Seasonal Portable Rentals

How Australia Post Used Seasonal Rentals to Tackle Peak Demand

Every year, as the calendar flips into spring and the holiday season looms, Australia Post braces for an annual surge. Parcel volumes skyrocket with the rise in online shopping, and their logistics infrastructure is pushed to its limits. With millions of packages to deliver before Christmas, finding the right amount of storage and processing space, becomes a logistical puzzle.

Instead of investing in permanent infrastructure to meet a temporary need, Australia Post found the perfect solution in seasonal portable rental structures. For two consecutive years, they partnered with Australian Temporary Structures to deliver and install a seasonal warehouse extension that was fast, flexible, and highly effective.

Australia Post Temporary Distribution Bay

The Challenge: More Parcels, Not Enough Space

Located in Melbourne, one of Australia Post’s key distribution hubs faced a familiar problem: not enough space to manage the dramatic influx of holiday season parcels. While their existing facility was suitable for most of the year, it wasn’t designed to handle the steep climb in pre-Christmas volumes that typically begins in September and peaks through to early January.

Constructing a permanent warehouse extension didn’t make financial sense for a four-month issue. What they needed was a short-term, cost-effective solution—a temporary space that could handle peak season operations and be quickly removed when demand dropped.

The Solution: A Flexible, Seasonal Portable Rental Warehouse

ATS provided a smart, modular alternative: a 15m x 20m warehouse structure, featuring a 5.2m leg height, designed to integrate seamlessly with the existing facility. The structure offered ample internal clearance for high-volume parcel storage and processing, and its modular nature allowed for rapid deployment and minimal disruption.

Key Features:

• Installed in just 3 days

• Dismantled in 1 day

• Weather-resistant and secure

• Positioned adjacent to the existing warehouse for smooth workflow

The warehouse was equipped to keep both parcels and personnel safe from the elements, acting as a climate-controlled staging area for incoming and outgoing shipments. Built for peak efficiency, it gave Australia Post the overflow capacity they needed, exactly when they needed it.

Australia Post Seasonal Sheltered Structure

Short-Term Rental, Long-Term Value

Australia Post opted for a 6-month rental period, spanning from September to January, coinciding precisely with their annual peak. This approach allowed them to:

Scale operations only when necessary

Avoid investing in underutilised infrastructure during off-peak periods

Maintain seamless delivery performance during their most critical months

The modular warehouse became a valuable part of Australia Post’s operational playbook, so much so that they repeated the same solution the following year. The decision to re-rent for two consecutive seasons highlights the practicality and performance of ATS’s rental model, and the importance of flexibility in modern logistics planning.

The Benefits: Efficiency Without the Overhead

The seasonal rental delivered on every front, offering a wide range of tangible business benefits:

1. Rapid Deployment

The entire structure was installed and operational in just three days. Its position beside the main distribution centre meant staff could easily move between buildings without workflow disruption.

2. Cost Savings

By renting the structure for only the months it was needed, Australia Post avoided the high capital expenditure of a permanent build while still maintaining service excellence.

3. Seamless Operations

The warehouse handled overflow with ease, giving staff the space to sort, stage, and process deliveries efficiently during a time of extreme volume.

4. Built-In Scalability

The rental model provided the flexibility to scale up or down each year, depending on volume forecasts, without long-term contracts or idle assets in the off-season.

5. Repeatable Success

After the first year’s success, reactivating the rental program for the second season was a no-brainer. The system worked, and it worked well.

Australia Post Open Sided shelter for easy access

Temporary Doesn’t Mean Compromising on Quality

This case study proves a simple truth: temporary structures can deliver permanent impact. Our modular solutions are engineered to the highest standards, providing the same functionality, durability, and visual appeal as traditional builds, without the red tape, extended lead times, or high overheads.

And because they can be installed, reconfigured, and removed with ease, they offer businesses the chance to respond quickly to changing needs without getting locked into long-term commitments.

A Smarter Way to Manage Peak Demand

Whether you’re in logistics, retail, events, or distribution, seasonal pressures can strain even the best-run operations. But with flexible modular rentals, companies like Australia Post are proving there’s a better way to respond — fast, scalable, and efficient.

By choosing Australian Temporary Structures, they found a partner that delivered not just buildings, but tailored solutions backed by real-world results.

Need a smarter way to manage your peak periods?

Let ATS show you how our short-term modular rental structures can provide the space you need — when and where you need it.

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