When you think of shipping containers, you might likely tend to think only about the massive containers that cross the seas taking goods to and from foreign lands. You might think of the kind of ship that is bigger than many warships, using the oceans as their own unique roads. But before you limit your understanding of new and used shipping containers to what you saw on the ship in the movie Captain Philips, open up your imagination. There are many ways to make use of new and used shipping containers.
Tere are 17 million shipping containers of various shapes and sizes out there today and only 6 million of them are being put to one use or another. That means there are 11 million used shipping containers available for use and that number is continuing to rise. Many of them have been used at sea and many others have not even seen any action. The different shapes and sizes, though, can offer you and your business a number of different things.
Perhaps, you have a business that is beginning to grow. You have some extra inventory that you need to store and your current location is no longer providing you with adequate storage space. If you were to buy used storage containers, you could use them to store the excess inventory, maybe even on site. That, of course, depends on where you are located. Even having your storage container in some other location will likely be cheaper than renting a storage space that is not your own.
Storage containers can hold a great deal. obviously, the size of the container will dictate how much you can store inside. The standard-sized TEU container will hold somewhere around 3,500 shoe boxes. If you want to go bigger with a 40ft high cube, that size can hold more than 8,000 shoe boxes.
If you buy used shipping containers for your business, you can increase the space from which you do business without the costs associated with adding on to a property you own or renting additional space at a much higher cost to your bottom line.
Storage containers are a great investment, and if you use your imagination, you will begin to see some of the possibilities they present outside the storage realm. Sure, they can be used for extra storage, but what if you use one as your place of business itself? Used storage containers can be very flexible and adaptable.
They can be modified so that you can use them for a variety of functions. You can make them mobile and portable and even the insides can be redesigned to meet the purpose you have in mind. They are great for food trucks and mobile stores. They can be used as offices and shops and can be modified to suit your needs. Custom modifications can include climate control, skylights, doors, and almost anything else your imagination can dream up.
The great thing about used storage containers is that they will last for a good long time. According to Container Auction, if regular maintenance is applied and the storage units are otherwise taken care of, they will last for up to 20 years at a time.
You might think that storage containers are only used for shipping purposes, but after you put your imagination to work, you will see that there are so many more ways in which the stoarge and shipping container industry can make your business life just that much easier.