HillsTalk March 2018

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Number plate rules and legislation

Manufacturing number plates requires research, rigorous testing and government approval. Legislation from many government bodies, industry associations and Trading Standards provide instructions on eligible materials, how a registration number must be displayed and testing of the finished number plate. To ensure a number plate conforms to the authoritative legislation and is fit for purpose requires investment in technology and documented testing. Ensuring each requirement is met with thorough investigation and has certified stamp of approval can take many years to achieve. If you buy your components or ready-made plates from Hills Numberplates  then you and your end consumer fully comply with number plate legislation, saving your business a substantial cost and time of independent research. We’ve put some information together on legislation and responsibility of a number plate supplier for you to familiarise yourself with and refer to should you need to check your process.

DVLA Number Plate Legislation

The DVLA provide instructions for number plate manufacturers, suppliers and customers buying licence plates for their vehicles on how the registration number must be displayed. Motorists driving with illegal number plates could be fined up to £1,000 and also face an M.O.T failure.

More information on DVLA number plate legislation is available at gov.uk/displaying-number-plates

Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency

DVLA, RNPS – Register of Number Plate Suppliers

The Register of Number Plate Suppliers are a department of the DVLA who administer and monitor businesses that manufacture licence plates. You must be registered with the RNPS if you are making number plates for vehicles that are being sold in a B2B market and if you’re selling number plates to the public.

More information on the DVLA, Register of Number Plate Suppliers can be found at gov.uk/register-as-number-plate-supplier/DVLA

Responsibility of a number plate supplier

As a number plate supplier you are required to see identification of the person buying a licence plate and documents that show proof of entitlement of the registration number. You must keep an electronic or hard copy of these documents for three years. Hills exclusive Easy Print Number Plate software holds records of number plates produced for three years giving you peace of mind that you are adhering to the law. We are also able to provide a hard copy data base template to our customers for record keeping. A list of documents that a number plate supplier must see and a template for record keeping can be found on our website at hillsnumberplates.com.

British Standard BSAU145d

In 2001 a new British Standard for number plates was introduced, BSAU145d. Number plates manufactured to the current British Standard should have the BSAU145d mark on the bottom right of the plate. This certifies the licence plate has been made to comply with requirements set by the current British Standard. It should also include the number plate manufacturers name or trademark. e.g. hillshspBSAU145d

BNMA – British Number Plate Manufacturers Association

Hills are proud members of The British Number Plate Manufacturers Association (BNMA). The BNMA are an organisation that represents 95% of the UK’s major number plate component, manufacturers and distributors. They are the industry’s link to the UK government’s Department of Transport and the DVLA.

More information on the British Number Plate Manufacturers Association can be found at bnma.org

We have provided a legal number plate guide and an example of an illegal number plate for you to refer to when making number plates. These guides can also be found on our website at hillsnumberplates.com.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Cameras

Britain’s surveillance tsar’s report on Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology showed that innocent motorists could be caught up in police investigations due to ANPR cameras misreading number plates. This also unfortunately highlights the fear that criminals and terrorists are escaping very easily and puts emphasis on the importance of making legal number plates. In the UK there are approximately 9000 cameras that take photos of 40 million plates per year. Tony Porter, Independent Surveillance Camera Commissioner, said that an estimated 3% could be ‘misreads’. Mr Porter also called for the government to tighten up the rules around number plate legislation so that illegal number plate producers can be easily identified and eradicated.

Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk

Stress free ready made plates

Not only do we lead in the supply of number plate components but our fully automated ready-made plate’s service is unique in the UK and is labour saving to our customers and furthermore they carry a three year warranty. We take on the responsibility of ensuring plates are printed to DVLA legislation and conform to the current British Standard, BSAU145d.

Hills annual charity golf day returns

Golf Day

It’s time for Hills Numberplates Ltd annual golf tournament. Each year we do our best to host an entertaining day for our valued customers and suppliers whilst supporting a local charity to help them with funding for the services they offer. This year Hills are supporting Sifa Fireside, a Birmingham based charity improving health and inclusion for homeless people.

Team entrance fee is £300 for a team of four. Guests will receive breakfast on arrival, enjoy a day at The Robin Hood Club, Solihull which is one of West Midlands most challenging golf courses, win some fantastic prizes and enjoy dinner after your play.

SIFA Fireside work seven days a week with some of the most vulnerable adults in society. Their Daily Drop in Service provide on average 3,404 meals, over 100 people are given clothes and 429 showers each month. Visit their website for more information.

This years golf tournament is sponsored by KEP Print Group.

Our people

Hills are extremely proud of its achievements and acknowledge that this is credible to the hard working and committed work force that have supported the company. For an SME Hills have an extremely low employee turnover with most employees having worked for the business for over 10 years. This passion is a true reflection of Hills heritage, dedication toward its employees and core values. Equally Hills have invested in their work force by offering a structured training and development programme, courses and progression across the business. As the business continues to grow so does the team, here are some of the newbies at Hills.

Pat Whitmore, Maintenance Manager

Pat Whitmore joined Hills in 2017 as Maintenance Manager. Since joining the business Pat’s strategic approach has ensured that machine downtime has been at its record level low and has provided solutions in preventative maintenance.

David Hipkiss, UK Group Operations Manager

David Hipkiss joined as General Manager for Dual Metallising in 2015. Dual Metallising is a division of Hills Group International and produce finished products for the automotive, retail and various niche markets. David was promoted to UK Group Operations Manager in December 2017 and over sees production for all of Hills Group UK businesses.

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