Edition 91 - October 2016

Insider ISSUE91 OCT/NOV16

SPACEMAX

2016 NEW ENTRANT OF THE YEAR AWARD

WINNER

2016 SSAA CONVENTION

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING Does it work?

28

24

THE FULL REPORT

BUSINESS Maximise your Business Finance Options

Whether it’s the business of storing the family home or storage for the family business, we’ll provide more products, more service and more ideas to keep your business safe and secure.

Visy Boxes & More. More Products. More Solutions.

1800 622 626 visyboxesandmore.com.au

12

24

08

36

IN THIS ISSUE...

4 6

Chairman’s and CEO's Reports Industry News

SPECIAL FEATURE 2016 MELBOURNE CONVENTION REPORT 8 The 2016 Convention Opens 9 A Day of Economic Deliberations 10 Leading the Way Through Change 11 Board Matters 12 Self-Storage Awards Presentation 17 Convention Sponsors

OUT & ABOUT AT THE 2016 MELBOURNE CONVENTION 18 Facilities Tour 20 Tradeshow Highlights 22 Social Events IT AND SECURITY 24 Social media for self-storage — do they work?

Toll free AUS 1800 067 313 Toll free NZ 0800 444 356 Tel +61 3 9466 9699 Fax +61 3 9466 8081

U4/2 Enterprise Drive Bundoora VIC 3083

Email admin@selfstorage.com.au

32

NEW SERVICE MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 26 Betta Storage Containers 26 National Energy Solutions FINANCE 28 Maximise your business finance options ANCILLARY SERVICES 32 Taking the strain and pain from self-storage OUTSIDE THE BOX 34 Postcard from a Golden Retriever MEMBERS’ LEGAL FORUM 36 Lessons from Asia

SPECIAL FEATURE

8-22 2016 Melbourne Convention Report

INFORMATION 40 Trade Directory 42 Board Members 43 SSAA Staff 44 Member Resources 46 New Members

Web www.selfstorage.org.au Blog ssaainsider.com LinkedIn Self Storage Association of Australasia Insider is printed by Homestead Press.

Email: printing@homesteadpress.com.au

Produced by: Magazines byDesign PO Box 7691, Baulkham Hillls NSW 1755 Ph: Linda Gunek on 02 8883 5890 Email: linda@bydesigngraphics.com.au Editor: Stephen Crowe Email: steve@thewriteteam.com.au

Insider is published bi-monthly by the Self Storage Association of Australasia registered in Australia ABN 23 050 341 725. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or in part, without the written permission of the publisher. Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of Insider, the publisher nor any of its employees, sub-contractors or contributors assume any responsibility or liability for any loss or damage which may result from any inaccuracy or omission in the publication.

The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher or editor. Furthermore, Insider has the right to accept or reject all editorial and advertising material. All letters addressed to the magazine will be regarded as “for publication” unless clearly marked Not for Publication. All submissions may be edited for reasons of space or clarity and opinions expressed in letters are those of the author, not of the publisher or editor.

Insider Aug-Sept 2016

3

Inside SSAA

CHAIRMAN REPORT

CEO REPORT

Keith Edwards, Chairman, SSAA

I

t is with pride and enthusiasm that I move into the role of Chairman of the Self Storage Association of Australasia.

As my first order of business, I would like to take this opportunity to farewell and thank the retiring Board members, Darren Marshall, Malcolm Collins, Andrew Brooks and Susan Phillips, for their tireless efforts over the last few years. A special thank you to Guy Wilson for his contribution to the SSAA over the past four years, and in particular, his guidance over the last two as Chairman. Guy’s dedication to the Board has been very obvious to all on the Board, as his leadership steered the SSAA through some necessary challenges.

I also welcome the new members of the Board, and very much look forward to working with you all.

For those who don’t know me yet, in August 1999 I commenced my journey into the self-storage world. Our first facility was opened in February 2000, and now we operate seven facilities, from Auckland to Christchurch. Our group has been involved with the development of greenfield sites and the conversion of warehouses, as well as acquisitions. From these experiences I believe I have a wide understanding of the industry as a whole.

As we farewell two staff members, Rachel Muir and Kate Ruhl, we welcome two new members in Susan Phillips as CEO and Craig McKenzie into the Membership and Marketing role. Along with the Board, the new team is very enthusiastic about membership growth and retention opportunities that exist within the SSAA. The recent convention held at the Park Hyatt, Melbourne, saw the introduction of Orientation Day, or “O” Day. This day would not have been possible without the support of our service members. Some of those participants have now become members of the SSAA with follow-up work continuing. This, coupled with the numbers at the convention, ensured that this convention was a great success.

Over the next two years as Chairman, I would like to see the membership of the SSAA grow in number, with development coming from greater interactions between all sections of our membership. The Board is looking at great opportunities in which to optimise the purchasing power of the Association membership.

In the next 12 months Susan, Craig and I look forward to meeting and talking to you all at the upcoming regional meetings.

The future for the SSAA and the industry is exciting, and I look forward to being a part of this. n

4

Insider Oct-Nov Aug-Sept2016 2016

Susan Phillips, CEO, SSAA

T

he 2016 Convention has come and gone. My thanks to all delegates who attended. It is a big commitment to take the best part of a week away from your business to be in Melbourne for our annual gathering.

The Service Members were kept busy in the trade show with enquiries from new and old clients. Many delegates were able to re-acquaint themselves with fellow operators at the many networking sessions, over breakfast, lunch and dinner and at many other times. I had hoped to speak to many more delegates than I did; however, there were often other tasks to complete, so I apologise if I didn’t catch up with you.

As I write my column we are gathering feedback. Just as soon as we compile the results I will pass them on. I met with the Service Members nearing the end of the Convention and they discussed the various issues and made some great suggestions on how improvements can be made. They were all generally very pleased with the contacts they had made and were particularly happy with the “O” Day. Orientation Day, or “O” Day, is a new concept to draw in potential new members to the Association. They may already have an established self-storage facility, or they are in the midst of a build or they may have just started on the journey into the self-storage world. Whichever way, the sessions were meant to provide an educational insight into self-storage. We have achieved that with 30 attendees, many of whom are now committed to joining the SSAA. November 1st is Membership Renewal time, so your membership invoice will arrive during October. Prompt payment will ensure that your membership benefits will be continuously available for the coming year.

As we look ahead there are many items on our “To Do” list, including a calendar full of events between now and the end of the year. It is during this time that Craig McKenzie (Membership and Marketing Coordinator) and I will be on the road visiting as many members as we can whilst delivering the various regional dinner meetings and training sessions around Australia and New Zealand. If you are in a position to attend one of these functions I look forward to meeting you, and will welcome discussion on our industry. n

INDUSTRY

NEWS

 Rent a Space Opens New Gregory Hills Facility

Rent a Space has opened a new facility in Gregory Hills, New South Wales.

Rent a Space, which operates 12 self-storage locations around Sydney, completed the construction of the facility in May. It provides drive-up and vehicle storage, supplies of moving and packing materials, and free use of a moving truck and driver to new customers upon move-in.

The property, at 25 Lasso Road, includes security features such as electronic entry, video camera surveillance and individually alarmed units.

The new facility is the company’s response to an increase in self-storage demand in the area.

General manager Thomas Whalan commented, “The new facility features more than 500 rentable self-storage spaces and boasts many state-of-the-art customer conveniences. Our self-storage property was designed to meet the highest expectations of our customers, and we feel that the local residents will find the quality and security of our site very appealing.”

Rent a Space is an Australian owned and operated business, founded in 1979. It is developing more storage sites to meet increasing demand.

6

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

Inside Business

 Storage King joins Air New Zealand loyalty program

Storage King is one of several new companies to sign on to Air New Zealand’s ‘Airpoints for Business’ loyalty program, offering members opportunities to earn points towards their next flight.

Storage King, one of Australasia’s largest selfstorage business, now offers Airpoints Dollars to businesses signing a new storage contract and on a range of packaging materials.

Airpoints members who are new to Storage King will earn Airpoints Dollars upon signing a new storage contract. Members will also earn Airpoints Dollars for boxes and packing materials such as bubble wrap, covers and storage bags.

 SiteLink scores sixth Best Self Storage Software gong

SiteLink has won its sixth consecutive Best of Business Award in the category of “Best Management Software” from Inside Self-Storage.

The award was contested by over 25 software brands, with online voting giving self-storage operators around the world the opportunity to participate in the award process.

SiteLink recently released SiteLink myHub, a browser-based application that is a module of SiteLink Web Edition, which gives operators the ability to manage self-storage operations with any computer, tablet or smartphone via an internet connection.

Australia remains the largest market of SiteLink outside North America. Dallas Dogger, head of Asia Pacific sales and

STEEL STORAGE ARE THE PROVEN LEADERS – FROM THE SMALLEST CONVERSION OR ADDITION TO THE LATEST HIGH-TECH MULTILEVEL STORAGE BUILDINGS

YOUR TRUSTED STORAGE PARTNER

support for south-east Asia, said, “We cannot be any happier with the growth of Sitelink in our region. Last financial year we welcomed more new users to Sitelink than in any of my 25 years of software sales. We are very happy with our growth from not only new entrants but hundreds who have converted from older legacy desktop based software.”

Users can access real-time reporting, and view site walk-throughs of their facility with SiteLink. It will soon offer payments, perform move-in/outs and transfers in addition to SiteLink myHub’s existing management functions right from the browser.

Mary Byrne, SiteLink’s sales support manager, said, “We would like to thank our customers for helping Sitelink to win this prestigious Global award. We are so happy that SiteLink is the Best Software for Self Storage for the sixth year running.” n

WE ARE SPECIALISTS IN DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION CONVERSIONS TOP UPS FIT OUT INSTALLATIONS

PLEASE CONTACT STEEL STORAGE TODAY WITH ANY ENQUIRIES

E sales@steelstorage.com.au T + 61 (0)7 3865 1600 www.steelstorage.com.au

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

7

THE 2016 CONVENTION

OPENS

Orientation Day

T

he Park Hyatt Hotel in East Melbourne was a popular choice with delegates for the 2016 Convention. With a mix of Victorian and modern architecture, the hotel overlooks St Patrick’s Cathedral and Fitzroy Gardens, and was an ideal setting for the following three days of education, information and networking.

Pre-convention activities commenced bright and early with three optional concurrent sessions being made available to delegates. The sessions included software training with the crew from Storman. Led by Ben Williams with presentations on self-storage marketing by Andy Pudmenzky, the guys stepped their clients through modernising a storer’s selfstorage experience.

The ever popular Simone Hill, SSAA legal advisor, covered legal topics from basic storage agreements through to recent changes in Australian consumer law, while Joe Doyle’s engaging presentation style left no doubt in the minds of his audience that excelling in customer service can make for an easier path to great success.

An initiative identified by the Board in late 2015 was successfully delivered as part of the pre-convention program – Orientation

8

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

Day, or “O” Day. The intended strategy was to attract new members to the SSAA, as well as facilitating access to potential new clients for service members.

The morning information sessions featured a series of short presentations delivered by some of the service members on the business of self-storage and included real estate and valuations, construction and expansion, security, ancillary services, insurance and legal.

Following the networking lunch, the participants were escorted on a facility tour of Storage King Northcote, hosted on site by Mark Greig and Hans Pearson of StoreLocal. Upon return to the trade show the participants spent many hours in oneon-one conversations learning about the products on offer.

Another initiative by the Board following feedback from previous conventions has been introduced as a regular feature — “First Timers and Solo Attendees’ Session” hosted by the CEO, and proved to be a valuable experience for all who attended.

One of the most popular features every year at the convention is the facility tours, and this year was no exception. On board the three 50-seat coaches delegates wound their way through Melbourne

‘‘

Another initiative by the Board following feedback from previous conventions has been introduced as a regular feature — “First Timers and Solo Attendees’ Session” hosted by the CEO.

”

traffic to visit Fort Knox Keysborough, Wilson Storage Rowville and Kennards Self Storage at Huntingdale.

In a successful conclusion to the day, the Tradeshow in the Spotlight hosted a huge gathering of all of the delegates for the official opening of the tradeshow. n

2016 Melbourne Convention

CONVENTION WEDNESDAY

A DAY OF ECONOMIC DELIBERATIONS

T

he SSAA Chairman, Guy Wilson officially opened the 2016 Convention in the Grand Ballroom of the Park Hyatt Hotel.

Saul Eslake delivered an opening keynote address with a detailed overview of the world economy and the direct impact that global decisions made elsewhere have on Australia and New Zealand. He commented on interest rates, debt, trade, housing construction, population growth, the housing markets and overall consumer sentiment, supported by graphs and charts with comparative data. The data highlighted the issues that affect storers, their lifestyles and spending habits and ultimately their need for self storage.

Personality Based Sales business owner, Shirley McKinnon, entertained and educated the delegates about their own personalities and those of their potential customers. How does a “logic” communicate with a “fun” personality?

Can an “action” personality relate successfully to a “feeling” customer?

One of the delegates, David Roberts of Willunga Storage, South Australia, has already reaped the rewards of introducing some of these simple techniques into his everyday storage operations.

Peter Snell from IPSOS Business Consulting shared Asian market data and presented the market trends across the Australasian region.

Michelle Stanton’s presentation on being “In the Zone”, a place where individuals perform at their peak, captivated the delegates in the room.

Her professional, entertaining and clear delivery won applause and many of the delegates commented that Michelle was one of the best speakers they had heard for some time.

Chris Catto’s fast paced session of “working smarter, not harder” delivered the important messages of the 3 Vs of marketing — venue, vehicle and value — leveraging the secret of influence and riding the technology tidal wave.

Kevin Kosky, from Big Hat Professional Services, led an entertaining and

‘‘

Chris Catto’s fast paced session of “working smarter, not harder” delivered the important messages of the three Vs of marketing — venue, vehicle and value.

”

enthusiastic session on phone sales and the process from open to close. Kevin teaches a “Head, Heart, Hand” selling process in which your Heart equals rapport, Head equals knowledge and Hand equals the close. With occasional interactive roleplays, Kevin had the audience willingly participating and

calling out phone introductions in unison. Kevin’s lively and informative session came to a close with him dividing the room in to three — Heart, Head and Hand — pulling out a harmonica and having each section chant their nominated part while he played a tune.

Kevin certainly left a lasting impression on everyone, and there was no doubt his selling process stuck in many minds to take back and put in use.

A panel led by David Blackwell, with Malcolm Collins, Jonathan Layton, Matt Walsh and Mark Bateman, discussed Self Storage in Today’s Australasian Market and provided plenty of opportunity for audience participation.

Optimising your online presence with David Warwick offered practical and quite simple tips, mostly with no charge or, at the very least, low cost. He impressed upon his audience the need to own their local online region.

The Australian Federal Police provided valuable tips on Avoiding Crime in Self Storage. Australian Border Force’s security demonstration with sniffer dog Xylon didn’t quite go to plan when the black labrador did not detect Sally Steel’s stash of drugs.

The Service Members in the trade show were kept busy with quality inquiries throughout the Convention.

Wednesday concluded with some delegates joining industry leaders Richard Whalan, Sam Kennard, Peter Greer, Michael Tate, Jon Perrins and Guy Wilson for dinner and discussion at various venues in the Melbourne CBD. n

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

9

2016 Melbourne Convention

LEADING THE WAY

THROUGH CHANGE

T

hursday’s proceedings began with the Annual General Meeting over breakfast in the Ballroom, chaired

by Guy Wilson. The new Board for 2016/17 was announced, the Chair and CEO reports were delivered and the audited financial report was tabled. With the meeting closed all delegates posed for the now annual group photograph.

The first session following the AGM was a self-storage industry comparison between Europe and Australia, delivered by former SSAA CEO Rennie Schafer.

His high energy presentation style left no doubt in the minds of the audience as to the extremely high quality of new developments in Europe as he described the differences across the various regions of Europe.

Holly Ransom examined the elements of leading intergenerational change and how to successfully embed those change initiatives. There is a wide range of digital aids that will assist the new generation to innovate and transform business into the future. Holly also encouraged delegates to look outwards and take a global view.

An informative session with Amanda Gome took the audience on Amanda’s own personal journey to demonstrate the importance of engaging your customers online, and the impact the smart phone has had on consumer behaviour.

10

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

Michael Langhammer and Steven O’Neill of Pitcher Partners presented to delegates a number of issues facing owner managed self-storage facilities, covering topics including business structure, budget preparation, live up-to-the-minute reporting, asset protection and succession planning.

Both Michael and Steven provided insights into the better practices used within the industry to ensure accurate and timely reporting, allowing for users of this information to make better decisions and assist in growing their operations.

Simone Hill took members through best practice procedures for dealing with default storers. While it is probably the

‘‘

Her martial arts demonstration with an audience member helped prove that anyone can overcome fear as he smashed a block of wood in half with his bare hand.

”

least favourite aspect of running a selfstorage business, Simone demonstrated how simple the process can be if we have done everything correctly from the moment the customer first signed up. The default process was clearly explained. Her key takeaway message was “get your ducks in a row and check, check, check again”, before you begin the process to ensure you cannot be held liable for incorrect procedure.

Nadine Champion’s presentation of Succeeding Despite Doubt, Fear and Pain followed her heartwarming life journey during which she conquered immense personal challenges despite the physical pain she endured. Her martial arts demonstration with an audience member helped prove that anyone can overcome fear as he smashed a block of wood in half with his bare hand.

The formal part of the Convention was closed by CEO Susan Phillips with the announcement of the location for the 2017 Summit in Queenstown, New Zealand.

The Ballroom was then transformed for the Gala Awards Ceremony sponsored by AON Risk Services. Dinner guests enjoyed fine food and wine, and the winners of the eight categories of awards were announced. There was plenty of dancing, much conversation and plenty of laughter as friends and colleagues celebrated the 2016 Convention. n

Board Matters

SSAA

BOARD MATTERS At the Board meeting on 29th August 2016 the following items were tabled.

 The Australian Traffic and Parking Study

Currently underway using external consultants Aurecon. Data is being gathering from 15 sites across Australia and includes a business survey, an office parking survey and gate data survey.

The estimated timeline for the published report is October 2016.

 Insider Magazine

A decision has been taken to outsource the publishing component of the magazine for a 12-month trial. The new look Insider will also be available on the soon to be launched website as an e-book.

It was confirmed by the Board that the Insider magazine is not available to members to advertise job vacancies.

 SSAA office premises at 2 Enterprise, Bundoora, Melbourne

 Illegal Use of SSAA IP

The use of SSAA IP by former members is a serious issue. A few former members have been identified and steps have been taken to encourage them to rejoin the SSAA. There have been a few successes; however, further work is being undertaken to halt the illegal use of SSAA IP. At this stage the Board is reluctant to go down the path of instigating legal proceedings as this will be a very costly exercise.

 The Global Alliance of Self Storage Associations

across the globe will come together for the first time at the Federation of European Self Storage Association (FEDESSA) annual conference in Barcelona. This includes representatives from the UK, USA, Asia, Australia and Latin America. The Board has approved the attendance at the conference of the CEO. n

At a recent Owners Corporation meeting for the office complex a new management company was appointed. The SSAA owns Unit 4 in the complex, and many maintenance issues were being neglected. These are now slowly being rectified under the new management.

 New Zealand Legal Hotline

A new process was adopted to bring it in line with the service offered to Australian members. Members can phone a free call number or email Simone Hill with a request for assistance.

If the issue is specific to New Zealand then the Auckland law firm, Jackson Russell, will be contacted by Simone.

 The Mobile On Site/Off Site storage agreement has been submitted for external legal review prior to its being made available.

 The Truck and Trailer Hire Agreement

The Australian version is under review. It has come to the attention of the Legal Department that the agreements are being misused by some members. With the introduction of new Australian consumer laws each state will require its own hire agreements, and this will be a significant cost to the SSAA. The Board has instructed the CEO to investigate further and report the findings at the October meeting.

 The Constitution is under review externally to ensure it remains relevant and up to date.

 Associations Forum was engaged to provide an induction for the newly elected board at their first meeting on 2/9/16.

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

11

2016 Melbourne Convention

CELEBRATING the BEST

in SELF STORAGE I

n customary form, the 2016 Gala Awards Dinner was a spectacular and celebratory end to a very successful annual convention.

With over 270 delegates and staff in attendance, the ballroom of the Park Hyatt Hotel in East Melbourne was the centre of the self-storage industry as it recognised the achievements of all the finalists in the eight Award categories, and awarded the winners.

Sponsor of the Awards evening, AON Risk Services, was represented on stage by Joel Morrell, who praised the achievements of all the winners.

MC for the evening, Brent Randall, outlined the judging processes, including the submission of nominations, mystery shopping phone calls and visits, then pointed out the subjective nature of awards programs.

He declared that the real purpose of the awards is recognition of businesses that strive for excellence in everything they do, and the positive light that effort shines on the industry as a whole.

Best Expansion of the Year Award Sponsor: Highway Frontage Winner: Self Storage Australia, Adelaide, South Australia Self Storage Australia has developed a “one-stop centre” that is capable of not just stateof-the-art storage but sorting, recycling, providing to charities and disposing of goods. It is a packaging superstore offering meeting rooms and the highest service levels.

The expansion also included 23 wine vaults and 44 specialised wine safes, alongside a total of 98 new indoor storage spaces, with further plans to extend outdoor parking storage spaces.

Above: Winner of the Best Expansion of the Year, Liz Davies of Self Storage Australia in Adelaide, with award sponsor Matt Walsh of Highway Frontage.

Small Operator of the Year Award Sponsor: Lock Distributors Winner: KeepSafe Storage, O’Connor, Perth, Western Australia The KeepSafe brand was created from scratch by the KBH Group to establish a state-ofthe-art 670-unit facility. It features a prime location, six levels of security, an immaculate presentation and excellent customer service, so it has been able to build high brand awareness. Storers enjoy a very well lit facility, as the larger units have individual lighting with extra corridor lighting. A kitchen and virtual office facilities are available to storers.

KeepSafe also offers pallet jacks, forklifts and different trolley types to assist residential and commercial customers, as well as background music for a positive customer experience.

Left: Shaun Bain of KeepSafe Storage O’Connor received the 2016 Small Operator Award from award sponsor Martin Coote of Lock Distributors.

12

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

New Entrant of the Year Award Self Storage Association of Australasia Winner: SpaceMax, Auckland, New Zealand SpaceMax takes a holistic approach to storage, offering storers a package with easy move in and move out options including a free truck and two men to load and unload. The company uses a retail oriented philosophy in site selection, its operating model and marketing strategy. SpaceMax has developed a brand image to connect emotionally with storers, with friendly, respectful and honest customer relations.

Below: Luella Whalan of SpaceMax Auckland, New Zealand, accepts the New Entrant of the Year Award from award sponsor Guy Wilson of the SSAA.

Above: Raymond Dobbe (left) of Greenbox Storage Company is presented the award by SSAA CEO Susan Phillips.

Innovation of the Year Award Self Storage Association of Australasia Winner: The Greenmachine, Greenbox Storage Company, Auckland, New Zealand Directors Raymond Dobbe and Dave Williams, have developed a purpose built vehicle, called the Greenmachine, to overcome the problems of limited portable storage options with a convenient style of portable storage for houses with poor or difficult access. The Greenmachine, a fork hoist that can drive on the road, can manoeuvre in difficult driveways and deliver Greenbox storage boxes to the front door for both easy loading and safety. This innovative solution carries Carbon Neutral certification, and is the first of its kind as a cost effective, efficient and easy solution for storage.

Service Member of the Year Award Sponsor: Self Storage Association of Australasia Winner: Centreforce Technology Group Since 2000 Centreforce Technology Group has developed groundbreaking new products and collaborated with leading software companies to deliver effective software technology for Australasian self-storage facilities. The company’s product range provides technology solutions to assist selfstorage operators to make informed business decisions. Centreforce Technology has invested heavily in new technology and staff who design, plan and implement online marketing programs using Facebook, Twitter and other social media to grow their businesses and explore new marketing ideas.

Right: Award winner Dallas Dogger of Centreforce Technology Group with award sponsor Keith Edwards, Chairman of the SSAA.

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

13

2016 Melbourne Convention

Manager of the Year Award Sponsor: Southwell Lifts & Hoists Winner: Anita Berns, Wilson Storage, Melbourne, Victoria Since starting at Wilson Storage in 2010, Anita Berns has found innovative ways to meet the service needs of customers. Anita understands the stress and upheaval of moving, and is able to provide appropriate solutions. She has the innate ability to analyse situations and determine how to solve the problem.

With the facility situated in a commercial precinct, Anita has built relationships with local businesses, many of whom have become long term storage customers. She engages with every member of staff to ensure their skills and strengths achieve the best results for both the business and customers.

Below: Anita Berns of Wilson Storage accepts her award from sponsor David Head of Southwell Lifts & Hoists.

Regional Facility of the Year Award Sponsor: Midland Insurance Winner: Storage King Southport Central, Queensland The owners of Storage King Southport Central identified a gap in the local market and underwent a retrofit of an existing factory on commercial land in the middle of Southport. It is a family run business, and brings a new level of high-tech self-storage to the Southport area.

Above: Adam Balanda of Storage King Southport Central with award sponsor Terry Lane of Midland Insurance Brokers.

14

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

Facility of the Year Award Sponsor: Visy Boxes & More Winner: KeepSafe Storage, O’Connor, Perth, Western Australia The KeepSafe Storage strategy of focusing on customer needs guided the development of this site as a modern facility with six levels of security, custom lighting, expansive drive-in undercover loading bays with direct access to the lift area, and two large ride-on passenger/goods hoists. This means the facility enjoys very high levels of service and customer occupancy rates.

There are 670 units with kitchen and virtual office services, as well as a free truck and trailer, set in a safe environment with relaxing background music.

Right: Shaun Bain (right) of KeepSafe Storage, O’Connor, Perth with award sponsor Sonja Becke of Visy Boxes & More.

REMOVAL REMOVAL REMOVAL TRUCKS TRUCKS TRUCKS REMOVAL REMOVAL TRUCKS TRUCKS REMOVAL TRUCKS REMOVAL REMOVAL REMOVAL TRUCKS TRUCKS TRUCKS STATE STATE STATETO TO TOSTATE STATE STATE RRRe e emmmooov v va a al l ls s s RRRe e emmmooov v va a al l ls s s RRRe e emmmooov v va a al l ls s s

STATE STATE TO STATE STATE TO STATE STATE STATE STATETO TO TO TOSTATE STATE STATE STATE AND AND AND AND AND AND AND AND AND MELBOURNE MELBOURNE MELBOURNE LOCAL LOCAL LOCAL MELBOURNE MELBOURNE LOCAL MELBOURNE LOCAL MELBOURNE MELBOURNE MELBOURNELOCAL LOCAL LOCAL LOCAL

STORAGE STORAGE STORAGE FACILITY FACILITY FACILITY BENEFITS BENEFITS BENEFITS STORAGE FACILITY BENEFITS STORAGE STORAGE FACILITY BENEFITS STORAGE STORAGE STORAGEFACILITY FACILITY FACILITY FACILITYBENEFITS BENEFITS BENEFITS BENEFITS

We We We Provide Provide Provide YOU YOU YOU With With With FREE FREE FREE Storage Storage Storage Leads Leads Leads We We We Provide Provide YOU YOU With With FREE FREE Storage Storage Leads Leads We We WeProvide Provide Provide ProvideYOU YOU YOU YOUWith With With WithFREE FREE FREE FREEStorage Storage Storage StorageLeads Leads Leads Leads Door Door Door to to to Door Door Door Rates Rates Rates (No (No (No Depot, Depot, Depot, Toll Toll Toll or or or Card Card Card Fees) Fees) Fees) Door Door Door to to Door Door Rates Rates (No (No Depot, Depot, Toll Toll or or Card Card Fees) Fees) Door Door Doorto to to toDoor Door Door DoorRates Rates Rates Rates(No (No (No (NoDepot, Depot, Depot, Depot,Toll Toll Toll Tollor or or orCard Card Card CardFees) Fees) Fees) Fees) Small Small Small ---Medium Medium Medium ---Large Large Large Trucks Trucks Trucks ---Semi Semi Semi Trailers Trailers Trailers Small Small Small Medium Medium Large Large Trucks Trucks Semi Semi Trailers Trailers Small Small Small------Medium Medium Medium Medium------Large Large Large LargeTrucks Trucks Trucks Trucks------Semi Semi Semi SemiTrailers Trailers Trailers Trailers

TTRRAANNSSCCOORRPP RREEMMOOVAVALLSS

CALL CALL CALL TOLL TOLL FREE FREE 1300 1300 466 466 838 838 NOW! NOW! CALL CALL CALLTOLL TOLL TOLL TOLLFREE FREE FREE FREE1300 1300 1300 1300466 466 466 466838 838 838 838NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW! Transcorp Insider Ad.indd 1

26/05/15 3:13 AM

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

15

2016 Melbourne Convention

A SPECTACULAR FINALE to

2016 CONVENTION

T

he 2016 Convention culminated in a glittering Awards ceremony in the Park Hyatt Hotel Ballroom.

Bringing to a close a very successful 2016 Convention, the industry’s Awards evening gave delegates a grand opportunity to network, catch up with old friends and make new ones in style.

The annual Awards provide a focal point for the self-storage industry as it seeks to grow and build on its strengths. Acknowledging the initiative and hard work of all entrants through the Awards sets clear benchmarks for other businesses to aspire to in their business models.

And for one night each year, great food, good music and dancing give convention delegates the chance to let their hair down and set goals for the next 12 months. n Joel Morrell of AON addresses the audience at the Awards ceremon y.

The Park Hyatt Hotel Ballroom was a spectacular venue for the Awards night.

16

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

2016

CONVENTION SPONSORS

PRINCIPAL PARTNERS

Insider Aug-Sept 2016

17

2016 Melbourne Convention

FOUT & ABOUT acilities tours are one of the most popular activities at every convention. This year delegates boarded three buses to inspect Storage King Northcote, Fort Knox Keysborough, Wilson Storage Rowville and Kennards Self Storage at Huntingdale.

FACILITIES TOUR

Linda Barker of Fort Knox Self Storage guided visitors through their immaculately maintained facility taking the time to illustrate the special features.

Above: The upper level at Fort Knox opened many discussions on smart usage of storage space and business development.

Left: An informative tour of the Kennard’s Self Storage facility at Huntingdale was provided

by Wayne Birch detailing the many storage options of the retro fitted building.

18

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

Geoff Puttock of Wilson Storage in Rowville showing his passion and enthusiasm for self storage

Wilson Storage walking guests through the imp ressive “Wilson Cellar” wine stor age area of their facility.

Bad weather did not deter the facility tours with three large buses filled to accommodate the number of participants.

���� ���� �e� �������� ��� �he �����e�e �e����� ��������� a�� �� ��� �� ���� ����e�� We can look after your entire project from concept right through to occupation & signoff

Design Construction - Construction Certi�cate Documentation �ccupation Certi�cate - Pri�ate Certi�ying �ut�ority - Vinyl - �ir Conditioning Building Works - Carpet - CCTV - Data Works - Electrical Works - External Signage Fencing & Gates - Hoists - Painting - Hydraulic Works - Joinery - Reception Counter Roller Doors - Security Works - Steel Storage - Tiling

202/19-31 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000 e: admin@corporateconstruction.com.au

Ph: (02) 9252 4747 Fax: (02) 9252 4750

www.corporateconstruction.com.au

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

19

TRADESHOW

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Caption for pic to go here

The annual Tradeshow provides an invaluable opportunity for delegates to explore the latest technology and innovative ideas to improve facilities management and operations, as well as customer service.

20

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

Professional barista Miles serves complimentary coffees at the STORCO stand.

2016 Melbourne Convention A bird’s eye view of the trade area set up in the luxurious Park Hyatt Foyer.

Caption for pic to go here

Caption for pic to go here

Ben Williams of Storman impressed visitors with his selfstorage management software knowledge.

The ever smiling Sonja Becke of Visy Boxes & More provided informatio n on the latest in packaging solutions.

Malcolm Collins FAPI MPINZ

Collins & Associates undertakes valuations, demand studies, operational and benchmarking reviews and property research using over 20 years worth of in-house data covering the self storage industry nationally.

We work in all sectors of the market including regional and country centres. Our personal, direct and engaged advice to clients produces bankable results for first mortgage security lending,public prospectus, asset value and purchase or sale negotiation purposes.

Our well researched reports provide business background understanding and lending comfort to individuals and institutions utilising our experience.

Franklin Young of PTI Australia and Stephen Boxall of Steel Storage, were on hand sharing their years of industry expertise.

Valua�ons | Self Storage | Property Consultancy m: +61 412 476 554 or p: +61 3 8456 5134 Level 1 / 141 Capel Street North Melbourne Vic 3051 ABN 96 940 964 372 e: malcolm@malcolmcollins.com www.malcolmcollins.com

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

21

2016 Melbourne Convention

OUT & ABOUT

SOCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Group photo of everyone who attended the SSAA AGM breakfast meeting.

Guests arriving at the Gala Awards Dinner Evening took the opportunity to enjoy a few pre dinner drinks while catching up with self storage acquaintances.

22

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

is your property fully protected?

Integrated Security Systems 24/7 Service Industry Leader in Self Storage Security Solutions All Your Security Needs in one Place Intruder Alarm Systems Video Surveillance Systems Intercom Systems PTI Falcon Access Systems Individual Storage Unit Door Alarms

24/7 Alarm Monitoring Guards & Patrol Alarm Response Installation, Service and Maintenance Security Consulting

Call or email for our FREE property protection tips p: 1300 30 60 90 e: sales@ad-tech.com.au

www.ad-tech.com.au

Leading Technology - Superior Service

Master Licence No. 407533933 Security Consultant Licence No. 407557329

SOCIAL MEDIA FOR

SELF STORAGE

do they work?

Dallas Dogger outlines the basics of social media marketing, and provides guidelines for gearing up to take advantage of social media.

T

here is no doubt the explosion of social media in the last few years is a cultural phenomenon. We are confronted with it daily and, more often than not, social media are in the news, sometimes for the wrong reasons.

Self-storage operators have two choices — ignore social media or embrace them.

Embracing social media is the preferable option as you cannot ignore their penetration into our own lives, and importantly, our customers’ and potential customers’ lives. We only have to walk down a busy city street and see how many people are immersed in the world inside their phone…

What are they looking at, and what are they reading about?

24

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

Here are some very sobering statistics.

Facebook has 15 million Australian users, YouTube has 14 million visitors, Instagram has five million active Australian users, LinkedIn 3.7 million active Australian users, and Twitter has 2.8 million active Australian users.

Facebook is a very powerful tool, and the 15 million users are actively checking posts and staying informed. This medium should not be ignored, and even if you don’t like to use Facebook, your customers do.

There are plenty of social media outlets and 23 active social media platforms in Australia; you don’t need to be involved with all of them, but you should be using some.

Which ones do you pick to target potential self-storage customers?

Facebook is the obvious choice with over 75% of the Australian population as members, and at any given time of the day, three million online. Facebook users are you and me, your brother, your daughter, your grandmother and your potential customer.

Let’s explore how to target these potential customers.

Understanding social media is the first step in engaging with your customers. The platform is designed to inform, socialise and engage with customers, and it’s very important not to mix up social posting on social media with your social media marketing or advertising. They are two distinctly different activities.

 Posting and engaging

Most self-storage facilities have a Facebook page, and it’s important to resist the urge to start posting away about units that you have for rent. Unless you have 50,000 followers you should seriously resist trying to make sales on your Facebook page, as it will turn off customers quicker than they signed on.

Your posts will generally go unread, and that’s because you do not have enough followers to make a difference. It’s very easy to become disillusioned with social media and claim that they don’t work. Posting something interesting is social media fodder. Make it interesting.

Share on Facebook what you would share with friends and customers in a social environment. Keep your posts relevant, and you can post anything from local weather reports, to a fun photo about a bicycle requiring storage.

 Facebook marketing

While Facebook was not originally designed for advertising purposes, it has become a very effective way to market businesses worldwide. The selfstorage industry can use Facebook to good effect.

Success in Facebook marketing comes from understanding two things — your product offering and your target market.

Inside Marketing

it is excellent for communicating news, weather and industry or site updates.

 Other considerations

Engaging advertisements can easily reach your potential market, and placing those targeted advertisements into the market segments that you wish to attract will deliver success, and it will deliver on the click through rate of your website.

Targeted marketing messages can be very effective in driving traffic to your website and present your products to clients via a dedicated landing page.

The real benefit of Facebook marketing is the ability to produce a variety of marketing messages, and targeting unique groups, depending on what product or service you’re advertising.

 Other social media platforms

There are plenty of other social media platforms like Twitter, Yelp, BlogSpot, Pinterest, Google Plus and more, but they all have one thing in common: a very high percentage of their users are also Facebook users.

‘‘

Creating targeted advertisements and marketing material is a professional job and needs to be understood properly for it to be effective.

”

LinkedIn is a business based platform which can attract business leads and used effectively to influence suppliers and customers.

Twitter is particularly about the moment at hand — it’s like a revolving carousel of information. Posts quickly disappear, and

Your online reputation is critical for selfstorage facilities, and for every other business really. Complainers are generally merciless — if you have an unhappy customer their potential to take to social media to vent their displeasure is very high.

In a future article we will discuss how to deal with difficult negative comments on your social media pages. Do not bite back — you won’t win an online fight with aggrieved storers. The damage is done; stay professional with your replies and seek specialist guidance.

Creating targeted advertisements and marketing material is a professional job and needs to be understood properly for it to be effective, not only from a budget perspective but from the type of material that is posted and the target market you’re seeking.

Social media marketing requires specialist social media management skills.

Social media marketing takes a lot of time, in-depth knowledge, and it takes time for the results to deliver. Self-storage staff can be part of the process, by all means, but it would be very easy for social media activity to consume the entire day, and no owner will be happy with that!

To summarise, social media marketing is a very effective way to attract new selfstorage business, it’s cost effective and must be done in conjunction with the facility’s website to maximise the value of the marketing offer.

Next time you bump into that person with the head down in their telephone, you want them to be reading one of your sponsored advertisements, not posting a rant about your facility. n

Leading supplier of

GOODS HOISTS fOr Self STOraGe

Call us today on

email sales@southwell.com.au

1800 244 787

www.southwell.com.au

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

25

New Service Member Spotlight

BETTA STORAGE

CONTAINERS

B

etta Storage Containers has joined SSAA as a service member, and brings a wealth of experience in containers to the Association.

Betta Storage Containers is a family owned and operated company that has been trading containers since 1989. The company uses four locations in New South Wales — Sydney, Newcastle, Tamworth and Coffs Harbour — so it is capable of servicing clients right across Australia.

Betta has the scope to offer big company inventory combined with the value of small company service. With its own fleet of tilt tray trucks Australia-wide deliveries are possible, and side loader truck or Hi-abb trucks can be arranged for more difficult deliveries.

There has been a noticeable increase in the number of self-storage facilities taking advantage of containerisation within existing sites and in the development of new sites.

New shipping containers are an ideal solution for many applications, and offer numerous designs especially suited to the self-storage industry. New containers should have a 35-year lifespan when used for static storage, so they can offer impressive returns year in, year out.

As a bonus, it can be sold when it is time to replace the container, often delivering a return of about 25% of the original purchase price.

Containers can also be customised with additional vents, extra doors, partitioning walls, whirly birds, roller doors and many more options. There are three main sizes — 10’, 20’, 40’ — offering different cubic capacities with varying container heights.

A key benefit of containers in a growing self-storage business is that its expansion can easily be catered to with additional containers rather than confronting the heavy initial outlay of a traditional storage building

alongside the associated development and construction costs. More capacity is quickly added as the business grows.

Betta Storage offers the flexibility of short and long term hire rates, purchase options and two- or five-year lease purchase deals.

Containers offer easy solutions for peak periods so self-storage businesses can take advantage of opportunities available to them. Betta is usually able to deliver a container to a site in two to three days.

Orders for specialised containers will take longer, but commitments will be given and deadlines met.

Contact: Mark Bryant E: mark@bettastorage.com.au T: 1800 800 042

NATIONAL ENERGY SOLUTIONS

JOINS SSAA

T

he SSAA Board would like to welcome National Energy Solutions to the Association as a service member, and look forward to its contributions as an active participant in the industry.

National Energy Solutions (NES) is an independent energy consultancy with extensive industry experience in the commercial and industrial space. With a track record for assisting its clients to significantly reduce their electricity and gas costs and optimise their energy consumption, NES also offers solar panels, environmental reporting, LED audits, demand resetting and power factor correction.

The number of retailers offering competitive rates and network tariff structures has steadily increased since the deregulation of the Australian energy markets in the early 2000s. Due to increased competition, businesses now have many rate and network tariff structures to choose from.

26

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

With its experience in assisting businesses to reduce and optimise their electricity and gas usage, National Energy Solutions analyses energy bills and identifies areas for improvement. This approach enables significant cost savings on long term energy costs, emissions and wastes.

The company favours a closed bid tender process to all retailers — closed bid tendering avoids energy retailers seeing other offers and simply doing enough to win new business.

 Forward Contracting and Network Tariff Optimisation

Forward contracting allows NES customers to take advantage of favourable market conditions and lock in long term energy rates, providing certainty in operating costs.

Because all businesses are unique, NES ensures that the network tariffs are optimised for each business’s needs. A

network tariff not configured to individual requirements can cost thousands of dollars per annum.

As a proud service member of Self Storage Association Australasia, NES looks forward to working with members to help realise significant savings on their energy consumption.

Contact: Justin Wallis E: justinw@nationalenergysolutions.com.au T: 1300 797 411 n

DURING CONSTRUCTION

AFTER

15 Years of Delivering Seamless Self-Storage Projects in Australia & NZ Architectural Design

|

Engineering

Storage Unit Construction

|

|

Permits

Building Conversions

CONTACT:

info@regisbuilt.com.au 1300 388 224

regisbuilt.com.au

|

Building Structures

|

Turn Key Solutions

MAXIMISE YOUR BUSINESS

FINANCE OPTIONS Steven O’Neill of Pitcher Partners examines the changing domain of finance, and provides valuable tips on maximising your business’s potential to finance new growth opportunities.

A

s a new business or one looking towards growth, you’ll inevitably experience a need for additional working capital to fund the establishment or expansion of your business.

The majority of businesses will be approaching either their existing bank

28

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

financiers or a new bank for assistance.

But despite the low interest rates being offered, since the GFC the banking market has remained extremely conservative in its lending practices. Information requirements for approval of finance applications are more stringent than ever before.

 Getting the picture straight

The importance of presenting professional and accurate information to potential financiers cannot be underestimated.

Financiers want to be confident in the quality of your reporting and in the reliability of financial and other information, especially when they’re looking to fund small to medium sized businesses. In the current environment of ‘instant information’, bankers do not believe that there is an excuse for providing aged, inaccurate or unsophisticated financial data.

Of course, preparing accurate numbers to support your proposal is only half the battle. Outlining your experience and matching your strategy and business requirements to the financial data presented will allow your financier a full

picture of your business vision and its funding requirements, allowing you to demonstrate why an investment in your business will be a success.

Typically, such a plan would outline: • Your business’s background • Key director and staff profiles, including details of relevant experience • Market analysis, including competitors • Marketing strategies (both short term and longer term) • Operational plan • Management information systems and reporting • Financial plan, including forecast financial model.

In preparing such a plan, it’s important that business owners take a step back from their companies and be objective about how they are performing. It is often helpful in these circumstances to enlist help from trusted advisors so that issues can be dealt with objectively, honestly and thoroughly.

Whether starting from scratch or looking to extend your operations, the banks will be

Inside Finance

looking for robust information to support their lending decisions. Providing all of this information upfront and accurately provides confidence in the management systems and processes you have in place to support your operation.

Having your financial information underwritten and prepared by a reputable third party, such as a reputable accountant advisor, will significantly increase the likelihood that your credit application is successful.

In some circumstances, you may even be able to ‘shop around’ your data to more than one bank and play one financier off against another to obtain more favourable loan pricing or lower covenant thresholds, and avoid the requirement to pledge additional security such as your family home or business premises.

 Information you should include Strategic plan A written business plan demonstrates clearly that the proprietors of the business have thought about their operation,

where it sits in relation to the industry and competition, and how they are going to maximise opportunities in the marketplace or overcome historical problems.

The market analysis and marketing strategy should address the areas of competition, pricing, sales strategies and so on. The financial plan should contain operating budgets and cashflow forecasts that support the business’s financing requirements.

For example, you will need to provide evidence that if the bank offers your business increased facilities, you will be able to service these going forward. This will not only include interest coverage, but also principal reductions as required by the financier.

These requirements are more evident in today’s market. Whereas previously a business would have provided just a profit and loss account budget loosely based on the previous year’s financial statements, financiers now want to know a great deal more about the business and the industry in which it operates.

Financiers want to assess whether the business can support the debt, whether they can free up cashflow to service business and seasonal fluctuations, and in the event of large volume asset finance, what future balance sheets are likely to look like following aggressive capital expenditure to support expansion.

This plan should form a roadmap to future success, setting milestone goals and achievements along the way.

‘‘

The importance of presenting professional and accurate information to potential financiers cannot be underestimated.

”

 Financial information

Preparation of a budget model that links the profit and loss, balance sheet and cashflow together as a ‘three-way financial model’ assists the financier in tying together funding requirements with potential future growth in the business.

It allows for the assessment of cashflow requirements, while being able to see that the business can support the requirements.

Being able to reliably and accurately communicate your assumptions with respect to the key drivers of your business again provides confidence in the numbers presented, as well as showing sufficient consideration of items such as local square metre rates and occupancy take up.

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

29

Inside Finance

 Funding requirements

Clearly articulating the funding requirements, and how they are supported by equity or business valuations, shows a level of understanding of the funding process and clearly sets out your requirements to the bank.

Risk Advisers & Insurance Brokers New Zealand’s Self Storage Insurance Specialists     

Building Asset Insurance Liability Insurance Customer Insurance Loan Vehicle Trailer Insurance

Specialists in “Self Storage” insurance, our preferential premiums will save you thousands & give you the ability to create additional revenue from the sale of insurance to your customers by accessing our tailor made & exclusive “Customer Insurance” policy We employ a team of highly experienced corporate insurance brokers & risk management professionals to deliver personalised insurance programs to meet our client’s needs. We offer a full range of insurance solutions.

Please contact us today to discuss Insurance Broking - Risk Management - Consultancy Level 3, 2 Emily Place, Auckland CBD p: +64 9 358 1407 f: +64 9 358 1408 e: simon@wallacemclean.co.nz web: www.wallacemclean.co.nz

30

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

Including a funding timeframe will also assist in clearly setting parameters around finance requirements, with potential amortisation of debt into the future supported by the financial model above.

Having strong working relationships with your financiers forms a large part of the funding process, but being able to present clear, accurate and timely information is critical in demonstrating your commitment to the relationship.

Obviously, the old adage of ‘garbage in, garbage out’ must be considered. Are you using opening balances based on finalised or audited year end accounts? Are you accurately reflecting debtor collection cycles? Have you considered forecast increases in fixed and variable overheads? Does your cashflow forecast reflect seasonality? Have you performed ‘what if’ analyses on your model to ensure you can still service your new loan repayments?

Modern bankers are far more tech savvy than their predecessors, and their forecast and business plan expectations are significantly higher.

 Once funding is obtained

Once funding has been obtained, this will not be the end of your relationship with the bank. There will be reporting requirements or covenants within the finance agreements which will likely require you to link your actual results back to the original budgets provided, EBITDA, interest cover, or loan to value ratios (LVRs) depending on your particular agreement with the bank.

Preparation of timely information is paramount to providing this type of information to the bank within the timeframes set out in the funding agreement. Typically, there will be a quarterly reporting requirement with short lead times (15 to 45 days). You need to have access to live data to ensure your covenants are in line and adequately covered.

There may also be a requirement to ‘recut’ your budget at some stage during the year based on either increases or decreases in occupancy. If this is the case, the new model will need to be supported to justify the revised position to the bank, and any resultant effects on your ability to meet bank covenants.

The preparation of three-way financial models provides a robust basis for you as an owner to assess your actual performance.

Even without bank requirements in place, it is a best practice approach to regularly monitor your business and measure your achievements against your expectations.

This, coupled with strong internal controls, corporate governance, up to the minute and accurate reporting, will set your business up for the best chance at success. n

Don’t let computer failures paralyse your facility. With Sentinel’s da Vinci’s you’ll experience freedom from the fear that your facility will never be inconvenienced.

The latest da Vinci model keypads are designed to retain all valid storer codes and operate without a PC.

YOU’LL NEVER NEED TO WORRY ABOUT PC FAILURES AGAIN!

Access Control & Individual Unit Alarms ● Sentinel Access Control interfaces with all major management software programs ● Supports multiple communication chains ● The communications with the hardware runs as a service, so no login to the pc is required ● If a communications chain fails, the system can be set to auto restart ● You can email and/or SMS (text Messages) events to Platinum users ● Can be used with remote alarms or remote access control using the internet or local network ● Easy to install and use over a network ● Has web access features. The program can be accessed from a web browser ● Supports access only users (with passcode only keypads)

PH: 1300 852 117 PH: 0800 002 587 AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

info@storagesecurity.com.au www.storagesecurity.com.au

Sentinel Australasia distributes to all of Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Asia. Installers and technicians in every state of Australia, NZ and throughout Asia.

TAKING THE STRAIN AND PAIN

from SELF-STORAGE

Business Development

O

ne of the most important, and effective, means of improving the performance of a self-storage facility is minimising the amount of intensive labour required in its day-today operations.

By its very nature, self-storage facilities can include a significant degree of manual labour, which can not only consume a lot of time but also puts workers at risk of injury or worse.

Finding clever solutions to reduce that risk and make daily operations more efficient is a primary goal of every selfstorage business manager.

Makinex is a privately owned Australian company recognised for its expertise in the design, development and distribution of solutions for the construction, landscaping, equipment hire and rental, self-storage, infrastructure and related industries since 2004.

The company is focused on ridding businesses of inefficiencies in labour processes by designing products to save workers time, solve logistical problems and streamline workplaces.

 Making light work of lifting

The Makinex powered hand truck and dual pressure washer are good examples of innovation in which clever design culminates in products that save users time, money and the health of the work force.

They are both a great investment for any self-storage business.

Makinex Construction Products’ powered hand truck won Safe Work Australia’s Award for Good Design. The powered hand truck is a universal materials handling solution that enables one person to safely lift and load small equipment or bulky goods weighing up to 140kg. It provides a quick alternative to using a forklift or tailgate loader for small loads, and has the potential to cut shoulder and back injuries in the workplace by up to 34%.

The powered hand truck includes a hook as standard, but is available with several attachments including a forklift, ideal for lifting pallets, a strap frame for lifting bins, a sling and net attachment, and a glass sucker. These ensure that the PHT is capable of lifting and loading most loads.

 Safety at all times

Safe Work Australia states that, on average, employees lose 6.4 working weeks for every injury claim made. In 2013, 12,100 claims were made in the construction industry alone.

“A focus on health and safety in design helps eliminate hazards and risks before they enter the workplace. Good design can radically transform the workplace in ways that benefit the business, workers, clients and others in the supply chain,” said Safe Work Australia Chief Executive Officer, Michelle Baxter.

Working in the self-storage industry can be heavy work, so the right tools for the job are essential. Finding a quick, easy alternative to using a forklift or tailgate

loader, with no need for a licence, means businesses can better utilise their staff.

Every employer wants to ensure their workforce is working at its most productive.

By shrinking a three-person job down to a one-person job businesses can use their staff more efficiently, without the need for a licence, and reduce their risk of injury.

Kennard’s Hire in Alexandria has made good use of a Makinex PHT, said Dareen Curmi. “We use the Makinex powered hand truck at our Kennard’s Hire & Rental branch to lift and load equipment. It is a fantastic product — we use it all day, every day. This piece of equipment is saving us costs and preventing injuries.”

Since using the powered hand truck, Kennard’s Hire has seen a significant decrease in shoulder and back injuries.

It has become an indispensable piece of equipment in Kennard’s Hire right across Australia and New Zealand, he said.

Makinex believes its powered hand truck and dual pressure washer are ideal fits for use in the self-storage industry.

‘‘

Safe Work Australia states that, on average, employees lose 6.4 working weeks for every injury claim made.

”

The Makinex dual pressure washer (DPW4000 and 2500) combines the functionality, versatility and efficiency of a rotary cleaner and wand into one machine. By swapping between functions at the turn of a handle, high pressure cleaning is much faster.

Water pressure is fully adjustable from 1,000psi to 4,000psi, and a Honda engine and 10-metre hose make it easier to access inaccessible places between storage boxes.

“Makinex is about making inefficiencies extinct, where the name itself comes from this driving force. Makinex strives towards continuous improvement by looking closely at its business to find innovative but practical product solutions to provide the self-storage industry with a better way to do their jobs to save time, physical effort and money,” said CEO Rory Kennard, who plays an instrumental part in the design and development of many of Makinex’s products.

Makinex has strategic plans to expand its existing product range to develop both local and global markets. It already has an office in Los Angeles and a global dealer network to further their commitment to research and development. Makinex is experiencing exponential growth in its design and manufacture of products.

“We believe that ‘good enough’ is never enough for our customers,” said Rory Kennard. n

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

33

Outside the Box April, head of sales and marketing at Kings Self Storage in Thomastown – and family pet.

POSTCARD from a

GOLDEN RETRIEVER April, the friendly dog at King’s Self Storage in Thomastown, is an integral part of the company’s sales and marketing strategy, says Julie King.

O

urs is a one-site family business, so everyone in our family makes a contribution. And since our dog is part of the family she does her bit to make the business a success.

This dog of ours lies on the reception floor so customers have to step over her, or she sits in a chair waiting for customers to give her a pat. Some customers make a fuss of her, and children sometimes sit on the floor and entertain themselves with her. Mothers often encourage their children to pat her.

Many visitors to the office are keen to tell us about their own dogs, which is a great conversation starter before getting down to helping them with their storage enquiries.

Our dog’s name is April. She’s a golden retriever, a breed known for a gentle nature and happy countenance. Regular customers often ask where April is if she is not there to greet them.

34

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

Her sister used to work here too, but some years ago she became ill and died.

For a while customers asked where our other dog was and, on learning that she had died, were reduced to tears.

April is a fixture at our facility. Of course, she has to be taken outside regularly and we always watch closely when she is being petted by customers, and children in particular. She sheds hair on the carpet, as golden retrievers do, which results in more tidying up. Water sometimes gets slopped around from her bowl but that just means the floor gets wiped regularly.

Not everyone is fond of dogs, and very occasionally it’s necessary to remove April to a back office if a customer seems nervous with April present. We’ve never had a customer so nervous about her that they have left.

Occasionally a customer can be overheard in the office saying, “Hello gorgeous”, but most often – in fact, always – they are addressing the dog, not the facility staff.

We do not know if April is good for business. It may be that she is the best pointof-contact salesperson we have, but she probably is not. She certainly does not do our sales any harm as she is a warm point of interest between us and our customers.

We would not have a dog in the office if April was not our pet. It would not be possible to sustain the degree of maintenance required to look after a dog in the office if she was not a pet of

which we and our staff are very fond. And it is essential to maintain vigilance when people are playing with her.

Sometimes, when it gets busy in the office and a customer is paying attention to April when we’d prefer they just sign their agreement and start moving in, we are tempted to suggest they let a sleeping dog lie. But we don’t! n

‘‘

Occasionally a customer can be overheard in the office saying, “Hello gorgeous”, but most often – in fact, always – they are addressing the dog, not the facility staff.

”

DESIGNING AND BUILDING SELF STORAGE FACILITIES

This logo is for Rodger Giles Builders (WA)

Economical building solutions to suit your sitE. This logo is for Rodger Giles Builders Pty Ltd Rodger Giles Builders HEAD OFFICE Unit 1, 47 Tile Street Wacol Queensland 4076 T 07 3271 3522 F 07 3879 3044 Rodger 0400 008 855 Trent 0418 745 540

Members Legal Forum

LESSONS

FROM ASIA

The devastating fire at the Ngau Tau Kok industrial site killed two firefighters.

In recent months members of the SSA Asia have faced significant legal and PR challenges. In this edition of MLF we review and report on what occurred, and consider whether there are lessons for members in Australia and New Zealand.

O

ur colleagues in Hong Kong are having a very trying year.

There have been several major incidents in the past three months, and all have attracted significant media attention. Although the incidents are entirely unrelated, it has brought an otherwise fairly discrete industry squarely into the public eye during a Hong Kong election year.

ď Ž Fire

In June, SC Storage in the Amoycan Industrial Centre, Ngau Tau Kok, Hong Kong, endured a major fire incident. A conversion located in an old industrial building, the seven-storey facility was fitted with standard steel sheeting divided spaces. The building was not fitted with a sprinkler system. Although Hong Kong law required all industrial buildings built after 1973 to have sprinklers, this industrial building was exempt as it was built in 1961.

The fire was rated a four alarm fire (five being the highest rating possible), took more than four days to bring under control and was the longest burning fire in Hong Kong in the past 20 years. Two firefighters lost their lives fighting the fire, and many others were hospitalised. The media coverage of the event was highly emotional, and included numerous human interest reports of generous acts by locals offering support to the firefighters by way of meals, drinks and other assistance.

Sensationally, and in an unprecedented act, Hong Kong tourism stepped in and provided temporary accommodation for locals affected by the fire. Histrionic reporting drew parallels with other notorious fires, including the 1911 New

York Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in which 146 sewing machinists died.

Media reports on the fire concentrated heavily on the fact that the storage facility operators did not know what was being stored in the spaces, ostensibly making the job of firefighters more difficult. Authorities highlighted the fact that due to unknown contents, firefighters were both potentially using firefighting measures that would worsen, not subdue, the fire – such as using water on a petrochemical fire – and were exposed to indeterminate risks.

Media attention was focused on what was perceived as inadequate attempts by the facility to restrict the storage of dangerous goods; that is, merely by prohibiting their storage via the storage contract. Because the facility did not check what was being moved into storage or in any other practical way enforce this restriction clause, it was portrayed as being pointless.

Authorities raised suggestions that a safer approach would be for both the facility operator and the storer to have a copy of the key to the space so that the facility could open the space to check whether or not the storer was complying with the clause prohibiting the storage of certain items.

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

37

Members Legal Forum

Of course, such a suggestion goes right to the very heart of self-storage law. Should the facility have a key or any means to access the space without using force, the nature of the storage relationship becomes one of bailment and a much higher duty of care applies to the facility.

In Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and the UK, as well as many other countries, we stringently avoid having the relationship between facility owner and storer interpreted as being a bailment through our practices – including not keeping a copy of the key – and legal agreements.

We are watching the outcome of this debate closely. Although Hong Kong laws are not binding or set a precedent for Australia and New Zealand, approaches to the laws of bailment conform worldwide.

It would be unprecedented for the law of bailment to develop in a way that would vary from the laws in other common law countries, including Australia and New Zealand.

This is particularly relevant, as to date there has not been a single judicial decision in Australia or New Zealand which definitively excludes the laws of bailment applying to self-storage. Further, from a theoretical perspective, it would be impractical for self-storage to have a different look and feel in Hong Kong (ie. facility operators keep keys) to our industry.

As a result of the fire, wholesale inspections of self-storage facilities across Hong Kong were undertaken by various government departments.

Numerous ‘breaches’ of fire codes such as passageway width and fire evacuation irregularities were issued, and the inspections are currently ongoing.

Less than three weeks after the SC Storage fire, a second self-storage fire ignited in the Cheong Fat Industrial

building, which contained a number of self-storage facilities, bringing further attention to the industry.

Again, this fire was treated emotionally by the press as there were children – allegedly squatters – injured by the fire. This second fire led to calls for a Hong Kong wide suspension of self-storage development inside industry buildings, as well as better regulation of the industry as a whole.

 Selling space incorrectly

The second problematic theme for the Hong Kong industry has been the apparent breach of the city’s Trade Description Ordinance by an employee of RedBox storage at their Sha Tin facility.

Undercover Customs and Excise officials were investigating the business after a complaint from a storer that they were sold a space described as being of a set size, when the space was in fact 20% smaller than described. It is our understanding that the manner in which the space was marketed and described was by width and length, similar to the manner in which we describe unit sizes here in Australia and New Zealand.

The Trade Description Ordinance (TDO) specifically outlaws businesses from making false, deceptive or misleading statements in the sale of goods and services. In Hong Kong this is a criminal offence, and the 32-year-old female employee of the facility who allegedly breached the ordinance was cuffed and forcibly removed from the facility by officials.

Note that the TDO also provides for management and business owners to be held responsible if they knew, condoned or ought to have known, that the deceptive behaviour was taking place. Maximum penalties for the offence are five years in prison and a $HK500,000 fine.

This matter is currently being litigated, and the outcome is not yet known.

This matter is directly applicable to the Australian and New Zealand markets. It is a breach of both countries’ consumer protection laws to make false representations when selling goods or services to customers. The main difference in our countries is that the offence is not a criminal offence, and the management and owners of a business (including directors of a company) would be liable, to the exclusion of the staff member.

‘‘

Media reports on the fire concentrated heavily on the fact that the storage facility operators did not know what was being stored in the spaces, ostensibly making the job of firefighters more difficult.

”

The SSAA has presented educational sessions and articles on this matter many times in the past. It is important that members are aware that they have an obligation at law not to mislead customers with regard to the size of the spaces.

Due to inherent variables in building layout, such as concrete supports, quirky building shapes in some conversions and so forth, it is common in the industry for unit measures to not precisely meet our industry ‘standard’ size descriptions of 3 x 4, 3 x 2, 3 x 6, and so forth. For example, a space described as a 3 x 4 might in fact

understanding, creating printing solutions.... ....a printer who knows self storage! putting ink on paper since 1977 3 Paterson Parade Queanbeyan NSW 2620 PO Box 624 Fyshwick ACT 2609 tel: 02 6299 4500 fax: 02 62994200 email: printing@homesteadpress.com.au SSAA member Since 1999

38

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

www.homesteadpress.com.au

measure 2.8 x 3.2 or some other variable close to the advertised 3 x 4. Unless the storer is warned that the measurement is approximate, this has a likely potential of being a breach of Australian and New Zealand Consumer laws.

All facilities should ensure that they advertise their sizes as being approximate measurements, and should also advise customers that if their needs are specific (such as needing to store a specific item the length of which will only fit in a certain sized space) then they should raise this with the facility so that an appropriate storage solution can be established.

Further, it is good practice to offer ALL new storers the opportunity to view the space before they enter into the storage agreement.

This feeds into another area of consumer protection laws – namely, fit for purpose.

Where a storer stores vulnerable items that really ought to be stored in climate controlled storage or other specialised storage, there is a potential that they may claim you held the space out as being fit for their purpose if they were not offered the opportunity to view and reject the space.

Please note, they need not actually elect to see the space, just be offered the

‘‘

It is good practice to offer ALL new storers the opportunity to view the space before they enter into the storage agreement.

”

opportunity to view the space to ensure that it is suitable for their needs. As the choice of space therefore rests with the storer (and was not chosen by the facility), there is an excellent defence to a legal claim that the facility asserted the space was fit for a specific purpose, such as wine storage, or other sensitive items.

 Hong Kong – just bad timing?

The attention focused on the Hong Kong operators has been intense, and can be partially explained by the context in which the events occurred.

The Asia Association and the legal representatives of the companies involved tell us that the topic was highly emotional

due to the death of two firemen, and has therefore encountered significant media and public interest. And as this is an election year in Hong Kong, with polls being held in September, politicians are tapping into this emotional subject and are eager to be seen to be ‘doing something’ about the issue.

This has manifested itself in intense government scrutiny for the self-storage industry. As noted above, inspection of all self-storage facilities in Hong Kong has either taken place or is underway. The Asian SSA is working closely with authorities to ensure the Association can clearly convey to members the expectations of government officials in relation to both the selling of space and safety regulations.

Because all laws are subject to interpretation, the SSA Asia is keen to see firm guidelines established around how spaces can be described or marketed in the selling process, both in media/ promotion and in the sales pitch process.

As these topics contain lessons not just for our Hong Kong compatriots but also operators here in Australia and New Zealand, we will update members as to the progress of our Hong Kong counterparts following this process. n

RELIABLE, HIGH SECURITY PADLOCKS FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS Lock Distributors have been distributing and developing security for self-storage since 1986.

Protect your business and lock into profits using our top quality products, friendly customer service and unparalleled expertise.

AUSTRALIA Elaine Coote T 02 9890 3844 F 02 9630 5701 E sales@lockdistributors.com.au lockdistributors.com.au

High security • Pick-proof • Thousands of key changes • Range of styles

Call us today to find out about a FREE display stand.

NEW ZEALAND Sharon Heuvel T 0508 LOCKED E info@lockdistributors.co.nz lockdistributors.co.nz

Insider Aug-Sept 2016

39

TRADE

DIRECTORY Trusted suppliers to the self-storage industry.

Design & Construction Services & Suppliers  ACR Roofing

Christian Wright T: 03 9555 0955 E: christian@acrroofing.com.au, W: www.acrroofing.com.au  B & D Australia James Tyson T: 07 3883 0248 M: 0417 792 636 E: james.tyson@bnd.com.au W: www.bnd.com.au  Bridgmond Projects Pty Ltd Mark Venz T: 0438 072659 E: info@bridgmond.com.au W: www.bridgmond.com.au  Corporate Construction Group T: +61 2 9252 4747 F: +61 2 9252 4750 E: admin@corporateconstruction.com.au W: www.corporateconstruction.com.au  G&M Stor-More Michael Watson T: 02 4733 5048 E: michael@gmstormore.com.au W: www.gmstormore.com.au  Gliderol Garage Doors Tom Ainscough T: 08 8360 0000 E: tainscough@gliderol.com.au W: www.gliderol.com.au  KiwiMark Construction T: 07 576 5494 F: 07 576 5491 E: travis@kiwimark.net.nz W: www.kiwimark.net.nz  Multilec Engineering T: 08 9470 6492 E: td@multilec.com.au W: www.multilec.com.au  Regis Construction Group M: 0423 083 321 T: 1300 388 224 E: anthony@regisconstruction.com.au W: www.regisconstruction.com.au New Zealand Office Anthony Regis E: newzealand@regisconstruction.com.au

 Rodger Giles Builders

Trent Giles M: 0418 745 540 T: 07 3271 3522 E: admin@rodgergiles.com.au W: www.rodgergiles.com.au  STS Safetech Tieman Solutions T: 03 5127 4566 M: 0417 146 949 E: lukes@stsap.com.au W: www.safetechtieman.com.au  Southwell Lifts and Hoists David Head T: 02 4655 7007 E: sales@southwell.com.au W: www.southwell.com.au  Steel Storage Group T: +61 7 3865 1600 E: sales@steelstorage.com.au W: www.steelstorage.com.au Asian Office T: +65 6862 9365 E: sales@steelstorage.com.sg W: www.steelstorage.com.sg  Storco Storage Systems Jonathan Layton 2 Strathgrove Way, Orange NSW 2800 T: 02 6391 2800 E: info@storco.com.au W: www.storco.com.au  Taurean Door Systems Sean Marceddo T: 03 9721 8366 M: 0409 489 881 E: Sean.Marceddo@taureands.com.au  Universal Storage Containers (USC) Peter Nemiroff E: peter@universalstoragecontainers.com Shay Mcquade T: 0438 256 541 E: shay.mcquade@universalstoragecontainers.com W: www.universalstoragecontainers.com

Management & Operations  Storage Angel

Shondra Hill T: 03 9592 5934 M: 0408 110 225 E: shondrahill@gmail.com

Please check that your details are correct on this page as it is an important listing for customers to be able to contact you. If you need to add or amend any details please send an email to admin@selfstorage.com.au

40

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

 Storage King

Martin Richards T: +61 2 9460 6660 E: martin@storageking.com.au W: www.storageking.com.au Storage King New Zealand Mark Bateman T:+61 2 9360 3230 E: mark@storageking.co.nz

Valuations, Finance & Assorted Professional Consultants  Aon Risk Services

T: +61 2 9253 7000 W: www.aon.com.au/storage AON Risk Services NZ Jeffery Nathan T: +64 9 362 9535 E: jeffery.nathan@aon.com W: www.aon.co.nz  Collins & Associates Malcolm Collins T: 03 8456 5134 E: malcolm@malcolmcollins.com W: www.malcolmcollins.com  GSA Insurance Brokers Carlo Gentili T: +61 2 8274 8130 E: carlog@gsaib.com.au  Highway Frontage Specialist Estate Agents Matt Walsh T: 1300 661 950 +61 3 9944 9350 E: matt@highwayfrontage.com.au W: www.selfstoragerealestate.com.au  Landmark White Pty Ltd Peter Roberts T: 07 3226 0000 E: peter.roberts@lmw.com.au  M3 Property Strategists Mitchell Bernoth T: 07 3620 7900 E: mitchell.bernoth@m3property.com.au Ross Perkins T: 07 3620 7901 E: ross.perkins@m3property.com.au  Midland Insurance Brokers Gilda Mihran T: 1300 306 571 E: storage@midlandinsurance.com.au W: www.midlandinsurance.com.au  Self Storage Investments Pty Ltd Simon Degaris T: 0425 340 878 E: simon@selfstorageinvestments.com.au W: www.selfstorageinvestments.com.au

Trade Directory

 Urbis

David Blackwell Direct: 02 8233 7627 M: 0409 771 310 Office: 02 8233 9900 E: dblackwell@urbis.com.au W: www.urbis.com.au  Wallace McLean Simon Keenan T: +64 9-358 7233 E: simon@wallacemclean.co.nz W: www.wallacemclean.co.nz

Ancillary Services  Betta Storage Containers

Grant Bryant T: 02 9999 0150 E: mark@bettastorage.com.au W: www.bettastorage.com.au  Boxes by the Fox Rachel Grant T: 61 2 4284 2213 E: sales@boxesbythefox.com W: boxesbythefox.com  Ezidebit T: 07 3124 5500 E: sales@ezidebit.com.au W: www.ezidebit.com  Havener Enterprises Alan White P: 815 935 8383 E: alan@havenerent.com W: www.portablestoragebox.com  Homestead Press Joe Barbaro P: 02 6299 4500 E: printing@homesteadpress.com.au  iBidon Storage Grant McNamee T: 0410 445 933 E: info@ibidon.com.au W: www.ibidon.com.au  Integra Packaging Sean Clark T: 07 3848 9290 E: sean@integrapackaging.com W: www.integrapackaging.com  Jetta Excess Baggage Rosemary Ferguson T: 03 9335 2588 E: sales@jetta.com.au W: www.jettaexcessbaggage.com.au  Lock Distributors Elaine Coote T: 02 9890 3844 E: sales@lockdistributors.com.au W: www.lockdistributors.com.au Lock Distributors NZ Ltd Sharon Heuvel T: 0508 LOCKED E: info@lockdistributors.co.nz  Makinex Construction Products 15 Waltham Street Artarmon, NSW, 2064 Ph: +61 1300 795 953  MiniMovers T: 07 3892 4000 E: admin@minimovers.com.au E: marketing@minimovers.com.au W: www.minimovers.com.au

 National Energy Solutions Pty Ltd

Level 1, 73A Rupert Street Collingwood, VIC, 3066, Australia T: +61 3 8609 9276  Premier Box Pty Ltd Spencer Ives T: +61 7 5491 7604 M: +61 409 959 775 W: www.premierbox.com.au  Robertson & Robertson 1/8 Reliance Drive Tuggerah, NSW, 2259, Australia Ph: +61 2 4351 2200  Royal Wolf Trading Craig Baker T: 02 9482 3466 E: removals@royalwolf.com.au W: www.royalwolf.com.au  Self Storage Sales Australia Trevor Berry M: 0408962705 E: trevor@selfstoragesalesaustralia.com.au W: www.selfstoragesalesaustralia.com.au  Sweepers Australia Michelle Maxwell & Vaughan Rose T: 03 9562 7533 E: michelle@sweepersaustralia.com.au W: www.sweepersaustralia.com.au  Transcorp Removals John Christoforidis T: 1300 466 838 (Toll Free) E: enquiries@transcorpaustralia.com.au W: www.melbourne-removalist.com.au  Visy Boxes & More T: 03 9554 5600 E: vbm_vic@visy.com.au W: visyboxesandmore.com.au Branches across Australia and New Zealand.

VIC/TAS: Gary Craven Office: 03 9554 5600 M: 0419 766 958 NSW: Michael Bown Office: 02 9602 3422 M: 0488 178 814 QLD: Brad Mondolo Office: 07 3348 3892 M: 0419 766 962 SA: Paul Maguire Office: 08 8262 2011 M: 0417 395 734 WA: Brad Webb Office: 08 9455 5777 M: 0419 766 139 ACT: Andrew Dailly Office: 02 6297 7211 M: 0408 696 010 NT: Caelum Cousins Office: 08 8947 1977 M: 0429 239 604 NZ: David Macintosh Office: 0011 649 279 6565 M: 0011 642 7434 2053  Web ID Pty Ltd Unit 6, 9 Mirra Court, Bundoora, VIC, 3083 Ph: +61 3 9470 8420

Software & Security  AD-TECH Security

Adrian Rostirolla T: 1300 30 60 90 E: sales@ad-tech.com.au W: www.ad-tech.com.au  AlarmQuip Security Systems Evan Richardson T: 07 5492 3242 E: evan@alarmquip.com.au W: www.alarmquip.com.au

 Centreforce Technology Group Pty Ltd Dallas Dogger T: 07 3889 9822 E: sales@centreforceit.com.au SiteLink Software: www.sitelinksoftware.com.au R6 Web Sites: www.r6web.com.au District Manager revenue enhancement software: www.qstrom.com  O’Neil Australasia Pty Ltd Glenn Fichera T: 07 3255 1333 E: glenn.fichera@oneilsoft.com W: www.oneilsoft.com  PTI Australasia Pty Ltd Ben Parsad T: 07 3216 5524 E: sales@ptiaustralasia.com W: www.pti.com.au  Que Access Pty Ltd Ashley Hooper T: 0488 279 918 E: ashley@queaccess.com.au  Sentinel Australia Jason Keane T: +61 99882035 1300 852 117 E: jason@storagesecurity.com.au W: www.storagesecurity.com.au  Storman Australia Andy Pudmensky T: 07 3319 1522 E: sales@storman.com W: www.storman.com Storman New Zealand Andy Pudmensky T: 09 280 3393 E: sales@storman.com W: www.storman.com

Would you like to be listed on this page?

Then become a SSAA Service Member.

The Self Storage Association of Australasia has been looking after the interests of the selfstorage industry in Australia and New Zealand since 1990.

It is the peak industry body and provides guidance to its members in both day-to-day operational procedures and the promotion of their business and the industry as a whole.

A key factor in the success of the SSAA has been the relationship with its members.

As a Service Member of the SSAA you could have the opportunity to build relationships within the industry through the various mediums and networking opportunities that the SSAA has available. You also have a unique opportunity to market your products and services directly to the industry through a number of opportunities that we have exclusively for our Service Members.

In addition, you will receive all the information, publications, invitations and other correspondence that all members of the association receive, which will help you keep abreast of industry issues and ensure you have the most up-to-date information when dealing with the self-storage industry.

As a service member you also have board representation. This ensures that you also have a say in the strategic direction of the association and the industry, you have the right to vote, nominate or become this important industry representative.

For further information on how we can help make your service membership work for you, please call Craig McKenzie on +61 3 9466-9699 to obtain an application form.

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

41

SSAA

BOARD MEMBERS Chairman - Keith Edwards

All Secure, New Zealand Ph: +61 04 5676 655 E: keith@allsecure.co.nz

Shaun Bain

Keepsafe Storage, Western Australia Ph: +61 8 9200 2252 E: shaunbain@kbhgroup.com.au

Makala Castelli

National Storage, Queensland Ph: +61 7 3218 8116 E: mcastelli@nationalstorage.com.au

Ryan Coom

National Mini Storage, New Zealand Ph: +64 9 415 4390 E: ryan.coom@nationalministorage.co.nz

Liz Davies

Self Storage Australia, South Australia Ph: +61 8 8955 5555 E: liz.davies@selfstore.com.au

Andrew Eastwood

U-Store-It, South Australia Ph: +61 8 8276 1166 E: aeastwood@ustoreit.com.au

Jason Keane

Sentinel Australasia Ph: +61 3 9418 3942 E: jason@storagesecurity.com.au

Ivor Morgan

Jim’s Self Storage, Victoria Ph: +61 3 9397 3438 E: ivor@jimsstorage.com.au

Sally Steel

Wilson Storage Ph: 1300 28 68 28 E: sally.steel@wilsonstorage.com.au

42

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

Inside SSAA

SSAA

STAFF Susan Phillips, CEO E: ceo@selfstorage.com.au

Craig McKenzie, Membership & Marketing Coordinator E: membership@selfstorage.com.au

Jeanette Jones, Reception / Administration E: admin@selfstorage.com.au

Simone Hill, Legal Advisor E: legal@selfstorage.com.au

Melinda Wyper, Accounts Officer E: accounts@selfstorage.com.au

Invest once, invest wisely in PTI SECURITY SYSTEMS CONTROL AND POWER IN THE PALM OF YOUR HANDS WITH THE STORLOGIX AND EASYCODE APP Storlogix and EasyCode App allows your customers to access your facility directly from from their smart phones or any mobile device.

• Open doors and gates • Deactivate unit alarms • Turn lights on

A range of robust keypads to choose from to suit your requirements, built with quality, built to last.

For more infomation visit www.ptiaustralia.com.au T +61 (0)7 3216 5524 E sales@ptiaustralasia.com

PTI Advert_nov15.indd 1

26/11/2015 9:14 PM

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

43

Member Resources

MEMBER

RESOURCES

A

s part of SSAA membership members are provided with a wide range of resources to assist them in complying with relevant legislation, common law obligations and industry best practice. Many of these resources are located in the Manual of Advice and Procedures (MAP) which can be downloaded from our website (see legal resources).

To access the resources available visit www.selfstorage.org.au, log in to the members’ only section of our website (using your username and password), and head to the resources page. For any log in issues contact our office on + 61 3 9466 9699 or admin@selfstorage.com.au

 BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

• Disaster Prevention and Recovery Guide • Dispute Resolution Guide • Valuation Guidelines • Mystery Shopping Information

 CHECKLISTS & LETTERS

• Sign up Checklist • Contract for Accepting Deliveries • Lock Break Form • Deed of Release

 HR & IR RESOURCES

• Employment Handbook: - Modern awards summary - Employment contract - Letter of appointment - Company policies - Position description for self-storage manager - Time wages and pay slip templates - Fair Work Information Statement - Small Business Fair Dismissal Code • National Employment Standards • OH&S Manual - Forms: Incident register; injury recording; forklift checklist; accident investigation checklist; medical release authority; return to work plan; ergonomic hazard management; housekeeping checklist etc.

 IT & ONLINE RESOURCES

• STOReFLASH bi-monthly e-newsletter • StorMan Web Links Pack • Storer Check (database for problem storers) • Storage Finder – www.selfstorage.com.au (for customer enquiries) • Trade Directory of service members (industry suppliers) • Self Storage Space Estimator • SSAA Insider Blog

44

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

 STORAGE AGREEMENTS  LEGAL RESOURCES

• Legal Advice • Police Watchlist • Frequently Asked Questions • MAP Australia & New Zealand - Storage Agreements - Standard Letters: 7 day overdue, 14 day, 21 day; 28 day; 5 month - Appendix documents - Notification Letters: notice for immediate entry; entry in 21 days to liquidator; to trustee; fee increase; lock break; termination notice • Privacy Documents Australia and New Zealand • PPSR Information

 MARKETING

• Insider Magazine Advertising - booking sheet, specifications and prices • Marketing Manual • Opportunity to advertise facilities for sale on our website.

 PUBLICATIONS

• Insider Magazine • Facility Traffic and Parking Study • Almanac Demand Study

 SSAA RESOURCES

• Constitution • Code of Ethics • SSAA Logos • SSAA Merchandise Order Form for: - Personal Storage Brochure - Corporate Storage Brochure - Code of Ethics Poster - Conditions of Agreement Poster - SSAA Flag - Australian Flag.

(also in MAP) • Standard Storage Agreement – Australia & New Zealand U • Managed Storage Agreement – 2P0DINATED 16 Australia & New Zealand • Mobile Storage Agreement – UPDINATED 201 6 Australia & New Zealand • Truck Hire Agreement – New Zealand • Trailer Hire Agreement – New Zealand.

 OFFLINE RESOURCES

• SSAA Window Decal & Membership Certificate • Annual Convention and Trade Show/Summit • SSAA Awards for Excellence Program • Regional Meetings • Training in Legal, Sales and Operations • Affiliations with the SSA in the USA, UK/ Europe and Asia • Exclusive Customer Goods Insurance Offer – NZ & AUS.

 COVENTIONS/SUMMITS

As a member you are entitled to attend our Self Storage informative events: • Staff Retreat, Sydney, Aust., 4–5 May 2017 • Owners and Managers Summit, Queenstown, NZ, 28–31 August 2017.

Disclaimer:

This magazine is intended to inform members of matters relevant to the industry in a general manner. It is not, however, to be used or relied upon as a substitute for professional advice.

Before acting on any advice, discussion or opinion contained herein, readers should seek specific professional advice. The Association, editors and writers are excluded from any liability for damage caused, that arises from acting in reliance on any opinion expressed herein. All rights reserved. © Self Storage Association of Australasia.

New Members

NEW

MEMBERS Facility Members Any Time Self Storage 80 Central Bucca Road Bucca, NSW, 2450 Australia Ph: +61 429 007 247

Melbourne City Storage 10 Glenbarry Road Campbellfield, VIC, 3061 Australia Ph: +61 414 300 250

Beulah Pty Ltd 2 Fotheringham Street Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia Ph: +61 3 5561 4216

Platinum Vehicle Storage Pty Ltd 21 Raymor Lane Encounter Bay, SA, 5211 Australia PH: +61 428 747 767

Coastal Storage Units Pty Ltd 18 Quarry Way Mandurah, WA, 6210, Australia Ph: +61 8 9583 3577 Commercial and Domestic Storage Pty Ltd 27 Middle Road Hillcrest, QLD, 4118 Australia Ph: +61 416 271 827 Depot Self Storage 33 Morrin Road St Johns, Auckland, 1072 New Zealand Ph: +64 6495 707 040 Furniture and Whiteware Rentals, Storage 11 Bryce Lane Hamilton, Waikato, 3204 New Zealand Ph: +64 21 734 833

PortaKube Moving and Mobile Sorage Hire 9 Flagstone Court Burleigh Waters, QLD, 4220 Australia Ph: +61 1300 416 742 Storage King Craigieburn 10 Export Road Craigieburn, VIC, 3064 Australia Ph: +61 3 9303 4900 Storagespace.kiwi 13 Pluto Road Lumsden, Southland, 9730 New Zealand Ph: +64 272 718 283 Young Family Trust 32 Wolstenholme Drive Sorell, TAS, 7172 Australia Ph: +61 415 453 973

Provisional Members Aktiv Engineering 4 Orana Street Caravonica, QLD, 4878 Australia Ph: +61 429 805 068

Kent Storage 30 Duerdin Street Clayton, VIC, 3168 Australia Ph: +61 3 9271 5000

Caloundra Storage PO Box 738 Buderim, QLD, 4556 Australia Ph: +61 408 936 771

North Harbour Rentals Ltd 255 Bush Road Albany, Auckland ,715 New Zealand Ph: +64 9415 1955

GCS Limited 115 Green Road Dairy Flats, Auckland, New Zealand Ph: +64 21 630393

Peter and Julie Wiggins 693 Kenley Road Kenley, VIC, 3597, Australia Ph: +61 409 420 674

Service Members

46

Makinex Construction Products 15 Waltham Street Artarman, NSW, 2064 Australia Ph: +61 1300 795 953

Robertson & Robertson 1/8 Reliance Drive Tuggerah, NSW, 2259 Australia Ph: +61 2 4351 2200

National Energy Solutions Pty Ltd Level 1, 73A Rupert Street Collingwood, VIC, 3066 Australia Ph: +61 3 8609 9276

Web ID Pty Ltd Unit 6, 9 Mirra Court Bundoora, VIC, 3083 Australia Ph: +61 3 9470 8420

Insider Oct-Nov 2016

Code of Ethics 1. Members must promote the good image of the industry through ethical and honest advertising and business practices.

2. Members must maintain industry best practice standards as set by the Association.

3. Members must ensure that their business practices deter the conduct of criminal activities on site.

4. Members must comply with all relevant laws and regulations in regards to developing and operating a self-storage business.

5. Members must use a properly executed SSAA storage agreement or equivalent legal binding agreement with all Storers.

6. Members will avoid using practices that do not support environmental sustainability where practical alternatives exist.

7. Members will ensure that their workplace provides the maximum practical level of safety for employees, customers and other visitors to the site.

8. Members should ensure that staff are competent in their duties and complete appropriate training in best practice standards.

9. Members should treat all customers with respect.

TRUSTED BY