12 Acquisition International - Offshore Excellence Awards 2017 Best Safety Footwear Provider - UK V12 Footwear Founded in 1998, V12 Footwear has since grown into a leader in tough, resilient footwear that offers safety and comfort. Charlie outlines the firm’s approach and how their focus on quality ensures that their clients are always satisfied. “At V12 Footwear, we design and deliver footwear for some of the most extreme working environments in the world, including engineering, rail, construction, agriculture, and of course oil and gas. What often surprises people is that we actually design all of our footwear in house from scratch. Everything from the micro-patterns on the sole to each individual stitch on the upper has been researched, considered and created with a unique purpose. This enables us to be completely customer-focused and quickly adapt to changes, which is paramount in the oil and gas industry. “Our design process is highly collaborative, working with people in our target industries to develop innovative, extremely practical and completely relevant footwear for our customers and wearers. Fromdayone,wehostworkshopswithourcustomers to fully understand their working environments, the hazards they face, the safety features they need, and the design features they want. We research new materials, test new technologies and embrace innovation to break boundaries in our designs and provide a completely fresh look on the problems at hand. “Throughout design development, we work with testing houses, industry experts and quality assurance professionals to continually improve and hone our design – with an overarching focus on safety and comfort. Each product can take several years in this stage, and go through numerous prototypes and adjustments before we are completely satisfied.” From lightweight, composite, anti-fatigue daylong comfort to waterproof rigger boots with unique V12 Footwear are a specialist footwear firm offering quality shoes designed to offer the very highest standard of protection. Charlie Turner provides us with a fascinating overview of the firm. Company: V12 Footwear Contact: Charlie Turner Email:
[email protected] Address: V12 Footwear Limited, Greenways Business Park, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 1BN, UK Phone: 01249 651900 Website: V12Footwear.com OE170007 ankle protection: all of V12 Footwear’s products are designed with the wearers in mind. As such, V12 Footwear are acutely aware that their clients work in some of the toughest and most unpredictable environments, from oil platforms to railway tracks, and work hard to ensure that they understands their needs. This involves a rigorous research and development process, which Charlie is pleased to note is being rolled out as standard through the industry in order to ensure quality for all clients. “In recent months, we have seen a shift towards tighter and more rigorous testing in the safety footwear industry, which is a positive step forward in removing poor performing footwear from the market. At V12, we are passionate about continuous quality assurance even after we release a product, and we test footwear from each and every batch for compliance. This year, we have also become members of the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) who carry out random testing of our products to ensure they meet the standards they claim to. Honesty and integrity are key values that all our staff hold, and we are prepared to go the extra mile to ensure the quality and safety of our products. “Testing is fundamental to ensure that we maintain the highest of standards. We test our prototypes to breaking point by crushing, stretching and pummelling every part of every new design, as well as testing their performance in the environments they will be used in. We consult with a panel of impartial wearers to find out if anything else should be added, and once we have got the green light we go into production using state-of-the-art manufacturing processes to make comfortable, reliable footwear that guarantees wearer satisfaction.” In order to remain at the forefront of the industry, V12 Footwear are constantly adapting their product offering. Charlie is eager to discuss how these latest developments will help the firm to build upon their current success and continue to offer the very highest quality products to their clients. “Ultimately, our work within the Oil and Gas industry particularly demonstrates our commitment to the industries we work with. A large number of our customers have production facilities in the North Sea. The environment is harsh – with workers working long hours in cold and wet conditions. The right footwear is essential to keep staff members “ Honesty and integrity are key values that all our staff hold, and we are prepared to go the extramile to ensure the quality and safety of our products.”