Introducing…Jon Larkins

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

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

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

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

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.


CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility

Responsible Business Conduct for a Better World

As a successful business, employer and member of the wider community, we believe it is our Corporate Social Responsibility to help the people and businesses in our local community. We provide a mixture of practical and financial support across a range of areas.

Safety

The safety of our customers, employees and the general public is one of our top priorities. The very nature of our products help to bring safety to the UK’s road network, for events and emergency situations.

At the heart of our business operations, safety is a core foundation that our organisation is built upon. Principals of safety are felt at every level of our business, from our staff to our products and service. Perhaps one of the most socially responsible priorities, our emphasis on safety serves as the base point we that we judge all aspects of our business on.

Safety training plays a huge part in this, with the danger presented in many aspects of our line of work potentially being life threatening in on-site environments and in manufacturing roles.

Some of the training we either mandate or offer to our staff are:

  • Manual handling
  • Role related safety training
  • Fire Warden training
  • First Aid training
  • Near Miss training

Employees & Training

We encourage our staff to undertake as much training as possible, increasing the safety and job satisfaction of our team members. As a result, we boast of one of the industry’s best trained workforces and continue to support employees in training and qualifications with no limit to their advancement.

We also prioritise mental health, wellbeing and physical health in our approach to staff.

A few things we do to ensure this are: 

  • All employees receive literature detailing the mental health first aid protocol ‘ALGEE’
  • We offer the services of 2 mental health first aiders to lean on when their mental health is suffering
  • Offering the use of services such as Peninsula’s EAP 
  • We encourage staff to enjoy their downtime when possible, discouraging employees to take their work home with them and support staff in personal endeavours where applicable
  • Offering a wide range of free fruit each week for our employees, as well as free healthy lunch options for all employees if they want them
  • Employees are encouraged to take part in corporate fitness and sporting challenges throughout the year
  • Assisting an employee back to work after an extended illness we work with them on measures such as the reduction of hours or responsibilities if they feel they need them
  • We promote an open, inclusive and friendly company culture that rewards hard work and dedication
  • Offering a generous employee benefits package
  • We promote a culture of competitive pay in our organisation not only to reward our staff for their hard work, but also to keep them and help prevent poaching

Community Outreach & Charity

We take pride in our community outreach efforts, which have seen us offer our products, time and financial support to a range of community causes as and when they occur.

Some of our community activities include: 

  • We regularly reach out to businesses affected by local emergencies such as flooding with the offer of our products to support with reopening, community information or security
  • We run an apprenticeship scheme to support the careers of local youngsters
  • Regularly provide work experience for students from Matlock’s Highfields school
  • We also take part in local volunteering activities that benefits the community as a whole. For example, we work closely with our local community school in the form of annual mock interviews and critical thinking challenges for the students
  • Taking place throughout the year, our charity initiatives reach their peak during Christmas time. Each year, as an organisation, we pick a homeless charity to raise money for from our Christmas jumper day, which staff bring funds to take part in. Throughout December, we also hold a food bank collection which is donated before Christmas to a local food bank.
  • We remain opportunistic in this with charity taking the form of attendance at charity events, responses to local emergencies (both in financial support and services) and even advice.
  • Supporting the Ashgate Hospice, we raise money for the charity by running our in house baking competition, The Great MVIS Bake Off, partaking in the Treecycle, the Sparkle Walk and sponsoring the High Peak Trail. Before Christmas staff members volunteered to host a movie night for the team at Ashgate. Most recently MVIS have sponsored a sky dive, done by our own Rob Hinchley, done on the 27th of September 2024.
  • Having initiative to clean our offices, we are proud of our offices, this is why we take part in a litter pick in our surrounding area to ensure that the offices and roads around us are clean and maintained.
  • We support local sports individuals, in recent years we have sponsored many athletes over the years including Karl Johnston, a world champion Kickboxer, and the Matlock Town Football Team supplying them with a VMS outside the pitch.
  • We have also sponsored smaller local football teams including the Cromford & Wirksworth Town Football Club. We have sponsored one of MVIS’ own, Jacob Spencer, the leading striker in the team.

 

Environmental responsibility

The very nature of the majority of our products have a strong environmental focus. Our specialism being in solar power provides us a position of privilege to offer environmentally friendly products to organisations looking to minimise their carbon footprint and environmental impact. 

Understanding the carbon footprint of our service, we strive to ensure that we minimise our emissions output wherever possible. Some of the steps we have taken are as follows: 

  • Our delivery model sets out to deliver multiple units at a time where necessary. Working to reduce our carbon footprint, we can offload up to 3 x VMS A units in one delivery, up to 2 x VMS C units, or up to 2 x Solar IP units.
  • We have taken steps to help reduce our energy consumption over recent years and continue to commit to this through new innovations. Technological upgrades such as movement sensors and timers in our lights, hand dryers and eco-friendly heating solutions have been installed in our head office

We have a number of initiatives in place that helps the wildlife in our local area. Amongst these include a bee hotel and a hedgehog home that is maintained by our staff. 

The importance of bees to the environment and global eco systems are well documented, and our choice for hedgehogs is close to our industry, with an estimated 1/4 of the population of hedgehogs being killed on UK roads each year.

We also maintain an on-site flower bed with plants monitored by our team in an effort to give back to the environment and bring some natural beauty to our local area.  


Tillie Wolliscroft: Admin Apprentice

Tillie works for MVIS as an Operations & Customer Service Apprentice and has proved to be a very versatile, dependable member of the team.

How long have you been with MVIS:
I joined MVIS on the 19th September 2016.

Job role:
My first task every morning is to ensure all the VMS signs that are currently deployed around the UK are working correctly and that all customers are happy.

My day then consists of various projects including helping out with risk assessments, filling in forms and documents and programming signs via Web Studio.

Recent projects:
I recently created a festive advent calendar for each day of December in the run-up to Christmas.

This involved programming a VMS unit with a festive message and animation via Web Studio, videoing them and uploading them onto the MVIS YouTube account.

How did you get into the industry:
I came into the role straight from school as an apprentice. I had just finished my GCSEs and was looking for an apprenticeship, so when I heard about this role it was perfect timing.

Most fulfilling part of your role:
MVIS is a friendly, lively environment with something to do at all times. The atmosphere is so positive and exciting.

When I first started, I was very nervous of answering and making phone calls as I felt unsure of what I was saying. However now I have learned so much and know what to say, I love dealing with new customers or answering questions that people may have.

More about me:
When I’m not busy, I’m a keen photographer and am always taking pictures of where I live and the places I go. I also enjoy spending time with my friends and family and going out.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanilla-woolliscroft-78b0a4132?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile_pic


Invest in your Staff

Here at MVIS, we pride ourselves on the high level of customer service that we offer. No matter what your query may be – from which is the best product for your event, right through to how to operate the CCTV, the MVIS team have years of experience and always happy to share their knowledge. We even offer a 24/7 support service to ensure that no matter when or where you are working, we’re always on stand-by to lend a helping hand.

To achieve and maintain this consistently high standard, we regularly enroll staff members on different training courses to ensure that they are fully up to date and able to serve our customers to the best of their ability.

All of our operatives have been fully trained in site safety, towing, operating power tools, manual handling, driving forklifts and they all hold relevant CSCS Cards. All members of the MVIS team have undertaken comprehensive first aid training, and have been trained to use Intellicone. There has also been a number of staff going on to undergo further training in many areas to help make their working life easier. This consists of anything from Hiab training to safely operate lorries and cranes; a Slinger/Signaller course; a course in using Sage and one in using Inspire. Not even the management are safe! General Manager Anne has undergone an intensive Health & Safety course, and is currently working on obtaining a Business & Management degree, which is sponsored by the company.

In addition to this, Technical Support Tom Hooton will shortly be undergoing Warehouse & Storage training, Operations & Service Coordinator Dom will be taking his NVQ Level 3 in Customer Service, and Anne will be taking her CIPD Award in Human Resource Practice.

We are firm believers that if you look after your staff, they’ll look after your customers. It really is that simple! By supporting and believing in our staff and making sure they are 100% confident on how to deliver a great level of service, we can be sure that our customers will have 100% confidence in us.

In addition to this, by investing heavily into our staff, they see just how committed we are to them and their development, and therefore become more committed to us as a company, and this is evident through the great service offered by the MVIS team.

As Richard Branson says, “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”


Mark Ashbee: London Depot Supervisor

As our London Depot Supervisor, Mark is a trusted member of the MVIS team.

How long have you been with MVIS?:
I joined MVIS on the 1st February 2016.

Job role:
My main responsibilities are the delivery and collection of VMS around London and the south of England, making repairs to VMS and CCTV.

I also carry out daily checks on vehicles we use, keep the depot clean and tidy and have products ready to deployed at short notice.

Recent projects:
The most recent big project London depot was involved in was a major tram accident in Croydon, when local agencies needed VMS deployed that day to warn motorists about diversions and road closures. We had the VMS in stock and they were ready to be delivered that afternoon. I think to have the units already to be deployed saved us precious time.

How did you get into the industry:
I come from a varied background from running bars and restaurant to waste management. I heard about the job from a good friend who worked for the company.

Most fulfilling part of your role:
The most fulfilling part of my role is to have VMS ready to be delivered as l like to be organised. Every day is different and you never know what might come through the office.

More about me:
I have two young boys – Tom and Jerry – who keep me busy when I’m at home.

When l get the time, l enjoy martial arts training which l have done for years.

 

 


Tim Hill: Delivery and Maintenance Operative

Tim Hill began working in MVIS’ Maintenance & Delivery department in May 2015, and is definitely the one to turn to should you have a ‘how does this work’ kind of a question.

How long have you been with MVIS?:
I started with MVIS in May 2015.

Job role:
My job role is to maintain our fleet of signs and keep them in good working order.

I also deliver them to our customers around the UK. I work with Darren Slater mostly and you can often find us out on the road delivering signs.

Sometimes I work in the yard with Tom, George and Kiran.

Recent projects:
The most recent project I worked on is getting a fleet of signs ready for A14 and A1 motorway. I have also done a bit of work on the MTS upgrades.

How did you get into the industry:
I got into the industry through my supervisor Darren as I had worked with him in a previous job and he recommended me to the company.

I am pretty good with electrics and am a hands-on kind of guy. This enabled me to learn the skills for the job very quickly.

Most fulfilling part of your role:
My favorite part of working at MVIS is delivering the signs to different locations across the UK. I enjoy working with the signs as I like to know as much about them as possible.

More about me:
When I am out of work I like to work on my own car. I play football a lot – I play for my local team on Saturdays and I play 6-a-side on Mondays with my friends.

I love gadgets and I have to have the latest things. And if there’s anything electrical I like to be able to fix them, such as phones, tablets and more!


George Sheldon: Apprentice Technician

Since joining MVIS, George has proved himself to be a keen learner who always makes time to help out other members of the team, no matter how stretched for time he is.

How long have you been with MVIS?:
I started working at MVIS in April 2015 as an apprentice studying electrical engineering after I finished doing electrical installation.

Job role:
I mostly work in the workshop building, fixing, and preparing our VMS.

This can vary though as there is a variety of products we deal with in the workshop. When I’m not doing this I am usually on-site sorting out our products we have on the highways.

How did you get into the industry:
I got into this industry through college as I was looking for an apprenticeship in electrical engineering and learning unlimited at Chesterfield College knew about this job which was perfect for me.

Most fulfilling part of your role:
The most fulfilling part about my job is the satisfaction I feel with getting to do a job which contributes to something important.

I also enjoy seeing our products on the highways as you know you helped build something which helps to keep the roads safe.

More about me:
Outside of work I like socialising with friends. I also follow a lot of boxing and occasionally go to the events.


Becca Saint: Administrator of Purchasing and Stock Control

Becca Saint is MVIS’ Purchasing and Stock Control department. She holds a Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Business and Administration.

How long have you been with MVIS?:
I joined MVIS on 9th March 2015 as an Administration Apprentice. I have since completed a Level 2 apprenticeship in Business and Administration and I am now studying towards Level 2, 3 & 4 in Manual Bookkeeping. I have since moved on to be the Administrator of  Purchasing and Stock Control.

Job role:
My day to day life consists of many tasks, some of which include speaking to customers for payment dates, answering the phone, purchasing items from suppliers, creating purchase orders and much more. Life at MVIS is always fulfilling, we are always busy and no day is ever the same.

I work closely with Anne Ashman who is the General Manager. I help Anne with many of the deliverables on our different accounts. I also work alongside other members of staff including  Warehouse & Manufacturing Supervisor Tom Hooton, who I order components for, as well as helping Operations and Customer Service Supervisor Dom Bridge and Admin ApprenticeTillie Wooliscroft. I also assist customers who are using MVIS’ Web Studio™.

Recent projects:
We currently gained our ISO Certification which has been a huge task. To assist with this process, I have been typing up processes and other documents for the office.How did you get into the industry

How did you get into the industry:
I came to MVIS as an apprentice in 2015, as I wanted to broaden my horizons with a change of career, and wanted something completely different to my previous career in childcare.

My family has their own haulage company and I grew up helping my mum in the office, so a career with a traffic management company seemed like a perfect fit. I was also in the process of buying my first house, which encouraged me to get a more stable and long-term position.

Most fulfilling part of your role:
I really enjoy working at MVIS, the atmosphere is great and everyone gets along. The most fulfilling part of my job is when everything is running smoothly and things are completed on time, as this makes me feel like I’ve done a good job.

Every day is different at MVIS and you never know what to expect from the day.

More about me:
I like to spend my spare time with my fiancé and my family. We are currently decorating our home and are planning our wedding which is in June 2018. I also enjoy going swimming at the local leisure centre, shopping, and cycling in the countryside when the weather is nice. We visit my fiancé’s family once a month down in London and spend time with our friends when we get the chance.