Introducing the new Sortimo SR5 van racking system
I was up at the crack of dawn last Wednesday, excited to make the four hour drive up the M1 to Sortimo’s factory in Oldham; even if this meant getting up at 4.30am. The reason for my excitement? A day of product and installation training on Sortimo's long awaited SR5 van racking system.
The aim of the Sortimo SR5 system is quite simply to make the working environment – in this case your trades van – as organised and productive as possible.
The day kicked off with a presentation about how Sortimo is positioning itself in the marketplace and the reasons why the company has invested so heavily in developing the new SR5 range. In fact. they’ve invested millions in developing a new online portal which allows customers and dealers to custom design van racking online.
The new Sortimo SR5 van racking system
I learnt that when you opt for Sortimo SR5 van racking, you’re not just buying a highly engineered, top quality van racking system, you’re getting a workplace productivity methodology used by the very best companies in the world.
Sortimo has designed the SR5 system to be lighter, quicker to ship and easier to install. They’re also reducing their product range from 7000 to 3000 items in order to streamline their offering.
Imagine the impact of a perfectly organised van on the efficiency, not to mention the bottom line, of your trades business?
What’s the 5S methodology?
5S methodology was developed by Toyota in the 60s because the car manufacturer wanted to both increase productivity and create a better organised, tidier, and cleaner environment for its workers. Their 5S methodology is now widely used around the world in “just in time” manufacturing.
SR5 derives from five words:
整理 - Seiri meaning “Sort”
整頓) - Seiton meaning “Set In Order”
清掃) – Seisō meaning “Shine”
清潔) – Seiketsu meaning “Standardise”
躾 – Shitsuke meaning “Sustain”
(How impressed are you with our Japanese?!)
Whitebox custom van racking design
There’s no doubt the new online portal is brilliant. However what it can’t do is replace the knowledge and expertise of a van racking design expert.
This is why those of our customers who’ve tried out the new online portal and used it to configure an initial van racking design have come back to us, at no extra cost, for expert advice on how to configure their design to perfectly meet their needs.
Back to my visit
After a morning sitting in the classroom, I was itching to get into the workshop and learn how to assemble and install the SR5 system.
Working in a team, I removed racking from the demo van, stripped it down and re-assembled it to get a better understanding about the key features of the new system.
I was impressed by the extra strength in the shelves and the reduction in the number of components used. Without compromising quality or safety, the new system is significantly lighter, reducing weight load.
And I was thrilled to bits to get out of the office and to go behind the scenes of the installation centre and see some of the projects Sortimo were fitting out. Did you see this picture of a hydraulics van over on our Instagram feed?
Like this? Book a consultation call to discuss your van racking needs.