Ben Kettell, Author at MVIS Ltd

A very MVIS Christmas and a Bartco UK New Year

Posted on 23rd December 2020 at 11:41 am.

The holidays are officially here and the MVIS / Bartco UK team have been getting ready throughout December for the long-awaited festive break of 2020.

Part of our preparations for the holidays this year already has been our Christmas Jumper Day, where we raised funds for Ashgate Hospicecare. This week, we also took part in our traditional food bank drive, where we encouraged our team to bring items for our local food bank.

Obviously, with some of our team working from home, the usual method of bringing items into the office was not possible, however, we didn’t let this get in the way.

Members of the team were encouraged to donated to their local food bank or send money to one of our managers to make a donation on their behalf. As a result, we managed to gather a very respectable amount of food and required items to donate between us.

This year, with soaring unemployment and the world in crisis with COVID-19, our help is needed more than ever. Food banks are an important part of our community that puts food on the tables of those who need it most. It is for this reason that we shouldn’t let COVID-19 get in the way of our responsibilities as a business in our community.

But of course, Christmas is also about having fun too, which is why we thought it highly important to make the most of the annual Christmas party, which is always a guaranteed blast. However, as with everything this year, COVID put up limitations on what we could do, forcing us to conduct a virtual party. Despite these limitations, the party this year was a resounding success, potentially even one of the best yet, complete with bingo, quizzes, Secret Santa, ‘Guess the Baby’ and a delicious meal ordered right to our own doors as well.

As the team wind down for the holidays, we tip our hats to our staff who remain on call over Christmas and New Year. MVIS operates a 24/7, 365 days a year emergency support line, which, given the circumstances this year, is especially crucial to the safety of the nation should any of our clients, such as Local Authorities or hospitals require assistance over the break.

Our office opening times over the holidays are:

24^th – 25^th Dec – Closed

29^th – 31^st Dec – 08:00 – 16:00

1^st Jan – Closed

4^th Jan – 08:00 – 17:30

Our emergency line is available 24/7 – 01629 580570

The MVIS and Bartco UK team want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2021!

Not exactly your average year in review…

Posted on 23rd December 2020 at 8:54 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

So…2020. Where do we even start with this one? If we said it has been a rather peculiar year, it just does not seem to do it justice, does it?

To say we’ve all faced some trials and tribulations in 2020 is perhaps the understatement of the year, but when MVIS & Bartco UK looks back at their own 2020, with the obvious set aside for just a moment, 2020 hasn’t necessarily been all that bad.

The company has seen growth across several fronts, as new products and people have joined the companies. Additionally, a year of major projects and promotions has also seen valuable lessons learned about the company’s adaptability, flexibility and ability to react to unforeseen circumstances.

Protocols:

Living with lockdown – March

A new way of life, and working was ‘introduced’ in March. Using the word ‘introduced’ rather lightly – ‘enforced’ may be more apt – requiring rapid adaptation to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

MVIS acted quickly to keep Britain moving by making a virtually immediate jump to home working for all office staff as soon as it was advised to do so by the government.

Staff meetings were moved to virtual hangouts via Microsoft Teams, and the delivery team were forced to adapt to new protocols to keep themselves, and their clients safe whilst out on site.

The ability to do this quickly has left the company in no doubt that they have the right team in place, as the Covid-19 rollercoaster continues into 2021.

Living with lockdown – July

Late June into July saw the national lockdown lifted and returning to office work was permitted again.

With no relinquishing of a ‘safety first’ mindset, MVIS welcomed back staff on a rota basis. Believing mental health is as important as physical health, office staff had the choice of where to work within restrictions.

At HQ, some strict measures were implemented which put increased demands on the team on top of already demanding roles.

These measures include:

Disinfection of all collected units
Limited vehicle sharing with mandatory masks if sharing
Mandatory disinfection of all surfaces & shared facilities
Hand sanitising stations located throughout the buildings
Perspex screens dividing workstations
Daily temperature readings
A complete layout change to the building
VMS deployed in strategic locations for safety information
All external doors & windows left open when people are in the building
Withdrawal of shared utensils and pots
Table and canopy built outside to allow for socially distanced meetings
The workshop floor was marked out with ‘bays’ stationed 2m apart
Second workshop set up
New ‘snap cabin’ recreational area further segregating the use of shared facilities
Daily Microsoft Teams meetings updates
Visitor entry restrictions marked by VMS
Placement of workplace safety signage to remind employees to wash and sanitise hands

Territorial ‘pods’ were also created separating departments and ensuring that the staff who are required to work from head office do not come into contact with others. Furthermore, staff must wear a mask when moving from workstations.

Projects

One thing that hasn’t changed in 2020, is MVIS’ delivery on major projects across the UK.

East to west from the M20 in Kent across the country and indeed the border to Mountain Ash, Wales, as well as a North-South coverage from East Lothian, Scotland all the way down to Folkestone. A truly national operation.

Products

HD Compact v2.0

Back in June, MVIS and Bartco UK were proud to announce the latest version of their revolutionary HD Compact VMS.

V.1 of the HD Compact was the first of its kind, and V.2 offers added developments. One of the biggest developments is the use of solar power, providing highly extended maintenance free run-time and sustainability commitments.

READ MORE ABOUT THE HD COMPACT 2.0

HD Compact V2.0

IVD Radar

The IVD Radar is a portable traffic flow monitoring solution, providing traffic data on single and multi-lane highways and roads.

With remotely downloadable data from a unit that can detect from 2-100m away, no one is required on site to collect the data, which is especially important in COVID conditions.

READ MORE ABOUT THE IVD

Promotions

In October, MVIS announced that several of its leadership team had earned promotions.

Anne Ashman, formerly General Manager became Group Commercial and Operations Director. Anne’s promotion was coupled with another Directorship as Graeme Lee, long time Sales Manager took on the role of Sales Director.

Finally, Dom Bridge earned a promotion to Operations Manager after 7 years with the company.

: Anne Ashman

: Graeme Lee

: Dominic Bridge

People

Chris Steel

MVIS welcomed Chris Steel to the team in July 2020 as Accounts Officer.

Ed Faulkner

Ed Faulkner is the most recent addition to the MVIS team, joining the business as Sales Manager in October.

READ MORE ABOUT ED FAULKNER HERE

Anne Ashman, Commercial and Operations Director at MVIS told us:

“We take recruitment very seriously and don’t let just anyone into our business. After a rather unconventional recruitment process due to COVID-19, Chris and Ed both stepped up to the plate.”

Moving forward…

Certainly, 2020 has been somewhat of a roller coaster, but this is a company who has created diamonds under the pressure, stimulated diversification and overall growth and has a happy, healthy workforce striving for even bigger things in 2021.

Source: https://www.highwaysindustry.com/

Airport & Port Traffic Management System

Posted on 21st December 2020 at 9:03 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

Traffic flow around ports and airports are often a difficult issue for everyone, as millions of people flow every year through our UK ports, often causing problems relating to congestion, security and of course, safety. With the future to think about, the UK faces major issues dealing with Brexit delays at ports, calling for a robust Port Traffic Management System.

Having worked with major UK ports such as Heathrow Airport, MVIS boasts a solid reputation in airport and port traffic management, providing secure, cost effective and versatile ITS solutions that are trusted by some of the most important ports and airports in the country.

VMS

Offering a reliable solution for traffic communications, our range of solar powered portable VMS (variable message signs) have a secure footprint and are ideal for communicating information to drivers, helping to calm traffic and congestion around ports. Requiring no civils, external power or communications source, our VMS can be reconfigured quickly and easily to respond to operational changes as required.

Ideal in a number of port-based applications, our VMS-A units are designed for roads with speed zones up to 50mph and can be used stand-alone or in conjunction with radar. Featuring industry- leading technology that boasts a range of functions that are not available with any other mobile VMS, these units are versatile and suitable for many requirements a port may have.

Our signs are ideal to assist with –

Traffic management
Car park management
Speed zone enforcement
Site safety / COVID messaging
Brexit management / port delays
Passenger information

External traffic management, for example, is a serious consideration for a port, especially a major port in the UK, post Brexit, that sees high footfall and traffic levels.

At periods of expected congestion, such as when flight times change or something unpredictable happens, having a mobile VMS-A on the way to the airport informing drivers of the potential issues can be an incredibly helpful tool in the management of traffic in this situation.

Likewise for on-site applications, the benefits of VMS are felt throughout a port’s area of responsibility, especially for car parks and speed zone enforcement applications. Our mobile VMS can be used for many requirements related to car parks, such as way finding or to signify closed or off-limit areas.

However, for speed zone enforcement applications, our VMS comes into its own, featuring a built-in radar that can trigger speed reactive messages such as ‘TOO FAST’ to drivers who are not keeping within the speed limit. This aspect is incredibly important for safety, especially for roads that see high pedestrian footfall.

Being solar powered equips our VMS-A with a fully autonomous solar charging system that delivers a high quality, bright and low power consuming LED display, costing nothing to run in energy and making it an environmentally friendly solution. This is particularly important for ports, where high levels of pollution are often a considerable concern. In this sense the VMS-A offers a solution that will not directly contribute to a port’s carbon footprint.

However, for needs where space may be limited, such as in more pedestrianised areas, MVIS also offer an HD VMS that is much smaller than even the VMS-A. Whilst not natively solar powered, the HD Compact VMS delivers an HD red and white dual colour display with radar and weighs below 10kg, allowing installation on existing fixtures, furniture or on its own battery box and post, making it incredibly flexible. What’s more is that its power supply can be drawn from battery, solar or mains, making it ideal for fixed, permanent applications as well as temporary ones.

Whilst our innovative products offer ideal solutions, MVIS as a company are unparalleled in our hire services, offering industry leading care along with our solutions. For particularly lengthy deployments such as for construction work or congestion causing issues that span over a longer period of time, our dedicated team (who closely monitor all of our units via a range of methods) take care in ensuring that batteries are charged and all VMS are operational, going out on site to perform battery changes or check on our unit if something goes wrong.

As one of our leading product ranges, you can be sure that our VMS solutions are a safe and stable solution for your requirements. From communicating information to directing traffic and footfall, if you, like many others, think that a temporary VMS from MVIS could help your port traffic management needs, do not hesitate to get in touch.

Solar Intelligent Platform (Solar IP)

Our Solar IP is available for hire along with a wide range of our products, offering a flexible and responsive approach to port traffic management and communication requirements. As a simple and cost-effective power solution, the Solar IP offers an integrated intelligent transport system that meets specific needs for any combination of our ANPR, CCTV or radar. Including a 12V, 24V or 48V battery, our Solar IP boasts the latest solar charging system and is not dependant on an external energy supply, making it environmentally friendly.

One of our most innovative and ground-breaking products, the Solar IP is an ideal power source for temporary ITS solutions that have proven their value to countless numbers of happy clients.

Portable CCTV

Our trailer mounted portable CCTV units come complete with our Solar IP, making this product environmentally friendly as well as portable and versatile. Ideal for port applications, this product excels where monitoring and safety are of critical importance.

Portable CCTV is perfect for any location within the grounds of a port, providing users with the ability to respond quickly to changes, a very important aspect when port security is such a high priority.

This solar powered CCTV solution features Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) and incorporates the latest video technology that delivers excellent frame rates, even in poor signal areas. With a flat, toughened glass window, our easy to operate portable CCTV is protected to IP67, making it reliable under all conditions.

ANPR with Solar IP

Data is a vital tool for anywhere that has to deal with a high traffic level. Keeping abreast with changes in traffic behaviour or form can help analysts better manage future traffic requirements.

Possibly more critical however, is the data needed for parking applications. Parking is a huge industry within ports, with customers often leaving their vehicles in high demand parking spaces for lengthy periods of time, so the ability to monitor and enforce parking restrictions is an incredibly important aspect of port car park management.

Our solar powered ANPR solution offers industry leading ANPR technology, facilitating the flexible combination of ANPR and overview cameras and enables any pairing of monochrome, colour or day-night cameras. Operating automatically, this highly portable solution can auto-detect vehicles as they pass through the field of view, or it can be linked to an external trigger for weigh in motion capture or other applications where only specific vehicles are required to be detected.

From a data collection perspective, these portable ANPR cameras could also be used for the purposes of research and data collection, taking the opportunity to collect vehicle data about those who drive to and park at your port, offering you more insight into how you can better manage traffic. Allowing you to collect data such as vehicle quantities or arrival times gives operations coordinators the opportunity to learn about visitors in a way that can help preparation and planning.

Aside from the data collection aspect, this solution can also help to prevent unauthorised parking in forbidden areas, keeping necessary parking spaces clear which can be important for safety and security.

For more information about how MVIS can help with your port traffic management needs, please call us on 01629 580 570 to speak to one of our friendly team, or you can email us via sales@m-vis.co.uk.

ITS Technology Supporting Retails Parks

Posted on 16th December 2020 at 8:15 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

This year we have seen a large increase in demand for our products from industries such as retail for new applications, namely COVID related. However, we have been working with select retail business for a while, predating COVID and demonstrating that our products bring benefits to customers in the retail industry who invest in them.

One retail customer we have been working with for around 5 years now is Middlebrook Retail & Leisure Park in Bolton. Over the years, they have turned to our portable Variable Message Signs (VMS) to help with wayfinding and traffic management applications across their large site. The use of signs in this location has been essential for communicating with drivers and customers across the site, helping to minimise traffic and issues.

This year, however, was the truest test of our solutions in the retail environment, where we saw certain stores forced to close on and off since March. Such a situation necessitates clear messaging, especially from retail park site managers, who are required to deal with the level of customer confusion as drivers come to their location.

Our signs are solar powered, requiring no fixed power making them portable. They can also be updated quickly and easily online or via our mobile app, allowing site managers to stay responsive to changes in situations.

Just like with past deployments, Middlebrook Retail & Leisure Park used our VMS A signs to help with wayfinding and traffic management, however more recently, they were used to help direct drivers and pedestrians to the stores that were still open in accordance with the government guidelines.

Signs can display text, pictograms or even a combination to allow for the ideal solution that works for the site required. As this was a wayfinding application, our signs were able to display store names with directional arrows to help direct drivers the correct way for the relevant store.

Dom Bridge, Operations Manager at MVIS comments, “Over the years we have worked with Middlebrook a few times, but this year especially has been a demanding one for retail. It’s great to be part of the solution that helps keep things flowing smoothly during a time where there is so much uncertainty.”

Getting Festive for Christmas Jumper Day

Posted on 15th December 2020 at 4:12 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

There is no ignoring the stark differences in Christmas Jumper Day this year compared to previous years. As many of us continue to work from home, the hype of Christmas Jumper Day was under threat. However, in true MVIS and Bartco UK fashion, we didn’t let COVID get in the way of our fundraising festivities.

As our chosen Charity this year, we opted to fundraise for Ashgate Hospicecare. Ashgate, our local end of life hospice, have had a very difficult year. The charity relies on several appeals through the year that have been extremely difficult to conduct in the usual way this year due to COVID.

We started raising funds for Ashgate earlier in year for the Sparkle Walk appeal. As a large local event, over the years, we have donated use of our signs to assist with promotion, wayfinding and traffic management for the event that usually saw thousands of Chesterfield residents march against cancer. However, with COVID putting up barriers for this, Ashgate innovated and moved to a virtual Sparkle event that engaged people digitally for the fundraising.

Still wanting to contribute, MVIS and Bartco UK decided to take part with our own challenge of 200 collective miles travelled and then a virtual Sparkle quiz with our own team, raising nearly £400 for the charity.

Christmas Jumper Day 2020 saw members of our team from all levels of the business come together in spirit to celebrate Christmas as a workforce, as well as to celebrate the important time of giving that so many vulnerable and needy people rely on for generosity.

This year, the Bartco UK and MVIS staff raised £16 for Christmas Jumper Day, which considering our small team, is a modest but respectable effort from the people who were available to take part.

This amount, plus the rest that we have raised this year will help make a difference to local patients and families who need specialist hospice care.

Anne Ashman, UK Group Commercial and Operations Director commented, “Christmas Jumper Day is a great opportunity for us to give back to the world whilst letting our hair down a bit and bringing some Christmas cheer to our working lives. Whilst our team is split across the country right now, it’s great seeing them come together by taking part and helping people at the same time.”

Anne continues. “Picking our yearly Charity is always a difficult decision. With all the worthy causes that existed before COVID, the scope of who needs help this year has grown beyond anything we could have expected. But then hearing of the very local plight of one of our palliative care institutions, it seemed the right thing to do to select Ashgate as our Charity in 2020.”

More information about Ashgate Hospicecare
Donate to Ashgate

2020 Advent Calendar

Posted on 7th December 2020 at 4:30 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

Variable Message Signs Offer COVID Vaccine Sites Control

Posted on 7th December 2020 at 3:43 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

The exciting news we have recently had regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, especially in the UK, has been met with a resounding cheer from the community and the business world alike. Finally, an end to all this madness is in sight. However, we’re not out of the woods just yet, and our approach to the beginning of the end of this whole ordeal will help shape just how far off the end is.

Delivering vaccinations in an organised and timely manner will be critical.

This is where we can help. MVIS have been helping local authorities all over the country this year with COVID messaging and signage for large audiences.

Offering solutions designed for traffic management, our solar powered ITS products have brought order and safety to highways, roads and events in the UK for nearly a decade and have continued to do so throughout the COVID pandemic.

Councils such as Bolton and Oxford have turned to our portable variable message signs to help inform and advise on COVID information to citizens. However, we have also seen our signs used in retail for applications such as click & collect and queue management, to advise on estimated wait times and keep customers informed.

As shown with flu vaccinations, our solar powered, portable electronic signs offer COVID vaccine sites an opportunity to advise patients of important information, minimising contact from another individual. Ideal for directing traffic or communicating with patients in their cars, our signs are a proven tool in safety and communication applications.

Displayed content can be updated quickly and easily using web browser or mobile app, by your team or ours, and signs are available in 3 different sizes, depending on the size of site and requirement.

Our signs however don’t just help with informing patients and drivers, they can also be productive through the data they collect, helping to inform on potential risks and identify opportunities. All our VMS units discretely contain a data collection radar that collect and report on trends regarding:

Speed
Dates
Times
Levels of traffic

Data uploads to our servers every hour and can be downloaded by users at any time. With a new venture such as this, data is one of our most important tools. To have access to trend data on levels of traffic can help site management to better plan and organise resources to accommodate peaks in demand, for example.

We also offer portable solar powered CCTV and ANPR, which may be helpful for vaccine sites for security applications, at a time where the COVID-19 vaccines are highly coveted, there may be a security risk involved in their delivery and storage.

With national coverage, our units can be deployed quickly to sites across the UK. Whether it’s queue management, traffic directing, COVID messaging, all or anything else, our portable message signs can help bring order and control to vaccinations sites just as they do to our road network.

We offer a range of COVID-19 solutions using our portable variable message signs, CCTV and ANPR.

For more information about our solutions or if you would like to know more about how you can use our products to help with communicating information to the general public, please contact us via our contact form.

Alternatively, you can email us via sales@m-vis.co.uk.

MVIS North Pole Depot

Posted on 1st December 2020 at 9:52 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

DAY 1

The Bartco and MVIS team have received an exiting letter today from Santa! lets see how we can help make sure Christmas is still going to run smoothly despite Covid19!

DAY 2

It looks like Santa has set us the task of helping him make sure Christmas comes together since a case of Covid in his own workshop means all of his elves have been sent home! The Bartco and MVIS elf team are perfect for the task!

DAY 3

Our highly trained team are ensuring that all letters have been seen to and Santa gets an accurate naughty and nice list! We know that all of our customers are on the nice list this year!

DAY 4

Mizzy has been busy all morning ordering presents ready for our nifty wrapping crew to get them on Santas sleigh by Christmas eve!

DAY 5

Santa is running on budget this year!

DAY 6

That’s a lot of presents! Our wrappers have their work cut out for the next few weeks!

DAY 7

The naughty and nice lists are in, now its time for tags to be made!

DAY 8

The new sleigh design is almost ready for construction, Lucky Tom is fully trained on CAD and has designed it bigger and better then ever with our Solar panels and even SIP for night vision!

DAY 9

Mark and Jay are busy searching the south for Santa’s reindeer, a couple have gotten lost on the way to the Matlock warehouse!

DAY 10

The warehouse elves are busy making repairs to Santa’s sleigh! Tom has earned himself a well deserved milk and cookie break after all of that designing!

DAY 11

The Elves have had a team meeting today to make sure that everything is running smoothly and on time in order to ensure everything is ready for Christmas eve!

DAY 12

Dom has been planning Santa’s route via Web studio, it’s a good job has got plenty of experience in up wide deliveries!

DAY 13

The Elves are getting busy today decorating the tree outside of the workshop!

DAY 14

The MVIS and Bartco team have been busy looking after the reindeer that jay and mark rounded up this morning

DAY 15

Looks like one of the elves has been into Santa’s cookie stash! Make sure you leave your cookies out for him to collect on Christmas eve!

DAY 16

Darren and Jon are on site today scheduling all of our units with journey time to the Bartco warehouse for Santa! Cant have him running late for Christmas!

DAY 17

And we have lift off! Thanks to the amazing team at Bartco, Santa’s Sleigh is up and ready for Christmas! Tim is doing final test drive before the big day.

DAY 18

Santa has popped in to see his new sleigh! Tim is showing the upgrades.

DAY 19

Only 6 sleeps until Santa is due to start his deliveries, check sheets and risk assessments all in place!

DAY 20

its almost the big day! Make sure you`re all stocked up with milk and mince pies for Santa!

DAY 21

Santa has arrived to do his final preparations before the big day!

DAY 22

One of the most important jobs of all is getting the reindeer ready! Some of the elves are rounding them up today!

DAY 23

We have been busy getting the last few bits and bobs sorted for tomorrow! Thankyou to all of the Bartco/MVIS team for all of their hard work this month!

DAY 24

Merry Christmas everyone! Lets hope Santa stops at each and every one of your houses tonight!

DAY 25

And, relax! Finally the MVIS/Bartco elves can relax knowing that they have saved Christmas! Its time for a party!

Getting ready for Christmas

Posted on 1st December 2020 at 8:07 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

This year, probably more than most, we eagerly anticipate Christmas as a time we can celebrate or at least relax after what everyone would agree has been a very unusual year. Christmas is a time that we have traditionally taken very seriously at MVIS and despite the unusual circumstances, we are not letting it get in the way of our festivities.

At our Matlock HQ, the team have put the tree up and decorated, with everyone excited for our Secret Santa gifts, which have either been mailed to home workers or placed under the tree for those required to work from the building.

Just as with the way we have had to do our Secret Santa this year, we have seen many changes in the way we do business. COVID has split the team down the middle, into those who work from home and those who are required to work from the office or our workshop. However, with social distancing restrictions in place, even working from the building can be quite isolating.

It is for this reason mainly that Christmas brings us so much to look forward to this year. As the year has progressed, the opportunities for all of us to see our colleagues in a social setting has diminished. The idea of going for a pint after work seems like a distant memory for most.

Even though we will be unable to have a traditional Christmas party, we will be offering staff a fun filled virtual night, with drinks, quizzes, Secret Santa opening and a mystery box for each member of staff that’s not to be opened until the night of the party.

As well as this, we are of course taking part in our Christmas Charity commitments, which will be announced soon, and Christmas Jumper Day cannot be missed, even if you are working from home!

Also, stay tuned throughout December to catch up with what our Elvish counter parts are up to at our North Pole depot…

Portable VMS help with Parking and Traffic management under COVID-19 Conditions

Posted on 27th November 2020 at 11:58 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

One familiar application of portable variable message signs (VMS) we have been seeing an increase in this year is for parking. As coronavirus has cast doubt and confusion on many aspects of life we used to take for granted, there has never been more need for clarity on our roads and in our car parks. This is where MVIS have been assisting; our portable VMS offer a range of traffic management benefits for applications like parking.

During these times, certain buildings, shops and high streets may be closed, subject to different opening times or have different entry policies, all of which are useful to be informed of in car parks. Car parks are being increasingly utilised as a central point to communicate important information for general safety or regarding COVID guidelines. This is especially helpful in areas such as retail parks, where, as the situation changes, there may not be much clarity regarding which stores are open and which are not.

Car parks are an ideal location to deploy certain ITS units, such as our portable VMS or portable CCTV for any number of reasons. Working together, site managers can use the CCTV to monitor the car park even in low light. They can respond to situations as they occur using messages or pictograms displayed on the VMS, which can be updated quickly and easily using a mobile device or web browser.

Especially important for retail and local authorities, car parks offer an important opportunity to convey important information to drivers and pedestrians. This opportunity can even be utilised as a service, in being used as part of a socially distanced or contact free click and collect service, or a patient call out system for hospitals, for example.

For more information about our solutions or if you would like to know more about how you can use our products to help with crowd control, social distancing or queue management, please contact us via our contact form.

Alternatively, you can email us via sales@m-vis.co.uk.

MVIS Continues to support Local Authorities with ITS technology in a return to Tier System

Posted on 27th November 2020 at 11:58 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

The pressure is on for everyone right now to keep infection rates as low as possible. With COVID-19 tearing a hole through 2020, we all look to Christmas for some slight reprieve from the isolating and fearful conditions that this year has brought us. As everyone does their bit in this fight, local authorities focus on trying to spread the right message rather than the virus, with information being one of the main tools we have to overcome this.

Local authorities all over the UK are turning to MVIS to help, our portable ITS technology offers solutions to these specific range of issues we are having now, from crowd control to site management. Our variable message signs (VMS) can be deployed in key areas to maximise the impact of messages, which can be changed quickly and easily by your team or ours, allowing you to keep up to date as the guidelines change.

Depending on the tier your local authority is in, we can recommend certain products to be used that will help to de-escalate the situation. For example, Tier 3, ‘Very High’ is the most serious and therefore may call for the use of our wider product range. VMS, ANPR and CCTV maybe deployed to help at this level of severity, each tackling a different application.

Areas in Tier 2 may look to deploy our VMS to prevent the escalation into Tier 3 using emotive and impactful messages, such as the ones seen in Bolton just prior to the Tier system being introduced.

Tier 1, Medium alert, is currently the lowest used tier. This tier will likely be most used as infection rates go down, marking an improvement in the situation. However, that is a critical time in management of the virus and whilst local authorities may look to decrease their measures, it would be a bad time to remove them. Therefore, we still recommend a level of portable VMS support to remind people to not lose their focus.

To learn more about how MVIS can help you spread the right information in your community rather than the virus in the lead up to the Christmas period, please contact us via our contact form.

Alternatively, you can email us via sales@m-vis.co.uk.