As an event company, equipment rental company, or sanitation company, temporary fences are a critical part of the products and services you offer. They help your customers secure construction sites, protect portable sanitation solutions, and put on events by providing everything from perimeter security to helping organize lines.

Today, most of the manufacturing for temporary fence panels in the US is completed manually. Tubes are cut and welded and chain-link is attached to the frame of the panel—all by hand. It’s a time consuming, error-filled process that creates more work, risk, and hassle down the road.

The type of fences you use will have a big impact on your customers’ experience, your long-term costs, and ultimately your bottom line, so it’s important to choose carefully. Here’s what to look for in a temporary fence manufacturer, and how to choose the one that’s right for you.

Factors that should influence your choice

Stability

Stability is the most important attribute of any temporary fence. It’s what keeps the fence in place even in harsh weather conditions or if someone attempts to move it. How easy are the fences to stabilize, and how secure are they once stabilized?

Most temporary fences in the US are stabilized using sandbags. While cheap and fast, sandbags deteriorate quickly, leading to unstable fences that fall down and sandbags that need to be regularly replaced. 

Falling or unstable fences can create safety and liability issues for both you and your customers. They are also a lot easier to move by would-be thieves or trespassers. 

Climbability 

Often, one of the main purposes of a temporary fence rental is to keep people out—whether criminals or just certain members of the public. How easy are your fences to climb?

Approximately 95% of fence panels today are constructed using chain-link. Chain-link fences have an aperture of 2.25-2.50 inches, making them relatively easy to climb for children and many adults. 

This is a problem for construction companies, events organizers, and schools. Not only are easily climbable fences less secure, but they are much more likely to result in accidents and injuries.

Durability

Your fences are going to get used frequently, by a lot of different people, in a lot of different environments. You need them to be durable. 

Cost will always be a factor when making a purchasing decision, but make sure you aren’t shortchanging yourself on quality. Trying to penny-pinch up front could end up costing you a lot more down the line in terms of time, hassle, repairs, unhappy customers, and fence replacement.

Tracking

Another factor to consider is how you monitor your inventory of fences. Do the fences make tracking and identification easy? 

As a rental company, you understand the importance of being able to track your fence rentals. Properly tracking your assets allows you to recoup expenses in the case of lost or stolen goods, forecast equipment needs, and properly manage depreciation schedules. Does your current fence supplier offer solutions for asset tracking?  

Customization

How much customization do the fences require before they are client-ready? 

For example, you have to put your signage and business information on all newly-purchased fences. You may also have to add tags or identifying numbers to properly track the panels as discussed above. Any additional customization you have to do will add time and cost, so it’s an important element to consider. 

Storage and transport

Your temporary fence rentals are going to be moved around a lot—between your warehouse and customers, and at your customers’ job sites. How easy are the fences to set up, tear down, transport, and store?

As mentioned earlier, the vast majority of temporary fences today are manufactured using chain-link. It’s common practice to store these panels by stacking them on top of each other. Unfortunately, the nature of chain-link is that the edges are jagged and often become stuck together, making them time-consuming to separate when unloading. The sharp edges can also be a safety hazard to the people moving them. 

Fences that are easier to move and store save both you and your customers time and hassle. 

Aesthetics

Do the fences look professional, or more like an eyesore? Temporary fences aren’t decorative pieces, but that doesn’t mean they have to be ugly. No matter who your rental clients are, they’ll appreciate and prefer temporary fences that are aesthetically pleasing.

Construction companies want their sites to look professional, not run down. Event organizers want their grounds to look inviting, not hostile. Schools want their kids to feel like they are protected, not like they are prisoners. Fences that look good are a selling point.

Finding the right match

Once you understand what you want, it’s time to start looking for temporary fence manufacturing companies. 

Do your research

Start by doing some research. Who are the best temporary fence manufacturers you can find? Are there companies that other people in your industry recommend?

If they have a website, check it out. Make a list of any questions that come to your mind based on the information you can find online. Decide roughly how much fencing you’re interested in purchasing.

Reach out

Reach out to at least two or three companies so that you can make some comparisons. 

Ask any questions you need to in order to understand how their products perform in each of the categories mentioned earlier in this article. Ask questions about the construction process, materials, and load-bearing capacity. Ask about how their fences are secured, stored, and customized. You can even ask for references of current customers to talk to. This is also the time to get information on pricing and production schedules.

Compare 

Once you’ve gathered all your information (it might even help to put things in a spreadsheet), compare your options. Depending on your order size, this would be a good time to see if any of the companies you’re considering are willing to negotiate on their quoted prices a bit.

No single company might have everything you want, but a winner should emerge based on what’s available and what factors you’ve decided to prioritize.

Make a choice

Choose the manufacturer that best fits your needs. Ideally, it’s a company whose values you share and who you enjoy dealing with.

About ZND

ZND supplies rental companies with state-of-the-art barrier systems and is one of the newest temporary fence suppliers in the USA. Our products are specifically engineered to address many of the issues with most current temporary fence products. 

At ZND, we build our panels on a fully-automated manufacturing line. Our welded wire mesh is attached to the frame at every point instead of just at certain points. This unique process ensures unparalleled strength and stability. 

Our fence panels are anti-climb, easily customizable at our factory with your branding, and come with a unique serial number for easy tracking. We also provide specially-designed storage stillages that solve the issues typically associated with stacking and moving chain-link fence panels. Finally, our panels are designed to be stabilized using cinder blocks instead of sandbags, which last much longer and result in a stronger fence. 

You can learn more about how our fences benefit rental companies here.

If you are looking for high-quality, state-of-the-art temporary fence and barrier solutions for your rental business, we’d love to talk. Give us a call at 704.981.8660 or send us an email sales@znd.com for more information.