Racking specialist Tevo, as it was known until recently, won our first reader-voted Converter Award back in 2015, and in 2019 it recaptured the prestigious prize.
The reader-voted aspect of the category is important for Andy Gear, sales and marketing director of the firm.
“Winning this award is of the utmost importance to Tevo,” says Gear. “It is an acknowledgement from our customers that we consistently deliver quality, innovation and customer service, making engaging with Tevo an all-round good customer experience.
“It is gratifying we have been nominated every year since its inauguration and have now won the award twice. It confirms that as a business we are heading in the right direction and need to keep up the hard work to be the first to get a hat-trick.”
Gear says the firm will focus on marketing the accolade internally as well as letting customers know about it. He says the What Van? Awards logo will be added to marketing material distributed throughout the year.
On 1 April Tevo changed its name to Modul-System, so what was the thinking behind the decision?
“As many of our customers and partners will be aware, Tevo Limited has been part of the Modul-System group for over 10 years. We feel the time is now right to align our company name with the Modul-System brand,” explains Gear.
Based in Sweden, the Modul-System group is one of the largest racking and CV accessory manufacturers in Europe, with a presence that extends worldwide.
Gear adds: “The majority of products we offer are our own manufactured products as part of the Modul-System group, therefore branding under the name of Modul-System will bring continuity to our UK and European subsidiaries and the connection with the product.”
In the UK the biggest customers have historically come from the utility sector and Gear affirms these fleets continue to hold a significant position in the portfolio.
But more recently the group has seen consistent growth from leasing companies, small businesses, sole traders and logistics providers.
Gear claims Modul-Systems is continuing to grow its market share in all areas of LCV applications.
“We have a hugely diverse range of customers and continue to develop our product range to meet the operational needs of all market sectors,” says Gear. “This includes sole traders with a one-off vehicle requirement up to large multinational fleets who are ordering many hundreds of vehicles at a time. Regardless of the fleet size or application, we supply the same quality products and level of service to support the end-user.”
Modul-System produces storage equipment that can be adapted to all shapes and sizes of light commercials as well as workshops.
As Gear explains: “Our product range is modular with many applications, which means it’s suitable for all LCVs, workshops and even static containers. We believe we provide the most diverse product range in the marketplace, combining quality, flexibility and innovation in the working environment.”
While he claims demand for the whole product range is growing, Gear says the ability to provide a total solution, ensuring an end-to-end service to the customer while delivering whole-life-cost effective products and services is vital to the firm’s success.
Inside the company workshop
(Continued from previous page) Tevo, as it was, has long forged a path for itself as a pioneer producer of lightweight storage systems for LCVs that are tough and durable but also make it easier for the operator to remain within the vehicle’s payload limits. An example is its Modul-Floor system, which provides an alternative to ply-lining cargo bays. The floor material, a sandwich construction with high-friction aluminium plates surrounding a lightweight core, is joined together with glue and was a new innovation in the industry, similar in design to the click-lock floor systems commonly used in offices and homes.
The company’s philosophy is to help operators make the most of the space in their vans to save time and therefore money. Suitable interior storage makes journeys far more efficient and with goods and equipment safely stowed, accidental damage in transit is avoided.
The lightweight kit is particularly suited to electric vans, where payload is already compromised by the weight of the battery. With no drilling required to the LCV’s bodywork in the installation of Modul-System’s storage units, the vehicle’s warranty is protected too.
“Our lightweight and no-drill solutions were designed with the conversion requirement of EVs in mind,” says Gear. “And when combined with our lightweight flooring, racking and electrical systems, maximise payload where every kilogramme impacts the operational efficiency and range of the vehicle.”
According to Gear, the racking manufacturer has been focusing on electric LCV conversions for several years as demand has increased with technological advances and changes to customers’ operational and environmental requirements.
“The interest in this area is growing at a rapid pace,” he acknowledges.
“To meet these requirements we continue to develop our electric LCV solutions and to focus on bringing new and value-added products to this market. We will be exhibiting a range of these at this year’s CV Show.”
In a somewhat unexpected move about a year and a half ago, the company launched a smartphone-based fleet management app, Modul-Fleet. Gear explains the rationale behind the decision: “With the introduction of connected vehicles and more vehicle-based technology being available on LCVs, we felt this was an area where we could bring some new ideas and innovation. This has been an ongoing journey and we should in the very near future be in a position to introduce a number of new ideas to the market which will support fleet managers and their fleet operations on a daily basis.”
As a business reliant on a supply chain coming to the UK from continental Europe, Modul-System is hoping for a trade-friendly outcome to Brexit.
“We are hoping for a solution that will best serve the interests of all fleet operators, converters and businesses in the UK,” says Gear.
So what would be the impact of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit?
“We think that as with all UK- and European-based businesses a no-deal result will have an effect on our businesses, and when the facts are known we will work with all of our partners to ensure that any impact is minimalised,” replies Gear.
Meanwhile, there are still a lot of vans out there carting goods around in load bays not fitted with storage systems, which is bad for safety and efficiency, not to mention the operator’s reputation.
Gear says Modul-System works tirelessly to explain to potential customers the benefit of using its modern and efficient racking solutions.
“We work hard to communicate and demonstrate the risk of not securing loads in cargo areas and the impact this can have on the driver, passengers and other road users,” he stresses, “while…sharing the benefits of the efficiencies that can be gained from having a well-organised load compartment, which reduces time in searching for tools, and improving profitability while providing an enhanced working environment.”
