeAr reCognition Awards

We would like to congratulate all of the following companies for more than 20 years certification with sAI Global – leading the way in their dedication to their management systems:

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sAI Global helps organisations manage risk, achieve compliance and drive business improvement. It provides access to standards and specifications together with regulatory newsfeeds, compliance solutions, business improvement training and independent verification and certification services.

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2009 australian business excellence awards - sai global · 13 excellence awards winners – 2009...

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