Another 'jewel in the Storage King crown' is their recently-opened Storage King Tingalpa facility. Mark Greig (Storage King QLD Operations Manager) joined Jason van Heerden (Store Manager, Storage King Tingalpa) to take StorMan Software's Ben and Andy on a guided tour of the new facility in late April.

"The first thing I noticed was how clean and well laid-out the facility was", commented Ben. StorMan's Design & Branding Manager, Andy, added "...Storage King Tingalpa sums up Storage King to a Tee - everywhere you look there is Storage King branding and colours. This is an excellent example of banding done right, and done well - not over the top, but enough to remember where you are."

A behind-the-scenes look at Storage King Tingalpa

On April 1st 2010, Storage King Tingalpa opened for business. This store, recently completed by Steel Storage Australasia, showcases all the latest design applications available in self storage.

As part of a sizeable land subdivision, just over an acre of land was set aside for the construction of a new 'State of the Art' Self Storage facility. With a footprint of 2,762m2 the design achieved well over 5,700m2 of net lettable space whilst providing over 120m2 of retail showroom, office and amenities and almost 80m2 of loading dock and hoist circulation area.

Extra wide corridors were designed in to allow for easy navigation of goods throughout the facility. To make the project feasible in these tough times it was necessary to construct a facility with storage on 3 individual levels. Cutting into the existing terrain to achieve the 3 levels ensured that the structure remained below the statutory height guidelines. The building was designed in house by Steel Storage’s own design team. This ensured that the facility was laid out in the most 'self storage' efficient format whilst drawing on the many years of knowledge and experience of the construction of self storage facilities.

The major part of the design brief was to ensure Energy Efficiency whilst dealing with the 'workability' of such a large facility. This was achieved by various methods. The ground floor level was encased in 'split block' to achieve not only an aesthetically pleasing finish but also to provide heightened insulation to the whole area. Further insulation and internal wall lining was applied to all other external wall surfaces to reduce radiant heat. Whilst large rotary vents along with foil backed insulation were installed in the roof, no translucent sheeting was used to ensure reduction of radiant heat and also eliminating the ongoing maintenance / replacement of brittle sheets in the future.

Strategic placement of awnings along with energy efficient glass and insulated rear walls ensured that the 'shopfront display' areas had little effect on the ambient temperature within the facility. Going to three levels took the class of building into another category under the Building Code and therefore an 'Alternate Design Solution' was proposed. This entailed the installation of a full sprinkler system along with smoke detection and extract all linked directly to the Local Fire Brigade.

Facility of the Month - Storage King Tingalpa

Following our visit, Andy caught up with Store Manager, Jason van Heerden to find out a little more about the new Storage King Tingalpa facility...

AP: Please tell us a little about the unit mix at Storage King Tingalpa...

JvH: We have 24 different size units in our complex - from lockers to 9x3m. There are also a few outside spaces for boats and caravans as we are close to the bay. We are also very privileged to be installing the Cubix shelving (Check out next month's eNews for a look at the Cubix system -Ed.) in a few of our units which will be great for all archive storage, but also for some tradies who will be able to utilise the shelving as they are on castors and can me moved in and out of the unit for easy access.

All our 6x3 units and above have internal lighting, which is great for trying to find that one box in the furthest corner. All our doors are made in England and were shipped out here specifically for our store. The vinyl roller doors are unique and very light weight. The hinge doors have a unique lock system that is flush with the door.

AP: Other than Self Storage, what other services do you provide?

JvH: While we specialise in self storage, but we also sell packaging for all house hold items. Even if you have a 50" plasma, we will be able to get the best box for you. With 9 different boxes available, I am sure we will find just the right one for anybody!

AP: Anything interesting about your area, or the building itself?

JvH: This storage facility is the largest and only one in this area. There is a huge demand for storage sheds close to the bay and our target market covers 120 square kilometres. We will also have more building work in our street (beginning in June) which will increase our exposure in the area.

AP: Any funny or interesting stories to tell?

JvH: We have a mannequin (called 'Ken') who has given a couple of our patrons a scare as they drive by at night on the way home. He does change positions within the display units and outfits for various seasonal ideas. This month he is storing his surf board as he doesn’t need it during the winter. Next month I think he has decided to be a builder. Check out the photos to the right or on the StorMan website for a look at what he's doing this month!

AP: What do you like about StorMan?

JvH: As I am new to StorMan I am slowly getting used to all its great features. We have utilised its features to coincide with our graphics display and flashes when a unit is open, or the alarm is going off because the unit has not been disarmed by the client. We have had a couple teething problems with some of our other software, but StorMan seems to be the only one that hasn’t broken down! It's a very consistent program.

AP: If there was one standout feature, what would you say it is?

JvH: The stand-out feature I think is that once you have used it a couple times, it becomes very user friendly and easy access to all client details in just a couple touches of the keyboard. I am also looking forward to the next version and extra features soon!

Many thanks to Mark Greig, Jason van Heerden and the team at Storage King Tingalpa for their time and input. Opening article republished with permission from Storage King head office.

If you'd like your facility to be featured as a Facility of the Month, please email andy@storman.com and request an information pack. This is a free service to StorMan clients.

Location: England, UK.
Mood: Enthusiastic and hopeful...

How do we know what’s right for us? Well, I don’t think we always do - sometimes this is only established through hindsight when the damage or hurt has already been done, or the lesson already has already been learnt. But sometimes we’re lucky enough to get a ‘feeling’ when it’s happening in the present.

My first encounter with StorMan was in October of 2008 when I was sent by Kennards Self Storage in New Zealand to do my management/user training. It was during this time with Aaron that I got ‘the feeling’, I didn’t know how or when or where, but I knew I wanted to work for StorMan. I didn’t say anything at the time because I was there for a reason, already on a path which I was going to follow through. Aaron said we’d got through way more than usual; I was soaking up the information like a sponge and loving every second of it. Maybe it was the subject matter, maybe it was Aarons teaching methods – personally I think it was the latter.

It’s so easy to feel enthused for something when the person introducing you to it is SO psyched about it. I am not sure how long StorMan has been StorMan for but I loved that Aaron was still so evangelical about the software and its future potential...

Continue reading Jodie's post online...