Ex-military and disabled staff have churned out 15,000 signs to keep parts of Scotland moving!

Road sign number 15,000 has just rolled off the production line at a unique Erskine company. Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company employs military veterans and others with disabilities. And the formula is just perfect for its major customer, roads agency BEAR Scotland.

The company manufactures commercial signage and printing services, including those distinctive road signs that keep Scotland motoring. BEAR Scotland was one of SMBC’s first customers when it was established in 2018.
Since then SBMC has produced 15,000 high-quality signs including trunk road directionals, warning signs, tourist signs and larger bespoke signage for road safety projects which have been erected across the trunk road network.

Richard Crawford, a veteran who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, says the employment has been a great boost.
He struggled to find work despite completing a degree after his 12 years of military service.
Richard said: “After some difficult years, I finally found a company that understood what I could bring to the workplace.“They took me on with low self-esteem and a lack of work history and gave me the skills and motivation needed to reapply my focus in a new role.

“I am now in full-time employment and my outlook is so much better. After starting work on the factory floor in sign manufacturing, I’ve taken a step into a new role and am now a sales executive.
“I am forever grateful for the opportunities and support offered to me by SBMC – and we wouldn’t be where we are if it weren’t for BEAR Scotland. “There’s not a week that goes by where the team are not working on new BEAR orders.

“The company have shown a steadfast commitment to our products, and in doing so, ensure that veterans like me can contribute once more to the society we once served”.

Mark Godsell, Commercial Director at BEAR Scotland, said: “To date, we have placed 2,190 orders and have always been impressed by the dedication, quality service and positive social impact that the company delivers.
“We’re proud to work with Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, as it provides essential employment opportunities for our brave veterans, and we look forward to developing further opportunities to support this honourable initiative.”

Michelle Ferguson, Director of Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, said having BEAR as its major customer has helped grow their client base.
She said: ““Gary Jamieson, one of our veterans, sums it up perfectly: ‘When BEAR places an order with us, they aren’t just buying a sign, they are changing the lives of veterans’.
“We are incredibly thankful to BEAR Scotland for the trust they have put in our team and look forward to further collaboration in the coming years.”

BEAR Scotland and SBMC recently won the ‘Partnership Award’ at the 2020 Highways Awards.

Source: dailyrecord.co.uk