05/02/2010

• Sheffield tram service commended for management excellence
• Second Excellence award in two years for Supertram

Stagecoach Group’s Sheffield Supertram operation has been awarded a top honour to recognise management development and organisational excellence.

The tram company has been awarded the Achievement Marque of Excellence by North of England Excellence which recognises businesses that successfully implement sustainable improvements to their management processes.

To achieve the award, Supertram management successfully demonstrated their commitment to organisational excellence through the development and continued implementation of two management improvements plans.

The accolade is the second that Supertram has received within the past two years from North of England Excellence after picking up the Commitment Marque of Excellence – the precursor to the Achievement Marque – in 2008.

Managing Director of Stagecoach Light Rail, Andy Morris said: "This award recognises the commitment shown by the Supertram management team to ensuring we run our business as efficiently and professionally as possible.

"The North of England Excellence scheme involves a rigorous assessment process and has been extremely beneficial in helping us to review and improve our management procedures."

The North of England Marques of Excellence Scheme was developed to inspire and encourage organisations in the north of England to drive towards excellence through self assessment and the implementation of sustainable improvements.

Dave Rusk, NoEE Education & Training Director said: "Supertram have conducted two rigorous self assessments against the European Excellence Model, using the beta plus method. This involved a series of workshops and, in successive years, the Supertram team identified their strengths, areas for improvement and developed action plans to achieve continuous improvement.

"The action plans were then implemented and cascaded down through all levels of the business, while regular review meetings were held to ensure targets were being achieved. Following a final assessment, we were delighted to accredit Supertram with the Achievement Marque of Excellence."

Later this year Supertram will also submit an entry to the prestigious North of England Excellence Awards.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group is a leading international public transport group, with extensive operations in the UK, United States and Canada. The company employs 30,000 people, and operates bus, coach, rail, and tram services.

North of England Excellence
North of England Excellence is a not for profit, membership-based organisation, which aims to encourage and support organisations to add value and improve their bottom line by adopting the principles underpinning the Business Excellence Model, recognised as the most powerful business management tool in Europe. It acts as an accreditation body for schemes including the nationally recognised Investors in Excellence standard. It offers seminars, training and other support and also runs the annual North of England Business Excellence Awards. For further information see www.northofenglandexcellence.co.uk.

For further information contact:

Lindsay Reid
Corporate Communications Manager
Stagecoach Group
10 Dunkeld Road
Perth
PH1 5TW
Phone: 01738 442111
Fax: 01738 443076
Mobile: 07500 446896

email: lindsay.reid@stagecoachgroup.com