Our Case Studies: Real-World Examples of Van Racking Systems in Action

TrustFord chooses System Edström to equip all-electric mobile service van

2023-06-22/in Case studies, News/by Joff

System Edström has handed over the first electric van fully equipped with System Edström racking to TrustFord Mobile Service. The company’s Commercial Director, David Sawford, handed the keys to TrustFord’s Wayne Bryant, who will use the van in his day-to-day role, on Wednesday 7 June.

The van, which will be used in the Heathrow area of Greater London, was delivered to TrustFord’s centre in Hayes. It is the first fully electric van on the service fleet and has been kitted out to allow Wayne to carry out all the aspects of his role, servicing vehicles for customers at a location convenient for them.

TrustFord chose to work with System Edström because of the company’s expertise in providing complete racking and power solutions for electric vehicles. James Bacon, Head of Mobile Service at TrustFord, said: “We have a great working partnership with System Edström and the product is exactly what we need. It was important we worked with a partner who understands the needs of our Aftersales technicians while they are on the road.”

One of the main challenges faced in equipping an electric van to the demanding standards TrustFord requires was keeping the weight down. “We needed to make sure that the weight of the vehicle and all the equipment required for us to effectively operate it made it a seamless and enjoyable experience for the technicians using it,” added James.

The van is the first step in TrustFord’s commitment to moving to battery electric vehicles. The company is excited with the new Ford offers and as the market leader in mobile service vans for Ford customers, with national coverage in the UK, were keen to pioneer an all-electric Transit in its fleet.

James continued: “It is early days and the feedback from those experiencing this vehicle will be key to scoping out our next steps, but we are excited about the opportunities this will bring. Many of TrustFord’s sites are centred in major UK cities and the link to helping the environment through a bigger fleet of all electric mobile service vehicles in built up areas and beyond is clear.”

David Sawford said: “We are delighted to continue working with TrustFord on this project and our continuing collaboration on even more electric vehicles in the future. This exciting project will involve us installing our racking solutions in more electric vans, allowing TrustFord’s mobile engineers to service customer vehicles in a more sustainable way.

“With the share of electric vehicles in fleets set to grow over the next few years, operators need a van racking supplier that they can trust to install storage and power supply solutions in their fleets. At System Edström, we have invested in our team to ensure that they have the necessary expertise and qualifications to work on electric vehicles. This means that our customers can relax in the knowledge that their systems will be installed safely and securely.”

Murphy Group

2019-07-10/in Case studies/by Joff

The Murphy Group is a multi-million pound company, which has been involved with a number of prestige infrastructure projects, including Crossrail and HS2.

The company has worked with System Edström for a number of years. An ongoing relationship over which we have converted 850 vans for Murphy’s since 2013.

The majority of these vans have been provided to on-call engineers, who are often called out for maintenance and repairs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This successful relationship meant that when Murphy Plant needed a van conversion supplier that could come up with new systems to meet the heavy demands placed on the company’s vehicles while reducing costs, it turned again to System Edström.

System Edström was invited to visit Murphy Plant to gain an understanding of the company’s requirements. With a fleet in excess of 500 vehicles, getting the right supplier is key to the company’s efficiency targets and bottom line.

The nature of the industry in which Murphy Plant operates means that its vehicles are subject to extremely high levels of wear. This, combined with the tools routinely used by Murphy’s operatives, require hard-wearing interiors that not only keep equipment and parts well organised, but can survive years of hard use.

Coupled with this is the increasing onus on companies to confirm to more stringent environmental considerations. Fleets must be more efficient to meet incoming ultra-low emissions requirements. So conversions need to be, not only durable, but also as lightweight as possible.

System Edström proposed several different potential installations that would make Murphy Plant’s vehicles smarter and more efficient, which could meet the requirement of better organising equipment while being kinder on the vehicle interior.

As part of this initiative, System Edström obtained a van supplied by a different manufacturer, to investigate ways in which moving to a new van manufacturer might meet these requirements. Smaller vans might also be an option, so we also explored ways to reduce the space needed to carry the necessary loads.

We started by removing the plywood lining that came with the van, and replacing it with our new 11mm plastic composite honeycomb flooring. This resulted in weight reduction of around 90kgs – a substantial reduction that has a significant impact on fuel consumption.

The result has been an ongoing programme to fit a new van racking solution to a fleet of brand new vehicles. The weight reductions made by using plastic will help the company meet its emissions obligations. This is not only a win for the environment; it will also help Murphy Plant to conform to the new ultra-low emission zone in London, resulting in a significant saving.

Baxi

2019-07-09/in Case studies/by Joff

System Edström has supplied van racking for heating company Baxi since the early 1990s. Over that time, we have built up a strong relationship with the company.

Baxi’s vans carry a wide range of parts and products to keep customers’ houses warm and their water hot. And the company prides itself on its ability to fix its customers’ problems quickly and on the first visit. So it’s important that all these items, along with the engineer’s tools, are easily accessible.

With an army of heating and plumbing engineers and hundreds of vehicles on the road for Baxi every day, efficiency is paramount. The company tracks and analyses a copious amount of data to make sure its engineers are on point and customers are satisfied at all times. Baxi keeps tabs on how long it takes to do the job, what stock is used, fuel consumption and much more.

At the heart of all this is the engineer. Each needs a van that has everything that’s needed on well organised and easy to lay your hands on. Ideally, any engineer should be able to drive any van and know exactly where to find all they’ll need. And the layout needs to minimise any risk of injury so engineers aren’t inconvenienced and working days lost are kept to a minimum.

So System Edström worked up a design that cleverly made use of all the space in the van, while making everything accessible from outside, meaning the engineer does not need to enter the van to pick things out – a common cause of accidents.

The answer was to move to smaller vans and design a layout that fills them with shelving. Access is provided through the rear doors and twin wide doors. This allows engineers to get at everything they need from outside the van. They don’t have to climb in, so there’s less chance of an accident.

By making the vans smaller and changing the layout, they’re not just safer – they’re more fuel-efficient, too. This gives Baxi a further cost saving as they’re cheaper to run and cheaper to insure than big vans carrying a lot of stock. It also means less maintenance, thereby bringing down leasing costs.

W recently went through a programme of converting all Baxi’s vehicles and the company will soon have replaced all their big vans with the smaller vans. The result is a more efficient, cheaper fleet, which fits into the company’s ethos of working smarter.

And working with System Edström has also made for a much easier process for the company’s fleet managers. Once the company decided on a new van model and placed the orders, we were able to take control of the whole process. Vans were delivered directly to our premises in Corby, where all installation work was taken care of, including application of the Baxi livery.

Colas

2019-07-09/in Case studies/by Joff

When transport infrastructure Colas approached System Edström for a new vehicle racking supplier, they also presented the company with a novel challenge.

To begin with, System Edström’s flexibility in design and huge range of products and accessories came into its own. Colas runs three different types of vans, which required different designs to maximise their efficiency. One requires a relatively basic racking system to ensure tools and equipment are better organised.

For other vans in its fleet, the company needed a more complex system to meet health and safety requirements. This included areas for effectively storing personal protective equipment and sanitation equipment so that people working on-site could wash their hands.

The third set of vehicles has been fitted with units from System Edström’s comprehensive range of inverters. These provide on-board power, which allows Colas’s people to charge tools as necessary.

But the real challenge was in equipping Colas’s rail industry vehicles with a new locking system, to fit in with the company’s specific working practices.

Colas rail engineers routinely share vehicles. Team members park the vehicles they have been using, then leave the key with that vehicle. The next person who needs a van will arrive at the car park, find a suitable vehicle, retrieve the key and drive away.

The challenge for Colas was that this system relied on leaving keys in places that weren’t secure. This obviously has an impact on the security of the vehicle, which can not only cause great inconvenience but also affects insurance premiums.

So System Edström devised a new system to solve this problem. Using new technology, our expert engineers were able to deliver a solution that resolved our client’s issue.

Our end-to-end service also means that we are able to take delivery of the vans directly from the manufacturer and carry out all installations before Colas receives the vehicle. This makes the process completely painless for our customer. The result is a cost-effective, secure solution that improves security and saves Colas money.

Vaillant

2019-07-09/in Case studies/by Joff

Heating company Vaillant operates in a competitive market place, where customer service and good first-time fix rates are essential. They also operate a large fleet of vans serving all parts of the country, so efficiency, cost-effectiveness and safety are also high on the agenda.

Vaillant approached System Edström looking for a supplier that could design a van racking solution that could meet all these needs. Our years of expertise and existing relationship with the company made us the natural choice. We have converted over 350 of the company’s vans since 2014. We are now working on even more Vaillant vehicles for 2019.

The answer to the challenge was a move to smaller vehicles with a much smarter installation. The racking system designed by System Edström is able to carry the range of stock that Vaillant’s engineers need every day to maintain their excellent first-time fix record.

With a fleet of around 400 vehicles, efficiency is paramount. So fuel costs are a major consideration. We provided a much lighter racking solution that could carry everything an engineer might need while considerably reducing the on-the-road weight of the vehicle. The resultant reduction in fuel costs is a major benefit to Vaillant.

The system also provides easier, safer access to tools and parts for the engineer. As with all such operations, Vaillant is continually looking at ways to improve its working conditions and reduce the risk of injury, so our solution has proved to be of great value to the company.

And, as ever, we took control of the process from the outset. Our dedicated account manager handled Vaillant’s requirements from start to finish. Delivery of new vehicles was direct to our premises, where all work and inspections were carried out to our exacting standards before the completed vans joined the Vaillant fleet.