Staff Archives

MVIS Call to Action New Internal Marketing Team

Posted on 24th October 2019 at 4:52 pm.

MVIS take a big step towards growth in their latest appointment of a new internal marketing team, they take over from the excellent job marketing agency Fig have done for several years.

After years of agency marketing management, MVIS are bringing their marketing in-house under their new marketing team. MVIS welcome newly appointed Marketing Manager, Sean Brown to the team in this confident move of growth.

The appointment reflects a marketing strategy more in-line with the growing needs of MVIS, being such a fast-paced and ambitious environment.

Indeed, Anne Ashman, General Manager at MVIS comments:
“Fig have been fantastic in the years we have been with them and they have done a really great job. The only downside is that they aren’t on-site with us and we have to share them! Taking on an internal marketing department allows us to be more reactive and experimental in our efforts, which is highly important in this fast-paced industry.”

By bringing a marketing team in-house as a company directive, they are working alongside the heart and soul of the business, allowing the new team to understand the company’s needs almost as second nature without it taking as much time and coordination as it would to bring a third party up to this level of understanding.

The team themselves are just as keen to get going, comprising of Sean Brown as Marketing Manager and Tillie Wooliscroft as Marketing Assistant. Sean, who’s new to the company, has a background in both B2B and B2C marketing, working with a diverse range of products during his career that include household brands to cutting edge display AV technology. Whilst he is new to the highways industry, he brings with him a solid marketing foundation that will help to diversify the company’s current marketing infrastructure, allowing them to perform to the highest level in this sector possible.

Sean notes:
“Working within a market where contracts play such a pivotal role is a brilliant opportunity for me as it’s not something I’ve done before. The pressure to constantly bring in new business has always been a huge part of my job. It’s clear that MVIS know what they’re doing; in the time they’ve been trading, they’ve achieved an awful lot and built this industry leading business. But there’s still so much to explore on the marketing front, which is what makes this such an exciting time for me as things can only get better from here.”

He brings with him years of marketing experience, fittingly specialising in digital marketing infrastructure.

He adds:
“In a nutshell, my career to date has largely encompassed helping businesses transition from traditional marketing practises to this new field of digital marketing. Having an intimate knowledge of what digital systems are best to achieve different goals is what I do well, so building an internal infrastructure of my own to manage seems like a perfect application of my skills at this stage.”

His experience equips him perfectly for the task before him, expanding on the work Fig have done as well as exploring and building new marketing avenues for the company that will see them through the next stages of growth that they ambitiously look forward to.

Sean is joined by MVIS veteran, Tillie, who previously worked in the Operations team and has been moved to marketing to grow her social media marketing skills further.

Anne explains:
“Tillie has been with us for a number of years now and during this time, she has taken on new responsibilities that do fall under the marketing remit, such as social media management. Without an in-house marketing department, Tillie’s role was kept in Operations due to her incredible ability to build relationships with customers. But since we made the decision to expand in this way, she can easily apply these skills here so it was a logical choice to move her.”

The part Tillie plays as Marketing Assistant is welcomed by Sean too, who has experience in teaching, education and IT / marketing related CPD.

He recalls:
“When I found out Tillie had been awarded Learning Unlimited Intermediate Apprentice of the Year Award in 2018 for her work at MVIS, I realised I was going to be training a hard worker. Tillie is a bright and enthusiastic individual and I very much look forward to working with her and teaching her everything I know.”

MVIS welcomes both Sean and Tillie to the marketing team, eagerly awaiting what’s to come in future. If you have any questions related to marketing, you can contact them via marketing@m-vis.co.uk.

MVIS Stand Out in Hi-Vis for World Mental Health Day

Posted on 10th October 2019 at 5:09 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

This World Mental Health Day, MVIS Ltd and Bartco UK are saying #HelloYellow in support of the charity Youngminds to show young people they’re not alone with their mental health. Everyone at the companies did their bit, donning the ‘loud and proud’ Hi-Vis clothing that couldn’t say #HelloYellow in any better way.

Mental health is an issue that is particularly close to MVIS and Bartco UK; suicide claims an alarming number of lives each year, with many in the Highways and Construction industries. As transport safety is one of the main cornerstones at MVIS and Bartco UK, there is no denying the moral obligation the two companies have in raising awareness of this to help make the industry safer for everyone.

There are wider obligations tied to MVIS and Bartco UK in the fact that suicide is the biggest killer of men aged between 20 and 49, with three quarters of registered deaths in 2018 being among men, which has been the case since the mid-1990s. It is well known that the Highways and Transport industries are heavy employers of men, so when research from a Samaritans survey uncover that 41% of men still don’t seek mental health support when they need it, something must be done to remedy this with more young men joining these ever increasing industries.

So, in support of this cause on World Mental Health Day 2019, the MVIS and Bartco UK team donated money and wore hi-vis yellow clothing in support of Youngmind’s #HelloYellow campaign, which encourages businesses to wear yellow at work to raise awareness.

Anne Ashman, the General Manager and one of two Mental Health First Aiders for both MVIS and Bartco UK comments ‘It’s always great to be involved in events that are clearly so important, to us, to our industry and to wider society. Too many people are affected by suicide and with an issue that is so close to our business, we felt this campaign was perfect to take part in to help raise awareness and make our contribution to such a worthy cause.’

Useful Links and Support:
– Youngminds – Parents Helpline – 0808 802 5544
– Samaritans – Support Helpline – 116 123
– CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) – 0800 58 58 58
– NHS Mental Health Support – Advice on access to mental health services

MVIS & Bartco UK | Continued Investment in staff growth sets the standard for retention

Posted on 1st August 2019 at 5:18 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

There is a very well known, often seen ‘conversation piece’ that says it all about investment in staff.

We’d be surprised if you haven’t been privy to some version of it on a course or flying around social media.

It goes a little something like this:

CFO: “What happens if we invest in developing our staff and they leave?”

CEO: “What if we don’t and they stay?”

Ring any bells?

As overused as this particular scenario may be, the message is a valid one.

MVIS and Bartco UK are two companies that pride themselves on investing in their team for the benefits of both themselves and their clients.

While we all know that competitive pay and good benefits factor into an employee’s decision to join and stay at a company, there are many other overlooked desires that can be as important as the money in the bank.

According to a report by Forbes in 2018, a ‘commitment to well-being’ and ‘working with a purpose’ are right up there on the scale of what employees want. It seems a feeling of genuine care from employer to employee goes a long way to ultimate job satisfaction.

Anne Ashman, MVIS & Bartco General Manager told us:

“We don’t fear to invest in staff and potentially see them leave, we push our team and support their career development.

“We’ve found our approach incredibly fruitful. We find that investing in staff to further their knowledge and skills creates a level of job satisfaction that keeps employees with us long term. It really aids the company continuity to not have to be replacing and hiring new staff on a regular basis.

“This approach creates consistency within the company for the benefit of all stakeholders.

“It means our clients and customers work and liaise with the same team, internally we all know how we work most efficiently, the staff become engrained in the ethos of the business and their knowledge of the company and industry only grows.”

So how are MVIS & Bartco investing in their staff?

Anne continued:

“There are many examples of how we do this. I, myself have just passed a business degree with the Open University after 7 years – and this was funded by MVIS and Bartco UK.

“Our Assistant Operations Manager Dom Bridge has been with us for 6 years, having originally started with us as an apprentice. Dom will soon be doing his Fleet Managers course which will swiftly follow the Operations Managers Course that he is currently enrolled in.

“Additionally, Tillie Woolliscroft our Operations Support is currently doing a customer service qualification and Tom Berry, our Sales Admin, a sales course. Cain Gregory and Tim Hill have also both done soldering courses which supported their work in our workshop and repairs centre.

“For Tim, this is in addition to being put through IOSH training for Managing Safely, so it’s fair to say that the investment across our team is proving we practice what we preach with these company-funded courses.”

MVIS’ own Tillie Wooliscroft scoops Apprenticeship Awards

Posted on 29th November 2018 at 4:27 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

Recently MVIS was recognised for its commitment to developing future talent and apprentices and we were shortlisted for Learning Unlimited’s Investment in Apprenticeships award. Last week the team attended the awards ceremony to discover who the lucky winners were.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with the unexpected, but exciting news, that not only had we been shortlisted for the Investment in Apprentices award, but two of our very own apprentices had been shortlisted for individual awards.

George Sheldon, one of our Apprentice Technicians, was named as a finalist in the Advanced Apprentice of the Year category and our Operations and Customer Service Apprentice, Tillie Wooliscroft, announced as a finalist in the Intermediate Apprentice of the Year category.

Both are outstanding assets to the MVIS team, and it’s with great pleasure that we can now announce that Tillie was the well-deserved winner of the Intermediate Apprentice of the Year award. Highly organised and enthusiastic, Tillie works incredibly hard to ensure customers get the support they need. She thrives on talking to our customers and helping them whenever she can – you’ve probably spoken to her yourself – and we receive fantastic feedback about her. She’s also been working hard across our website and social media accounts to promote the work we do to increase our brand profile.

We’re so proud to have Tillie as part of the MVIS team and we’re sure you’ll join us in congratulating Tillie on her incredible achievement.

To find out more about what’s going on at MVIS, follow us on Twitter @MVISLtd or search MVIS Ltd on LinkedIn.

Celebrating the Success of Apprenticeships: From Apprentice to Manager

Posted on 31st July 2018 at 4:37 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

It’s our very own Dom Bridges’ 5^th anniversary at MVIS this week. He started his career as an apprentice in 2013 and has quickly worked his way to a managerial position. Here we celebrate the positive impact that apprenticeships have for businesses.

Dom Bridge, our Assistant Operations Manager, started with us five years ago as an Admin Apprentice, before moving on to Operations and Customer Service Supervisor. Throughout his roles, he’s proven himself as a team player, bringing new ideas to the company and has grown to be an integral part of the MVIS team.

Since his first day, Dom got ‘stuck in’ right away. Incredibly organised and proactive, he uses his logistics skills to help plan for new projects and ensure we have the resources ready to deploy. Dom always says that no job it too big or too small.

Here at MVIS, we’ve found that hiring apprentices helps to engage staff and leads to a high level of staff retention, with all of our previous apprentices gaining permanent roles and staying with us as they ‘move through the ranks’. Current employees have the opportunity to develop their management skills through training and mentoring our apprentices, while the apprentices themselves gain a wealth of new skills and develop their confidence. Of our current 17 employees, seven are (or have been) apprentices.

Dedicated to helping students access the best opportunities, our General Manager, Anne Ashman, works closely with local schools and Sixth Forms, advising staff and students about work placements and apprenticeships. Using her industry networks, she is currently in the process of working with the head of a local Sixth Form to develop degree level apprenticeships in engineering, in partnership with high profile companies, as an alternative to traditional Higher Education.

Longstanding champions of the importance of apprentices, MVIS have since taken on and retained six more apprentices:

Rebecca (since March 2015)
George (since March 2015)
Tillie (since September 2016)
Kiran (since October 2016)
Tom (since February 2017)
Cain (since August 2017)

Anne says, “I believe it’s incredibly important for young people to be given enough information to choose the right career or education pathway, and for businesses like ours to support them in reaching their goals. For any companies out there thinking of hiring an apprentice, my advice is to go for it. Young people have so much to give, their enthusiasm and willingness to bring new ideas to the business is a real benefit.”

TRUST in training to keep leading the way

Posted on 27th November 2017 at 9:30 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

MVIS’ ethos on day-to-day business is led by our approach to service.

Service to customers comes above all else, and we strive to provide world-class class service to each and every client on every single order- no matter how big or small.

So, how do we instil this attitude throughout the company?

Well, you embed it through training and culture: introducing MVIS’ TRUST:

T – Team Work
R – Respect
U – Understanding
S – Safe Working Practice
T – Training

To be able to be consistent with these values – which the whole MVIS team contributed to – staff need to be trained for safe working practices and also have understanding and respect for others. All supervisors have been on some sort of HR course to be able to supervise other staff.

MVIS staff training underpins MVIS’ value of TRUST and we are extremely proactive with the continued development of our staff. Most current employees are doing some sort of training right now. This continued commitment to upskilling staff means that retention is at an all-time high as employees are satisfied, challenged and stimulated in their employment.

Anne Ashman, MVIS General Manager said:

“We feel our employees develop a greater affinity to MVIS as they can see firsthand that we are doing all we can to give them every opportunity to develop in their positions. We provide training and support to every department of the business, and support the entire workforce fully on their journey here with us.”

Additionally, there is no ceiling for skills at MVIS, nor a feeling of ‘job done’ or ‘nothing left to learn’. Anne continued:

“Even as General Manager of the company, I’m encouraged to keep learning and developing my own skillset. I am currently in the midst of an OU Business and Management degree, as well as an ITOPS course. Last year I also did a CIPD HR course- so it really is a constant here to be always exploring how we can upskill our staff right through the company.

“We run internal health & safety, environmental and quality training workshops monthly, which ensures that everyone understands the company’s key policies and procedures along with keeping themselves and the environment safe. Vitally, it also gets everyone to buy in to our ISO 9001 & 14001 status.”

Apprentices

MVIS has for the last four years, dramatically increased their uptake of apprentices. By doing this, employees learn the principles of the MVIS ‘TRUST’ model from day one, becoming malleable workers in the MVIS way.

The career pathway is embedded into the company for apprentices, and impressively – Operations Supervisor Dom Bridge began his journey with MVIS as an apprentice just four years ago.

MVIS presently has five apprentices, as well as a further two former apprentices that are now permanently employed. Overall, we have an impressive apprentice retention value of almost 90%, meaning almost 9/10 apprentices that MVIS give an opportunity to, stay with us at the end of their apprenticeship.

The intention to train and keep each apprentice to the MVIS values is paying dividends, with skilful, capable employees being molded.

At present, all current admin staff apart from accounts have been apprentices or are currently finishing apprenticeships with MVIS. Of the five workshop staff, there are three apprentices at various levels.

Anne explained the main benefit to recruiting apprentices as opposed to more experienced people:

“Simply, we can train them to buy into the MVIS TRUST values and our attitude to customer service, and it reduces the likelihood of having to remove bad habits taken from previous employment.”

Introducing…Jon Larkins

Posted on 23rd August 2017 at 9:22 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

Dependable and quick to learn, Jon has been developing his knowledge of our varied product lines and has shown himself to be a great team player.

Meet him here.

How long have you been with MVIS?:
I joined MVIS on the 10th July. I’m in my fourth week here and loving it.

Job role:
Delivery and Maintenance Operative at the north depot.

Recent projects:
I recently worked at a plant in Barking which needed 15 VMS units. It was great as the north and south depots worked together to deliver all products on time. I also worked at Silverstone F1, setting up CCTV during my first week which was a great introduction to the business.

How did you get into the industry?:
I worked as a refuse collector for 12 years and was in need of a change. After hearing the great reputation that MVIS as a company and employer had, I searched the internet for any vacancies and like magic, there was the job for a Delivery and Maintenance Operative.

From my first interview with Anne and Darren, I could sense that the staff at MVIS were like one big, happy family and wanted to be a part of that environment.

Most fulfilling part of your role?:
The diversity of the job. You could be delivering from one end of the country to the other so you get to see many different parts of the country which is fantastic.

The workshop environment is great fun too. No two days are ever the same.

More about me:
I’m a family man and like nothing better than spending my free time with my wife and two daughters enjoying days out or acting daft on rainy days.

I also enjoy motorbikes and often visit the Isle of Man for the TT races and take part in track days.

Introducing…Cain Gregory

Posted on 23rd August 2017 at 9:12 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

We stole a few minutes out of Cain’s busy day to find out what life is like as part of the MVIS team.

Full Name:
Cain Gregory

How long have you been with MVIS?
I started in July 2017.

Job role:
I joined the team as a Technical Apprentice. This involves assisting in the warehouse, researching methods to develop my skills, identifying solutions to problems and constantly thinking how to complete a job to the best of my ability.

Recent projects:
I’ve been stripping MTS trailers ready for the technicians to begin to upgrade the units. I have also been had training from some of the MVIS team on how to build a VMS unit. Later in my training, I will be able to build and work on the units that MVIS supply by myself which I’m really looking forward to. The training will develop my skills in a manual industry so I will become more capable within the warehouse.

How did you get into the industry?:
I first came to MVIS in 2016 as part of my work experience from Highfields School in Matlock. I carried out small activities, such as checking and using the hand held equipment. I really enjoyed my time here and the tasks I was set – it was challenging but very enjoyable. After finishing my GCSEs earlier in 2017, I got in touch with MVIS to see if there were any positions available. They offered me a role as a Technical Apprentice and I started straight away.

Most fulfilling part of your role?:
Developing new skills – I really enjoy taking on new tasks and I learn something new every day. The team here is great and is always on hand with friendly advice if I get stuck with something.

More about me:
I attend boxing training and enjoy spending my time socialising and meeting my friends.

Meet Jay Bailey

Posted on 7th April 2017 at 4:17 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

As one of MVIS’ most recent team members, Jay has quickly made himself an indispensable part of the team.

How long have you been with MVIS?
I joined MVIS on 1st March, 2017.

Job role:
I work as a Delivery and Maintenance Operative which sees me go out and about to various locations to deliver, set up and fix our range of traffic management products.

Recent projects:
Being at MVIS just over a month, I have quickly picked up the mechanisms and workings of our VMS products. I am especially proud of the fact that I am able to take apart and put together a VMS without hesitation.

How did you get into the industry:
My friend Mark Ashbee is the reason I work in the industry. A job opportunity arose which he told me about, and I knew how much he enjoyed working for MVIS, I jumped at the chance to become part of the team.

Most fulfilling part of your role:
The most fulfilling part of my role is how we all work together as a team to give excellent customer service. I thrive off the day-to-day pressures and no two days are ever the same.

More about me:
I am really interested in how things work. The maintenance side of the job comes naturally giving my previous experience as a mechanic. Using solar power for energy is a big interest of mine, so I especially love working with MVIS’ solar powered products.

Tom Berry: Apprentice

Posted on 20th March 2017 at 9:29 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

As one of our newest recruit, Tom has already proved himself to be one of the team by pitching in with any task we throw at him, and impressing clients at our latest exhibition.

How long have you been with MVIS?
I’ve worked for MVIS since February 2017.

Job role:
As an Admin and Sales Apprentice my role is very varied. My role includes taking phone calls from customers who want a quotation putting together or answering any questions about our traffic and events management products. I also help Rebecca Saint with invoicing and billing customers along with other duties.

Recent projects:
I had the chance to go to Traffex 2017 which is a trade show for the traffic management industry where I enjoyed getting to meet our partner companies and customers in person. This also allowed me to gain a better knowledge of the traffic management industry as a whole.

How did you get into the industry:
I was looking for an apprenticeship after I left school and read the job description which sounded interesting so I decided to apply.

Most fulfilling part of your role:
The most fulfilling part of my role has to be when a job goes smoothly and the customer is pleased with the level of service we have provided.

More about me:
Outside of work, I enjoy socialising with friends and I try to keep fit by running.

Matt Felce: Technical Manager

Posted on 11th March 2017 at 9:22 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

With a number of years of experience under his belt, Matt is our ‘go to’ person when we have a question. What he doesn’t know about traffic management solutions isn’t worth knowing.

What’s it like to work at MVIS?
Working at MVIS is very rewarding. I have seen the company grow enormously in the three years that I have been here from a VMS supplier to the “go to” company for temporary ITS solutions.

What’s been the best MVIS projects you’ve worked on to date and why?
They are all rewarding in their own way. From the safety solutions we have developed along with Intellicone to the manufacture of our own trailers in the UK.

How are you finding day-to-day life at MVIS?
It’s great to work with such a close knit team who all work tirelessly with a common goal of making MVIS the biggest and best VMS and portable ITS supplier in the UK.

What recent projects have you worked on?
We have just deployed eight signs around a bridge in London that are automatically activated when the bridge is raised with the aim of lowering vehicle pollution.

What is the most fulfilling part of your role?
The most rewarding aspect of my job is the praise we receive from our customers and seeing the company grow from strength to strength.

What’s an average day for you?
I am very fortunate in that I don’t have an average day. It can involve anything from meeting with customers discussing designing a new solution to solve their problems to going to awards dinners for our innovation and everything in between.

There is a very well known, often seen ‘conversation piece’ that says it all about investment in staff.

Recently MVIS was recognised for its commitment to developing future talent and apprentices and we were shortlisted for Learning Unlimited’s Investment in Apprenticeships award. Last week the team attended the awards ceremony to discover who the lucky winners were.

Here at MVIS, we’ve been running our apprenticeship scheme for just over five years and we’re pleased to announce that our hard work has been recognised by Learning Unlimited as we were recently awarded a place on the shortlist for their Investment in Apprentices award.

It’s our very own Dom Bridges’ 5th anniversary at MVIS this week. He started his career as an apprentice in 2013 and has quickly worked his way to a managerial position. Here we celebrate the positive impact that apprenticeships have for businesses.

MVIS’ ethos on day-to-day business is led by our approach to service.

Apprentices

As one of our newest recruit, Tom has already proved himself to be one of the team by pitching in with any task we throw at him, and impressing clients at our latest exhibition.

With a number of years of experience under his belt, Matt is our ‘go to’ person when we have a question. What he doesn’t know about traffic management solutions isn’t worth knowing.

It’s our very own Dom Bridges’ 5^th anniversary at MVIS this week. He started his career as an apprentice in 2013 and has quickly worked his way to a managerial position. Here we celebrate the positive impact that apprenticeships have for businesses.