Business Council of Alabama announces 2016 manufacturers of the year

The Business Council of Alabama and the Alabama Technology Network named their picks for 2016 award winning manufacturers in the state during an annual luncheon Tuesday, attended by business and political leaders.

The gathering’s keynote speech was given by Carroll Thomas, director of Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the public-private partnership seeking to strengthen manufacturing in the United States.  

“Now in its 17th year, the Business Council of Alabama and the Alabama Technology Network are honored to salute Alabama’s best manufacturers for their valuable participation in not only the state’s economy but also the economies of their employees and the suppliers who do business with them,” said BCA president and CEO William J. Canary. “Since 2000 the Manufacturer of the Year Awards has been a premier event for the BCA, the Alabama Technology Network, the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama, and the National Association of Manufacturers. The BCA is proud to be the exclusive affiliate in Alabama to the NAM and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.”

Awards were given out in the categories of large (400 or more employees), medium (100-399 employees), and small (1-99 employees) manufacturers.

• Austal USA, the Mobile-based shipbuilders won large manufacturer of the year. Austal employs more than 4,000 to build and deliver twenty ships to the U.S. Navy, with four more currently in production.“Austal is involved in the community with financial and volunteer support,” said the BCA in a press release announcing the winners. “It participates in American Cancer Society and American Heart Association events, the annual Marine Corps Toys for Tots program, local schools, the United Way, chambers of commerce, professional baseball, and museums.”
• Winning medium manufacturer of the year was Revere Controls, based in Hoover. Employing 185 Alabamians to build custom-designed control panels“In more than 35 years since its founding, Revere Controls has demonstrated growth, financial performance, and a commitment to quality, safety, responsiveness, and doing what’s right for both its customers and employees,” said the BCA.
• Plasmine Technology based in Bay Minette won small manufacturer of the year for its work making and selling rosin to the paper industry, which has historically been a significant part of Alabama’s economy.
  
  “The private company’s focused organization competes against larger companies by emphasizing leadership, communication, data tracking and control, employee involvement, and accountability,” said the BCA. “It engages outside resources such as the Alabama Technology Network, parent-company research, membership associations, and vendors for knowledge, training, and ideas.”This is Plasmine Technology’s second time to win the honor, their first award being earned in 2008.