Reading time: 3 minutes
Reduced CO2 emissions, lower costs, higher efficiency
In Leidschendam, work is well under way at the largest covered shopping centre in the Benelux: Westfield Mall of the Netherlands. It is an extraordinary retail destination with 280 shops and restaurants. Reinier Lourens is the Boels account manager for this large-scale project. He explains why Boels Onsite was chosen: a temporary depot on location.
“Every shop and restaurant in the Mall of the Netherlands is responsible for completing its own location. This means that a lot of different (international) contractors and installation companies are working at one construction site. The owner of the shopping centre, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, is committed to building the mall as sustainably as possible. But if every contractor were to place its rental order with Boels separately, that would involve a great deal of transport and handling. That is not at all sustainable. A Boels Onsite depot limits all the unnecessary transport movements, which means less CO2 is emitted.”
More benefits
An onsite depot offers even more advantages. Equipment and tools are used more efficiently, which further ensures the continuity of the work. It also saves on costs and administrative tasks. Contractors can hire what they need directly, and then get straight to work.
What is available for rent at an onsite depot?
“Boom lifts, passenger lifts, construction lifts, scaffolding, forklifts, and not to mention small tools. Everything that a contractor or installation company doesn’t have but temporarily needs. Over the past few weeks, for example, there has been a high demand for heaters”, says Patrick Leemans, Area Account Manager at Boels. Patrick provides support for the operational side of the project. He resolves issues and challenges in the operational process together with the often international finishing contractors. Patrick continues: “Our colleague Awinash is at the onsite location full-time to answer any questions, take orders and give advice. He collects all the orders and has them sent together to the location from our depot in Rijswijk. He is also technically trained so he can help resolve malfunctions right away.”
Minimising emissions
The Mall of the Netherlands is being built with as few emissions as possible, meaning that the rental equipment also has to meet this requirement. At the onsite depot, it is mostly electrical or battery-powered equipment and tools that are available for hire. “We have a wide range of electric or battery-powered products to choose from. Many of the machines also have a zero emission version. This helps contractors and installation companies meet the requirements”, explains Patrick.
The Westfield Mall of the Netherlands will open in the spring and will then be the largest indoor shopping centre in the Benelux. Between 12 and 14 million visitors are expected each year.
