Right now, business is all about agility. None of us know how things are going to pan out over the next few months let alone years, so we have a continuing need to be light on our feet – responsive and innovative – in all areas of our business.
Just consider the current seismic shift in retail from ‘brick to click’ and the adaptation that is required all the way through the logistics chain.
And when you don’t know what the future holds it’s important that you can continue to evolve without being tied into expensive builds or inflexible leases. What is right for us today may not endure through even the short-term decisions we make – so minimum exposure and risk is absolutely crucial.
“We enjoy working with customers to find solutions to their building needs and that’s not just a throwaway comment, it’s actually what we do” explained Jamie Southam, part of the Smart-Space sales advisor team. “In fact, most of Smart-Space’s loading bays, canopies, tunnels and other structures were designed and installed as a result of changing circumstances or the need to develop an existing building to make it work better.”
Smart-Space customer Mitchell Powersystems found themselves with a building that no longer met their needs so they decided to extend the warehouse with a 20 x 25m open-ended loading bay.
This lightweight, permanent steel structure was also clad to match Mitchell’s existing building. The bay allows vehicles to be loaded and unloaded under cover, adds more outdoor storage and also releases space within the main facility for more efficient storage and stock management.
Mitchell’s logistics manager, Gene Laker, explained “One of our existing buildings met most of our needs, but lacked adequate space for orders to be collated and for sheltered vehicle access. Footings were already in place for an extension, but we feared that conventional construction would be costly, time consuming and highly disruptive.”
Smart-Space is made up of a strong mix of knowledgeable sales advisors backed by an impressive operations team who manage everything from risk assessment, feasibility, careful installation and ongoing maintenance. “We find ourselves regularly creating sensible, low-risk packages to suit the different needs of our customers, there’s no one size fits all – either in our sales team or operations” said Jamie.
“When I joined Smart-Space, I realised immediately this is a team of people who actually do what’s best for the customer, rather than what suits us. And that’s what I enjoy most about working in this team” said Jamie.
Comments are closed.