The winners of the Automate UK Awards, which celebrate innovation and excellence achievements throughout the automation industry, have been announced at the PPMA Show® 2026.

The annual awards, which are presented during a glittering gala dinner on the second evening of the show, are a standout highlight of the UK’s biggest processing and packaging machinery, robotics and industrial vision event.

This year’s accolades were presented by key members of the Automate UK team, including CEO Dan Thombs, Chief Operating Officer Scott McKenna, Chairman James Causebrook and Policy Director Peter Williamson, alongside winners of the 2025 awards, before guests were entertained by soul sensation Heather Small and legendary comedian Frank Skinner.

Scott McKenna said: “As always, the Automate UK Awards gala dinner was a spectacular night, and while we were all blown away by Heather’s voice and left rolling around at Frank’s anecdotes, it was the achievements and innovations of our winners that stole the show.

“Drawing up a short-list from the brilliant nominations we had was a difficult enough task, but going on to select winners was very tough. Every single winner we presented with awards this year has achieved something spectacular, and we’re proud to have had so much talent in the room,” he added.

The ceremony saw Jenton receive the Innovative Processing System accolade, Zebra presented with the award for Innovative Vision Solution and PiP Automation awarded with the Innovative Packaging accolade. Logopak International was named as the winner of the highly competitive Outstanding Customer Service award, while the Innovative Robotics/Automation Solution award was presented to WMH-UK.

OFS and AB Foods secured the Partnership of the Year award in recognition of their evolution from a supplier-customer relationship into a full joint development partnership spanning AI deployment and group-wide adoption.

Adelphi Group was awarded the Environmental Initiative of the Year for its serious, sustained commitment to sustainability. By installing 1,000 solar panels across multiple sites, cutting grid electricity use by 20 to 40%, Adelphi has exported surplus energy exported back to the grid, in addition to utilising an air-source heat pump, hybrid vehicles, and rainwater harvesting, thereby saving 144,000 litres of mains water a year. The business’ initiatives are backed by SBTi-approved targets and EcoVadis Committed Status, reinforcing its commitment to measurable impact and real leadership on sustainability.

A core element of Automate UK’s remit is to support the recruitment, development and retention of new talent within the sector, and the business awarded Michaela Coxon of Festo with the prestigious Apprentice Champion of the Year accolade in recognition of her passion for inspiring and encouraging young people to pursue a career in the wider engineering community and her commitment to creating opportunities for them to do so.

The business went on to further reward outstanding apprentices across the sector: Samuel Larkins of Sycamore was presented with the Advanced Level Apprentice of the Year award for his ownership of a complex engineering project, from design and testing through to installation, commissioning and delivery, with his colleague Hollie Bealing being highly commended for the accolade in recognition of her specialist welding technical ability and her willingness to share her knowledge and train others.

Alexander Stevenson of Domino received the Degree or Higher-Level Apprentice of the Year award, impressing judges with his leadership and responsibility alongside his technical development, leading apprentices from different businesses to deliver complex automation projects, and sharing his knowledge to help others develop, while Luke Flynn of Newtech Intelligent Automation was highly commended due to his exceptional progression, having developed his limited robotics experience to become the person his colleagues turn to for technical know-how, taking ownership of complex projects and commissioning Newtech’s first dual-robot system.

Finally, the ceremony presented Geoff Tandy of Multipond with the lifetime achievement award. An engineer with over 40 years in the industry, Geoff’s industry knowledge and expertise, combined with his reputation for challenging conventional thinking and his willingness to act as a mentor and a leader, has led to countless others building an engineering career.

Geoff delivered the UK’s first high-speed mixed vegetable multihead weighing system, among many more installations, and was hailed for creating a culture where learning, development and personal growth are actively encouraged, ensuring that individuals have the confidence and opportunities to reach their full potential.