Foodstuffs celebrated its Material Equipment Operators (MHE) in its annual MHE Operator of the Year Competition at the Landing Drive Distribution Centre in South Auckland. It involved a ‘forklift rodeo’ with five rounds of challenges - a technical driving course, a pre-operation check test, a novelty skills course, a quiz and a spot safety assessment. Winners walked away with a trophy, an air fryer, a $300 Prezzy Card and a sponsored goody bag. Second and third-place winners also received $200 & $100 Prezzy Cards, respectively, and a goody bag each. The three first-place winners for 2022 were James Suka, Wesley Kahu and Christopher Matealona.
“It was great to see the competition return and see our people really get involved and showcase the amazing talents of our supply operations teams who are responsible for ensuring customers’ favourite foods are on the shelf when they come into store. We’ve seen an unprecedented time in the Foodstuffs North Island supply chain over the last two years, with our teams processing Christmas-level volumes of stock for seven weeks straight during our first lockdown period in early 2020. Our brilliant teams rose to the challenge and helped keep Kiwis fed over an uncertain time,” said Jonathan Box, Foodstuffs North Island GM Supply Chain.
“As one of New Zealand’s largest employers, our people are our greatest asset, so it’s important we invest in them and create a safe and positive environment for them to thrive in. In the workplace, this translates to improvements in safety, damages to product, quality, accuracy, and efficiency. The flow-on effect is passed to our stores and, more importantly, our customers with less damages, better quality pallet builds leading to stock on shelves, improved accuracy, and timely deliveries.”
“It was my second time entering, so I think that helped with nerves and stuff, but I was pretty determined to grab that first-place podium. It wasn’t easy, but I got there,” said Wesley Kahu, Reach Truck Category Winner.
