Disclosing details this month, Böwe Systec said the contract was awarded following a rigorous tender process through the Crown Commercial Services Framework.
An executive agency of the Department for Transport, the DVLA is one of the largest employers in South Wales with more than 6,000 staff. Its core responsibilities are to maintain more than 49 million driver records and over 40 million vehicle records, while collecting around £7bn a year in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED).
As part of its modernisation plans, the DVLA invested in three Böwe Systec Fusion Cross inserting machines and three Böwe Systec 9G machines, Böwe One software, and an on-site service contract. The new kit replaced old machinery from Böwe Systec.
The Böwe Systec Fusion Cross with unique flow-principle inserting technology is a flexible multi-format inserter that processes transactional mail and personalised direct mailings with high precision and stability, and can handle both small and large batches.
The flexible and modular 9G inserting system processes direct mail and transactional mail securely and can reach speeds of up to 26,000 envelopes per hour.
The 9G install was completed in April 2020, during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, while the Fusion Cross install followed in September 2020.
Böwe Systec UK sales director Andy Wain said: “We are extremely delighted to be awarded this contract and to continue the long-term partnership with DVLA we have had now for over forty years.
“The installation of the Böwe Systec Fusion Cross and Böwe Systec 9G machines was challenging and required meticulous planning due to Covid-19 restrictions but the DVLA team and our Böwe Systec UK engineering team collaborated well together to deliver a successful installation within the timescales required.”
DVLA output services group manager Kevin Rees said the DVLA’s output services function is “in the middle of a three year modernisation programme and the paper mailing fleet replacement had formed the building blocks for the programme”.
“This investment has seen us replace our fleet with less machines with greater output speeds, allowing DVLA to maintain its production capacity whilst reducing our environmental impact,” he added.
“Replacing the fleet during a pandemic brought its own challenges, but in partnership with Böwe Systec this was delivered successfully with minimal disruption.”
