Forterra employees awarded for outstanding achievements
International Clay Technology Association awards presented to Ed Storer and Nia Lewis
ON 19 December 2023, two Forterra employees received prestigious awards from the International Clay Technology Association (ICT/ICTa), an education and training trust which provides training for the clay sector.
The event, which was held at Forterra’s new Desford brick factory, saw production manager Ed Storer receive the Keith FR Morton Award, and shift manager Nia Lewis receive the Clay Drying and Firing Student Award.
The Keith FR Morton Award for 2023 recognizes exceptional personal effort in education and training achievement in clay technology through various courses and apprenticeships.
The award is in the form of a sculptured beehive kiln, which was created at Forterra’s Redbank Measham plant in 2011. It was originally presented to Keith Morton in recognition of his 36 years of service to the ICT, ICTa, and the UK clay industry’s education and training and stays with the recipient for one year.
Following a period as production manager at Measham, Mr Storer took on the role of production manager at the old Desford brickworks, maintaining the output of an end-of-life plant and overseeing the commissioning process of the new Desford plant. At the same time, he started the University of Derby credit in drying and firing, balancing his job and education workload.
Mr Storer said: ‘I deeply appreciate receiving the Keith FR Morton award in clay technology. This recognition holds immense significance, highlighting the positive impact of dedicated mentors from my time within the industry who have generously shared their knowledge and skills. I am proud to be able to collaborate with others who are equally as dedicated to the industry and to carry on Keith’s Legacy.’
Having spent four years at Forterra, starting on the operations management graduate programme, Ms Lewis has continued to progress her development and completed her Clay Drying and Firing course with the highest pass mark of the 2023 class. She received the university certificate of credit and the ICTa Training and Committee award of £100, which was sponsored by the ICT Education and Training Trust.
Ms Lewis commented: ‘I’d like to thank Forterra for all their support and for the opportunity to attend this course and develop my skill set. The course has meant I am able to understand how the operation and any deviation from the process affects brick quality. I hope to continue working in operational management going forward. It feels really good when hard work pays off.
Carl Cuthbert, quality and clay technical manager at Forterra Northampton, said: ‘Congratulations to Ed and Nia. Ed has been an exemplary member of the management team and to have persevered with the course alongside dealing with the significant pressures associated with running two plants is a credit to him. Nia has shown exceptional work with such a high pass mark, and we look forward to supporting her with her next steps.’
Caroline Wildman, marketing director at Forterra, added: ‘Many congratulations to Ed and Nia for achieving these awards. It’s wonderful to see their achievements celebrated and recognized in this way. We are proud to have such dedicated and hard workers as part of the Forterra team. Ed and Nia are testament to the talented people we have the honour of working with and we can’t wait to see what they do next.’
