Racking in a Ducato, customised for a plumbing service by Syncro New Zealand

Auckland. If you are a plumber and you are reading this news, most likely you own a van and are looking for a racking system to make your work easier. Racking can provide storage for your tools, spares and materials and serve as a mobile workshop whenever you need to make minor repairs or adjustments away from your base. This page illustrates a racking system custom-made for a plumber, designed and installed by Syncro System in New Zealand. In over twenty years of business, the Syncro Group has helped thousands of plumbers work more efficiently and can guarantee complete satisfaction in all cases!

Why a plumber needs a racking system

Plumbing is an ancient trade. It’s been around since clean and drinking water was first brought into the home and dirty water was drained away. Over the years, the profession has become more and more complex and multifaceted, but one aspect has never changed: the need to do most work on site. Plumbers are involved in the construction of new buildings, in refurbishing projects, in the installation of new systems and in the extension and repair of existing ones, and all these tasks have to be done away from base, on construction sites or inside buildings. That is why plumbers need properly equipped vans to get around and to carry all the tools, equipment and spares they might need in a day’s work. A plain van really isn’t good enough: just piling everything on to the van’s floor would mean wasting a lot of time searching for things on site, and time, as they say, is money. Things would shift around, get mixed up, broken or lost. So let’s have a look at the tremendous advantages that a van with custom racking for a plumber offers in terms of tidiness and functionality.  

Liners and storage modules, all made to measure

These photos illustrate a Ducato with custom racking for a plumber, with cabinets along both side walls and a Syncro roof rack.

The first phase in any racking installation consists of lining part or all of the van’s interior. In this particular case, a plywood liner with a non-slip surface has been installed to protect the floor. Moving on to the storage as such, the left side wall is fitted with two columns of racking supported by two wheel arch cabinets, one open with a tool case retaining system and one closed for storing cargo. Above these is a set of metal drawers of different heights, all with non-slip rubber mats and metal space dividers and two shelves, the bottom one open and the top one with holders for removable polypropylene trays. The racking on the right side wall includes a wheel arch cabinet, drawers and a shelf. One of the drawers contains a plywood writing board, perfect for doing accounts, making out bills and preparing drawings.

The difference is in the details: accessories and roof rack

The installation includes some very useful accessories too. At the back of the left side racking is a paper roll holder while the right side racking incorporates a pull-out bench complete with metal vice. When not in use, this can be “hidden” between two drawer cabinets. When needed, all you have to do is release the locking knob and pull the bench out to obtain a generous and safe surface for working on. The bulkhead behind the cab is fitted with two multi-purpose hooks that can be used in conjunction with a metal cargo bar to secure panels, pipes, ladders and other bulky items. A roof rack provides valuable additional carrying capacity for our plumber, who uses it to transport long pipes, ladders and the like.