Case Studies >
The sign of business success
- How reciprocal business is good for Brite Band and 
The mission statement of Monwel Hankinson
- Wales' largest sign manufacturer, based in
Ebbw Vale - is to the point: -
"To provide meaningful employment
to people with disabilities"
And here at Brite Band we take great
satisfaction in our role of helping the
company do just that.
Monwel Hankinson, fully supported by
Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council,
provides work for 35 people with (mainly
physical) disabilities as part of a
WORKSTEP programme designed to
integrate them into the mainstream
working community.
Originally formed in 1966 when
Monmouthshire County Council funded the
business, the name is a combined
abbreviation of MONmouthshire WELfare
and is now the largest manufacturer of
road traffic and street signage for local
authorities, as well as commercial signage
manufactured to customers' specifications.
Monwel Hankinson is a not-for-profit
organisation. Rather, says General
Manager Alan Hall, it is a confidence
builder for the people it employs: -
"We aim to build confidence through
training in a clean, safe and secure
environment where Health & Safety issues
have to be paramount."
Prospective employees are referred to
Monwel, usually via the Social Security
department, where they participate in an
interview/assessment followed by a 30-day "work preparation" programme.
If this proves successful a report is submitted to their Disability Employment Advisor and the
applicant awaits a suitable vacancy - as Monwel
is mandated and funded for just 35 employees.
Alan takes up the story as to how Brite Band
became involved - at a time when Monwel
was seeking new manufacturing opportunities
to complement their road signage work: - "Clearly, all road signs have to be securely
affixed to a post of some kind and we
decided that, rather than buying in the
fixing clips (which were becoming a
significant budget item) we would look at
making our own in-house," says Alan. "We literally went to the Yellow Pages and
attempted to source suppliers who could
provide the material we required. Brite Band was the only company prepared to
go the extra mile to help."
"They took particular care to ensure their
product met our special safety requirements,
avoiding sharp edges for
example, and it's fair to
say that not only were
Brite Band instrumental
in getting us up and
running, they remain very
competitive on price..."
Good business, they say, is a two-way
street and we have provided Monwel with
a complimentary spooling and boxing
machine - sending them steel for final
processing in order that we both enjoy the
benefits of reciprocal trading.
We wish them continued success.