Ben Kettell, Author at MVIS Ltd

ITS Technology Supporting Retails Parks

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

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.

Helping keep Christmas COVID-Safe with Variable Message Signs

Posted on 27th November 2020 at 8:00 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

With Christmas right around the corner, Local Authorities are left with a big responsibility in helping to keep order and safety in communities, with the festive holiday presenting a vast risk in the spread of the virus.

As we emerge from another UK lockdown, our Portable Variable Message Signs (VMS) have been heavily relied upon by Local Authorities to help with the spread of information and the right message. Indeed, we have not only seen a huge increase in deployments for COVID applications, but the media too have also identified the power our signs can have, resulting in their use for photos in international news media ranging from the BBC to CNN.

The reason for this is clear; our signs are an effective and useful way to help get messages across, even in photographs, as the media can attest to. Available in 3 different sizes depending on requirements and with the largest fleet of portable VMS in the UK, MVIS can supply units for a wide range of applications within a COVID-19 setting, especially in areas that are likely to be busy during the Christmas period.

These applications include-

Communicating Tier specific rules
Blocking streets off
Staggering footfall
Traffic management
Pedestrian marshalling
Social distancing safety notices
Building opening & closing announcements
Queueing systems

Our signs are solar powered too, making them environmentally friendly. Requiring no fixed power source, our portable VMS can be deployed in highly targeted locations in your area, allowing Local Authorities the opportunity to concentrate resources in high risk areas to help combat the further spread of the virus.

What’s more is that all messages are programmed remotely without the need to attend site, using a mobile device or web browser which can be done by yourselves or our team. Once updated, our units display changes within seconds, and even the scope of what sort of message that can be displayed is incredibly vast, being ideal for text or pictograms, with multiple colour options available to help with emphasis and impact.

MVIS have an incredible service record when it comes to delivering solutions for major highways projects, high profile events and for Local Authority traffic management applications, not to mention the COVID deployments we have seen this year. As a result, we have built on a range of experiences and skills that makes us perfectly equipped with the right training and credentials to deliver a premium level service to all of our customers, no matter how big or small the project, which is especially important when it comes to the safety for our team and the general public.

This experience, gained over more than 8 years of service in the industry, has allowed us to develop a keen ability to understand the needs of our customers, boasting a reputation for ‘platinum level service’ that we always look to improve with customer feedback and an extremely high priority on training, safety and compliance.

With our strategically located depots, we can deploy our signs at short notice, and we support our customers with a 24/7 support line. Our installation teams work alone, they do not come in to contact with members of the public and risk assessments are completed to ensure their full safety and social distancing.

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.

ITS Technology for Distribution Centres

Posted on 20th November 2020 at 3:21 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

This year has brought challenges for shoppers and retailers alike, with the heavy focus on online shopping and panic buying in 2020, distribution centres across the UK are busier than ever.

On top of this increased workload, distribution centres, like the rest of the world are also having to work under COVID-19 conditions, that brings with it issues such as social distancing, mandatory PPE and increased infection control measures unlike anything we have seen in our lifetimes.

Distribution centres are not only charged with the duty of getting our online orders to us and stock deliveries to retail stores, but they have to do so safely for the best interests of their employees and the general public. Due to the nature of a distribution centre’s activity, infection control is an important aspect of their business, as drivers are transporting goods, often all over the country. This raises a big question into responsibility for the safety of incoming drivers and outgoing drivers, as well as for any retail staff and end users handling or unpackaging the products being delivered.

Along with several industries, distribution and logistics companies from all over the UK have turned to MVIS this year to help them with this new responsibility. Using our portable, solar powered Variable Message Signs, distribution centres can take responsible steps when it comes to informing visitors and employees about the COVID-19 measures that the business has in place.

Our signs are proven traffic management solutions, allowing for the communication of often vital safety information to drivers. This can be especially effective for distribution centres, who deal with a stream of incoming and outgoing traffic. Whilst for traffic management applications, this information is often in relation to road works or delays, for distribution centres, this information under the current circumstances is taking the form of COVID-19 information and guidelines for entering the building grounds.

One example of a successful application of our portable VMS is at the Amazon distribution centre in Doncaster. This distribution centre required one of our VMS-C units to help manage incoming driver’s conduct as they arrive onsite to best ensure the safety of their staff.

Not only was this sign used to help enforce social distancing, but Amazon also identified the unique capability of our portable VMS to display multiple messages that can be changed quickly and easily using web browser or our mobile app. As result, Amazon were able to display other safety messages as well as COVID-19 related messages to offer a well-rounded solution that offer exactly what they needed for their traffic management.

For more information about how MVIS can help distribution centres with their traffic management and informing employees or visitors of safety information, please contact us via our contact form.

Alternatively, you can 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.

A reason to celebrate: The East Midlands Chamber of Commerce Awards

Posted on 18th November 2020 at 8:01 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

More than 120 organisations from across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire have been recognised in the 2020 edition of the annual Chamber of Commerce awards, and Matlock based MVIS and Bartco UK are both nominated amongst the category nominee lists.

In a year of grey clouds, the company is proud to announce a silver lining of multiple nominations in the prestigious regional award ceremony.

New categories have been added in 2020 – including the Environmental Impact Award, as sustainability becomes more and more prevalent across business practice around the globe. MVIS & Bartco UK has been nominated for 3 separate awards, including this new category – as their own commitment to reducing carbon footprint goes on and is now recognised.

The awards MVIS & Bartco UK are up for include:

Environmental Impact Award

For many years MVIS & Bartco UK has been thinking sustainably.

The companies have been reducing their carbon footprint via product development powered by solar sources, utilising a delivery model that deploys multiple units per journey, installing bee houses at HQ, continued home working for employees, costlier waste management systems – the list goes on. And that list makes it very easy to see why this category has MVIS on it’s nominees list.

Commitment to People Development

MVIS and Bartco UK prides itself on culture, and their employees adopt the company principles every day.

An area that MVIS & Bartco UK has absolutely excelled for some time now. This nomination is a testament to the hire and develop culture that is rife within the company’s fibre. With almost 40% having joined the company as apprentices, and over 50% having been with the company for over 4 years.

Leadership takes an active interest in keeping the workforce challenged and consistently upskilled, with Commercial and Operations Director Anne Ashman telling us:

“I am very much about constantly evaluating a person’s skills, seeing how they develop and grow, and as a result – if they then need a new challenge.”

The companies have a rich history when it comes to their people at the awards, with previous success being tasted in the apprenticeship category for the development of Tillie Wooliscroft from the marketing team.

Innovation in Manufacturing

Another area of pedigree comes in the form of innovation, with a previous victory being achieved in this category.

Never relenting on exploring new products, methods and systems, MVIS & Bartco UK finds itself back amongst the nominated in 2020.

Product development and Covid-19 adaptation have been at the forefront of innovation in 2020, and Bartco UK is looking to add a second innovation award to its list of achievements.

The winners…

Winners of the awards will be chosen during a virtual judging day by a panel including sponsors, a Chamber board member and a member of the Chamber’s senior leadership team. They will then be announced across three award ceremonies to be held in November and December.

Scott Knowles, Chief Executive of East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire), said:

“Our Business Awards are always a great opportunity to showcase enterprise success in the region, but perhaps this year will be even more special during what has been a hugely difficult time for many businesses.

“It was great to see that Covid-19 hasn’t stifled innovation, resilience, and a determination to grow and succeed among the region’s business community, with a very high number of applicants.”

Commercial and Operations Director for MVIS & Bartco UK Anne Ashman told us:

“Award nominations are always proud moments and the awards are usually a fantastic night where regional success is celebrated by us all. Whilst the physical award ceremony is off the table this year, we are still delighted to be nominated for what is ultimately the root of the awards night – excellence and best practice.

“Any victories we are fortunate to receive would be just reward for our entire team, who, to an individual have been nothing short of fantastic in this challenging year. Adaptable, versatile, resilient and dedicated sums each and every one of our workforce up, and we’d be delighted to chalk a victory or two up to our excellent people.

“Congratulations to everybody nominated and whilst we won’t see you on the night, we look forward to when we can celebrate again together as a region.”

Source: highwaysindustry.com