COVID-19 Archives

COVID-19 Tier Gateway Management Solutions

Posted on 27th October 2020 at 12:04 pm.

MVIS’ COVID-19 Tier Gateway Management Solutions assist local authorities with managing and communicating their COVID-19 Tier status to drivers and pedestrians travelling over council borders.

Variable Message Signs (VMS)

As a tried and tested traffic / crowd control solution, our portable VMS are used by councils, Highways England and many traffic management groups to communicate vital information and safety messages all over the UK.

Featuring a 5-colour LED display for text or pictrograms, the VMS-A and the larger VMS-C are ideal solutions for communicating your area’s COVID-19 policy as visitors travel over council borders.

Versatile and requiring no external power source, our VMS range boasts the highest quality LEDs and are known to be reliable solutions within the industry.

Messages can be updated remotely by your team or ours, via a web-based portal that can publish changes in seconds, allowing you to respond to the situation as it changes.

We boast the largest fleet of portable VMS in the UK and we have experience working on most major schemes and events.

Data Collection

All our VMS units discreetly contain a data collation radar that can be used to collect traffic data such as single file traffic count, speed, time and the date.

This solution offers users a low-cost alternative to many data collection solutions on the market and is ideal to be used as a data source for the analysis of trends. This enables greater intelligence for planning, reporting and identifying areas of risk, allowing for a better allocation of resources.

Collecting traffic data has never been more important and it’s never been easier, with data uploading to our server every hour, ready to be downloaded at any time by the user via a web-based portal.

Solar Powered ANPR

ANPR offers a firm solution to monitor traffic between area borders that have different Tier levels. Often used in enforcement applications with great success, our units are solar powered and portable, allowing for responsive redeployment in areas of the highest concern.

Integrating the industry leading ANPR processor with a state of the art dual camera imaging system, this product can auto-detect vehicles as they pass its field of view.

It may also be linked to an external trigger to enable weigh in motion capture or other applications where certain types of vehicles require identification.

Versatile and operating in all weather and lighting conditions, this solar powered ANPR solution may be configured to read characters in formats issues by all countries.

It operates in darkness through the use of cost-effective pulsed LED illumination that can either be left visible or made covert.

Solar Powered CCTV

Our portable CCTV allows you to have eyes on the ground without having to physically be present. The visible presence of CCTV is well known to influence behaviour and help enforce rules.

When used in conjunction with our VMS, these units create a surveillance and feedback solution that can be used to monitor driver and pedestrian movement between borders without having to be on-site.

Our trailer-mounted CCTV system incorporates Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) and the latest video technology, delivering excellent frame rates – even in poor signal areas.

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.

See our other COVID-19 Solutions:

MVIS VMS makes Impact for COVID-19 Safety

Posted on 25th September 2020 at 11:15 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

During these highly unusual times, everyone looks to government bodies for advice on what to do and to help keep people safe.

Spreading the right message has never been more important and with the high focus on local initiatives to help combat this virus, local authorities are left holding the responsibility of implementing the right solutions to help keep their area’s COVID levels as low as possible. The tasks of those areas currently facing local lockdown restrictions such as Bolton and the North East of England (to name but a few) is even bigger, as they are also charged with the responsibility of communicating their specific area’s lockdown rules rather than just guidance.

Nothing has had a bigger impact in any sense this year than COVID-19, and with any high impact problem, you need a high impact solution to help manage it. Local authorities all over the UK have been turning to MVIS and our Portable Variable Message Signs (VMS) for help.

Not only this, but the media has also seen an opportunity for the potential of our VMS to put across a stark and important message through their photography, with a few deployments in particular receiving national media attention to help promote their news.

At least until such times as we have a vaccine widely available, one of the most powerful tools we have against this virus is information, bringing our portable VMS to forefront of the effort for the media and local authorities. VMS are often used in Hollywood and TV in disaster situations for this exact application – and with the world heading deeper into a state of emergency, we are seeing this become a reality before us.

With the ability to change messages remotely via web browser or mobile app, our signs can be updated safely without requiring anyone on-site. They can also be updated quickly and easily, allowing local authorities to be responsive to the changing guidance.

Our sign’s portability and solar power credentials make their responsiveness even more important, offering a moveable solution that gives the option of being able to relocate signs to new hot spots without having to worry about a fixed power supply.

One of the other aspects of our signs is their colour options. With the opportunity to display messages in multiple colours, local authorities and site managers are able to avoid the risk of ‘sign blindness’ that can occur with the use of the common amber message text sometimes seen on signs deployed for roadworks.

Putting messages and backgrounds in different colours can help the text make extra impact as well as provide emphasis, increasing the chances it will be seen and most importantly read.

The use of colour can also be a powerful indicator to the public to convey and reinforce different types of messages, such as red for unsafe actions and green for safe actions, or a combination of colours to catch attention and try to influence certain types of behaviour, for example.

As well as the opportunity to use different colours, our signs are also ideally used to display pictograms, which for foot traffic in urban areas can be highly effective for conveying critical messages.

Another important factor that has allowed MVIS to step up to this challenge has been our fleet size and product range. With the largest fleet of VMS in the UK, MVIS are able to meet the demand that is currently coming our way, with not only the necessary numbers needed, but also being able to offer 3 different sizes of VMS to local authorities so they can use the appropriate sized sign for the specific audience, deployment and objective.

Whilst MVIS can deliver these helpful solutions, we specifically do so with premium level service, bringing our high-speed expertise and focus on compliance to local authorities, who may not be used to the same level of ‘all encompassing’ service that we provide. It is well known within the industry that working with MVIS takes concerns away from our clients, as we often go above and beyond in our service, offering 24/7 support, consultancy on deployment and ensuring the right unit is being used for the right job.

Join many local authorities in the UK and hire with MVIS today to be confident that your area’s COVID-19 information is being communicated by quality products in the care of experts.

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.

Reflection on lockdown brings adaptability of products and people to the fore

Posted on 1st September 2020 at 8:28 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

The last 4 months have thrown up challenges that we can all concede we probably never thought we’d face. Individuals, families and businesses have all had to make adjustments and sacrifices in order to stay safe, well, and survive.

As we look back on the unprecedented nature of 2020 so far, and with a gradual return to normality seemingly now upon all of us, it’s great time to look back and see what we’ve learned.

Adaptability is Key

Leading ITS solutions provider MVIS has been on this journey of self-reflection, and highlights adaptability as perhaps the key factor to thriving as a business throughout the challenging lockdown period.

It’s probably not unfair to say there isn’t an individual in the entire nation who hasn’t been dealt some sort of challenge with adaptability over the last 4 months.

Adaptable People

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.

Management acted quickly to keep their people safe, and the excellent MVIS team were forced to adapt to home-based offices whilst still delivering quality and service to a client base.

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 and with a ‘can do’ attitude has left the company firstly in no doubt that they have the right team in place, but secondly, in a position to now further adapt to new requirements in terms of what their solutions can provide.

Adaptable Products – Delivering New Solutions for New Problems

As the COVID-19 lockdown eased, retail stores throughout the country faced new challenges, one of the most important being the ability to communicate vital information to customers quickly and easily.

In recent months, MVIS have been working with the retail industry to develop ways they can apply their technology to solving these new challenges, helping to clear up the confusion that customers were facing as more businesses were granted permission to open their doors once again.

MVIS VMS-C Unit deployed at Amazon in Doncaster

From Global to Local

The solutions for retail are all encompassing, with one of the world’s largest companies and biggest brands utilising MVIS units. Indeed, worldwide phenomenon Amazon has deployed 2 x MVIS VMS-C used at its distribution centre in Doncaster to give staff and visitors up to date information on site rules.

Additionally, 2 x VMS-A are being used at Middlebrook Shopping Centre in Bolton to direct customers around the site and advise of any changes to the layout due to Covid-19.

At the other end of the size spectrum, New Leaf Plant Centre in Dronfield, only a stone’s throw away from MVIS’ Matlock HQ reopened back in May but had an understandable number of concerns about keeping customers informed of critical information.

The VMS-A was advised and deployed by MVIS due to the size of New Leaf’s car park. The VMS-A is renowned for its impressive screen size: footprint ratio and is often deployed where units with a larger footprint cannot be.

With a rather large car park to display messages to and parking space at a premium, the VMS-A was the unit of choice over the smaller screened HD Compact due to its increased display size.

The MVIS VMS units are helping the aforementioned businesses to keep their staff and customers well informed, as well as keeping processes and practices from site deliveries to payment queues as efficient and stress free as possible.

Major shopping centres such as Middlebrook in Bolton are utilising MVIS units

MVIS Marketing Manager, Sean Brown said:

“It’s always great seeing new uses for our technology and the cornerstone of this is found in us having a good understanding of the needs of our client, regardless of whether it’s a huge global corporate entity such as Amazon, or a smaller local business such as New Leaf.

“Once we establish needs, it’s then working with our client on ways we can apply our solutions to them specifically.

“Building the relationships that allows us to understand these needs is where this starts. As we explore new industries, we are eager to highlight that we are not just in the business of ITS rental, but rather the business of relationships and service.”

Source: highwaysindustry.com

How ITS Technology can help the Airport Industry post COVID-19

Posted on 6th August 2020 at 1:18 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

As an industry we have worked with in the past, we are taking steps to help airports around the UK return to some degree of normal. With the country reopening, most areas that are open to the public require some kind of COVID-19 provision to best serve the safety of the public, and airports, as the gatekeepers of international travel, perhaps have one of the biggest responsibilities of all.

MVIS offer products that can help airports handle the challenges they are facing during this time. What’s more is that our portable products help with these issues whilst being environmentally friendly, offering additional benefits that bring a wealth of extra value and in some cases, these benefits can even be a primary feature.

Variable Message Signs

MVIS offer a range of variable message signs (VMS) in different sizes, depending on the application. For directing foot traffic, our latest HD Compact VMS is ideal for inside and outside. With its small footprint, it can be placed in busy areas without taking up too much space and can allow airport site managers to control queues and communicate easily to visitors.

The larger VMS-C also has a history of being used for directing foot traffic, with a strong record in crowd control across some of the biggest events in the UK. Being used for marshalling, way finding and information, our units are great for keeping people informed.

Our VMS have the capability to display text or pictograms and can be updated remotely via web browser or mobile app, allowing you to stay responsive to shifting needs, as the situation and message changes during this uncertain time.

Since all our VMS were built for traffic management, these units excel in traffic management applications. The mid-sized VMS-A, for example, is perfect for directing drivers on roads with speeds of up to 50mph and can be deployed in locations leading up to the airport to help control on-coming traffic. They can also be especially effective in car parks to communicate information to people before they enter the airport.

All our VMS also come with an integrated data collection radar. This offers you access to a solar powered historical portable traffic data source, allowing for analysis of traffic trends. This multi-functional solution can gather valuable data whilst getting vital messages across. This will help airports gather intelligence about the traffic they are having to deal with, to identify hot spots and risks, allowing them to make informed decisions that may impact safety and order.

Solar Intelligent Platform – ANPR / CCTV

The Solar Intelligent Platform (IP) is a highly innovative, trailer-based solar powered ‘power bank’, that allows for the flexible combination of technologies, granting them portability and solar power. This has led to a number of innovations in the market such as portable ANPR and CCTV, which are great solutions for airport car parks and offer a means of revenue generation and increased security, which may be especially important during the pandemic.

When used in conjunction with a VMS, our CCTV can also be used as part of a feedback solution that can monitor areas of risk. By updating the message on the VMS manually via browser or mobile app to respond to situations as they occur, site managers can help to deal with issues quickly without being on site.

For more information about how our products can be used in airports under COVID-19 conditions, 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 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.

Returning to the office safely with COVID-19

Posted on 4th August 2020 at 2:06 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

During the lockdown caused by COVID-19, the office staff at MVIS / Bartco UK have been working from home, but as the UK begins to get moving again, we have been hard at work in putting together ways that we can operate from the office, but with the ever present threat of infection being the main consideration in our minds. There are a number of a departments within our organisation that have always required a degree of on-site presence, from the manufacturing team with Bartco UK to the delivery team for MVIS; it has been important for our team to be trained in, educated in and actively practicing measures that will help keep them safe and reduce the spread of the virus.

Some of the infection control measures we have implemented have been extremely strict, putting intense demands on our team on top of already demanding roles, especially regarding health and safety. However, it is this aptitude towards skills development and adherence to compliance that has worked to our teams’ advantage, allowing them to learn the new skills they need to operate safely whilst already being mindful of health and safety. These measures include-

Disinfection of all collected units on arrival
Limited delivery / service vehicle sharing with mandatory masks if sharing
Mandatory disinfection of all surfaces touched & shared facilities
Hand sanitising stations located throughout the buildings
Perspex screens dividing workstations
Daily temperature readings
A complete layout change to the building, including repositioned desks and relocation of marketing office and doors to control the flow and direction of foot traffic
VMS deployed in strategic locations for safety information or no access
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 across departments
Repainted the workshop floor to mark out personal working ‘bays’ stationed 2m apart
Second workshop set up in our storage facility, Unit 19, to allow for social distancing
New ‘snap cabin’ recreational area for the workshop team, further segregating the use of shared facilities
Personal headsets for phones rather than using the handsets
Daily Microsoft Teams meetings updates
Visitor entry restrictions marked by VMS
Placement of workplace safety signage to remind employees to wash and sanitise hands
Weekly risk assessments of all areas to ensure we adhere to the ever-changing rules of COVID

The layout change is not small; it’s been a major renovation project to our office that has involved blocking old entrances off and making news ones to better facilitate the safe flow of people from one section of the building to another.

Our office’s new layout has seen the building divided into territorial ‘pods’, separating departments and ensuring that the staff who are required to share a space do not come into potentially infectious contact with any more people than is required.

In establishing set entrances, exits and pass through routes for each pod, we can limit our areas of concern to shared facilities such as toilets. Outside each pod we have installed hand sanitising stations that staff must use when moving from one pod to the other and masks must be worn by all staff when outside of their pod.

In line with the government guidelines, we recently began to phase in some of our office staff who wanted to come back in as the lockdown measures ease. To allow this to happen safely, we require each member of staff to take a temperature test daily when they enter the building. This helps both the company and our employees take early steps in the event that any of our team are displaying a fever, and by taking these measurements daily, we have comparable and consistent data that would help to identify a fever, or unusual personal temperature as soon as it presents.

These constant reminders scattered through the office, the drastic change to our work place layout and the steps we are having to take as individuals serve as a system that not only help keep our team safe, but also help them feel safe, allowing them to still work productively without unnecessary anxiety.

As you can see, the office now features new, higher desks with ergonomic stools and mats placed under for foot comfort. We took the opportunity during the renovation to make sure that workspaces helped to promote a healthy and active lifestyle, and these stools help to correct posture and improve our employee’s standing health.

Every member of staff has been well equipped too. Upon return to work after lockdown, everyone has been given protective visors, masks, a packet of antibacterial wipes and another bottle of hand sanitiser. The desk layout within the pods have been positioned to ensure maximum efficiency between departments that require any form of interaction.

Critically, however, we are not forcing anyone into the office who is not required to be, minimising the number of people that are sharing the facilities and space, therefore minimising the risk. Indeed, those who have come back either wanted to or were required to by their role. With the measures the company has taken, we can accommodate these members of staff in the building by taking the measures that are required to be COVID compliant.

The effect of this gives our team a ‘no pressure’ approach to the situation that lets them to take control of their own health, both mental and physical, allowing them to return to work in the office when they feel comfortable.

These measures would not have been possible without the use of systems such as Microsoft Teams. Teams allows our staff to maintain a strong level of communication by using online video chat to conduct our normal business discussions.

In order to allow us to use Teams in this way, some of our staff had to undergo training, which was a fairly routine procedure for MVIS and Bartco UK staff, who take part in training regularly as a vital factor in staff progression.

As training underpins our approach to our staff and our business, so too it underpins our approach to COVID-19. Our employee’s aptitude for development has been a big advantage for helping to keep the company operating smoothly and to keep Britain moving, and most importantly of all, helping to keep themselves and others safe.

VMS could be key to ensuring social safety with queue management solutions

Posted on 27th July 2020 at 1:44 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

Social distancing and safety – where are we heading? We know things cannot simply just ‘go back to normal’ but at some point, we really want our normality back.

As the world continues to develop and mould best practice beyond the impact of Covid-19, social and public safety now comes to the fore perhaps more than it ever has before.

As we evolve with COVID-19 in our lives, our use of technology evolves with it, offering new and helpful ways to not only combat the virus, but also offering new ways we can live with it.

When we change our lives to accommodate the situation, how do we continue to keep people safe?

MVIS: Utilising VMS

As has been seen at major events across the UK, variable message signs can play a significant role in enhancing public safety. From crowd control information to vital emergency messages, rapid delivery of key information enhances the ability to spread the word.

MVIS have been working hard with a wide range of industries, including the retail sector, to develop new products using their technology in order to help with the effort, establishing ground-breaking solutions for problems that didn’t exist in such scale only a few months ago.

MVIS’ VMS units ease of deployment, coupled with the rapid ability to programme and change messages can greatly aid important information delivered publicly, and as a result, increase public awareness and safety.

MVIS has provided units for the London 2012 Olympics to name just one of many other events that involved densely populated areas and arenas.

As protocols develop following the impact of Covid-19, MVIS’ VMS solutions have a number of safety boosting applications.

Testing Centres: VMS Information System for Traffic Queue Control, Information and Data Collection

The MVIS Testing Centre Queue Management Solution has been developed to assist with managing and marshalling an increased level of traffic at the UK’s COVID-19 Testing Centres.

Key Benefits of the system include:

Providing estimated wait times – already proven in traffic management and the events industry
Reduce the need for as many physically present marshals, keeping people safer
Direct public, visitors and staff clearly and easily using tried and tested traffic management solutions
Products are solar powered and easy to update remotely via a web-based platform
24/7 support available to assist with placement, deployment and VMS message screen content

Marshalling & Traffic Queue Control

Variable Message Signs (VMS) can be strategically deployed to marshal queuing traffic management requirements.

MVIS units provide the ability to update estimated wait times remotely via phone or PC application in a matter of seconds, enabling prime responsiveness to peaks in demand.

Using VMS to display estimated wait times for queues is a tried and tested calming measure on the road network, at events and in the hospitality industry. The reduction of human to human interface is key in boosting public safety for the foreseeable future.

Data Collection: Inform future operations, help with planning, and highlight areas of risk.

Using the discreetly integrated data collection radar, you can use MVIS VMS units to collect and report on trends regarding:

Speed
Dates
Times
Levels of traffic

Data uploads to MVIS servers every hour and can be downloaded by users at any time.

Outside your vehicle: VMS Information System for Queue Management & Crowd Control

The MVIS Social Distancing Queue Management Solution has been developed in response to COVID-19 and the social distancing measures that have had to be taken by the UK.

Whilst developed with the struggles the retail industry is facing in mind, this solution can be applied to anywhere
there may be need for queues under emergency or social distancing conditions.

Key Benefits

Providing estimated wait times – already proven in traffic management and the events industry
Communicate important information to customers fast and remotely in unprecedented times
24/7 support available to assist with placement, deployment and VMS message screen content

The question: How?

Indoors: HD Compact Variable Message Signs

Highly portable HD Compact VMS are strategically deployed alongside the queue to inform customers of estimated queue wait times and the store’s social distancing policy.

Outdoors: VMS-A

The solar powered VMS-A is placed near the car park or the car park entrance, alerting drivers and customers of new opening times and other important information.

Alert waiting customers when it is their turn to avoid issues with click & collect systems.

We spoke with Anne Ashman, MVIS General Manager about these solutions that can provide key boosts to public safety.

Anne told us:

“We’ve developed a number of solutions that can be deployed and implemented both in and outdoors, across a number of sectors and environments to benefit both vehicle users and individuals outside of vehicles.

“Certainly, for the foreseeable future, social distancing safety protocols are going nowhere, and we must all be extremely vigilant and thorough. The more detailed information delivered within society without the requirement for human interaction can only be of benefit to public health.”

Source: highwaysindustry.com

Using ITS Technology for Crowd Control

Posted on 26th June 2020 at 4:25 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

COVID-19 has presented a number of issues for councils and those who manage sites open to the public. 2020 has seen some of the biggest changes to the way we operate as a society in our lifetimes and as a result, our needs changes with them.

Traditionally, portable ITS technology such as Variable Message Signs (VMS) or CCTV have been deployed and used for traffic management and events, offering important information that people need to stay safe.

The use of our technology for crowd control is not a new idea. Indeed, we have always applied our solutions to applications that require the management of pedestrians. A large part of this is found in the events industry, where our portable VMS, CCTV, ANPR and Data Collection solutions have been used with great success. Our products have been tried and tested on some of the biggest events in the country such as the 2012 Olympics, Brighton Pride, V Festival, Silverstone and The Grand National.

However, in the wake of the pandemic, the risks presented in public areas becomes a major concern for everyone. In these areas, we can use our technology for the same applications they were designed for, but with a different focus, helping us live in a world with COVID-19 safely.

Important Notices

One of the key uses of our technology is to communicate.

Our solar powered, portable signs offer a platform to communicate to the public at a time when information is critical. With a range of signs in different sizes, our portable VMS are an ideal solution for public safety information, such as enforcing social distancing, closing roads or buildings, or even establishing lockdown barriers – if it comes to that.

A world with COVID-19 remains unpredictable and one of the biggest issues with that, is the information keeps changing.

No sooner had councils and businesses purchased static signs enforcing a 2m distance policy, the government lowers the policy to 1m, producing waste.

Using a VMS, the message can be changed in seconds without even needing to be on site.

This versatility – along with its portability – offers incredible added-value to the unit.

Another issue we are facing is the abuse of some of the UK’s beauty spots. The heatwave towards the end of June 2020 spelled a disaster for our seasides in Bournemouth, Exmouth and other areas, which were swamped with visitors who brought with them a lot of litter.

By deploying one of our signs in these beauty spots, it serves as a visual reminder for visitors to take their litter home with them.

Wayfinding / Marshalling

With such a huge disruption in the way we move and certain businesses phasing in their reopening, there is a lot of confusion for travelers and shoppers right now.

Portable VMS can be deployed to help clear up this confusion by directing people to the right places, or announcing reopening.

A common application we see in events, our signs deliver a clear message in text or pictograms that can’t be missed.

Queue Management

Our journey time solutions help to combat traffic queues by relaying estimated journey time to the driver so they can plan accordingly, helping to minimise frustration and confusion on our roads.

With the successful use of estimated queue times in the hospitality and events industry as a queue calming measure, we can apply this logic to the use of our signs on the high street, for example.

Our HD Compact VMS offers a solar powered, portable VMS with a small footprint that would apply perfectly to a queuing system, helping keep order in busy retail or service areas.

Surveillance / Enforcement

The Visitor Information & Management System uses an effective combination of our portable, solar powered VMS and CCTV to offer a surveillance / feedback system for site managers. Opening up the ability to monitor their scope of responsibility, site managers can react to issues by updating the sign via browser or our app to remind visitors of the rules, or indeed that they are being watched, for example.

Using these products together in this way helps to bring out the best of both solutions, forming a highly effective site management system that can be operated remotely.

Our latest CCTV solution, developed in partnership with 360 Vision Technology even offers incredible low light capabilities, which may be useful in areas where night time activity becomes a concern.

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.

Delivering New Solutions for New Problems

Posted on 25th June 2020 at 1:48 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

In recent months, MVIS have been working with the retail industry to develop ways we can apply our technology to solving these new challenges, helping to clear up the confusion that customers were facing as more business were granted permission to open their doors once again.

New Leaf Plant Centre in Dronfield, only a stone’s throw away from our Matlock HQ, reopened back in May but had an understandable number of concerns about keeping customers informed of business critical information.

The VMS-A was advised by MVIS due to the size of New Leaf’s car park. Indeed their site is quite large and could accommodate the footprint of a VMS-A easily, offering a larger screen than our HD Compact, which is the unit we would normally look to for such an application, especially in densely built-up areas where space is limited.

Phil Spencer, Manager at New Leaf commented, “The unit delivers a crisp, clear and concise message to customers which is highly visible and easy to read. It cannot be missed.”

The large space of New Leaf’s car park offered the perfect opportunity to deploy a VMS-A; it’s larger, 4-line, 5 colour display allowed for more complex messages and larger pictograms, further increasing the value of the solution to drivers as well as pedestrians.

The VMS unit helps New Leaf Plant Centre to:

Keep customers well informed, minimising inconvenience & confusion
Keep queues stress free and efficient as possible
Keep staff safe by communicating information to customers

Phil continues, “This sign has been key in delivering our core messages […] MVIS have been invaluable to our re-opening and has clearly reinforced our commitment to the Health & Safety of our staff and customers.”

He adds, “The unit was delivered promptly and set up quickly and efficiently by George with our message pre-loaded by the office and requires no maintenance by ourselves. It even switches on and off on its own. […] We are forever grateful to MVIS for the quality of service, support and quality of the product with its ability to deliver what we wanted every day without fail.”

On behalf of MVIS, our Marketing Manager, Sean Brown said: “It’s always great seeing new uses for our technology and the cornerstone of this is found in us having a good understanding of the client’s needs, then working with them on ways we can apply our solutions to them specifically. Building the relationships that allows us to understand these needs is where this starts. As we explore new industries, we are eager to highlight that we are not just in the business of ITS rental, but rather the business of relationships and service. We are very pleased this sign has proved so useful to New Leaf; their feedback has been very helpful in developing our solutions for the retail market.”

Learn more about this project >

For more information about our solutions or if you would like to know more about how you can use our products to help with social distancing or queue management, 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.

COVID-19 High Street Social Distancing Solution

Posted on 12th June 2020 at 12:43 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

MVIS are proud to announce our latest solution ideal for helping densely populated spaces (such as high streets) cope better with social distancing and traffic management under COVID-19 conditions.

The high street can get busy very quickly, so it pays to be prepared.

Key Features

HD Compact: 28 x 28 matrix with 20mm pixel pitch, 560mm x 560mm display size
VMS A: 48 x 28 matrix with 28mm pixel pitch, 1344mm x 784mm display size
Ideal for text or pictograms
Low cost alternative to many data collection solutions
Solar powered, portable and easy to update remotely via a web based platform
24/7 support, assisting you with placement, deployment and content for the VMS

HD Compact Variable Message Signs

Our HD Compact VMS offers users a solar powered variable message sign (VMS) with a very small footprint, making it ideal for environments that lack space.

This unit’s light weight and adjustable height makes it highly portable and versatile, especially considering the content can be updated remotely via our web-based portal or mobile app.

With a dual colour display (red & white), this unit is perfect for communicating safety information, instructions and closures with text or pictograms that can inform pedestrians and drivers.

This robust sign also boasts a solid design; with hidden cabling, the unit is secured against vandalism or accidental damage and benefits from the traffic data collection radar integrated in all our signs.

VMS-A

Like the HD Compact, the VMS-A offers users a solar powered, portable variable message sign that features many of the same key benefits.

Instead of a 2-colour display, the VMS A boasts a larger 5-colour display that can feature more complex messages but necessitates a slightly larger footprint than the HD Compact.

Ideally deployed for the closure of roads to allow staggered footfall, or to warn oncoming drivers of important alerts, the VMS A’s effect is compounded when used in conjunction with the HD Compact, ensuring visitors to the high street are informed every step of the way.

Resolve – an IT partner you can rely on

Posted on 9th June 2020 at 3:35 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

Despite working from home, MVIS and Bartco UK staff have been able to take their offices with them and carry on with their daily tasks, and it is partly thanks to Resolve that we are able to continue to carry on providing the highest quality service possible during the uncertain times which we are currently facing.

Resolve work with hundreds of SMEs and have seen firsthand the huge challenges companies have overcome in order to keep business afloat in response to COVID-19. During this time, having a reliable IT partner is more imperative than ever.

Here at MVIS and Bartco UK, our IT systems are crucial to the business, as for the most part our departments rely on being able to access documents and essential programs as well as contact customers, suppliers and staff members easily.

By using Resolve as our IT support, we have been able to move most of our operations to a home setting with the exception of our delivery and warehouse team. Our systems were already online through our Cloud Server, which Resolve host, but there were issues with hardware that needed a quick solution and Resolve were on hand to help our staff and keep our team online so we can maintain the high standards we are proud to promote.

They have not only helped us to be fully operational under the new government rules, they have also made it possible for us to communicate within departments through video calls by setting us up on the communications platform, Microsoft Teams, which also allows us to communicate with 3rd parties who are also working from home.

Setting customer expectations with ITS technology

Posted on 29th May 2020 at 1:15 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

As the world changes in response to COVID-19, our use of technology changes with it, offering new and helpful ways to not only combat the virus, but also offering new ways we can live with it.

MVIS have been working hard with a wide range of industries to develop new products using our technology in order to help with the effort, establishing ground-breaking solutions for problems that didn’t exist in such scale only a few months ago.

One industry we have been working very closely with is the retail sector, who, in the wake of this have very different technological requirements to what they had only a few months ago. In a world with COVID-19, the retail industry has a big responsibility to society to do what they can to ensure that the virus is not being spread in their buildings.

As a result, stores around the country have started to adapt, installing measures to help enforce social distancing as well as for a range of other requirements. Needs related to increased demand with Click and Collect, new queuing systems and even communicating specific information such as ‘card payments only’ have become, at least in the short term, a huge priority for these businesses.

In identifying these needs, MVIS and Bartco UK developed a solution and offer a wider range of products that can help with these issues. Possibly the biggest issue logistically that retail stores currently have is in relation to queue management. It is a well-known occurrence that increased queue time can also increase frustration and anxiety in customers, which is not ideal customer psychology, especially when shoppers are already anxious and nervous.

Providing waiting customers with estimated queue wait times has already been proven successful in traffic management applications and the events industry, however it’s not usually an issue faced by the retail industry. With this in mind, our new Queue Management Solution offers the retail industry a solid solution under COVID-19 conditions using our range of VMS.

The Queue Management Solution uses our dual-colour HD Compact VMS (variable message sign) to communicate queue wait times to waiting customers in conjunction with our solar powered VMS-A to communicate information to drivers. The HD Compact’s portability and small footprint makes it an ideal queue management solution, especially in areas where space is limited. When placed strategically along the side of the queue, stores can keep customers informed and manage their expectations to help minimise frustration before customers enter the premises.

Queue management can also be achieved using the VMS-A in areas with more space. Whilst the HD Compact’s selling point is its small size, the VMS-A allows for more complex messages and may also reach a larger number of customers due to its size, making it ideal for car parks and larger stores. Such messages may encompass new store opening times, the store’s social distancing policy or other important information.

The use of the VMS-A in this solution can also help to keep customers informed every step of the way with their visit, being able to be used for a wide range of aspects such as traffic control and pedestrian marshalling.

One of the most innovative uses however has been found in the support of increased demand of Click and Collect, which, in the absence of any customer information, can descend into chaos easily. Using our web-based platform, site managers can update the sign’s message within seconds to call forward the next customer when their order is ready.

Whilst we learn to deal with COVID-19 both as an economy and as a society, more technological solutions will be employed to help us deal with the hostile circumstances we find ourselves in. This solution, and those we have developed alongside it, represents a step change in how we continue to use our technology to keep Britain informed during a time when information is of critical importance.

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.

Setting the safe example

Posted on 12th May 2020 at 12:27 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

Many weeks on from the initial COVID-19 outbreak and businesses all over the world are figuring out ways to adjust to the evolving situation. One of the biggest aspects of human life to have suffered is social contact, with not just our social lives plunging into isolation, but also many people’s work life, which makes things very difficult for companies who are looking for ways to operate safely in this hostile climate.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, MVIS have gone to great lengths to ensure the safety of our staff, from implementing ‘work from home’ measures to furnishing staff with PPE and ‘care packages’ containing hand soap, tissues and other important items. However, when the health and safety of your employees are at risk, you can never do too much to safeguard them.

One of the most important things businesses can do to keep their staff safe is to communicate with them, making sure they know the company’s social distancing policy like their lives depend on it.

An effective way of doing this is with variable message signs.

Because of this, we have deployed 2 of our VMS-A signs outside our headquarters to serve a range of functions, the first of which is to keep reinforcing the 2m distance policy to our employees using our signs as a vivid visual reminder.

Another application this deployment has served is in the warning to visitors against entering the premises, which is a huge unknown factor in any risk assessment under these conditions, especially for deliveries.

In recent weeks we have noticed an increasing interest in our signs to help businesses and other organisations with such requirements.

There are a number of benefits in using a VMS for this purpose, one of them being the ease of updating, which can be done remotely via our web-based portal or mobile app.

Another benefit is the integrated data collection radar in the VMS, which establishes these units as a multi-functional solution that can collect important data at a time when we know so little about the impact of COVID-19 on our driving patterns.

For more information about our VMS or if you would like to know more about how you can use our units to help with social distancing, 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.