As airplanes and jets become more prevalent in the private sector and flight technology continues to improve, the need to protect aircraft is ever-increasing. As a result, airplane hangar designs have exponentially improved. Designing and erecting high-quality hangars is an increasingly important and necessary business, from the physical building materials to the engineering and construction processes. 

Like any industry, designing and building pre-engineered aircraft hangars can have challenges. Fortunately, the tools and techniques necessary to meet these challenges are steadily growing and improving, just like the industry itself. 

Challenges in the Airplane Hangar Production Industry

The central objective is to provide customers with a competitively priced, high-quality product within a reasonable timeframe. It is important to acknowledge that many customers prioritize their budget and seek information regarding the cost of building a hangar. On the other hand, some customers have a clearer vision in mind and may prioritize their vision over financial considerations initially.

Regardless of the type of customer, it’s necessary to understand all the challenges and potential setbacks, as well as planning, which can exist for each project. There are numerous factors most consumers never see, but they can significantly affect final results. 

Tackling Non-committal Inquiries

One of the most essential traits of a successful business is proper time management. Using the hours and minutes of the day productively directly contributes to a company’s bottom line. As the saying goes, time is money. 

Unfortunately, certain situations can interrupt working hours without a positive return for the company. Take, for example, non-committal inquiries. These often polite customer interactions may feel as if they will develop into a sale and upcoming project, only to dissolve overnight. 

Customers may ask for a complete estimate but wait to make any purchases or further plans. Although top-notch customer service has been provided, the business hasn’t produced any revenue for the time spent on the estimate process.  

Fortunately, some methods can help identify serious inquiries or clients. 

• Develop a long-form customer questionnaire to initiate the estimate process: You’ll quickly see who is more committed by asking customers for specifics about themselves and their hangar plans and needs. You’ll also be able to collect valuable customer information, which can help determine which structures and customizations are best suited for their needs. 
• Require a deposit for a complete estimate and project work-up: To ensure a comprehensive estimate and project work-up, it is customary to request a down payment from customers. This practice is generally well-received as it helps filter out unserious inquiries and demonstrates the customer’s commitment towards the project they intend to proceed with.
• Create a preliminary phone conversation script: Companies find that a brief phone conversation will help to qualify or disqualify customers reasonably effectively. Questions about timeframes, locations, budgets, and overall hangar usage can prove helpful in determining the seriousness of an inquiry. 

Optimizing Prospecting: Overcoming Time Constraints

When maximizing the potential for an aircraft hangar erecting business, some crucial steps will involve streamlining the company’s and its associates’ operations. 

• Address the Time Limitations Experienced by Contractors

Metal aircraft hangars are often pre-engineered and arrive at the job site ready to be built. As a result, hangar construction timeframes have been condensed to allow just enough time for completion. Contractor success often resides in the volume of hangars and metal buildings completed in a month, so time is critical. 

Unfortunately, some situations can slow down the construction process. Waiting for building permits, readying the foundation site, and last-minute customer job changes can all throw a wrench in production timeframes. 

Like vetting potential customers, it’s essential to have a list of tasks to complete before moving forward with the project. Have the customer finalize all designs and complete a pre-build site check. 

It’s also important to stay in close contact with the building manufacturers to understand if they’re experiencing any production delays. Then,  be ready to communicate with clients so they understand what to expect from their project. 

• Balancing Business Growth and Finding New Prospects

As a business grows, there can be a desire to take every job and follow up on every lead. Although it’s important to actively seek out customers, be careful not to outgrow your business. Pursue new prospects with the mindset of increasing over time, not all at once. 

The business could fail to meet commitments and deadlines if there are too many job prospects and insufficient personnel or company organization to handle the volume. Ultimately, too aggressive of a growth plan can do more damage than good. 

• Prioritizing Streamlined Marketing within Time Limits

Marketing for an aircraft hangar company often involves creating specific and targeted advertising and marketing for a niche audience. For instance, MRO, or maintenance, repair, and operations, is one of the most significant segments of interested buyers in the aircraft hangar market. Advertising and marketing teams will want to find specific avenues to reach and engage that audience while interest is high and before other industries begin to flood the marketplace. 

• Efficient Building Procurement: Conquering Challenges of Multiple Vendor Sourcing

Some contractors and clients have used multiple vendors to construct their aircraft hangars. Although more options can be a positive in some situations, it may be more trouble than it’s worth for building purposes. 

• Simplifying Airplane Hangar Building Selection

One of the more successful methods for helping customers to decide what they need is to narrow the field of choices and options. In particular, many companies offer a limited number of options for the exterior design, with a greater amount of customization to the interior still available. 

For example, Coastal Steel Structures offers a limited number of base model structures for their aircraft hangar designs. The simplicity of choices is effective in steering clients toward an initial selection. Then, the customer and designer can spend more time on the interior, door, window placements, and ventilation specifics. This way, the customer can commit more readily to a design, and the project moves forward instead of stalling in the design phase. 

• Efficient Vendor Evaluation for Airplane Hangar Buildings

The client must often see exactly what the hangar will look like to understand their choices. Having real-world examples helps customers to visualize their projects more clearly. 

• Time-saving Solutions for Hangar Kit Shopping

Once a client has been secured and is moving forward with their hangar project, it’s often necessary to help them over the final hurdles of personal preference. A practical method for achieving this goal is to present clients with a detailed portfolio of past jobs and successful projects. 

Like car shopping, many clients want to kick the tires and smell the leather before committing. By showing them exactly what they can expect, they’re more likely to finalize their project. 

Coastal Steel Structures: Your Premier Choice in Airplane Hangar Production

Coastal Steel Structures has been successfully helping clients to actualize their steel building needs for decades. By combining strong industry knowledge with outstanding customer service, we’ve been able to meet our client’s needs and show just how versatile and durable steel buildings can be. 

As the popularity of steel structures continues to rise, we are committed to offering unique and stylish hangar designs for our clients. Our pre-engineered buildings are completely customizable and can stand the test of time, regardless of climate or location. 

Furthermore, these aircraft hangars are not simply metal warehouses but fully transformable spaces that can house offices, specialty workshops, mechanics’ spaces, and innovative storage plans that maximize available space.

Streamline Your Building Process: We Offer Single-Source Solutions

Coastal Steel Structures simplifies building erecting by adopting a single-source vendor approach. This streamlined process covers everything from marketing and ordering to shipping and final construction. While options are valuable, an excessive number of choices can complicate procedures.
At Coastal Steel Structures, we take pride in providing clients with a comprehensive package for all their re-engineered steel building needs. Whether you require an airplane hangar or any other structure, our team is ready to tackle the project. Contact us today to learn more about how we can fulfill your requirements.