The Hidden Value of Durability: Profits

High-quality prefabricated modular wall systems offer a number of advantages on the job site. They go up fast and easy, are reusable and easy to reconfigure, and don’t require all the clean-up and debris removal that accompanies drywall.

For temporary containment, these systems offer a no-brainer solution. But there’s another benefit to high-quality modular walls: the durability of these systems unlocks profit potential.

Designed to Withstand the Intensity of a Build – Over Time

A good example is RealWall™, our original reusable temporary containment system. Valued for its sound attenuation, real wall appearance and construction, RealWall reduces renovation noise up to 50% while exceeding ICRA Class IV and ASTM E-84 requirements. But, as the video below demonstrates, it’s designed to last for years across hundreds of jobs.

High Reported Re-Use by Customers

Of course, any manufacturer can claim its products are exceptionally durable. The question is, how well do the prefabricated modular walls in question hold up to the day-to-day demands of real-world construction sites?

To answer this question, STARC recently surveyed its customers to see just how many times they re-use our wall systems from the initial point of purchase.

According to the survey results, 59% of long-time customers have re-installed 20 or more times since initial purchase. Another 15% of survey respondents said they reused their STARC wall panels 10 or more times. They bought it once and redeployed it over and over again, typically recapturing their investment after just 3-5 uses.

Breakeven Point

Richmond, Va.-based W.E. Bowman is a recognized leader in healthcare construction. The firm’s healthcare clients require that all temporary containment walls exceed ICRA Class IV requirements.

Traditionally, W.E. Bowman used drywall and plastic walls for temporary containment, but while researching cost-effective alternatives that are environmentally sustainable, the firm discovered STARC. After trying one of our systems for a healthcare renovation, the firm’s ROI, relative to drywall, was as follows:

• Project required 5200’ of temporary containment spread over 7 phases
• The cost of STARC Systems was recaptured after 5 phases
• The overall savings for the project versus drywall was 75%
• W.E. Bowman plans to use the STARC panels they purchased on hundreds of more jobs

Best Practices

Beyond confirming that durability is one of the keys to unlocking profitability, this survey revealed some clear-cut best practices. For example, 67% of respondents charge for containment on a fee-per-linear-foot or per-phase basis. And upon project or phase completion, over 90% of respondents return the panels to a central storage area, with 44% quickly moving to re-install them on a new project within two to six weeks. Less than 10% report selling the panels or transferring them to the owner.

It's easy to see how prefabricated modular wall systems offer significant advantages over traditional solutions, such as drywall. However, the differentiator among higher quality systems often comes down to durability, which both benefits the immediate project and establishes a longer-term timeline necessary to maximize profit potential.