Plywood van flooring and interiors by Bott

From its origins as a mechanical workshop in Gaildorf, Germany, the Bott Group has grown into an international manufacturer of service vehicle equipment, workshop equipment and workstation systems. As part of their modern racking solutions for commercial vehicles, Bott relies on Metsä Wood birch plywood in their flooring for vans. It is all about smartly planned shelves, cupboards and boxes for storing tools and equipment to make work easy. Tailor-made panels live up to the high industrial durability expectations of Bott customers, whose vehicles operate everywhere from construction sites to factory areas.

Tailor-made flooring panels

When it comes to service vehicles, Bott offers tailored racking systems for flatbed and box vans for customers working in facilities management and carpentry, for example. Some of Bott’s customers have a couple of vehicles and others a fleet of hundreds.

Metsä Wood plays an important role in the racking systems as most of the vans at Bott get plywood flooring. It is a massive amount as Bott equips 50,000 vans per year.

Birch Ply Deck is a perfect product for Bott, because the lightweight panels have been tailored to their needs. Both colour and size are tailored and this is perfect for production. Also, the thickness used is ideal. Bott uses 12 mm thick plywood panels measuring 1525 × 1830 mm or 1220 × 1830 mm.

Bott mills and reshapes birch plywood panels into 2 to 4 parts depending on the van and adds aluminium edge protection, lashing rails or floor vent to them.

Van Flooring

Production is easy as the panels are strong and there is no variation in thickness,” says Marcel Wurst, Product Manager at Bott.

Bott sends the birch plywood parts to a certified Bott partner, who glues and fixes the parts together with special screws and parts. Most importantly, every van or van fleet always gets a uniquely designed racking system and floor.

Deck panels used by Bott are also known for their tailored grey colour. The decks can be bought either in a special colour or standard colours, including dark brown, black and green. “The grey colour matches our van racking components. Grey is less sensitive and more resistant to dirt and physical impacts from heavy use,” says Wurst.

High-wear resistance for tough working conditions

The vehicles Bott equips with plywood flooring face hard conditions daily from construction sites to roads. The flooring is regularly subjected to dirt, sand and stones.

Keeping this in mind, deck flooring panels are ideal. The phenolic film coated and mesh-patterned panel surface is extremely durable and stiff. The surface is also highly resistant to rolling wear and abrasion and endures common chemicals and other liquids.

“The flooring is so robust that a craftsman can even leave his equipment on the floor on hot days, which facilitates work. No marks are left on the surface and it stays in good condition,” says Wurst.

Safety is also high on Bott’s agenda. A high slip-proof value, R12, guarantees that the panel surface protects craftsmen from slipping even when the floor is wet. The surface can also be easily cleaned with water or steam.

“We are happy with our cooperation with Metsä Wood. We get the panels in time and are satisfied with their consistent quality. Our goal is to deliver the best panels available on the market to our clients. The specifically tailored Birch Ply Deck panels combine a high level of durability and safety,” says Wurst