News

Part 1:  Designing and Building Mobile Trailers

When it comes time for a utility company to replace a mobile support trailer, there are two options.

• Option one: Buy an empty trailer and take it to several different upfitters to install what they need in it.
• Otion two: Choose one upfitter who will not only supply the trailer but also everything that goes inside, from the storage to the HVAC to the electrical to the power supply.

The challenge with option one is caused by having multiple upfitters install separate components, as they might not work together seamlessly, and if issues arise, each upfitter may point at the other as the culprit. With option two, however, those problems don’t come into play because there is only one upfitter working on the project.        

Surprisingly, there are only a handful of ‘one-stop-shop’ trailer upfitters out there, and EZ STAK is one of them.      

One of the reasons why EZ STAK has been so successful in this niche market is due to the company’s consultative process, says Paul Lawrenson, EZ STAK’s director of business development. “Fleet managers usually know they need a trailer, but there are a lot of moving parts to the process,” he says. “So when the opportunity arises, we roll up our sleeves and get in there. We take the time to understand what the trailer is going to be used for, who’s going to use it and what it’s going to be carrying. We think about weight and power capacities as well as tool requirements. We also consider what kind of vehicle is going to be towing it and what kind of climate it’s going to be working in. We put a lot of thought into ergonomics and safety.”

K-Line Group: One trailer, many moving parts  

In the summer of 2016, K-Line was ready to convert their 22-foot trailer into a mobile workshop, but they ran head-on into one a familiar problem: trying to buy components from different suppliers and make them fit seamlessly together inside a single trailer.    

“They were going to try to piece together their own trailer with toolboxes, shelves, a workbench, cabinets, from one of these industrial catalogues,” says Lawrenson. “And when I met with them, they were getting frustrated and didn’t know how they were going to lay it out.” So, I offered to take the dimensions of the trailer, along with all of the users’ input, and come back with a three-dimensional concept of his recommendations.  

And what he came back with was a concept of a trailer with fully-insulated and polyurethaned walls and ceilings, an electrical panel and shore power capabilities, and a long maple workbench where K-Line could mount a drill press and a vice. It also had drawer units, overhead cabinets, closets with perforated doors and even a whiteboard in the office area near the front.      

According to K-Line’s fleet manager, K. Wetzel, they really liked what they saw. “So I said, ‘Look, we don’t want to just provide the design and the cabinets, we want to do the job, too,’” says Lawrenson. “‘We want to take delivery of the trailer, do the work, and send it back to you ready to put to work in exactly the way you need it.’ And they thought that was a good idea.” 

But first, Lawrenson reviewed K-Line’s needs again with Wetzel and the various user groups at K-Line to ensure they’d all be happy with the final trailer. They came back with a few minor tweaks that included the addition of a couple of doors and a change to the depth of the drawers to accommodate all of their tools. They also added racks in the back to secure tanks, fuel cans and a generator.     

With the final design in hand, the EZ STAK crew got to work at the company’s facility on the outskirts of Kingston, ON. As with all of their projects, they used EZ STAK’s own standardized products, including cabinets and drawers made of lightweight and high-grade aluminum. These drawers also come with heavy-duty ball bearing drawer slides and the company’s EZ Latch mechanism, which allows technicians to easily open a drawer with one hand.

Ten days later, the trailer was ready for delivery to K-Line. Wetzel and his team could not have been happier with the final result.

In a written statement, Wetzel said, “We weren’t sure how we would design the layout of our mobile work trailer, but EZ STAK helped us lay out and utilize every inch of space. We were amazed and ultimately very pleased with the quality and workmanship of their modular interior storage solutions. Would we recommend EZ STAK? Absolutely.”

It was a successful project for a number of different reasons, says Lawrenson. “We worked well with the customer and were adaptable, especially with a user-supplied trailer — which always means you have to be a little bit nimbler than if we were to supply the trailer. It also showed that we can hit tight deadlines. Ten days is pretty quick, but we had a lot of the components ready to go ahead of time, so it wasn’t too much of an issue.”

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Photos of Kline Trailer

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Finding time to get the job done efficiently is a never-ending battle. History has been inundated with cookie-cutter solutions to problems that are not “one size fits all”. As the world continues to enhance, so do the specific needs of your day-to-day work tasks.

The need for unique designs is becoming more prevalent in all aspects of life and business. Consider your cell phone, once a small screened device used for making phone calls is now a multi-faceted mini computer ready to follow your every demand.

The key to success lies in the ability to make your work day as efficient as possible. To ensure your next vehicle upfit is ready for the job, consider the following:

1. What are your Current Challenges?

What are the challenges you are facing with your fleet? Be sure to obtain feedback from your end users, drivers and field technicians. Whatever challenges the team is facing, make a list of improvements you would like include in your “ideal” mobile workspace. Some challenges to think about:

• Experiencing heavy payload with your vehicles?
• Can’t find your tools and equipment easily?
• Unable to store your uniforms and safety equipment?
• Cabinets/drawers opening during travel?
• Shelving/closets sagging or bending due to weight of equipment?

2. Is your upfit partner known in your industry? 

There are many manufacturers and upfitters to choose from, so how do you select the right one? Based on the challenges you listed above, research and select your top three potential partners for further consideration. Before moving forward ask yourself:

• Are they familiar within your industry?
• Will they work with you through your specifications, design, and budget?
• Will they point to a catalog and say pick one?
• Or will they take the time to listen to your wants & needs to provide a configurable solution?

If you uncover that the potential upfitters you chose are not a good fit, go back to the drawing board. Find a partner that will work one-on-one with you to develop a configurable storage solution that suits how your team works in the field – nothing less.

3. Configuration is Key

What’s important to remember is that no two fleets are exactly alike and each vehicle is suppose to fit the end-users day-to-day job.  Configuring a design that is based on the work-flow of your end users will make a big difference in terms of efficiency and productivity. To properly configure your layout consider the following:

• Is your end-user in and out of the vehicle all day?
• Do they need to grab equipment from the rear or side doors of the vehicle?
• What equipment do they need to store and access most?
• Can they quickly and easily find equipment and tools?

You may have one, or a multitude of challenges that can be solved through a custom-designed interior workspace. From size, to layout, to special features – configuration is key and there are partners out there who will deliver the right solution for your fleet.  

EZ STAK has been in business since 1998 delivering configurable fleet solutions for any vehicle.

EZ STAK provides aluminum interiors and turnkey solutions for any vehicle in the utility, construction, oil & gas, and communication industries.  Whether you are looking for a full electrical installation, interior cabinets, or a custom service body drawer, our design team will work with you to make sure your needs are being addressed down to every inch and dollar.

Call Paul Lawrenson at 630-944-3300 x207 or send us an email to get started.

Depending on the size of your fleet, it can cost tens of thousands of dollars to upfit your trucks, trailers or vans with storage units and interiors. You need to know that your upfit will suit exactly how your team works in the field. So how do you do that? Plan properly.

1. Know What You Need

The first step in planning for an upfit is identifying how and where your vehicles will be used.

“Think about weight requirements, equipment requirements, electrical and power needs, and the space and size of the vehicle,” says Paul Lawrenson, EZ STAK’s Director of Business Development. “If it’s going to be used in rural Illinois versus downtown New York, well then you have more space to work with.”  

Then it’s a good idea to meet with the people in the company who will actually use the vehicles. Since some may use those vehicles every day, those user groups will likely have the best idea of what’s needed. Plus, with that initial buy-in the likelihood of later displeasure is greatly reduced.

2. Find Your Upfitter

Though there are relatively few companies out there specializing in vehicle upfits, no two are exactly the same. And some will be more attuned to your needs than others.

“When you’re looking for an upfitter, what’s important is the stability of the company,” says Lawrenson. “Have they been around for a while? Have they done projects like yours? You want to make sure their business is sustainable and that they can handle large projects.”

Some can’t even handle the financial side, adds Lawrenson. Find out if that’s true with the upfitters you’re considering by speaking with their past customers. They should also be able to tell you about the quality of the products, warranties and service, and how the upfitter handled customization requirements and timeframes.

 3. Stay in Touch

If you’ve done your homework and found a capable company that’s designed an upfit that works for you, you should be good to go. But remember that the process from initial contact with an upfitter to fleet delivery is a long one. A year in some cases. Stay in touch to make sure you get exactly what you want.

Even after you’ve signed off on a design, it’s a good idea to make sure timelines are being met and that you get answers to new questions or ones not previously addressed.

Remember, too, that needs can change in a year. You may be able to make tweaks to a design in the early stages of the manufacturing process. Having open lines of communication makes this easier.

Photos of Vehicle Upfits 

EZ STAK may just be the upfitter that works for you. Visit ezstak.com or call us at 630-994-3300 to find out how we make upfitting your next vehicle EZ.

(Schaumburg, IL – October 19, 2017)

EZ STAK customers have always told us that they believe our products are the highest quality on the market. Now we are backing that up with lifetime warranties on most newly purchased products.

That means that when a customer makes a purchase, they can be assured that if they remain the original owner, EZ STAK will fix or replace the product for free if it ever becomes defective due to materials, workmanship or manufacturing. In short, as long they own the EZ STAK product, it is covered by our warranty.

“We’ve always talked about the fact that the quality of our products can’t be beat, but customers want proof, not just talk,” says Mike Lawrenson, EZ STAK’s president and CEO. “The lifetime warranty is just that. Our customers now know that we’ll stand behind our products for life.”

While the lifetime warranty will be particularly appealing to new customers, it will also be welcomed by those who know EZ STAK’s products well, says Paul Lawrenson, the company’s director of business development.

“Based on our customer surveys, we know our customers choose to return to us because they believe our storage solutions are best in class and stand the test of time. Now we’re backing up that level of confidence with the lifetime warranty.”

For the full details of the lifetime warranty, including what’s covered, what’s not and how to make a claim, click here: Full details of the new limited lifetime warranty.

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About EZ STAK

• Founded in 1998, EZ STAK is an industry-leading manufacturer of storage systems for work trucks, service bodies, vans and trailers.
• Its durable and lightweight aluminum products create organized, efficient and secure mobile workspaces.
• All products are made in North America.
• Customers include municipalities in the U.S. and Canada, as well as large corporations in the utility, telecom, cable, oil and gas, and construction industries.

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When picking a material for your vehicle’s storage units, there are typically two choices: aluminum or steel. For EZ STAK, though, it’s usually a no-brainer — aluminum wins, hands down. “This isn’t to say steel doesn’t have its perks (in fact, we sometimes use it),” says Paul Lawrenson, EZ STAK’s National Fleet Manager, “but we prefer aluminum over steel for three reasons: it doesn’t corrode, it’s lightweight and it’s durable.”

Reason 1: Aluminum Doesn’t Corrode

Aluminum’s biggest plus is that it doesn’t chip or rust, even after long, continual use or exposure to the elements. “And you don’t even need to treat or paint it to avoid that corrosion,” says Lawrenson. The reason: its surface is protected by a natural layer of aluminum oxide, which prevents the metal below from coming into contact with air and oxygen. With steel, however, you do need to paint it — especially if it’s being used in a moist, damp or abrasive environment — because it doesn’t have that protective layer.

Reason 2: Aluminum is Lighter than Steel

Another big advantage of using aluminum is that it’s up to 40 per cent lighter than steel. This is why aircraft are usually made from aluminum. It’s also why EZ STAK uses it: with lightweight aluminum drawers, cabinets, shelves and other storage products, your fuel costs are lower and your payload is lighter. “A lighter payload is especially important these days, because there’s a push for companies to go to smaller vehicles to fit in crowded urban centres,” says Lawrenson. “Plus, with lighter vehicles, special licenses aren’t needed for a company’s drivers.”

Reason 3: Aluminum is Durable

Just because aluminum is lighter than steel doesn’t mean it can’t take daily abuse. In fact, aluminum is more dent resistant and more resilient. When both are pushed to the same dimensional extremes, steel cracks before aluminum. “So when you combine aluminum’s durability and rust-resistant properties, it looks better than steel and lasts longer,” says Lawrenson. No wonder, then, our customers find EZ STAK’s aluminum storage units last, on average, 12-plus years.

Moral of the story: If you want a storage solution that last longer, reduces your costs and looks good, you better go with aluminum. Find one that works for you by checking out EZ STAK’s aluminum storage units.

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