Returning to the office safely with COVID-19

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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.

 

 

A company culture and a dedicated workforce starts at talent ID

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All companies are chasing that elusive great culture. That intangible ethos that sets the tone of what’s expected within a business from all employees, from the MD to the apprentices, and the work ethic to deliver on those expectations.

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

As employees develop with the company, they experience new things that can spark an interest, demonstrate a particular skill or just show a new level of responsibility. As a result of being so well trained, their staff are extremely strong assets and like anything in business, they need to be distributed in a way that is going to get the most out of them.

But what makes the company workforce so capable and committed?

We spoke to General Manager Anne Ashman about the process of identifying talent, skillsets, and creating the culture for employees to thrive.

HI: Firstly and rather broadly Anne, what do you look for in an employee? 

AA: “It’s more about the actual person for us, their work ethic and attitude.

“At MVIS and Bartco UK it is vital to be highly adaptable, and extremely organised.

“We are also an extremely close team, so anyone who comes onboard needs to fit in with the MVIS/Bartco ‘family culture’. That, above all else is perhaps the most important point. Skills can be learned, but attitude cannot.

“We have a very strong training program in place, so we have no doubts we can upskill an individual with the right personal qualities.

“I personally place the greatest emphasis on delivering the best customer service, so anyone who joins our team needs to understand and buy into that that is what we are working diligently to deliver.

HI: How would you say you identify talent, whether that’s at an interview, careers fayre or apprenticeship application? Then further talent ID once a rookie is in the door?

“I can often get a good feel from a CV and the way it is written if a person is going to be a good fit for us, but I use a scoring system to make sure it is fair. The best then get an interview.

“I also tend to invite the best two in for a trial to see if they are right for us, and also if we as a company are
right for them – it’s a two-way exchange.

“We take a lot of apprentices on, train them and retain them. Most of these apprentices come following work experience with us, so they quite naturally ask about a job. We actually have a waiting list at the moment of past work experience students who want a position at MVIS & Bartco UK!

“If we could offer them all a position we would, one of my values is growth and education for young people in the workplace, as I think the ‘youth of today’ often get a bad reputation and subsequently get some less appealing positions

“We have found that if you take the time, you can mould them into what a company needs – we have seen this first hand so many times with our staff as Dom (Assistant Operations Manager), Tillie (Marketing Assistant) and Rebecca (Purchasing Supervisor) are all prime examples of this.”

Promoting from within

HI: With so many examples of apprentices climbing the company hierarchy, when do you know the time is right to take an employee to their next step? And how do you identify the right fit?

AA: “If a new role is needed, or someone higher up the chain leaves and we feel we have the skillset within, we look to take that route rather than recruit externally. Someone who already understands our methods and values, that we know we can trust to perform are in a prime position.

“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.

“Part of our employee review process includes asking all staff what their values are in both life, and the workplace so we obtain regular, current insight into what makes our people tick. Once we know this, we can see what they want to achieve – and can work with them to achieve it.

Tim has ascended through the company on the back of his attitude and skillset

“As just one example, Tim, our Workshop Supervisor started with the company as a delivery driver. I recognised he had other skills, skills that we needed in our workshop. So, I asked him to move roles to become a technician,

“At first, he was unsure, but when I went through the role with him and what the future opportunities were, he moved roles enthusiastically. Last year, Tim was promoted to Workshop Supervisor, as I had identified that Tom, who was the incumbent supervisor of the workshop, had developed a skillset that had grown through the training the company had given him and I needed him to move in to a more technical role,

“This left the workshop supervisor role available, and Tim was the exact person we needed as the other staff in this area all look up to Tim as a leader. He sets a great example.

“Tim’s progression is exactly the type of story that makes us take the approach of ‘Why always bring in new people when you can promote from within if you have the right person?’

“As we say, skills can be learned, but attitude often cannot.”

Find the role that suits your employee: Tillie Wooliscroft

Anne told us:

“Tillie worked as operations admin when she came on board at 16 as one of our apprentices, however it was very clear to me her talents laid elsewhere.

“I very quickly saw how creative she was, so when I decided to step away from our former marketing agency and bring marketing in-house, Tillie was the first person I asked to come in to the new department and further her skillset under Sean, our now Marketing Manager.

“I hate to see talent wasted and Tillie’s really was wasted in operations, the work she produces, and her artistic eye is amazing.”

Tillie pictured here with Sean, Marketing Manager

HI: How do you decide who to promote?

AA: “We identify the staff who have the most to give and crave a new, or greater challenge. Some of our staff thrive on responsibility and have high aspirations. As they are so outward with their ambitions, we’re always aware of the people who are chomping at the bit to further their careers with us.

“We also have staff who are very happy in their current roles and don’t particularly vocalise that they want a new challenge. Yet, their opportunities for further training and progression is never blocked by the more vocal employees. Regular reviews about aspirations ensure we know where our staff see their futures, and therefore we know who wants to be in the mix when an opportunity becomes available.

“A company is only as good as the talent it employs, and we believe that if you want to deliver a quality service and product you need quality staff, this comes from firstly identifying a quality person, and then allowing them to grow personally by upskilling them, allowing them to have an opinion and voice that counts. That’s our ‘family’ approach, and our people know that they all matter.”

Source: highwaysindustry.com

Dom Bridge Levels Up with Diploma in Management and Leadership

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Dom Bridge has been with MVIS since 2013, starting as an apprentice in recent years progressing to Assistant Operations Manager. Dom’s record of achievements during his years at MVIS are vast and growing, from completing his apprenticeship, to taking an instrumental role in helping the company recertify for our ISO accreditations in quality (9001:2015), environmental management (14001:2015), and health & safety (45001:2018).

Now overseeing our deliveries and transportserving as a key member of staff within the company, Dom’s achievements just keep on coming, having achieved his OCR Level 3 Certificate of Professional Competence for Transport Managers (Road Haulage) in September 2019 and recently his CMI Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership. 

This course offers a more extensive qualification in equivalence to a foundation degree, giving students a “broader knowledge of middle management skills while focusing on the specific leadership areas” appropriate to their workplace.

To achieve this Diploma, Dom was required to complete 7 dissertations about-

  • Personal development
  • Information-based decision making
  • Managing teams
  • Financial management
  • Project management
  • Managing performance/HR
  • Operational plans

He was also required to complete a L5 Knowledge test and create a 15-minute presentation that he was required to deliver to a panel of CMI assessors. On top of all this, over the duration of the course, Dom had to gather a 2-year portfolio of evidence and maintain a 2-year CPD log.

Dom’s achievement is the latest amongst a line not just from him personally, but from the MVIS team, who continue to improve on what it means to be ‘experts’.

This doesn’t just make MVIS great to work with from a client’s point of view, but it also makes MVIS a great place to work for its employees. The wider effect this management approach has on morale and loyalty is measurably positive, with MVIS boasting incredible staff retention rates.

Dom comments, “I was supported by Anne [Ashman] throughout the Diploma, especially when it came to HR, financial controls and operations. Knowing that your manager supports you makes development a rewarding and encouraging process. It’s great to learn professional skills in the context of my role here at MVIS.”

Anne adds, “Customer service makes up a huge part of our business and we take it as seriously as our clients do. Continuing professional development ensures that our team are trained and experienced so our service always lives up to our reputation.”

Anne continues, “We are very proud of Dom for having completed his Level 5 Diploma. It marks a significant achievement for both him and MVIS as we support the ongoing development of our team. We’re already talking about what’s next!”

Investment in Training Pays Off as Customer Feedback Pours In

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A few months ago, we covered a training session that saw one of our Operations and Customer service team members, Mizzy Watson, take part in ‘hands-on’ training out in the field with one of our delivery drivers, Jon Larkins.

In this post, we explore the necessity of this type of training to help our staff understand aspects of everyone’s roles, allowing us all to be more effective as we can understand the risks and complications that occur in that job. 

“Mizzy, who started at MVIS towards the end of 2019, works closely with MVIS customers and their requirements. Part of her role is communicating this to the delivery team, organising our delivery drivers over the phone, organising our operations in the field to ensure that units are deployed safely, in the correct location and display the correct messages as per our customers instruction. However, whilst she works with our delivery team on a regular basis, Mizzy is still fairly new to the organisation and in striving for a vertical understanding of our operations, it was decided that she should experience ‘a day in the life’ of one of our delivery drivers.”

Since this training, MVIS and Mizzy in particular, have been receiving more feedback on top of what we already considered to be a good number of positive comments. The feedback, which is due to be published to the website soon, is always a welcome email or phone call for our team. Knowing that we are delivering a service  our clients are pleased with is incredibly motivating. 

However, this feedback signifies more than just our effectiveness in a customer service setting; it also shows our vertical training model is paying off. With the particular focus on Mizzy in this recent wave of positive comments, we wish her special congratulations and thanks for being a clear asset to the company when dealing with customers. 

But it’s not just Mizzy’s work with customers that seems to be pulling in praise. Mizzy was nominated by her work colleagues back in May for June’s Employee of the Month. She was awarded this specifically for : “always being there when she is needed. Work related or not, she is always ready to listen. Helping staff during weekend cover in her own time, contributing to new ideas and owning her strengths, Mizzy is a highly valued team member who brightens up everyone’s day!”

To have such glowing feedback from her peers for her caring nature and actions during the COVID-19 lock down is something truly remarkable and really goes to show that when you equip the right people with the right training, they are given the understanding to contribute in a meaningful and impact way, helping to bring the best out in everyone.  

 

In-House Teamwork and Training makes the Dream Work

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Here at MVIS and Bartco UK we believe that quality starts with staff and our staff retention is something that we take pride in. With 5 staff members continuing after a completed apprenticeship, two currently undertaking apprenticeships and a further 1 to become a manager after joining us at only 18, when we say that we take pride in our staff and the team that we have built,  it’s not an understatement.
 
One of Bartco UK’s apprentices, Pip Wood  in purchasing for example, has almost finished her first-year apprenticeship and works under the support of Rebecca Prince, our Purchasing & Stock Control Supervisor. Pip has already been awarded Employee of the Month this year and together, her and Rebecca ensure that we have the correct supply of stock in order for the workshop team to be able to complete works and refurbish units at a fast and efficient rate. 
 
sean brown and tillie woolliscroftThe last year has brought in some major staff changes for our organisation. Towards the end of 2020, we brought out marketing department in-house, promoting Tillie Woolliscroft from Operations to Marketing Assistant as well as hiring Sean Brown as marketing manager. This has allowed us to progress in-house and develop a more modern approach to marketing.
 
After all, who better to promote the business then the business itself? 
 
Likewise, our operations team saw changes too. Our operations manager, Dom Bridge has been with us for over 5 years and is now passing his knowledge to Mizzy Watson who joined the team last year. With this, Mizzy has also joined our delivery team during on-site maintenance checks, deliveries and battery changes in safe, inner city areas.
 
Ensuring our staff all understand the workings of both the industry and in-house operations is a large factor in our staff training, this is so all of our staff can have a greater appreciation of the business and offer a positive experience to our customers. As demonstrated with Sean / Tillie, Dom / Mizzy and Bec / Pip, we maintain a strong company ethos of passing training down from management to every corner of the business. This ensures that the level of training is of the highest quality for each member of staff. 
 
With all of our in-house departments supporting one another, it is crucial to understand how each role contributes to the other. For example, our Operations team are on hand day and night to help with any customer needs or advice. Because of this, it is vital that they have the correct knowledge so that they can be as much help as possible. 
 
The new depot is housed in NewcastleNot only do we encourage our team to contribute to other departments, we also hold staff training at least once a month when possible in order to maintain a positive relationship and renew aspects of training. Being divided between 3 depots that provide coverage to the whole UK can take its toll if not managed correctly.
 

These training sessions regularly cover important aspects such as safety, mental heath, production and development. Training meetings don’t only improve our staff’s knowledge within the business, but also encourage everyone to join in with new ideas or potential development which is not only beneficial to staff morale but also encourages team building. These meetings are how we can constantly improve our services both externally and internally. 

Since bringing our marketing in-house, we have noticed an astonishing improvement in our nation-wide coverage as well as being able to be more interactive with our customers and followers. We feel that this has strengthened our external relationships as we have been able to work directly with partners and engage with followers on a daily basis.
 
Bringing marketing in-house also allows us to transcend traditional role divisions and work more efficiently as a team towards shared goals. Having a daily update on new contracts, potential customers or new solutions allows the company respond to changes quickly. There is more depth to a business than its departments and we believe that our staff understand that, which is why we can proudly promote award winning customer service from every corner of our company.  
 
 
Our in-house teams have never worked better together, striving to make our customer’s lives easier by hiring with us.
 
MVIS/Bartco UK is an organisation that can tackle any challenge thrown our way, which we have proven time and time again both with our customers and our staff, proving our reliability.
 
We are only as good as our staff, and we are more than proud of the team that we have built and strengthened over the years.

Our dedicated team are still upskilling

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At MVIS / Bartco UK, we believe that quality starts with our staff and therefore we like to ensure that each member of our team is fully trained in order to provide our customers with the highest service possible. With this in mind, we like to embrace all achievements our team earn and do not shy away from a congratulations! 

Since joining us in mid-2019, Bartco UK’s two newest recruits have been on several training courses including manual handling and safety inductions, with their most recent earned qualification being their forklift training.

Liam Griffiths and Jacob Spencer have received certification from KMT training solutions following the completion of a forklift course earlier on in the year, luckily just before the lockdown. Courses like these do not only improve our team’s knowledge within the business, but it also strengthens their skill set which can be taken with them through advancements of their career in the future.

Professional development is key to striving within this industry, as it allows us to offer our customers the best production and maintenance services – something that we are proud to be able to promote as the number one VMS distributor in the UK. Investing time and effort into our employees ensures continuous staff and company development and progression that we can, at least in part, attribute our growth to.   

After joining our team, Liam and Jacob have been progressing their skills both in house and externally to be fully qualified to deliver the highest quality service through all jobs within our workshop. Daily, the team are working on refurbished units and new builds in order to meet the needs of our customers as well as performing maintenance checks on units.

But Bartco UK aren’t the only ones pushing an agenda of staff development. Since her promotion to Marketing Assistant for MVIS last year, Tillie Woolliscroft has undergone a significant amount of training.

Tillie

This training is advancing Tillie’s skills in the field of marketing, equipping her with specialist knowledge that helps her increase her productivity and effectiveness in her new role. Tillie’s commitment to her job has seen her been awarded Employee of the Month twice in 2020 already, with her skills and experience only getting better.

Likewise, the whole MVIS team have undergone upskilling in recent months in the form of digital communications. Whilst some of our team were already proficient in digital communications,however many members haven’t had need to use corporate communication tools such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom before.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, both the MVIS and Bartco UK workforce have been required to understand how to use this technology in order to continue working. In true MVIS / Bartco UK fashion, the whole team adapted seamlessly, allowing for a new era of working processes for the group.

Despite the two company’s continuous support, training can only go so far and without the dedication of our team to their work, their colleagues and their safety, the group wouldn’t be the great example of success with staff development and retention that it is today.   

Mental Health Awareness Week 2020

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During this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, we asked our staff to stop and breathe; to remember the things in life that inspire them, encourage them and allow them to feel ‘human’ during the uncertain weeks that we have so far been faced with.

Here at MVIS and Bartco UK, we try to ensure that our staff are our number one priority, after all, without them there would be no ‘us’. We are a team and despite COVID-19 we continue to try to encourage everyone to maintain their individual flare. Because of this, we thought that this week we would ask everyone to stop and reflect on the positives in life in order to regain control of our mental health while being isolated from our work family.

With our online chat thriving, film suggestions message group and Facetime calls, our spirits remain high.

We asked the team to send us a photo of something that they are thankful for and with that lots of cute and funny pictures came through! Activities like this, although small, give us something to laugh about and keep us focused on our humanity. 

Spending more time at home is allowing us to spend quality time with those in our home that we love and to reconnect again. We are being given the chance to strengthen our close relationships and engage with loved ones which is something that we can be grateful for in these hard times.  (Even if they do have a wagging tail!)

Now more then ever we can truly understand the importance of mental well-being. From a daily video chat to a virtual fancy dress party, we at MVIS and Bartco UK have never been more grateful for the team that we have and are proud to be apart of.

With this being said, a thank you is in order for our amazing group who have been going above and beyond since day one.

 

Setting the safe example

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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.

 

MVIS Celebrates Female Team Members on International Women’s Day

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Never forgetting the importance of any of our team members, MVIS and Bartco UK do not shy away from an excuse to celebrate our wonderful team – and International Women’s Day 2020 offers us such an excuse. To celebrate, we will be shining a spotlight on our team by looking at the amazing and professional example that the women who work here set for women everywhere.

Anne Ashman, General Manager of both MVIS and Bartco UK is the force that keeps things running smoothly. Serving a central role in helping to build both companies from very early days, Anne has achieved a great deal in the almost 9 years she has dedicated to the group. Anne prioritises safety and customer service above all else, with a firm belief that training and looking after her staff will get the most out of them. As a result, MVIS and Bartco UK boast one of the most well-trained workforces in the industry and the team largely has Anne to thank for the opportunity, support and encouragement to be in this position. Whilst working full time, Anne also completed a business degree in 2019, demonstrating incredible commitment and hard work.

Bartco UK’s Purchasing and Stock Control Supervisor, Rebecca Prince, has risen through the ranks at Bartco UK, starting as an apprentice with the group back in 2015, and in a short space of time she has risen to not only supervising her own department, but to also being a mentor and supervisor of staff herself, helping others through their apprenticeships. Along with Anne, Bec is a Mental Health First Aider for both MVIS and Bartco UK, being a friendly and welcoming face to anyone who is struggling with their mental health at the group.

 

Mizzy Watson’s role with MVIS makes her the ‘face of the company’ to many clients and customers, working as an Operations and Customer Service team member and she remains professional yet friendly at all times. In 2020, Mizzy will be undertaking a work related ‘white collar boxing’ event for charity. Just the training for this event is tough, let alone the public nature of the event itself, making her worthy of a special shout out for her bravery.

Having joined MVIS at only 16 years old in 2016, Tillie Woolliscroft started her time here in Operations and Customer Service, working well with our team in the field and customers alike. Being promoted to Marketing Assistant in 2019, Tillie is now training in marketing skills to help the company transition from agency management to in-house marketing. During her time here, Tillie has gone on to not only complete her apprenticeship, but to also win Learning Unlimited Intermediate Apprentice of the Year Award in 2018.

Last but certainly not least, Pip Wood works alongside Bec for Bartco UK as Purchasing and Stock Control Apprentice, whilst studying towards her Business Administration qualification. Joining the company in 2019, Pip has taken to her role with vigour and enthusiasm we see her confidence and capability grow each day. Since a workspace restructure, the main office has got to see much more of Pip in recent months and the working environment is much better off for it; so much so that she received multiple nominations for her award of Employee of the Month in February 2020.

It’s safe to say that both MVIS and Bartco UK have every reason to celebrate the women that make a fundamental part of our team.

Happy International Women’s Day 2020!

MVIS Proudly Collect ISO Accreditations

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Last month, we announced that the MVIS / Bartco UK group has been recertified with our ISO accreditations in quality (9001:2015), environmental management (14001:2015), and health & safety (45001:2018).

This week, General Manager of the ITS group, Anne Ashman officially collected the new certificates at a celebration event marking our achievement, along with Dom Bridge, Assistant Operations Manager at MVIS who was also instrumental in helping the company obtain these accreditations. Presented by Christopher Moores, the Operations Director at NQA, Anne and Dom proudly received the certificates at the event, giving the MVIS and Bartco UK team the recognition we deserve for this accomplishment.

Christopher Moores, Anne Ashman, Dom Bridge

These accreditations signify a wider commitment from MVIS and Bartco UK to corporate social responsibility, demonstrating landmark achievements for us in the areas of industry and workplace safety, environmental responsibility and quality, making us the ideal choice as an ITS supplier for key schemes undertaken on highspeed roads and highways throughout the UK.

Representative of our commitment to these highly important aspects of our business, the ISO accreditations together furnish us with a full IMS (integrated management system), integrating our systems and processes into one complete framework.

Anne Ashman, Group General Manager, commented, “Collecting these certificates marks a huge achievement for the whole team at MVIS and Bartco UK. Understanding the importance of being re-certified in all 3 standards was a value shared by all our staff, who have seen the impact it can have on the company, our growth and our future. Over the 3 years since we obtained our first ISO certification, we have continuously improved our systems, providing higher service levels than ever before. Our team continue to offer customers quality service, safety compliance and environmentally responsible business practices. Both Dom and I were very proud to represent everyone at MVIS and Bartco UK when collecting this highly important and coveted achievement.”

If you would like to know more about our ISO accreditations – MVIS and Bartco UK recertify ISO accreditations

For more information about MVIS, please call us on 01629 580 570 to speak to one of our friendly team.

 

 

Celebrating Apprentices During National Apprenticeship Week 2020

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As an employer that highly values our apprentices, we are taking the opportunity during National Apprenticeship Week 2020 to shine a spotlight on the members of our team who have come to us as apprentices over recent years and celebrate what they have achieved since. MVIS and sister company Bartco UK boast an impressive record of staff retention, and few areas demonstrate this as well as the retention rates in our apprentices, with all but one who has entered our doors over the years choosing to stay with us.

Our longest standing apprentice, Dom Bridge came to MVIS all the way back in 2013 and has since progressed to play an integral part in our organisation as Assistant Operations Manager. Dom’s daily role sees him managing the operations team, making sure that products are quality approved, delivered and deployed to clients in a timely manner for their project’s success. Due to the importance of his role, Dom works closely with the MVIS management team, reporting on vital figures and planning ahead to ensure that our resources are allocated effectively to meet our customer’s present and future needs. Dom also played a central role along with the management team to achieve our ISO Integrated Management System, helping MVIS obtain accreditations (and then recertifications) in ISO 45001 Health and Safety, ISO 9001 Quality and ISO 14001 Environmental Management. On top of this, Dom also recently took a leading role in MVIS passing the Achilles accreditation. 

Next to start the organisation as an apprentice was Rebecca Prince, who joined Bartco UK as a Business Administration apprentice in 2015 and quickly progressed in the company to her current role as Purchasing and Stock Control Supervisor. Bec’s role within the organisation helps to keep things moving smoothly, ordering stock and components that facilitates the manufacture of our products. As a highly capable, reliable and diligent member of staff, it seems only fitting that Bec now supervises an apprentice herself, Pip Wood, as she completes her apprenticeship.

Shortly after Bec, George Sheldon also started at Bartco UK in 2015 after studying electrical engineering. George has since completed his apprenticeship in 2019, seeing him progress within the company to the role of Workshop Technician. His day to day activities see him producing and refurbishing our units, as well as preparing them to be delivered to customers. George’s already extensive knowledge has grown as a result of additional training courses he has undertaken during his time at Bartco UK, offering him the chance to develop his career skills. George has a lot to take pride in with regards to his apprenticeship, being named as a finalist in the 2018 Learning Unlimited Advanced Apprentice of the Year category.

Tillie Wolliscroft joined MVIS in 2016 as an apprentice with previous experience in customer service, putting her in good stead for her role as Operations Apprentice, working alongside Dom, as he also completed his apprenticeship. Since completing her apprenticeship, Tillie has advanced her skills tremendously, moving into the organisation’s newest department, marketing. Assisting Marketing Manager, Sean Brown, with the transition from agency marketing management to in-house management, Tillie has been developing marketing related skills such as graphic design, social media management, web development and SEO. Whilst Tillie has progressed enormously in the meantime, her apprenticeship is not one that will soon be forgotten, having won the Learning Unlimited Intermediate Apprentice of the Year Award in 2018.

Shortly following Tillie into the organisation was Cain Gregory, one of Bartco UK’s Technical apprentices. Cain has come on leaps and bounds professionally during his time here, with his first exposure to the company being through his work experience. We were so impressed with Cain’s talent and work ethic that we very quickly asked him to stay, with him joining our apprenticeship programme in 2017. As part of his role, Cain builds, repairs and refurbishes our units, making sure that our customers receive high quality and reliable products. On top of his apprenticeship, Cain is also busy training himself up in work related skills, having earned an impressive number of qualifications that include first aid, soldering, hand powered tool operating, fork-lift operating, health & safety awareness, working at height as well as his CSCS and Highways England Passport cards.

Pip Wood joined the Bartco UK team in early 2019 as a Purchasing Assistant, working alongside Bec in her role as Purchasing and Stock Supervisor. Under the supervision of Bec, Pip helps to maintain stock records, completing orders and monitoring that product components arrive with enough time for the production team to perform regular quality checks. Pip shows great ambition and capability in everything she does, quickly learning the intricacies of the role and proving a big help for Bec. Very much the ‘Bartco UK way’, Pip is also dedicated to her skills development, taking on fire warden and manual handling training during her apprenticeship.

Last but certainly not least is Bartco UK’s newest Technical Apprentice, Jacob Spencer. With a real determination to work hard and learn, Jacob is perfectly suited to his role with us, allowing him to stay busy doing what he loves. Despite his short time here, Jacob has already started upskilling himself, having achieved his manual handling qualification. Jacob looks forward to continuing to develop his skills set with the support and encouragement of everyone at the organisation.

It’s clear that both MVIS and Bartco UK have a successful history in recruiting, training and then retaining apprentices, testament to what can be achieved when employers take care of and support their staff. All the apprentices that have come through either MVIS or Bartco UK’s doors have been given the encouragement and space to develop their skill set, making them more proficient in their roles, but also giving them immense job satisfaction.

We cannot recommend the recruitment of apprentices enough to employers looking for hard working and dedicated staff who are working towards upskilling. But we especially need to shine a spotlight on this during National Apprenticeship Week.

MVIS and Bartco UK want to take this opportunity to thank our apprentices, both past and current, for all their hard work.

For more information about our apprentice programme, please contact us on 01629 580 570 or email sales@m-vis.co.uk.

MVIS 2019 Christmas Calendar

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Check back every day throughout December to see a new update on the MVIS and Bartco UK 2019 Christmas Calendar!

Day 25 – What Christmas Means to Mavis!

“I’ll be spending my first Christmas with Mizzy and her family! I’m looking forward to getting my own special Christmas dinner watching them open their presents with excitement!” 

Day 24 – What Christmas Means to Pat

“Christmas Day means I get to relax, put my feet up and not have to worry about our team being out on a busy site.” 

Day 23 – What Christmas Means to Anne

“The Christmas period to me is a time to make sure that we get a fun Christmas marketing campaign out, all units out on site are serviced prior to the holiday and to make sure all the staff have a great December. I love the Christmas period and try to make this rub off on the whole team, inclusive of Christmas jumper day, the company Christmas party, which I start planning in August and lots of Christmas tunes! I also ensure everything is in place to come back in January and have both companies hit the ground running for another busy year.

This means I can go home on the last working day happy and not stressing about the company ready to enjoy what’s important to me, not just at Christmas, but all year round, time with my ever growing FAMILY, the people that keep me sane!! Having lots of fun times with them, from playing the after eight challenge to getting out in the Derbyshire hills walking the dog, partying with friends and then relaxing in front of the fire with a good white wine, recharging the batteries to start again in the New Year back at work and keep growing the companies with the MVIS & Bartco teams.” 

Day 22 – What Christmas Means to Darren

“For me, Christmas is all about family. Spending time with my wife and getting to spoil my precious daughters means the world to me.” 

Day 21 – What Christmas Means to Graeme

“Christmas means to me a time for reflection and rest so I can recharge and take a break from travelling.” 

Day 20 – What Christmas Means to Bec

“Christmas means to me family, laughter, fun, games, food and feeling fat!” 

Day 19 – What Christmas Means to Jacob

“It’s the presents that I look forward to most!” 

Day 17 – What Christmas Means to Tom B

“Christmas means friends, family, lots of drink and of course that cheeky yearly cigar on Christmas Eve!”

Day 16 – What Christmas Means to Matt

“The past few years I’ve spent Christmas looking forward to our cinema trip to go and see the new Star Wars!”

Day 15 – What Christmas Means to Jay

“Spending time with family and friends.”

Day 13 – What Christmas Means to Tillie & Levi the dog

“This is Levi’s first Christmas, and I can’t wait to plate him up a little Christmas dinner of his own.”

Day 12 – What Christmas Means to Mark

“Being with my boys when they open their Christmas presents.”

Day 11 – What Christmas Means to Pip

“Spending time with my little boy  and seeing his face when he opens his  presents from Santa.”

Day 10 – What Christmas Means to Liam

“Getting up at daft O’ Clock to open Santa’s presents  and drinking beer at 7:30am.”

Day 9 – What Christmas Means to Cain

“Christmas to me means spending time with friends and family that I don’t get chance to see through the year.”

Day 8 – What Christmas Means to Tom H

“At Christmas I love to watch all those Christmas DVDs, spend time with my family and over indulge on delicious food!”

Day 7 – What Christmas Means to Jon

“Christmas means waiting up on Christmas Eve with a mince pie and a brandy for Santa!”

Day 5 – What Christmas Means to George

“Christmas is a great chance for me to relax and energise for the year ahead!”

Day 4 – What Christmas Means to Mizzy

“As much as I enjoy the family time, Christmas for me is a time to reflect, refresh and reboot.
I reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.
I refresh by going to the spa which has also become our little family tradition.
I reboot by reviewing my personal/family goals for the upcoming months/year.”

Day 3 – What Christmas Means to Tim

“Spending time with family, eating and drinking  – that’s what Christmas means to me!”

Day 2 – What Christmas Means to Sean

“For me, Christmas has always been about family and fun. I take the opportunity to do things that I don’t usually get time to do with those I care about, such as playing awesome board games or working on fun projects that seem to build up over the year.”

Day 1 – What Christmas Means to Dom

“I like to relax at Christmas and spend time with family. Food, drink and lots of laughs is what Christmas means to me.”

Mobile Visual Information Systems

01629 580 570

MVIS, Units 6-8, Brookfield Way, Brookfield Industrial Estate, Tansley, Matlock, Derbyshire. DE4 5ND

© 2022. Company registered in England No. 8130402 - Registered Office: Units 6-8, Brookfield Way, Brookfield Industrial Estate, Tansley, Matlock, Derbyshire. DE4 5ND