Temporary solution: To buy or to hire?

Spaciotempo plans to invest £2m in more stock to meet growing demand for its temporary buildings. Although last year some 75% of the company's income came from the hire side, the company expects a more even split in 2013 between those who buy and those who h

Spaciotempo UK had already quadrupled its intended investment in new hire stock last year - from £500,000 to £2m - and plans to make the same investment again in anticipation of further demand, notably from the automotive sector, as well as from the manufacturing and retail industries.

The company enjoyed a record 2012, thanks to the high number of enquiries from firms who wanted to expand their premises but did not want to take on the financial burden of a new permanent building at a time of continuing economic uncertainty.

The majority of its orders came from existing customers. Scott Jameson, Spaciotempo's director of sales, said that 75% of the income came from the hire side of the business: "In other years, there has been a 50/50 split between companies who hire from us and those who buy from us, but the demand swung noticeably in favour of hiring last year.

"It's not hard to see why. Many companies found themselves running out of room as new orders came through the door, but didn't want the expense of going off-site or weren't quite ready or willing to invest in building new facilities.

"By hiring a temporary building, they gained enough breathing space to allow them to expand their operations at a time when business confidence was still brittle." Jameson added that the company also owed its success to the quality of its products - which conform to the relevant British Standard for wind and snow-loading - its product warranty and the fact that each installation is carried out by its own trained staff.

Although Spaciotempo's order book for 2013 already features many more companies looking to hire, Jameson believes this year should see the return to the traditional 50/50 split, with purchasing temporary buildings set to become a trend for 2013.

He said: "Businesses are catching onto the fact that modern temporary buildings perform just as well as permanent structures but cost just a fraction of the price.

"I would expect this thinking will play more of a part in 2013. We saw a lot of companies extending their hire periods last year, having initially taken them from us on a short term basis, but more and more companies will decide to buy, rather than rent, because of the long term potential and the cost-savings involved.

"Another advantage of temporary buildings is that they are quick to erect.

Companies will want to be able to react quickly in order to win work this year, so temporary buildings, plus our ability to offer fast turnaround times, means that we will be in the ideal position to meet their needs." Spaciotempo, which is due to launch a new product this year, also saw an increase in demand for its loading canopies in 2012, due to the bad weather.

And it saw a rise in orders for taller loading canopies, measuring 6m rather than the usual 4.8m, reflecting the increasingly widespread use of double-deck trailers.

Built on-site using an anodised aluminium frame with uPVC panel or steel cladding walls, Spaciotempo's buildings can be any size from 5m by 5m and can take as little as 48 hours to erect. Although classed as temporary, the buildings can be supplied as turnkey facilities with heating, lighting and flooring, and come with a 10 year warranty.

Spaciotempo is one of a small number of UK temporary building suppliers to manufacture products built to BS General Snow Loading BS6399 part 3 1988 General Wind loading BS6399 part 2 1997, meaning that its buildings are sturdy enough to last for many years.

It also manufactures and supplies retractable tunnels and has installed them at sporting venues, such as Manchester United's Old Trafford ground and Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, as well as other establishments, including several hospitals.

Spaciotempo will be exhibiting at IMHX 2013 at the NEC in Birmingham (19th to 22nd March).