Flexible Warehousing Is The Way Forward For Wickes

In this modern, ‘I want it now’ culture, the challenges for Logistics Managers are coming in thick and fast. When faced with the issue of having to manage demand exactly when and where required to meet consumer seasonal peaks and trends, an adaptable approach is critical.

One of the solutions is an `Elastic Warehouse` model, which allows the flexibility to bend, grow or shrink in line with the demands of the supply chain at a moment’s notice, all within the parameters of the industrial site.

Temporary warehouse buildings offer a flexible and robust alternative to traditional warehouses.  They can be mounted to existing walls or stand alone, but, thanks to the quick installation timings, they can be operational in a matter of weeks.  This makes them the ideal solution for seasonal fluctuations in business or to provide a short-term solution during a transitional phase of a business’ life cycle.

However, it’s worth remembering that temporary warehouse buildings are only temporary by name.  CopriSystems’ structures are highly durable and built to last.

Just ask Wickes.  They have been a client for over 20 years and have ordered several structures for multiple sites across the UK during that time.  Some have been rented as a quick-fix for a finite length of time.  Some have been built as a permanent fixture on site.  Some have been intended as a short-term solution and ended up becoming part of a long-term operations strategy.  They have all been built using the highest quality materials so the buildings rented on a short-term basis could be re-purposed and re-used on another industrial site when they came to the end of their lease.

Just as the desired life-span of each building has been different, so has the usage, which just goes to demonstrate the versatility of a temporary warehouse building – from storing surplus goods and covering vehicles for dry/safe loading and unloading, to providing a safe environment for customer order fulfilment and currently, a new structure is being built to dry materials that can subsequently be recycled.

The buildings can adapt and there is continuous inconsistency in how they are utilised.  However, what is consistent is Wickes’ building specification that every structure needs to increase efficiency and improve standards.  The fact that we have now installed almost 10 warehouse structures for them at various locations, and all of various dimensions and designs, suggests that they are indeed working efficiently to improve operations.

At their site on Bracknell Industrial Estate, we are adding an 8th canopy to the side of the main warehouse, which begs the question…..if Wickes are continuing to grow their footprint, why not just move into a bigger unit?  The reality is that there have been so many ups and downs in recent years.  Many businesses are not prepared to take the risk.  With traditional bricks and mortar, there is less room for flexibility, not just in terms of usage and available space.  A five-year lease is not long on a traditional build but there are not many companies that have the money to commit to those timescales or the certainty that they can fix themselves to one specific location and size of building.

A temporary warehouse mitigates the risk.  A temporary warehouse offers the flexibility required.  This is all great, but even greater is the knowledge that a temporary warehouse need not be temporary at all!