Colas

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.