Construction crisis in Europe - how scaffolders can deal with it now

Construction crisis in Europe - how scaffolders can deal with it now

The European construction industry is currently facing a series of challenges. Global shortages of resources, particularly wood, steel, and other crucial materials, have led to significant price hikes and delays. Additionally, bottlenecks and delays in global logistics have resulted in construction projects being delayed or halted in recent years.

Speaking of the construction crisis, the focus is currently quickly shifting to Germany. The German housing market is currently experiencing particularly large declines. While commercial construction and public projects saw only slight decreases in revenue in 2023, revenues in residential construction plummeted by 12 percent.

According to experts, the reasons for the weakening residential construction in Germany, besides the 40 percent increase in construction costs since the Covid-19 pandemic, include inflation, interest rate hikes, and a shortage of skilled workers, as well as the lack of building land and continuously tightening building regulations. This is clearly reflected in the declining numbers of building permits issued in Germany for both apartment buildings and single-family homes.

It is also not expected that there will be a quick recovery of the German construction industry in the year 2024. The ifo Institute predicts the lowest number of completed single and two-family houses in Germany since the 2009 global financial crisis.

How is the scaffolding industry dealing with the construction crisis?

Naturally, the construction crisis also affects the scaffolding industry. Therefore, Scafom-rux offers various options to help you operate particularly cost-effectively and remain flexible. These include:

• Renting scaffolding material
• Buying used scaffolding material

Scaffold rental

One way to remain as flexible as possible in challenging times is to rent scaffolding. Renting construction scaffolding, modular scaffolding, or scaffold accessories has proven to be a worthwhile alternative to buying scaffolding in terms of material availability and financing.

Your benefits with scaffold rental include:

• Financial and time flexibility
• Planning and cost certainty
• Fixed, low monthly payments instead of high investments
• Covering peaks in orders
• Closing investment gaps

Since there is no one-size-fits-all solution as to whether buying or renting scaffolding is the best choice for your next project, our specialists in scaffold rental at Scafom-rux will be happy to help and advise you. Click here to contact our team!

Learn more about the benefits of scaffold rental at Scafom-rux in our scaffolding blog.

Buying used scaffolding material

If you want to not only temporarily increase your stock of scaffolding material but also build it up in the long term, you will likely opt for buying scaffolding.

Of course, buying scaffolding usually involves a higher investment than scaffold rental. Therefore, when making your purchasing decision, it's worth considering whether you can invest in used scaffolding material instead of new.

Used scaffolding and scaffold material are generally cheaper than new scaffolding material and can be used for a long time with proper care. This not only saves money but also ensures more sustainable use of scaffold material and equipment, particularly during times of resource scarcity and supply chain constraints.

Your benefits when buying used scaffolding include:

• Long-term replenishment in your inventory with relatively low investment
• Sustainable use of scaffolding material and equipment
• Good material availability

At Scafom-rux, you can not only buy or rent new scaffolding but also purchase used scaffolding through our used scaffolding material shop in Germany. Here, you'll find used scaffolding material from Scafom-rux and other scaffolding manufacturers. Of course, also used scaffolding material at Scafom-rux meets the requirements of the German construction industry.

Renting scaffolding or buying used scaffolding are good options for acting particularly cost-effectively and foresightedly despite a halted construction industry. If you have any questions about our scaffolding products or services, feel free to contact our team!