“Also, on the sides, because there is a curvature to the van, you are limited to the thickness you can go to and 6mm is probably the thickest we can use.”

In 18 months, Tremaine says he will be using the 6mm recycled plastic on his floors instead of the 9mm or 12mm plywood. Getting the colour for the 2.5mm wall and door panels will take longer, he says.

Racking options expanding for vans

Given the changes in the ply-lining market, Demar’s Edwards says the company is concentrating a lot of its efforts in internal storage, an area it has grown in the past three years, despite similar price pressures.

“The market for racking systems is also becoming a lot more budget-orientated,” says Edwards, whose company offers steel and timber racks and shelves for a range of vans from the Citroën Nemo to the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.

“A lot of the products we used to sell were probably double the price of the items we sell now – albeit they were a higher quality product and better engineered.”

Edwards says Demar regularly used to sell kits worth £1,300-£1,400, but customers now commonly spend £500-£600.

“For a fraction of the cost, customers can still get a good product for their vehicle,” he continues. “If sliding shelves are not specified as essential, customers can end up saving a lot.

"It’s not that our volume of orders have altered, but the products are more on the budget end of the market.”

Edwards says there is an even split between steel and wood racking.

“The steel saves you money and ours is competitively priced and aimed at the budget market. But you save an additional 20-30% with timber units – which offer the added advantage of sound deadening, which is a bonus for many consumers,” he says.

At AVL, Byatt says there is still a clear distinction between the type of customers interested in off-the-shelf timber constructions and bespoke steel racking options.

“Owner-drivers and small operators still prefer the plywood, which they can have tailored to their own specific requirements. However, the larger fleet companies seem to be moving towards metal racking systems,” he says.

“These come with a three-year guarantee, and in an ideal world they will last the lifetime of three vehicles on the fleet. Customers realise that they are a lot more expensive to buy at the outset, but in the long term, make a lot of financial sense.”

The bespoke options at AVL often involve a variety of materials, depending on the specification. Because the customer has specific requirements, this can mean finding innovative storage solutions, adds Byatt.