DIY booths – self-made means greater control
SELF-ERECTED BOOTHS are becoming more prominent with spray painters in remote areas and those with limited capital looking to reduce the costs of establishing or expanding their shops.
“We’re finding more and more that operators want to erect their own booths rather than pay us for the privilege - it has a dual effect in that they keep their costs of installation down AND understand much more about the operation of the booth” says Craig Easton, business development manager of Complete Spray Booth Services. That understanding
translates into savings with owner/operators able to maintain and faultfind their booths without costly call-out fees.
Regional and remote location operators are reaping big dividends by saving on ‘fly-in, fly-out’ labour costs.
“Accommodation, living away from home allowance, meals, travel expenses and travel time all factor into the erection cost of a booth. If an operator has the ability to erect the booth themselves, then they can significantly cut down on the price of the booth,” Easton says.
“As well as that, it reduces the pressure of installation with many companies charging ‘extras’ for delays at the cost of the customer. With DIY booth construction the owner sets the pace of installation.”
Easton says the proof is in the pudding. “We would sell four self-erect PACE Airflow booths for every one we go and put up. It’s a much simpler process for start-ups to get their business running and it’s better than a second-hand booth, where there’s no warranty - once you’ve bought it, it’s too late.”
But DIY can’t be taken too far as there are a significant number of rules and guidelines about the design of a spray-paint booth. “People shouldn’t get confused - these booths are designed and made to meet Australian Standards. Unless you deviate significantly from the installation procedure, you’ll have a booth that meets OHS&W requirements.
This doesn’t mean that anyone can design and fabricate a booth themselves, without understanding Australian Standards you run the risk of creating a booth that is not only non-compliant, but potentially deadly.”
DIY is a popular trend within the crash repair industry, reducing start-up or expansion expenditure. These cost-effective solutions combine well when put together with the low cost of the kit-form spray/bake booths.
“All of our components are designed with cost in mind - basic items such as lights and sheet metal components come from low-labour cost companies, whereas high-value items come from countries where there is a great deal of mechanisation. So it’s the best of both worlds - low cost, high quality.
“The great thing for us is that it’s a self-perpetuating cycle - low cost booths mean more people are expanding or getting into the trade. As more people come in, others are updating or expanding to get a competitive advantage over their rivals. All the time, we’re selling more booths. It’s also opening up other markets as people outside of the crash repair industry - such as furniture makers - are purchasing booths where previously they may have had just a simple extraction unit.”