The Commercial Modular Building Blog

Hopping aboard the green movement

One of the main functions of modern business is to recognize social movements and leverage that forward momentum, funneling buyers to relevant products and services.

Today’s growing green movement is one of those movements…and not just because it has “movement” in its name! We are at a critical point in history when the ideas of environmental conservation and sustainable living have become the agenda of the masses. Environmentalism is no longer seen as weak, fanciful, and superfluous, but absolutely necessary and a noble cause. This is all due to our growing realization (thanks to advances in science and technology) that our ecosystem really is delicate and that up to this point we have been destroying it. Now humanity as a whole is concerned with the well-being of the environment and the necessity of preserving it.   

Smart, growing businesses are taking advantage of this social movement, which is only adding to the beneficial practices of preserving the environment.

 In a time when the economy is hurting and job growth is stunted, the green industries are flourishing and green tech jobs are growing. This astounding fact is testament to the power of a social movement.

In this uncertain, constantly changing economy, it is good to know there is one driving idea that won’t change for a while: the idea that we need to develop green technologies and conduct business in an environmentally friendly manner.

So to reiterate, successful business that are surviving and growing in today’s economy are either entering into the green technology market or embracing green technology and investing in environmentally friendly processes as they manufacture their products or offer their services. Today’s consumers prefer green companies. The environment is on everyone’s mind, so everyone is going to prefer green products. They are also going to prefer doing business with the companies that can claim to be green friendly.

In the next post, I will talk about the usefulness of branding when it comes to surviving in today’s economy.

Flexible, Agile Businesses

In previous posts, I have beaten the notion of the necessity of change into the ground. So in this post, I am going to talk about it some more! However, this time I will relate it to survival in the new economy.

What characterizes our modern economy? Well, we are increasingly doing business on a global scale. The strongest companies in the US are growing and expanding their operations into other regions, such as Asia and Europe. Then, we see strong companies in regions such as Asia and Europe expand into our region and do business here. New competition is arising from different places in the world every day. With new competition, new ideas, and new innovations come changes in the market landscape and the way we do business. The changes we make in response to the changing market affect the market back and our competition as well and so this feedback mechanism continues back and forth.

But what’s the big deal? Hasn’t this always been the nature of competition? And hasn’t global commerce been around for a while?

To an extent, yes, global commerce has been around for quite some time, and we have seen these competitive behaviors since the dawn of competition. But what is different today is the extent of the global market and how fast information travels.

In the past, businesses were confined to the regions they did business in and traded goods worldwide. Now, businesses have a more pervasive presence worldwide, which affects respective economies and even cultures in a new way.

With the rapid information transfer that the internet allows, market activity has become faster and denser. Research can be done quicker and efforts can be coordinated instantly. What all of this results in is a highly volatile, ever-changing market to do business in. New innovations pop up all the time. Advances in technology change the market environment over night.

To survive, today’s businesses have to adapt to all of these changes and leverage the changing market conditions in order to attract more consumers and increase revenue. A changing market calls for changing businesses.

Businesses that are flexible are going to be the businesses that can change when the market takes a sudden turn. Flexible businesses have plans for reorganization. They also encourage employees to innovate and try new things whenever possible. They make change their policy.

I’ve talked about this before, but building with modular construction allows a business to have change-ready facilities. If a business needs a new workspace to begin working on smart phone applications, or a new computer room for social media marketing experts, that business will be able to expand upon their existing facilities without necessitating disruptive construction. New technologies require new workspaces to produce the latest product on the market. A smart business has to be ready for whatever is around the corner so they can be among the first to take advantage of it.

In the next post, I’ll talk about the significance of the green movement in relation to the new economy and how smart businesses are getting on board.

The Overview

Today’s economy is a fast, rapidly changing, virtually unpredictable landscape to do business in. The market landscape is changing every day. New businesses spring up and old businesses close as market trends take off in new directions, seemingly without warning. New, unexpected sources of competition emerge, forcing competing companies to alter their strategies quickly and effectively.

With the advent of the Internet and continuing on today, substantial research can be done quickly. Companies can check up on their competition with ease and alter their business strategies accordingly. With a rapid exchange of information comes an increased rate of business activity and change. As the global market sees more and more activity and encompasses more and more countries, we see new sources of competition arising all over the globe; as if domestic competition wasn’t enough!

It lends credit to the phrase, “It’s like a jungle out there.” And to an extent, this phrase rings true. Analogous to the diversity of jungle life, we see a diverse assortment of businesses out there, all of them with different services, approaches, and (sometimes strange) personalities. But with diversity and healthy competition comes a brilliance and vibrancy of life. Just take a look at the Amazon. Though this new economy is sometimes unpredictable and at times crazy, I myself am optimistic about the resulting benefits it will provide.  

But the question persists: in the face of this new, global, fast economy, how does a business survive?  Well by adapting of course! A business can adapt by becoming stronger, more intelligent, and craftier in method. This is not easily done, of course.  

Our struggles to understand this strange new fast-track economy have been exacerbated by this seemingly endless recession we have been stuck in. Times are still tough! But they are also getting better. And though this recession has been hard on us all, I think it is also making us stronger: more lean, more efficient, more conscious of the market.

Add our current environmental crises to the mix and we can be seen to have a lot on our plate. But even though it has been a struggle, we are now more conscious of the environment than ever. Our hardships and worries have given us a greater awareness of the need to generate sustainable living…both on an ecological level and an economic level as well. Our hardships have proven to be bittersweet. I believe we will come out of this recession stronger than ever and able to build a better society in the future.

This article series will cover how businesses are adapting to the changing economy and how they are continuing to survive in this new, crazy marketplace.

In the next blog post, I will go over how successful businesses are becoming more flexible and change-friendly in order to keep up with changing market conditions.

Time is Money and with The Economy in Flux, Successful Businesses look at a Fast New Building Product to Stay In Front

As businesses change, so do their facility’s needs. In this day and age slowing down is simply not an option. Downsizing and expansion both require changes in physical space; prefabricated modular wall systems can accomplish both these tasks with minimal impact on productivity or workflow.

Businesses today must meet the changing business environment quickly and intelligently. Using prefabricated modular products can save companies tremendous amounts of time and money. The look of modular has become so streamlined that it is virtually indistinguishable from standard construction; however, the cost savings, non-intrusiveness, flexibility, and reduced environmental impact of modular truly makes it the best business solution on the market.

Standard stud and drywall construction causes enormous strain on companies looking to transform their workspace. “Many organizations overlook the productivity lost during a lengthy construction project; the cost of downtime can be staggering! Invasive drywall dust, sanding, and painting can become a thing of the past, although few companies have realized that prefabricated modular building systems are available and are a better solution” said Scott Nielsen, LEED Certified Operations Manager of Allied Modular.

Now, modular construction, which is pre-manufactured before arriving at a job site, eases the strain on companies looking to modify their facilities. Offices, lunchrooms, conference rooms, and a host of other applications can be completed in days instead of months, with very little impact on the operations of the organization and by purchasing prior to year end; you can maximize your tax benefits under http://www.section179.org/section_179_deduction.html [IRS tax law, section 179].

In addition to providing a non-intrusive and highest-quality business solution, prefabricated modular products offer myriad other advantages over standard construction. Modular products can be reused and relocated with very little effort or financial impact. Also, modular companies like Allied Modular Building Systems manufacture building solutions that are environmentally friendly using only recyclable materials and small installation crews, the carbon footprint on the environment is as minimal as the impact on your company’s productivity.