We Help Customers Manage, Mitigate and Remove Risk at Every Step

As Head of Sector for heavy manufacturing I've worked with some of Arco's largest clients, most of whom are involved in a wide variety of different kinds of manufacturing from Aerospace, Automotive and Marine. I relish the challenges this brings in helping them stay on top of their compliance and safety against the background of a very diverse mix of hazards and safety requirements.

Our largest customer employs over 34,000 people across multiple sites and is involved in building and maintaining some of the UK's largest defence projects including warships, submarines and military aircraft. This brings a wide range of safety challenges from confined space working to welding as well as the manual handling risks of aerospace manufacture and the hazards of handling and using chemicals.

We support them with an end-to-end approach that goes far beyond just PPE.

Our customers see us as an extension of their on-site SHE teams, working very closely as a safety partner that really understands their business in detail. A good example of how our expertise can help, was when a customer asked us to manage one particular hazard but we looked deeper, beyond the original issue. Our broad experience means we often spot things they may not. Often this can mean recommending the most appropriate equipment for a specialist application, advising on storage and maintenance, or seeing when equipment may need re-certifying or replacing. So instead of simply doing the task we have been asked to do by the customer, we adopt a problem solving, consultative approach that looks at every job as part of the bigger safety picture.

Another example of the value we add is our unique ability to test the gloves we provide in our Product Assurance laboratory against the precise suite of chemicals used by the customer. By testing permeation breakthrough times of a customer’s specific chemical, we can recommend a bespoke glove solution for each job to keep their people safe.

We can also help customers with accident investigations, testing PPE such as footwear through a range of conditions including impact, compression and slip, to demonstrate its performance against expectations and checking that the products involved met the relevant standards. This capability is vital with so many non-compliant products available on the market.

As an expert safety partner during the pandemic we navigated what turned out to be six very difficult months for ourselves and our clients. Our customers needed a range of products including nitrile gloves, disposable coveralls and respirators to continue working, but these proved very difficult to source and supply. Working closely with our customer we successfully navigated the challenges and ended up winning two awards* for our achievements. I hope we never have to deal with a situation like that again, but we learned a tremendous amount in the process and have ended up with a tried and tested approach for the future.

I'm immensely proud of the way we make a difference at Arco, constantly driving up safety standards. For us, keeping people safe isn't just a strapline. It's a core value and the central purpose of our business.

*Supreme Champions in Family Business Awards, and Most Influential Team in Health & Safety in the Safety and Health Practitioner Awards

"I have a close relationship with my Key Client Manager, and we work together to continually improve our processes. I know that whatever the situation, Arco will work to understand the root cause of the problem, proactively liaising with key stakeholders to address issues quickly. We’ve worked with Arco for many years, and they continually deliver their expertise on an incredibly large scale. Their response and way of doing business has become a model example for the way we can roll out similar resolutions to large numbers effectively. Even during the lockdown, they used innovative techniques and methods including virtual delivery and training which is now being continued in our BAU work for people working offsite."
Robert Gray, Category Manager, BAE Systems

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