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

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.

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.