“ZAPPSHELTER HAS MADE YARD LIFE SO MUCH EASIER, ESPECIALLY FOR JOBS I HATE DOING IN THE RAIN”

With more than 100 years of combined experience, Letchworth-based Synergy Hire is part of the Hitachi group, supplying the manufacturer’s excavators and attachments to the UK market. Supporting some of the country’s biggest projects, they offer a huge range of quality machines for both plant and contract hire.

With an average age of one year, the fleet includes three to 35-tonne excavators, including wheeled and special application machines. Plus, the supplier provides Hitachi breaker attachments. This makes them a go-to equipment hire supplier for civil engineering, construction and housing projects, including Thames Tideway and HS2.

Beyond the quality machinery, Synergy Hire offers their customers flexible terms and contracts ranging from six months to three years in length. This helps teams get the exact machinery they need onsite cost effectively, even if their equipment requirements or project timelines change. The supplier also sells used excavators when they reach the end of their hire term or a certain number of operating hours.

Boosting output and comfort

Between hire terms or before their final sale, each machine is repaired and serviced. It’s then stripped and resprayed ready for resupply or purchase. Initially, the team was having to run this whole process in a single workshop. This lack of capacity wasn’t just inefficient, but also meant the team had to work in a dusty, noisy environment.

To maintain machine and service quality for customers without sacrificing colleague comfort, the business started looking for structures that could be quickly constructed onsite for use as a paint bay. With one Zappshelter already being used on another site, they turned again to the industrial shelter supplier for a solution.

As Ash Michel, Sheltologist® at Zappshelter explains, “The Synergy Hire team came back to us with a very specific requirement - to create a self-contained shelter they could use to keep dust and noise away from their workshop. It needed to be large enough to fit every machine in their fleet and have enough space for the team to work in safely.”

The final shelter the team chose was 8m wide by 12.2m long with a 4m by 4m secure steel roller door. With a shipping container either side of the structure, the full ended shelter gave enough cover for repainting and a ventilation system that allowed the team to work comfortably. The hardwearing fabric also protects teams from any weather conditions experienced onsite.

This brought huge benefits to the Synergy Hire team, says Site Manager Flavio Delgado. “The most important aspect for us was the height, so we can fit even our largest excavators into it. It’s also fully enclosed so we can paint and use an extraction system. The shelter materials are weatherproof, even giving UV protection for colleagues. Plus, the roller shutter doors give easy access in and out while staying secure.

“By installing this shelter, we’ve managed to double the output of the site. We’re getting twice the amount of machines in and out without reducing the quality of our work, meaning we can better meet the needs of customers and turnaround excavators for resale faster.”

Double stamp of approval

To mark the opening of the Synergy Hire shelter, Plant Operator Amy Underwood, a.k.a. The Digger Girl, visited the site. A Zappshelter lover herself, she’s been using one as a weatherproof space for her family business. Based in the Scottish Highlands, Underwood Plant Hire Contractors use the structure to keep out the elements onsite.

As she explains, “Zappshelter has made yard life so much easier, especially for jobs I hate doing in the rain - servicing the machines, loading my merch trailer, and even storing firewood. Even better, Zappshelters are made in the UK -an important detail when dealing with cheap imports that can’t handle our rough conditions.”

For both Amy and the Synergy Hire team, the build quality and guarantees that Zappshelter offers are a huge benefit. As Flavio explains, “We chose Zappshelter because they have a five-year warranty and are built to last.” Amy adds, “The five-year warranty is a big plus - if something goes wrong, it’s Zappshelter that will fix it, not me!”

The design’s combination of mobility and sturdy materials also means it can suit a range of needs, not just in the equipment hire industry. As Amy explains, “You can customise these shelters to fit your specific needs: adjust the size, colour, doors and height, using either interlocking blocks or containers as a base.

“Since meeting the Zappshelter team, I’ve learned their shelters are used across a range of industries - from quarries and farms to NHS facilities and even by the army.

Because it’s considered temporary, planning permission might not be required - but make sure to check with your local office first!” Regulation around this area comes down to the views of your local authority.

Quality shelter, top-notch service

Although the quality engineering and benefits of Zappshelter speak for themselves, the team also prioritises making the design and installation process as smooth as possible. That way, businesses can get the cover they need quickly with minimal disruption.

Ash explains, “We know that in every industry, particularly those that Synergy Hire works with, time is money.

Zappshelters are designed for rapid installation, so even on busy sites our team can get the structure up and ready to use without getting in the way of operations.”

Flavio agrees, “For us, the whole installation process was straightforward with no delays, which was pretty amazing. If any business is thinking about using a Zappshelter, I’d tell them to go for it, they’ll have no regrets!”