With the expansion of warehousing in the UK continuing a pace, the Industrial Projects team at Hörmann UK are busier than ever, with 2021 seeing order books for industrial doors and loading systems at their highest level ever. Phil Thorpe, Industrial Projects Manager at Hörmann UK discusses the market and how the company have responded to what is an unprecedented growth in business.
There is no doubt that the last eighteen months have seen the considerable changes we have experienced in the warehousing and logistics market accelerated by both the global pandemic and Brexit. A recent report by Savills* on behalf of the UKWA shows a rise of 32% overall in the number of warehousing units since 2015 and a very definite trend toward bigger warehouses. The leading occupier groups are third party logistics operators and online retainers who have increased their warehouse occupancy by 614%.
With the incredible growth in online shopping and home delivery looking set to stay and expand, the demand for more fulfilment and distribution facilities will continue to grow to support this new normal.
Being part of a multi-national, privately owned group has placed Hörmann UK in a strong position to be able to withstand the numerous issues that have arisen. Our strong and successful long-term relationships with all of the major developers and contractors within the market have enabled us to collaborate closely with them to develop plans and procedures to ensure that we can assure the continuity of supply of both product and support. With the whole market experiencing lengthening lead times, our projects team have used their considerable expertise and knowledge of the market to forward plan and help pre-empt some of the issues being experienced.
Hörmann’s global manufacturing capability gives us access to a large pool of product availability. This coupled with the fact that we are an OEM and control the manufacturer of all of our products and are not reliant on third party manufacture for parts, places us in a strong position to get product into the market and help mitigate sudden surges in demand. From simple things like being able to call on additional warehousing to increase our stock holding, through to the placing of rolling stock orders for key products and components, Hörmann have been aware of the market forces, and have been ready and able to respond.
With Hörmann supplying a complete and integrated approach to each project – from initial consultation through to design, installation and long-term maintenance support, clients can be assured that they are receiving support which is second to none. Access to a large number of fitting teams, who have been trained by us, ensure our customers can be assured that their loading bay systems and doors will be installed by experts in their field and are ably supported by our team of service engineers.
The on-going service and maintenance of our products has always been a priority and a service and warrantee contract is included in every project. Our in-house service engineers are able to work closely with clients to provide up-to-date information and advice on how loading and door operations can be adapted to reduce the risk of downtime, accidents, or potential damage. If a certain type of fault is occurring often, our service engineers can work closely with clients and can draw on global experience to design and develop a bespoke solution. This is part of our commitment to building long term relationships with our customers throughout the whole lifetime of their logistics operation.
Whilst our service engineers are the visible face of the service operation they are supported by a whole team behind the scenes – a large department working to ensure that on-site operations are fully supported. The launch of our Training Academy in 2019 is part of our commitment to support the next generation of engineers through free first-class training and support.
There is no doubt that we will continue to experience challenges in the market, but Hörmann is in a unique position to be able to respond by knowing the market, being able to think and act creatively, whilst having the back up of a large, international group. Our strategy is not to be the cheapest in the market, but to be the ‘go to’ partner for all those involved in the warehousing and logistics industry.
*Savills UK | The size and make-up of the UK warehousing sector – 2021
For further information on Hörmann UK visit Hormann.co.uk or call 01530 516868
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