Worries over finances and increasing customer demands are the biggest challenges facing the materials handling industry, according to a survey we carried out at this year’s IMHX exhibition.
Just over a quarter of people taking part in our survey said that rising costs, banks refusing to lend money and ongoing economic uncertainty were their biggest concerns.
Behaviour of customers - including those who make increased demands and others failing to pay – was another major challenge, according to 13 per cent of people, along with health and safety legislation, competition from cheap overseas imports and a lack of storage space.
Other visitors said that a lack of skilled labour, handling issues and the struggle to keep up with technological advancements were significant worries.
We dealt with a steady stream of visitors during the show and Scott Jameson, Spaciotempo’s director of sales, said that he recognised many of the concerns from conversations with their own customers.
He said: “Our survey was designed as a snapshot of how the industry was feeling and it certainly uncovered plenty of perceived challenges.
“There were one or two unexpected replies, but the concerns over finance, low confidence in the economy and a lack of space are certainly challenges that we have heard customers speak about before.
“Indeed, we are currently experiencing record demand for our temporary buildings, simply because they are ideal for companies who want to grow but don’t want the heavy investment that comes with building new premises or seeking off-site storage at a time when the economic outlook remains uncertain.”
For more information visit us online.
www.spaciotempo.co.uk
