Williams Scotsman International, Inc. (NASDAQ: WLSC), a
leading provider of modular space solutions, today announced the
results of an independent study it commissioned to examine the
near-term future of the construction industry and gauge the
satisfaction of its customers. Conducted by McGraw-Hill Construction
Research, the survey revealed that respondents identified "geographic
expansion" and "leveraging technology" as the two greatest
opportunities when they think about the future of their companies. The
study also used the "net promoter" score, a measure of customer
satisfaction by Bain & Company, to determine 93 percent of Williams
Scotsman's customers would refer the company to others.
More than 400 Williams Scotsman customers were interviewed via
telephone in March of 2006 and asked to rank their greatest perceived
opportunities and challenges. Key findings include:
-- 72 percent believe geographic expansion is an important factor
in their future growth
-- 65 percent said leveraging technologies for production,
distribution and processing presented a growth opportunity
-- 86 percent of Williams Scotsman's customers said finding
qualified personnel and staff presents the greatest challenge
or obstacle
"While we've heard from our customers that geographic expansion
and adoption of new technologies were top of mind, nothing confirms a
trend like a quantitative survey," said Michele Cunningham, vice
president of marketing and business development for Williams Scotsman.
"With our national 86-branch network and recent technology
introductions, we believe we can be responsive to these customer
opportunities."
Williams Scotsman remains committed to leveraging new technologies
to enhance the experience customers have with its products. Just last
year, the company partnered with DEWALT to implement their
SITELOCK(TM) technology to address the ongoing issue of jobsite
security.
"We also found the issue of recruiting qualified personnel of
great interest," said Cunningham. "Many of our customers have told us
they are leaning more and more on experienced, full-service vendors
like Williams Scotsman to fill in the gaps created by new employees
that often necessitate a learning curve and time to build
competencies."
The customer satisfaction section of the study was designed with
the following goals in mind:
-- Benchmark the attributes of current Williams Scotsman products
and services
-- Assess customer retention and loyalty
-- Gauge Williams Scotsman's position among competitors within
the industry
-- Determine how various customer segments view Williams Scotsman
The study showed that when choosing a particular modular space
company, customers view the following factors as their most important
decision criteria: delivery process/logistics; price; inventory;
quality; and service. Ninety seven percent of customers report a
positive opinion of Williams Scotsman and 93 percent said they would
make a strong recommendation for the company to others.
McGraw-Hill Construction designed and managed the survey in
compliance with CASRO (Council of American Survey Research
Organizations). Respondents were screened based on the following
criteria:
-- They had used a Williams Scotsman product within the last year
-- They are the primary decision makers within their organization
for mobile space and container needs
-- They have sufficient familiarity with at least three mobile
space companies in their geographic market so they would be
able to rank them in order of preference
About Williams Scotsman International, Inc.
Williams Scotsman International, Inc., headquartered in Baltimore,
Maryland, is a leading provider of mobile and modular space solutions
for multiple industry sectors, including the Construction, Education,
Commercial, Healthcare and Government markets. The company serves over
25,000 customers, operating a fleet of over 113,000 modular space and
storage units that are leased through a network of 100 locations
throughout North America and Europe. Williams Scotsman provides
delivery, installation, and other services, and sells new and used
mobile office products. Williams Scotsman also manages large modular
building projects from concept to completion. Williams Scotsman is a
publicly traded company (NASDAQ: WLSC) with operations in the United
States, Canada, Mexico, and Spain. The company was selected to
NASDAQ's Global Select Market for achieving high-quality listing
standards among the marketplace. For additional information, visit the
company's web site at www.willscot.com, call (410) 931-6066, or email
to Michele.Cunningham@willscot.com.
All statements other than statements of historical fact included
in this press release are forward-looking statements and involve
expectations, beliefs, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the
future. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected
in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it assumes no
responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of these
forward-looking statements and gives no assurance that these
expectations will prove to have been correct. Important factors that
could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's
expectations are disclosed under "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the
Company's 10-K, 10-Q and other SEC filings, including, but not limited
to, substantial leverage and its ability to service debt, changing
market trends in its industry, general economic and business
conditions including a prolonged or substantial recession, its ability
to finance fleet and branch expansion and to locate and finance
acquisitions, its ability to implement its business and growth
strategy and maintain and enhance its competitive strengths, intense
industry competition, availability of key personnel and changes in, or
the failure to comply with, government regulations. The Company
assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement.
