Images_Digital_Edition_November_2019

www.images-magazine.com NOVEMBER 2019 images 75 MARKET INTELLIGENCE coordinators wear light blue.” In addition, all operational staff wear high-vis jackets as part of their personal protective equipment (PPE) uniform requirements, along with any other D F DS is an aw a rd-winning ferry o p e r ator which offers fre q uen t ferr y cr o ssings to France, Holl a nd a nd A m ster d am. Founded in 1866, DFDS Seaways has r e c e ntly b e en na med Eur op e’s Leading F e rr y Ope r ator f o r t h e ei ghth c o nse c u tive y ear, an d h a s b ee n na m e d th e Wo rld’s Le adi n g Ferr y O pera t or since 2 011, wi th another n o minat i on in 2019 . Monika Copel y is res p onsib le f o r procuring and i ssu i ng t h e c omp a ny ’s s t a ff uni f o rm, whi ch is s e l e cted and app r ov e d by the opera t ions management team, in conjuncti o n with HR. Staff feedback is also taken i nto account. “The most important consideration is practicality,” she explains. “Staff have to work in all locations, bo t h inside and outdoors, so the garment s must be hardwearing as well as smart.” Of the 219 DFDS employees based in Dover, M o n ika says that 126 are o perati o nal st aff based in th e port and wearing unif o rm. “The current uniform policy provides a logo shirt or blouse, a branded safety tie or scarf, a branded navy blue jumper or cardigan, and navy blue trousers,” she says. “We don’t offer staff any choice in uniform options, but we do distinguish some job roles with coloured shirts — supervisors wear white shirts, loadmasters wear navy blue and Monika Copely, office manager at DFDS Seawa y s at the Po r t of D o ver , e x p lai n s t h at the c o m p any ’ s staff unif o rm ha s t o be both pr act ica l a nd s m ar t st a ff wh o ha v e t o be in t h e p ort, such a s onboard services staff v i sitin g shi ps , or finance staff g o ing for meetings in Terminal Contr o l. “The high-vis is suppl i e d b y Arde e Hose in D over,” s ays Monik a . “They are de cora t ed wit h ther m al pri n t, on t he left chest and rear of the j ac k ets.” Aside from th e j acke ts, Mon i ka e x p l a in s that most oth e r items of un i fo r m are em br oidered, s i mp l y because it m akes “the lo g o lo o k sm a rter”. She adds: “The shirts, blouses, ju m pers and cardigans are all embroid e r e d, but the safety ties and scarves are p r inted.” The bulk of the D F D S uniform is supplied by SM B a ss & Co in Manchester. “We’ve held the c o ntract with SM Bass for a number of y ears. They are very easy to deal with a nd always keep me updated on our o r ders,” says Monika. “ Our scarves come from Burlington Uniforms in Enfield. They’re a new supplier that have a very good range of well-priced pr o ducts. Our ties are sourced from our head office in Copenhagen.” For those who would like to supply similar organisations to DFDS, Monika believes that quality and cost are key. “We’re always looking for good-quality items at a fair price,” she explains. www.dfdsseaways.co.uk Smooth sailing DFDS staff require garments that will enable them to work outdoors in all weathers We’re al w ay s l oo king for go od- qua li ty it e ms at a fair price The hi-vis garments are supplied by Ardee Hose