Most businesses prefer to hire shipping containers for obvious practical constraints arising mainly out of space and logistical issues. Thankfully, there are a lot of suppliers to meet your need for shipping containers, steel containers, storage containers, used containers and containers for self storage.

What are the basic criterions to choose your supplier? First, it is reputation that counts. Check with existing clients for knowing about the supplier’s ability to provide high quality containers at a competitive rate. Dependable service to fulfil the client demands swiftly and economically is also important.

You may want to do some background checks to select the best supplier. Many suppliers are sole traders, so they possess limited resources to meet your exact needs. Look for a shipping container provider that operates from its independent facilities and holds a large and diverse stock of containers.

Apart from the quality and cost affordability of shipping container equipment, what also matters is a desired level of after-sales service and maintenance. Aspects like custom conversions (any size, type and quantity of shipping containers) and delivery to any suitable and accessible location should be considered.

Originally used to ship coal, on and off barges, ‘loose boxes’ were primarily employed to dispatch coal. This started from the late 1780’s - on places like the Bridgewater Canal. Gradually iron as well as wooden boxes started to be widely used by the 1840’s.

Many railway firms were employing similar containers in the early 20th century. The Railway Clearing House opted to standardise the RCH container in the 1920s. Five or ten feet long, wooden and non-stackable, the early ‘UK-specific standard containers’ received a great response.

Meanwhile, Seatrain Lines started carrying railroad boxcars in 1929 - on its sea vessels to transport goods between Cuba and New York. From 1926 to roughly around 1947, the then famed Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railway carried shippers’ vehicles and motor carrier vehicles loaded on flatcars between destinations like Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Chicago and Illinois.

The evolution of the container industry has witnessed many such important milestones. In fact, the standardisation process of shipping containers worldwide remains one of the most significant and important developments in the logistics industry. The container handling equipment has also become more sophisticated.

Shipping containers are one of the most vital elements of logistics. They are available in a variety of different shapes, sizes and materials. Accordingly, they are capable of handling different storage functions.

To underline exactly how important they are here is an important fact: Approximately 90 per cent of all cargo that is shipped worldwide uses mainly containers stacked on ships followed by trains, aircraft, and those loaded into trucks. Every year millions of containers are shipped worldwide and the number is only increasing.

The firm responsible for acquiring containers for its consumers should have the ability and expertise to pinpoint the exact container models they need. The container company should also be able to deliver it as fast as possible in order to meet projected business deadlines.

With the increasing number of shipping containers manufacturers, it is important to look for the most experienced and container specialists reputed for supplies into the industrial as well as domestic markets. Choose a supplier that has a vast range of clientele - from blue-chip corporations to small local companies.  Understand your transport and storage needs before going for storage container hire or purchase.

If you are keen on saving costs on your shipping containers purchase, you could consider hiring used, ‘ready-to-go’ new or converted steel containers of all standard sizes as well as types. For instance, various sizes like 20ft, 30ft, 40ft and types like standard, insulated, refrigerated - for tasks including storage, shipping or conversion – are available.

The most important aspect of a shipping container service is that the supplier should be able to meet invariably all their customer needs including fast delivery to any accessible location.

You may want to use your container immediately, the moment it is delivered. This can be made possible with a comprehensive transport and delivery network, inclusive of the lift off and positioning of the container exactly where you want it.

An experienced supplier will advise you if there are any technical issues. This will include advice if you need non-standard sized containers, or require some other modifications to a container like fitting out offices, plant housings, storage cabins, refrigerated units, and more. The experts will guide you on how this can be best be achieved and will also carry out the necessary work to get the custom conversions for you.

The first hotel in Europe ever to be made out of modified steel shipping containers has just opened in west London. According to the BBC News report, the 120-room Travelodge has been amazingly built from no less than 86 high-strength, high quality steel containers that were constructed in China and then fitted together on its Uxbridge based site.

Two different sizes of container were used in the building activity that led to creation of double rooms - measuring 16.4ft by 9.8ft (5m by 3m) and family rooms measuring 11.5ft by 19.6ft (3.5m by 6m).  It took nearly 20 days to piece the steel containers together on the construction site. The time took was largely owing to the fact that access for traditional building work, there was limited.

A Travelodge spokesman stated:

“This technique will cut down costs and also speed up construction times significantly.”

The efficient modular build technique was invented by the UK firm, Verbus Systems. Each room’s fittings and fixtures were put in place in China and then the containers were transported to the country. The structure is located on a busy lane in an area surrounded by land. Without the new technique, the Travelodge spokesman added, it was highly unlikely that it could have been built there.

Containers of precious goods like furniture, food items, paper, clothing and other key commodities give a valuable service. However, a council in the US has proposed container taxation. The containers that move to and from the Newark City area have come under the City Council’s scanner.

For the local council, the empty containers, which linger there for months at times, are potential cash cows. The council members argue that these containers take up prime real estate and hence must be taxed.

Two council members recently introduced legislation, which would authorise the council for imposing tax on empty shipping containers, remaining unmoved for more than 30 days. The bill is similar to a proposal, which Sharpe James, a former mayor and state senator, introduced in 2004.

Newark deputy mayor for economic development, Stefan Pryor, stated:

“If a parcel of land was to contain a structure instead of containers, it would have real estate taxes. If it had a surface parking lot, there would have been a parking tax. If containers are parked on a parcel, the city yields no revenue other than the land taxes.”

The city wants to tax empty containers that sit for more than 30 days. After 30 days, a container would get charged for each day it sits. The fee would be increased further with each passing month. The container industry is understandably upset with the proposal.

There are more types of container than you might realize.  Here are a few of the more common ones:

Side-loaders
These are the specialised type of containers that incorporate doors at the sides for the purpose of loading slightly awkward or unusual shaped items.

Reefers
Reefers are Refrigerated Containers. This type of containers usually has much less steel in their make. Generally their body contains more aluminium than fibreglass. But crucially, Reefers have a space at one end - for a refrigeration unit. They are akin to giant fridges or refrigerators. Reefers are not usually satisfactory as site storage boxes. They are less secure than sturdy steel containers.

There are also “Tanker” containers for carrying liquids.

When you decide to buy Side-loaders, Reefers or for that matter any other type of container what you will need to work out carefully the maintenance as well as fuelling arrangements.

High cube containers
These containers are easily recognisable by their warning flashes - black and yellow. These give significantly more space without costing as much.

Structurally a container is based on a solid, rigid frame, hinging on four thick corner posts and supported by a strong floor. This works well for lifting jobs since cranes and port handling equipment make use of the corner castings at the top as well as at the bottom of these four corner posts.

The strong corner posts make it possible to stack containers up to nine boxes high even when they are filled. A typical 20 foot container weighs about 2.2 tonnes. It can be loaded with nearly 24 tonnes of cargo though the capacity may vary from one container to another. Apart from the standard container types, various unusual or unconventional containers are available to meet different storage needs such as, for example, an ‘open-top’ box.

The ‘open-top’ box type can be used for craning-in heavy machinery, which would be almost impossible to get into a standard type container. There are also ‘flat-beds’ that, even while conforming to ISO standard sizes, are employed for wide loads, which could not be carried otherwise.

So you need to aware of your precise storage needs before deciding to buy a container.

There are different types of suitable containers that are used to perform tasks related to cargo transportation. A standard container is one of them.

Standard containers are also popularly known as general purpose containers. Understanding the essential features of a standard container is the key to making the right choice of container. Here are some more details of the standard container type.

Basically, a standard container is a closed container. In other words, these containers are closed on all sides. There are different types of standard containers depending on the number of and location of the doors, for example, there could be a container with doors at either ends, or a door at just one end or also doors on one side of the container or on both sides.

Standard containers differ in specifications like the weight, height and width. You can select suitable dimensions according to your cargo transportation needs from a wide range of containers available. Check your exact requirements before making a choice.

Standard containers with smaller dimensions are not normally the preferred choice. The trend is to get a container with bigger dimensions since they carry more goods and save the cost of transportation.

Two key aspects to keepWhen thinking of buying a second-hand or perhaps a new container, you should keep in mind certain important things.

To help you with the decision, here is a listing of two crucial elements, which you need to evaluate at the time or purchasing a container:

•    Quality and Durability: It is very important to check how damaged or dented the container is if you are buying a second-hand one. You should get the doors inspected and check for signs of rust. Ensure the locking bars functions properly.

You can inspect the container by walking around it for a thorough check. Do not forget to take a survey of the roof. A damaged roof might go unnoticed, and you might discover rust patches or dents later.

•    Colour and coating: Is colour such an important consideration when buying a container? Well, the answer may be both yes and no! It depends on whether you give importance to appearance of a container or you are only concerned with its functionality.

You can get the container sprayed with a colour of your choice from the container vendor. Many container manufacturers will suggest you choose a darker shade because it will last longer.