Upfit your service fleet to boost productivity

Much of the work Adrian Mechanical does is out of their service trucks and vans. “We don’t do much in the shop other than some fabrication work,” Carver explained. “We take our show on the road... So we need to keep everything organized and handy so that when the guy does get to the job site he can be efficient at getting all the tools he needs and getting the job completed.”

Steve Spaulding

May 14, 2018

3 min read

Adrian Mechanical; Trucks; Best Practices — A well-organized truck makes for more efficient service techs.

ADRIAN, MI – Adrian Mechanical has been in business since 1988. They are a full-service mechanical and industrial piping contractor working in a 60- to 80-mile radius from its company headquarters, serving customers in southern Michigan.

About 70 percent of their business is new construction or retrofit, with the remaining 30 percent in service and repair. The service/repair side of the business is mainly the result of extended contracts on their commercial work; make a customer and keep them for life, is a strong tenant of the company.

With its fleet of about 25 vehicles, Adrian Mechanical punches well above its weight class. “We’re a small company,” President Todd Carver said, “but we take care of some pretty big customers. We take care of Cabela’s, for example.”

And much of the work they do is out of their service trucks and vans. “We don’t do much in the shop other than some fabrication work,” Carver explained. “We take our show on the road... So we need to keep everything organized and handy so that when the guy does get to the job site he can be efficient at getting all the tools he needs and getting the job completed.”

So, for the sake of efficiency and productivity the company has for decades done business with another company located in and named for their home town: Adrian Steel, a manufacturer of upfts for commercial and service vehicles. “Every one of our service vehicles has the Adrian Steel upfit,” Carver said. That package always includes the ladder rack. “It’s not a question, it’s one of the first things we do when we purchase a new vehicle.”

Adrian Steel had its start in 1953 as a structural steel warehouse with just four employees. Today they are one of the leaders in the truck and van equipment industry with a manufacturing facility that measures 166,900 sq. ft.

Adrian Mechanical has standardized across their operation using Adrian Steel’s HVAC upfit package for their vehicles, whether the vehicle in question will be doing HVAC or plumbing work. The only difference is how the vehicles are stocked.

Www Contractormag Com Sites Contractormag com Files Ctr805 Img 0028 Final

“Uniformity is, I think, one of the biggest time-savers we see,” Carver said. “The guys know where everything is in their van. There’s not stuff piled on top of boxes and boxes like we sometimes see from competitors. I look in the back of trucks like that and I wonder how do they ever find anything in there?” Since every truck has the same set-up, technicians can go from one truck to another without needing to re-learn where everything is.

That same uniformity also helps with inventory, as well as restocking the vehicles at the end of the day. Service techs spend less time at the supply bins and more time out on jobs.

‘Uniformity is, I think, one of the biggest time-savers we see.’

Adrian Mechanical may have first come to Adrian Steel simply on account of proximity (in fact, years ago, techs from Adrian Mechanical would drive out to Adrian Steel to preview new products and give feedback). But Adrian Mechanical has remained a loyal customer all these decades because of the quality of Adrian Steel’s products and their high level of customer service.

In addition to the customer care team at their company headquarters, Adrian Steel has over 200 distributors nation-wide where potential customers can walk in to talk about how Adrian Steel can deliver solutions tailored to their specific business needs. They can also get hands-on experience with the company’s packages and accessories to see if what the company offers will work for them.

About the Author

Steve Spaulding

Editor-in-Chief - CONTRACTOR

Steve Spaulding is Editor-in-Chief for CONTRACTOR Magazine. He has been with the magazine since 1996, and has contributed to Radiant Living, NATE Magazine, and other Endeavor Media properties.