A BASINGSTOKE company has started the new year in top form after winning special honours in the 2004 Best Factory Awards.

Oxoid, a world leader in specialist diagnostic products, is based in Wade Road, where about 400 employees are involved in the manufacture of products used routinely in hospitals and the food and pharmaceutical industries.

The company has won the judges special award from Cranfield School of Management and Works Management magazine, which was presented to Mike Housham, the Basingstoke-based vice president of operations.

Mr Housham said: "I was truly delighted to receive this award on Oxoid's behalf.

"It gives well-deserved public recognition to everyone involved in operations at our Basingstoke site for the tremendous improvements that they have made, and continue to make, to ensure our diagnostic products are the finest in the marketplace."

The judges highlighted the clear and structured process by which the company translated its objectives of product excellence, customer service, employee satisfaction and lowest cost into a successful world-class manufacturing strategy.

Success at the awards came from Oxoid beginning a world-class programme in 1999, which extends through the work of 14 teams and is co-ordinated by a continuous improvement steering group.

Fundamental to the programme is the adoption of best business practices and a comprehensive set of performance standards.

John Dunn, Oxoid's operations improvement manager, said: "Continuous improvement in performance is driven by the teams setting their own goals and objectives and also by educating the teams in the use of techniques, such as overall equipment effectiveness and five "S's" - sort, set limits, shine and sweep, standardise and sustain - for workplace organisation."

He added: "We have achieved a real change in culture by creating an environment where all employees can contribute to continuous improvement.

"The results speak for themselves with on-time dispatches up from 85 per cent in 2000 to 95 per cent in 2003 and increased volume output per man-hour up by 44 per cent since 1998."

Oxoid became part of the Fisher Scientific International group of companies only last February and employs more than 750 staff in 15 countries.

Its origins date back to the 19th century when its parent company, the Liebig Extract of Meat Company, produced Oxo.

In 1968, Liebig merged with Brooke Bond and Oxoid left the Oxo cube factory in London, where the company had been founded, to new, purpose-built facilities in Basingstoke.

More mergers followed and Oxoid became an independent company in early 1997 after a management buyout before becoming part of the Fisher Scientific International group.

In 2003, Oxoid had sales of £94.4million.