Britain’s Bravest veterans show you how it’s done

HOW TO MAKE A ROAD

SIGN STAGE ONE: CUTTING EDGE SKILLS The first stage involves cutting the sheet metal – which is an aluminium composite material (ACM) by – a three-layer composite sheet with plastic at the Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company core and aluminium on both sides. This may need to be cut into sizes as big as 3m by 1m panels when the team are compiling signs for large motorway gantry signage, or smaller road directional signage. Whilst the material can be cumbersome to move, veteran Colin has adapted to work around his disability and has no difficulty cutting signs to size using one arm.

We all see road signs every day - but did you know that thousands of the signs that are placed on UK’s highways each year are actually made by disabled military veterans and people with disabilities? At Royal British Legion Industries’ two social enterprises – Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company and Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company – it’s exactly this group who produce more than 10,000 road and rail signs every single year. You might think the process for making a road sign is simple, but it requires a wide range of skills and an attention to detail which is second-to-none.

STAGE TWO:

SMOOTHLY DOES IT

Then to the radius machine to create the panel’s smooth corners.

STAGE THREE: IT’S RIVETING

Then to the riveting machine. A single motorway gantry panel could see 35 – 40 rivets to the channel on the post, a process which can take up to a full day.

STAGE FOUR:

GRAPHIC SCENES

Depending on the type of sign the team are producing, the factories’ graphic teams will then print specialist reflective or non-reflective vinyl using state of the art machinery including Anapurna and Canon printers.

CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY

A NEW START AND A SECOND CAREER FOR MANY OF BRITAIN’S BRAVEST...

The graphics team includes former Gurkha, Anil, who just 20 days before the end of a tour of Afghanistan stepped on an IED, resulting in the loss of his leg. However, thanks to his work in one of RBLI’s social enterprises, Anil is now an industry leader helping to produce road and rail signs for major infrastructure projects up and down the country.