Sector Focus


Signage board gets makeover


Outdoor digital signage enclosure specialist Armagard has bought traditional sandwich boards into the 21st Century. The Kitts Green-based firm


has launched the DigiStopper, a battery-powered, cable-free outdoor digital signage board. The portable outdoor A-


frame has two 43” displays, lockable castor wheels and can stay on for up to 14 hours from an overnight charge. The boards are portable,


bright and weatherproof, ideal advertising – the firm says – for shop-front locations and customer entrances. “Businesses benefit from engaging outdoor advertising that makes a great first impression on passers-by and helps them stand out on the high street,” says Mark Neal, managing director of Armagard. “Importantly, the dual-sided


design captures the attention of people walking in both directions, so vendors enjoy twice the customer engagement from a single digital signage unit. “We wanted to provide


businesses with a user-friendly and engaging solution to pavement digital signage. “Cordless operation makes


it easy for users to position the A-frame each morning and move it around during the day, ensuring promotions get seen by the greatest number of people.”


Manufacturing


Historic Defender makes it into 21st Century


Rugged: The Land Rover Defender re-emerges into the 21st Century


The new Land Rover Defender has been unveiled at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. The new version of the vehicle –


which launched the Land Rover business back in 1947 – has been unveiled three years after production of the old Defender ended three years ago. The old Defender was the last


incarnation of the vehicle originally just named the ‘Land Rover’, a rugged off-road vehicle which became hugely popular all over the world, with customers ranging from farmers to the military. When production ended, global


sales of the Defender were three times what they had been in 2009, which 144,371 units were sold. The new 4x4 has advanced off- road technology, boosted towing


‘A truly comfortable, modern vehicle that people will love to drive’


and payload capacities and enhanced keyless technology. From next year, the Defender will


be available as a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) capable of silent zero-emissions driving. Nick Rogers, executive director,


product engineering, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “We’ve embraced Defender’s stunning capability and minimalistic, functional interior to reinvent the icon for the 21st Century. “New Defender gives us the


licence to do things differently, to push the boundaries and do the unthinkable, without ever losing the


character and authenticity of the original. From the start we had an absolute obsession with functionality beneath the skin, from choosing the right materials through to state of the art connectivity. The result is not only the most capable Land Rover ever made, but also a truly comfortable, modern vehicle that people will love to drive.” Felix Bräutigam, chief commercial


officer, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “New Defender will be available in 128 global markets and meets or exceeds the toughest emissions and safety requirements in the world. Using advanced technology to deliver the toughness and character you can only find in a Defender, our new 4x4 has been developed for adventurous hearts and curious minds.”


Accountants provide manufacturing boost


A Black Country accountant and business adviser has helped a local firm bring back some of its manufacturing to the UK. The latter is Albert Jagger, of


Green Lane, Walsall, a supplier of hardware and adhesives for industrial, commercial vehicle and marine uses. Among its products are handles, locks, latches and hinges. The firm has now ‘reshored’ – or


brought back to the UK – a ‘significant’ part of its manufacturing process, and has been aided in this by Crowe UK, an accountancy firm which offers audit, tax, and advisory services. Two years ago, Jagger, founded


in 1887, launched a review of its supply chain in terms of location, quality, certainty of supply and cost of procurement.


78 CHAMBERLINK October 2019


Shore thing: Johnathan Dudley (second left) with Garth Cooper, Mark Hilton and Andrew Cooper of Albert Jagger


With the uncertainty around


Brexit, the firm was interested in bringing back to Britain the manufacture of one of its signature products, antiluce fasteners, a type of dropcatch and are widely used on commercial vehicle trailers.


Following an 18-month project,


production of the antiluce fastener range is now firmly established back at its manufacturing facility. The reintroduction of antiluce


manufacturing has cost more £500,000 and saw production


begin in June, with around 750,000 fasteners being produced in the first year. The company was helped in its


reshoring project by Crowe, and also the Coventry-based Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), who remapped Jagger’s shop floor with a view to optimising product flow and also advised on the investment in CNC machinery. Andrew Cooper, general manager at Albert Jagger, said: “From the outset, Johnathan Dudley and the team at Crowe worked with us at Albert Jagger in identifying key financial and time limiting markers. “Without the guidance and


reassurance from Crowe, Albert Jagger wouldn’t have felt confident in starting the process.”


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