As it marks its 20th anniversary, Bondalti’s Colombo Programme has once again highlighted the spirit of innovation and employees' involvement in generating ideas that make a difference.
The awards ceremony for this year’s edition took place in the Eco-Parque auditorium in Estarreja during the traditional Colombo Open Day.
First prize was awarded to the team comprising Fernando Pereira Mendes, Cláudio Caneca and Vítor Afonso. Second prize went to José Antonio Gómez, represented at the event by Antonio Diaz, director of the Torrelavega factory, and by Rebeca Alonso. Nuno Vidal received third prize and the “Excellence” award. The prize for the most sustainable idea was awarded to Alexandre Matos and Marco Esteves.
The event provided an opportunity to look back over the Programme’s journey over the last two decades, highlight the impact of ideas already implemented and reinforce the importance of employees’ active participation in identifying opportunities for improvement. The role of the Evaluation Committee in analysing, monitoring and evaluating the ideas was also highlighted.
Bondalti’s president, João de Mello, made clear the purpose of this initiative, which marks two decades of success: “With Colombo, we have created space for communication, creativity and the talent of our people; but we have also transformed individual and collective contributions into real value for the organisation and fostered a culture where improvement is a constant endeavour.”
Launched in 2006, the Colombo Programme aims to encourage all employees to contribute with suggestions for improvement in various areas, such as processes, safety, sustainability, operational efficiency and innovation, amongst others. To date, a total of 837 ideas have been submitted, 177 of which have already been implemented.
