Pimp your ride By Tanya Olckers Getting the right branding and customisation for your vehicle is important for your business .
BUSINESS AND TRAINING
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
Pimp your ride By Tanya Olckers Getting the right branding and customisation for your vehicle is important for your business .
At Custom Mobile Converters in Boksburg , Gauteng , there is a great deal of activity . Customised vans are being prepared to head off to their owners in Mozambique . Three Mercedes Benz vans that are no more than shells , are waiting to be transformed into ambulances that will also be making their way to another African country once they are done .
“ We ’ ve also done HVAC and refrigerated vehicles ,” says Willie Roets , owner of Custom Mobile Converters as he shows off the latest custom build he ’ s done : a mobile office , complete with aircon , fridge , microwave and storage space .
Roets , who originally started out his career as a paramedic , has been working on custom vehicles for the past 20 years . “ Customisation , first and foremost , needs to be done according to the legal specifications ,” he says .
Vossie Barnard of Vestronox is also busy preparing vehicles for customisation . “ Most people do their own customisation ,” he says , “ But , it really is better to get a professional to do the customisation for you .”
Both Roets and Barnard point out the value of having vehicles customised by professionals . For one thing , they know precisely how to design and plan for the right kind of shelving , rigging , tools and additional equipment that will be needed for the busy contractor . The client gets to have their input on the customisation as well , because ultimately , the equipment , layout and accessibility has to suit the needs of the technician using the vehicle .
Contractors ’ technicians typically drive around with a large amount of equipment
Image supplied by Vestronox
No tools being converted to flying projectiles . Wrap vehicle branding ensures you get noticed .
and tools . What ’ s more , there are those days when a condenser , insulation rolls , pipes , fans and ducts that need to be accommodated . All of that has to go somewhere , and simply piling everything into the back of a bakkie or panel van in a haphazard way is not going to save the contractor time nor make his or her job any easier if they have to dig around for that one wrench , valve or nozzle .
However , there are a number of contractor vehicles out on the road that resemble a crazed jumble sale . Refrigeration and HVAC maintenance is a mobile business , and time is money . Even just fitting a set of drawers and shelves can go a long way to getting more
Image supplied by Wrap-My-Ride organised , which will make your business more efficient and could translate to repeat business and more clients .
“ Customisation is more than just putting a canopy on a bakkie ,” says Barnard . “ You ’ ve got to take into account what the vehicle is being used for and what ’ s best for the company and the worker . You ’ ve also got to look at the client ’ s budget so that you can guide him to what would work best for his business according to what he can afford .
“ I always get a new client to bring at least one person who will be working in the vehicle along to design and planning meetings ,” says Roets , who has kitted
out mobile kitchens , offices , ambulances and police vehicles . “ Sometimes , what management thinks will work best for the guy doing the job isn ’ t necessarily what will actually work best in the field .”
Getting a basic idea of the needs of the contractor is a great start – whether focused on installation or maintenance . Drawers and shelving may cost a little more for the customisation , but knowing exactly where things are cuts down both time and frustration . It ’ s also helpful to see precisely what stock you have and when you will need to stock up on disposables or other items , which means fewer emergency runs
20 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za COLD LINK AFRICA • October 2024