A perfect fit-out: Self storage centres and DBCi

Philip Pouncey is clearly a man who knows his onions when it comes to building self storage centres, and he knows his steel too.  His company, DBCi, supplies and fits the innards of self storage facilities, including all the bits and pieces that you might never have thought of.

Asked why the company is called DBCi, Philip says the name is historical, but because of the first three initials some customers have nicknamed them “the Dog’s Bollocks Company”!

Despite what you might think, the fitting-out business is a lot more than just putting in a load of partitions and doors; like any business you must have the right product at the right price and at DBCi they like to create a ‘Wow’ factor.  Many of their clients say:

“We always try to get potential customers to come and see us, once they are here they are surprised by the high quality of our facility and it makes securing their custom that little bit easier”

DBCi designers work to a proven facility design and always make sure that the store has the right number and size of units (storage rooms), is designed to suit both trade & domestic clients and maximises the lettable space (NLA: Net Lettable Area, in the jargon) and that it conforms to all the relevant regulations.

Built for storage, and built to last

DBCi partitions are made from high tensile steel, which means they are not only quick to install and reconfigure but also robust enough to take the bumps and scrapes caused by storers moving things past them. The partitions can be produced to any height and there are a range of accessories available to customise their appearance or increase their security and accessibility.

These options include; Door Types (swing or rollup), Door Colours (over 20 standard available), Door Frame Colours, Corner Guards, Kicker Plate (typically Aluminium panels 300 mm high – or 1 foot in old units – fixed to the bottom of the corridor partitions), Soffit Panels (corridor roof panels) and security mesh.

All of these accessories combined with the use of a special paint finish on the doors and partitions (supplied with a 25 year anti-chalk & fade warranty) ensure that your facility will look superb not just on the opening day but for many many years to come.

Extra space

Once a storage centre is fitted out you will always be looking for extra space to rent out (especially as the units fill up).  One possibility that many people consider is to put extra storage units in outdoor areas. You can get fabricated metal units which DBCi calls “Drop-Down Drive-Up” units that are 10 foot by 20 foot or smaller.  Such units have the advantage that they can be split internally into different sized spaces and they can also be moved quite easily around a yard or forecourt.

Philip says, “Business has picked up since the downturn, but we are still the new kids on the block and we are growing mainly by reputation.  I set up DBCi just three years ago with the goal that we would supply the best product at the best price and provide the best service.  Our installers know my exacting standards and in fact this saves us a lot of time and money simply because it makes them get the job right first time.”

One Response to “A perfect fit-out: Self storage centres and DBCi”

1. Rockford public storage says:

   March 15, 2012 at 9:35 am

   According to a report (1 June 2006) by Mintel Consulting and in collaboration with the Self Storage Association of the United Kingdom space available for rental in the USA is approximately 1.6 billion rentable square feet, against 22 million rentable square feet in Australia and around 20 million in the United Kingdom. The report also states that there are around 41,000 facilities in the USA, 1,000 in Australia, around 700 in the United Kingdom and 220 in France.