Growth needn't cost the earth
April 1st 2007

Aluminum framed temporary buildings are now an established solution in the UK for additional on-site storage, warehousing or operational facilities. But according to Spaciotempo's Kathy Jones, firms that have never used them don't realise the business benefits they're missing

Although these buildings are available for hire or purchase, the benefits only truly kick-in when a hire contract is chosen. The key benefits of hiring a temporary building are cost savings and the ability to capitalise on growth opportunities, outlined in turn below: Cost savings You control the purse strings: Choosing to hire a temporary building will enable you take full control of how much you spend and when you spend by tailoring the hire term to precisely match requirements.

Match the solution to existing volume of business: The space hired can exactly match existing volume of business as opposed to purchasing a solution your business needs to grow into, creating unused space that pushes up running costs.

Save on business rates: When the hire contract is relatively short, savings can be made on low or even exempt business rates.

No large capital outlay: The large capital outlay associated with purchase will hit the business year after year. This is okay if business is good, but will have a negative impact if you suffer a poor year due to unforeseen circumstances and environmental forces. Choosing to hire a temporary building will give you the choice of retaining or eliminating these costs depending on volume of business.

When it comes to actual building costs the hire option obviously scores, saving immensely on labour, materials, foundations, site services, architectural services, running and maintenance costs.

Generate value from unused space: Offsite warehousing or storage is often the solution people still think of. If you have space on site why not generate some value from it, not to mention freeing up those additional overheads such as security, transport and communication costs associated with off-site leasing.

Aluminium V steel: The use of an aluminium frame creates far more flexibility than a steel frame, again leading to cost savings. Aluminium frames can be anchored to any hard surface so no foundations need to be laid. Additionally, the frames can be quickly and cheaply transported and installed due to the lightweight components. By contrast, the frames are remarkably durable and carry the same wind and snow loadings to a permanent structure.

Growth opportunities Retain and increase customers: Customers, particularly loyalty customers, are the lifeline of any company. To keep these valued customers happy and loyal, demand needs to be met at all times even when space has run out for the additional stock needed. Hiring a temporary building can ensure no competitor benefits from an unforeseen short-fall, as response and installation times can be literally days.

Relocate to different sites: For multi-sited companies carrying out large projects throughout different geographical divisions, buildings can be easily relocated from site to site in line with project requirements. This has proved particularly beneficial when retail groups have been refurbishing stores on a rolling basis.

Rebuild, refurb and improve: When the location is established and right, but the facilities need an overhaul the main concern of any large improvement project is how will production or trade continue during the work? More importantly, how we will retain customers? By utilising a temporary building, the answer becomes so simple and a critical success factor to your project.

Try before you buy: No-one can predict the future. Even the most concentrated research can't prepare for all eventualities.

Choosing to hire a temporary building for new strategies and product development will allow for human errors of judgement and fast changing markets.

Capitalise on high demand: High demand? Fantastic! Or is it? What if you have to let it pass by as you don't have the additional space required to capitalise on such opportunities? When demand rockets unpredictably, how good would it be to have additional facilities simply dropped onto site within days and then removed when you no longer need them? Bulmers cider experienced this last summer with its export cider brand, Magners. World Cup mania and the long hot summer coupled with a tantalising promotional campaign saw demand go through the roof – and Bulmers quickly needed an extra 7,500 sq m of warehousing at its Tipperary premises to cope.

This is the reality of hiring temporary aluminium framed buildings, enabling you to capitalise on business opportunities quickly, efficiently, profitably and before competitors.

Spaciotempo (formerly TempAstor) provides buildings from 5m to 40m wide, 3m to 8m high and any length in multiples of 5m. With the ability to design, engineer and manufacture, the company can deliver bespoke solutions throughout Europe.

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