8 Benefits of Warehouse Storage Tents for Every Industry

Every business needs space for one reason or another, but space isn’t always available or easy to come by, let alone affordable. Traditional brick-and-mortar buildings can get the job done, but they come with many limitations, and renting one can quickly become just as expensive as buying and owning. This can put many businesses in a bind, desperate to find an affordable solution that meets their specific needs without making many concessions and budget changes. If you’re looking for a structure that will meet the specific needs of your business, warehouse storage tents can benefit virtually every industry. Read on to learn about the benefits these structures can offer.

Suit Your Needs

Don’t let the name fool you—warehouse storage tents are useful for much more than just storage. In fact, a wide variety of industries—such as construction, aviation, marine, aerospace, and more—utilize these structures. How, you might ask? Industries outfit these fabric structures with a selection of accessories to store products, house machinery, and keep staff comfortable.

You can outfit your warehouse storage tent with customized flooring, lighting, heating, solar, HVAC systems, and insulation, making it an incredibly flexible and versatile building choice. You can also rest assured that trained professionals will take care of the construction, electrical wiring, and engineering, so your structure meets the specifications of your state’s building codes.

Experience Fast and Efficient Construction

Warehouse storage tents are perfect solutions for businesses that need a facility quickly. These structures have minimal components—just a fabric membrane and metal framework—which makes the construction process very fast. Installers can erect smaller structures in as little as a few hours, and larger, more complex structures in around three days. In contrast, a typical brick-and-mortar building can take months to customize and complete, costing much more than the average fabric structure. Additionally, you can secure storage tents to various foundations, such as dirt, wood, asphalt, gravel, and concrete.

Secure Jobsite, Products, and Equipment

No matter what you need a fabric structure for, whatever is inside that building costs you money, and keeping it protected is of the utmost importance. Whether protecting a jobsite, housing expensive materials or products, or storing valuable equipment, you deserve the security and peace of mind a building can bring.

Some people worry that fabric buildings are easy to tear and break into, making security questionable. However, the fabric of these structures is incredibly durable and tear resistant. Also, warehouse storage tents can support hydraulic-powered or winch-mobilized doors, so you get all the protection of a traditional building for less cost.

Protect Valuables From Inclement Weather

In the same way that your fabric structure can protect your items from thieves, it can protect your valuables from inclement weather. Professionals design and engineer warehouse storage tents to withstand the average local building loads, such as snow, wind, and seismic loads. The fabric membrane also blocks 99.95 percent of UVA and UVB radiation. So if snow and rain aren’t your worries, you can still rest assured the sun’s harsh rays won’t damage your equipment. Furthermore, the military uses this rip-resistant fabric to shelter planes and helicopters from storms and damaging winds, so you know it’s built to withstand even the toughest conditions.

Get Convenient On-Site Storage

Every business owner knows the classic saying that time is money, and the sentiment is true. When you must store excess inventory, machinery, or tools in an off-site storage facility, it slows down operations. It takes considerable time to access, load, and deliver what you need to the main site. The more time it takes to get what you and your staff need, the longer it takes to get jobs done. That means more wasted time and resources, which adds up over time. A fabric storage tent completely removes these obstacles and allows you to have on-site storage and access to whatever equipment, materials, or machinery you need.

Keep Money in Your Wallet

One of the major advantages of using a fabric storage structure as opposed to a traditional brick-and-mortar building is how much money it can save you. The cost of materials only seems to be rising, but fabric structures use minimal and affordable materials, making them cheaper to construct. Plus, with how little time it takes to erect these structures, you cut down significantly on labor costs. Additionally, fabric structures can be open-air, and the PVC vinyl blocks UV rays while allowing natural sunlight to flood the area. This cuts down on how much you have to use your lights and HVAC system, so you save a significant amount on energy bills.

Use Space Your Way

If you don’t have full say in the design of your brick-and-mortar building, you’ll probably have trouble utilizing the space the way you need to. A break room that’s too large for your staff can eat up your storage space, or the storage room can take up too much of your processing area. When using a fabric storage tent as your main facility, you can choose how you want to use your space and where you want things to go. It’s as easy as setting up dividers, partial walls, or putting down spray-painted division lines to utilize your space your way.

Have It Go Where You Go

Lastly, you can relocate your storage tent to your next jobsite. Say you need to crane lift your structure to another area of the property. You can add attachment points to the structure to easily hoist it to another location. Alternatively, if you need to move it to an entirely separate location, you can disassemble it or even store it for later use. Your fabric structure goes where you go, so you never have to worry about not having the right facility ever again.

Now that you know how a warehouse storage tent can benefit your industry, what’s stopping you and your business from reaping the rewards? Here at Big Top Manufacturing, we have permanent tent structures for sale that you can fully customize and outfit with whatever you need to keep your business going. If you have any questions or concerns regarding pricing, sizing, or customization, contact us today! We’re happy to work with you and find a solution that meets the needs, demands, and requirements of your industry, all while staying within your budget.

Why Fabric Buildings are Ideal for Military and Government Use

Fabric buildings, or temporary shelters, are ideal for military and government use due to their versatility, portability, and durability. Fabric buildings can provide a number of solutions for the needs of the military and government, including storage, training, and protection. They are easy to install and require minimal maintenance, making them an ideal option for a variety of projects. In this blog post, we will discuss why fabric buildings are the best choice for military and government use.

They’re Relocatable

Fabric buildings are an ideal choice for military and government use because they are incredibly easy to relocate. Many military bases move from place to place, so a fabric building can be quickly taken down and put up elsewhere in a fraction of the time that it would take to build a traditional brick and mortar structure. Fabric buildings also provide versatility in design, making them perfect for sunshades, aircraft hangars, and other coverall buildings. Additionally, fabric buildings can be easily modified to fit your unique needs, such as increasing the size or adding additional features. With fabric buildings, you’ll have a quick, easy, and affordable solution to your military or government needs.

They Withstand Harsh Weather Conditions

When it comes to extreme weather, fabric buildings are up to the task. Durable fabric buildings are built to withstand heavy snow, sand/dust, and wind loads, as well as UV radiation, hail, and other harsh elements. Fabric buildings are also excellent for hot environments, providing sunshades to help keep temperatures under control.
These kinds of structures are often used as aircraft hangars, coverall buildings, and garages by the military and government. Not only can they provide shelter from the elements, they can also provide a secure environment where sensitive equipment can be stored. The sturdy construction also allows them to stand up to more severe weather conditions, like hurricanes and tornadoes.

Fabric buildings are also easy to maintain. They require little maintenance and can be easily repaired if any damage occurs. This makes them an ideal choice for those who need an affordable and durable building option that can stand up to the toughest weather conditions.

They’re Inexpensive

One of the main reasons why fabric buildings are a great choice for military and government use is their affordability. These structures are made from extremely durable materials, yet they still come at a fraction of the cost of more traditional types of construction. Fabric buildings offer significant savings on construction costs, since they do not require any heavy machinery or specialized skills to assemble. Additionally, fabric buildings require minimal maintenance and can last for decades without any significant issues.
Sunshades, aircraft hangars, and coverall buildings can all be built at a fraction of the cost of more traditional types of construction.

They’re Fast to Construct

Big Top’s fabric structures are an ideal solution for military and government needs, as they can be deployed and assembled quickly. On average, Big Top can assemble 2,500 square feet of shelter in a day. The shelters can be anchored to virtually any type of foundation, including dirt, gravel, concrete, and asphalt. Alternatively, the shelters can be anchored to stacks of ecology blocks or shipping containers. When the mission is complete, the fabric structures can be disassembled and shipped to a new location, or moved intact around the base with a crane. This makes them perfect for temporary deployments and projects that need to move around often. The shelters will not use up the square footage of the base, making them an ideal solution for aircraft hangars and coverall buildings.

They’re Modular

Fabric buildings are particularly well-suited for military and government use because they are modular. Fabric buildings can be easily and quickly reconfigured, expanded, and customized to meet the needs of the user. This is a great benefit for military and government facilities which may need to be adapted or expanded to accommodate different operations. They can be used for everything from aircraft hangars and coverall buildings to offices and storage areas. This makes them an incredibly versatile choice that can easily meet the ever-changing needs of the military and government. Additionally, they can also be dismantled and transported to a new location, allowing them to be relocated quickly and easily. This makes fabric buildings an excellent option for military and government facilities that may need to be repositioned on a regular basis.

When Huntington-Ingalls Industries, the No.1 name in military shipbuilding in the country, took over the historic Avondale shipyard from a rival company, it acquired structures from Big Top that had been used at the previous facility and recognized the many benefits that the covers provided. To further their goal of becoming one of the most modern shipbuilding companies in the industry, HII approached Big Top to see if it was possible to create rolling covers on a much larger scale for their operations in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

A Collaborative Approach

At Big Top, we are more than just a manufacturer – we are a vital resource for shelter solutions across nearly every industry. For this project, our design, engineering, and production teams all came together to work closely with the shipyard’s engineering department, state representatives, and architectural firms to find the perfect solution for HII’s production.

A Telescopic Design for Modern Shipbuilding

Big Top was able to help HII realize its goal of being the shipbuilder of the future by engineering large-scale rolling covers with telescopic maneuverability. We installed an automated railing system that allows segments of the structure to slide under one another, providing access for a crane and streamlining the modular nature of the shipbuilding process. Now, prefabricated sections can be built under the shelter, then lifted out by crane and welded to the ship. By installing these custom, automated rolling covers, we were able to help HII construct ships on a larger and faster scale, improve its chances of getting more business in the future, and lead the industry in shipbuilding design.

Better Working Conditions for Shipbuilders

An added benefit that HII’s rolling covers provided is the improved working conditions for its staff. Working under the hot southern sun and in the notorious Mississippi humidity before the covers were installed was a grueling effort for laborers, who often had to take breaks to avoid heat-related illnesses caused by prolonged exposure to the elements. Dianna Grenton, Manager of Manufacturing and Engineering, notes that the human factor element was considered when choosing Big Top because her staff needed to perform their duties safely sheltered from the heat and rain.

Indeed, Big Top’s shelters are designed for just such a situation. The fabric roof of the rolling covers is heat reflective and repels up to 99.95 percent of harmful UV-A and UV-B radiation. Thanks to this unique feature, the interiors of HII’s shelters naturally stay at a comfortable temperature that is, on average, 15 degrees cooler than the hot Mississippi climate, without help from an HVAC system. HII’s employees now work comfortably under the fabric roof, requiring far fewer breaks and therefore increasing production. By providing “a mechanism for them to get out of the heat and out of the rain,” Dianna Grenton continues, “it’s really going to transform the way we do business.”

Considering the savings that HII enjoyed after eliminating the costs associated with employees getting sick due to heat exposure, the shelters essentially paid for themselves. Additionally, now that HII’s staff can continue to work even during inclement weather, production downtime is reduced, allowing it to stay on budget and complete projects ahead of time.

Big Top is proud to have served the marine and military industries since our founding in 1979. The versatility and myriad benefits that our fabric structures provide have helped countless companies improve their operations. If you’d like to learn more about our shelter systems and how we can custom build one to meet the needs of your business, contact Big Top today.

U.S. Border Patrol Faces Ever-increasing Challenges

Stretching more than 2,000 miles from California to Texas, the border between the US and Mexico is plagued with scorching sun and extreme heat. Border control historically has focused on preventing illegal immigrants and drugs from crossing into the US. With the rise of the cartels, gun and money trafficking out of the US is now a problem. Establishing new outbound checkpoints in the open under the blistering sun and within sight of prying eyes on the other side of the border was not an option.

Big Top at the Border

The US Border Patrol needed a flexible solution to cover and protect their inspectors at 17 different checkpoints along the border each with very unique and specific dimensions. They turned to Big Top. At locations such as San Ysidro, the busiest land port of entry in the world, the work was on active highways and logistically challenging. Installations were completed at night and mostly in remote locations. In a coordinated effort with Border Patrol, Big Top was able to complete all 17 structures within a year and half and now cover the outbound checkpoints keeping the officers out of the sun and the inspections out of sight.

Direct Sunlight Heats Up Aircraft and Damages Equipment

Decades ago AV-8B Harriers dotted the flight line at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. In the blazing hot Arizona sun window canopy temperatures reached a staggering 198°F and pilots entering the aircraft would be greeted by seat temperatures at a startling (or butt frying) 168°F. For both pilot safety and performance it was clear that the aircraft needed to be covered. And this is where the Big Top relationship with the US military began.

The Big Top Flight Line

Now, under Big Top fabric structures window canopies are 125°F and the seats are a manageable 98°F. The program was such a success the story spread. Big Top structures can now be found covering aircraft at China Lake NB, Edwards AFB, Moody AFB and Eglin AFB, to name a few. And, as a nod to their confidence in the structures the USAF chose Big Top to cover the 33rd Fighter Squadron’s elite F-35’s adding a full year to their paint cycle.