Why a cheaper fabric structure may actually be the most costly.

There’s no question you have to consider the cost of something when deciding whether to buy it. But cost and price are really two different things. A low price often hides, or delays, the true cost of something.

Take fabric structures as an example. Let’s say you’re putting up an aviation sunshade and one of the potential suppliers has given you a price that’s substantially less than the others on the table.

You go with the lower price thinking it represents real savings. But the lower price comes at a cost. When a major storm blows through, the sunshade collapses, injuring soldiers and damaging the multi-million dollar jet it was covering.

The price might have been low but the cost proved to be quite high. So the next time you’re looking at a fabric structure and the price seems too good to be true, there are some questions you might want to consider:

Why is it cheaper? Is it properly engineered? Is lower-grade steel being used? Is it clad with a less durable fabric?

The best way to mitigate your risk is to ensure that:

The structure is designed to building code.
It can withstand the wind loads/snow loads/seismic loads of your location.
The engineering drawings have been PE-Stamped (a professional engineer certified that it meets code).

Built-to-code Cocoon sunshade for a C-27J in Yuma, AZ

A good price is nice, but a good value is far better. High quality engineering, superior steel, and durable cladding may come at a higher price, but they’re likely to cost you far less in the end.