BRINTONS Carpets has fought off competition from multi-national companies to scoop the top award in what is considered to be the Oscars of the manufacturing business.

The Kidderminster carpet manufacturer, which is the world's largest producer of Axminster carpets, was overall winner of the prestigious 2001 Manufacturing Excellence Awards.

The family-run business beat the likes of Marconi, BAe Systems and Jaguar for the Institute of Mechanical Engineers award, which recognises the company's "sound financial performance, good use of IT and being a benchmark in waste efficiency".

"Benchmarking ourselves against the cream of British industry and then winning means we are fast heading towards our goal of being world class," said group manufacturing director John Pilling, who picked up the award at a ceremony in London's Dorchester Hotel.

The 200-year-old firm has a world-wide customer base, including Las Vegas and Paris casinos, Hong Kong International Airport, and luxury cruise ships Aurora and Oriana.

Mr Pilling, who described the award as a "tremendous honour", said the company's success was down to changes in the manufacturing hierarchy of managers and supervisors, so that day-to-day activities were controlled by teams of people on the shop floor, with their own leaders.

"It is a tribute to all our people who have worked so hard over the past few years and embraced our core values of teamwork, empowerment and continuous improvement," said Mr Pilling.

Brintons Carpets was selected as a finalist from 247 entries, following a visit to the Kidderminster factory by assessors.

A questionnaire also had to be completed and presentations had to be made to the judging panel.

Brintons Carpets is no stranger to awards, having been awarded a Queen's Award for export achievement in 1998.

The company was also runner-up in the process innovation category of the awards, described by the director general of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Sir Michael Moore, as "the industry Oscars".