Winners announced for the 2026 Made in Scotland Awards

Guala Closures UK was named Manufacturer of the Year (over £10m) after merging its Scottish operations into a single, highly automated £52m plant at Gartcosh that supplies more than 100 distilleries.

THREE60 Energy won Engineering Manufacturer of the Year after growing into a £230m business employing more than 1,200 people, designing and manufacturing in Scotland for the energy and defence sectors.

The final award of the night, Outstanding Contribution to Manufacturing, went to Gerry Facenna, who co-founded Allied Vehicles in 1993 and built it into Europe's largest manufacturer of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

Around 350 guests attended the ceremony at voco Grand Central Glasgow on Thursday, hosted by comedian Sanjeev Kohli, where 14 awards were presented.

The awards are run by Scotsman Insider in partnership with National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), and were supported by NT Engineering & Manufacturing, CeeD and Aggreko.

Scottish Leather Group won AI/Digital Tech Innovation of the Year.

Working with technology partner Mindhive, the company turned years of hide-grading expertise into a system that maps the defects on each hide.

Stewart Technology, a family-owned electronics manufacturer in Galashiels, was named Manufacturer of the Year (under £10m) after building more than two million circuit boards last year.

Navantia UK's Arnish yard on Lewis took Energy/Renewables Manufacturer of the Year after investing £5m in new technology and securing Fit for Offshore Renewables certification.

John Grant of Prestwick Aerosystems was named Engineer/Leader of the Year for a four-year project to build a digital model of the company's spoiler line.

Nami Surgical, a University of Glasgow spin-out, was named Bio-tech Manufacturer of the Year for developing the world's first miniaturised ultrasonic scalpel for robotic surgery.

Newcomer of the Year went to Quantcore which has raised £2.5m and is the UK's only maker of niobium-based quantum components.

Scott & Fyfe won Product Innovation of the Year for Alphashield Plus, a cured-in-place pipe liner launched in April.

Aquascot, an employee-owned B Corp in Alness, won Food and Drink Manufacturer of the Year after making the biggest investment in its history in new processing lines, lifting yield by three per cent .

Interflon Scotland, which has more than doubled turnover since 2021, won the Manufacturing Supply Chain Award.

Star Refrigeration Academy took Sustainability Initiative of the Year for a programme in which students lead the company's sustainability work.

BAE Systems' Adam Colquhoun was named Apprentice of the Year, an award sponsored by NT Engineering & Manufacturing.

He helped introduce shop-floor tablets that give operators instant access to safety and operating documents, and set up a hub for early-career colleagues.

All winners go forward to the national Made in the UK Awards in Manchester on November 19.

Stephen Emerson, Scotland editor at Insider Media, told guests: "In an age of mass technological disruption, the ability to make something tangible, that people will pay for and rely on, has never been more important.

"The awards set out last year to challenge the often negative narrative around Scottish manufacturing. This year, they offer the world a window into how innovative Scotland is when it comes to making things.

"At a time of downbeat headlines, the companies and people on tonight's shortlists give the country something to be proud of."

AI/Digital Tech Innovation of the Year

Winner: Teaching AI to Understand Leather, Scottish Leather Group

Lappa

Launchpad Build AI's Digitool and Manufacturing Language Model

my SMASH media

Pelorus: AI-Enabled Digital Shipbuilding for Type 31, Babcock

Scobie & Junor – AI-Integrated SD Admin

SCOTi : The Shortest Path Between Chaos and Control, smartR AI

Bio-tech Manufacturer of the Year

Winner: Nami Surgical

E.V.A Biosystems - BIOME Project

Ogibiotec

Engineer/Leader of the Year

Winner: John Grant, Prestwick Aerosystems

David Young, Cochran

Dr Ben Szutor, Cnuic Technologies Limited

Falk Bleyl, Utopi

Ian Fraser, THREE60 Energy

Kane Taylor, Ailsa Reliability Solutions Ltd

Steve Greenland, Craft Prospect

Engineering Manufacturer of the Year

Winner: THREE60 Energy

Cirrus Logic

Cnuic Technologies

Cochran

Craft Prospect

Juice Engineering

Renewable Parts

ZOT Engineering Ltd

Food and Drink Manufacturer of the Year

Winner: Aquascot Ltd

Commendation: McQueens Dairies

Balloch Factory - Chivas Brothers

Brave New Spirits Ltd

Macsween of Edinburgh

Rowan Glen

The Edinburgh Butter Company

Wee Knob of Butter

Sustainability Initiative of the Year

Winner: Star Refrigeration Academy

2 Sisters Food Group / 2 Agriculture

Changing Hearts and Minds Sustainable Education for pre school children to identify future sustainable leaders - G-Nrgy Limited

Closing the Loop on Scotland’s Green Waste

FFS International

Navantia UK Arnish

Manufacturing Supply Chain Award

Winner: Interflon Scotland Ltd

Balloch Factory - Chivas Brothers

Cnuic Technologies

Energy/Renewables Manufacturer of the Year

Winner: Navantia UK Arnish

Aggreko's flagship manufacturing facility at Lomondgate

Murphy - ASTI Framework

Renewable Parts

Product Innovation of the Year

Winner: Alphashield Plus, Scott & Fyfe

Commendation: Cnuic Technologies

BioPRO, Scottish Leather Group

Craft Prospect - VOLT (Versatile Optical Laboratory for Telecoms)

Guala Closures UK LTD

Ogibiotec

Spectrolytic Limited

Whittaker Engineering Ltd

Newcomer of the Year

Winner: Quantcore

Biscoat Bakery Ltd

CGEN Engineering Ltd

Cnuic Technologies

FFS International

ScrubMarine

Trossachs Cooperage Ltd

Wild Changer

Apprentice of the Year

Winner: Adam Colquhoun , BAE Systems

Commendation: Hope Brown, Babcock International

Evan Williamson, Ailsa Reliability Solutions

Fay Martin, BAE Systems

Grace McFarlane, Aggreko

Liam Campbell, Navantia UK Arnish

Rory Meikle, Babcock International

Wiktor Skrypowski, Renewable Parts

Manufacturer of the Year (under £10m)

Winner: Stewart Technologies

Cnuic Technologies

iLivestock

IOLLA

Lochcarron of Scotland

Motivity Solutions Ltd

Manufacturer of the Year (over £10m)

Winner: Guala Closures UK LTD

Aggreko Lomondgate

Allied Vehicles Limited

Balloch Factory - Chivas Brothers

Board24 (Eurocentral)

BSW Timber

Cochran

Scott & Fyfe

Outstanding Contribution to Manufacturing

Winner: Gerry Facenna , Allied Vehicles

Cochran

Glencraft

Omar Durrani, Cnuic Technologies

Professor Duncan Hand, Medical Device Manufacturing Centre

School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh

Whittaker Engineering Ltd