Filplastic, commercial storage & display experts, have recently run a campaign to discover how much time is wasted by tradespeople looking for tools through their vans.

168 tradespeople across the UK were surveyed to understand the frustrations they have on a daily basis.

How much time do tradespeople waste finding tools?

• No time wasted (5%)
• Under 5 minutes (6%)
• 5-15 Minutes (11%)
• 15-30 minutes (17%)
• 30 minutes to 1 hour (55%)
• More than an hour (6%)

When asked what they’d rather be doing with their time, 56% of tradespeople said they would rather be undertaking additional work. The second most favoured answer (27%) was finishing work earlier, with one tradesman working in the plumbing industry stating that he’d specifically like to spend more time with his young family rather than working until 8pm every night.

Managing Director at Filplastic, Paul Taylor, often hears stories from tradespeople who are frustrated about how messy their vans can easily become.

“There’s a lot of different tools, fixtures and fittings that tradespeople must store in their vans for every eventuality, but keeping everything tidy is difficult when you’re driving around or rummaging for the item you specifically require”.

With a tidy van, how much extra money could a tradesperson make?

According to the Office for National Statistics, individuals employed as a skilled tradesperson earn on average £498 per week. With the average working week being 38 hours, that means they could earn an additional £32 to £65 per week if they had a tidy van and saved between 30 minutes to an hour every day. This equates to an extra £1,572 to £3,145 per year.

What could be done to solve this?

Filpalstic are experts when it comes to providing storage solutions. They have a range of units specifically designed for use in vans. From their Tilt Bin Kits and van shelving to their cabinets and boxes, they have a space to keep all tradespeople’s necessary equipment.