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How Containers Changed Shipping

July 18, 2014 by · Leave a Comment 

Written by: Port Containers

Shipping containers are taken for granted nowadays, but a lot of thought and effort had to go into the transport of goods across the nation. Concerns about weather, methods of transport, and even the types of goods shipped all affected the shipping container. Without this large metal box, much of our modern world would be different. Here are just some of the areas where shipping containers have had a huge impact.

History

Containerization really began in 18th century England, with coal miners who needed a method to transport their stock from the mines to the consumer. They rigged horse-drawn carriages with a makeshift container, usually with an open top. They could then transport their stock by barge to its intended destination. Auto makers in the US used a similar technique to transport cars, and the Army used them to carry goods to soldiers out in the fields. Metal became the preferred material, because wood would break too easily. These early forms of shipment eventually gave birth to the shipping containers we see today.

Effects

The effects of using containers were felt worldwide. Especially with refrigerated containers, which greatly changed the agriculture industry and allowed greater market penetration. It also localized farming into a few specific areas, but gave farmers the ability to ship their goods long distances. Larger containers enabled more stock to be moved at once, while insulated containers kept stock from harm at sea or against the elements.

Standards

Of course, new standards were needed to guide the usage of these containers. Standard lengths, for instance, had to be employed to ensure containers would fit on any transport barge. There are also standards for weight. These affect the cargo in transit, and the transport itself. Some of these choices had to do with circumstance. For instance, height restrictions were put into place to because railways were the primary source of transport and tunnels were built to a specific height.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re using new or used storage containers, you must conform to national standards put into place. Containers are highly regulated, and the transport of goods is crucial to modern society. Without insulation, refrigeration, and regulation, we would not be able to efficiently transport goods. It’s safe to say that shipping containers, however innocuous, have completely revolutionized the modern world.

How to Ship Perishable Cargo

June 11, 2014 by · Leave a Comment 

Perishable food shipments make vegetables available to different parts of the country all year round. It’s an exciting innovation that we tend to take for granted, but it takes great planning to get it right. Delivery must occur within a specific time frame, and it’s important that items are packed properly and insulated. Here are some tips to help you plan the transport of perishable goods.

Spoilage

In the US alone, spoilage accounts for up to 25% of the food waste in fruits and vegetables. That’s a loss of almost half the economic value of a crop, and the quality is also reduced during transit. Spoilage is caused by numerous factors, but the most widely accepted is variation in temperatures. As the cargo travels throughout the country, intermodal containers regulate that temperature. If the cargo is packed properly, the walls of the containers keep it insulated and the food safe from spoilage. There are also refrigerated units that regulate the temperature inside of the container as well.

Establishing a Cold Chain

It’s important for the manufacturer to work with shipping companies and retailers to establish a cold chain across the country. Transportation is expected to take anywhere from five to seven days, so it’s important to move cargo quickly. Leaving cargo in depots for too long will break the cold chain, even on insulated containers, forever reducing the crop’s value. The shipping company can use multiple drivers to solve this problem, like a relay, where one driver connects with another at a depot in a specified location.

Manage Transport

Shipping is logistically complicated. You need to keep an accurate count of what goes into your Conex containers, and be able to account for losses along the way. You might also wish to monitor the shipment, like tracking a package from Amazon, so you can be sure it arrives at its destination on time. Software can help in this arena, giving periodic updates on your stock as it moves from one location to the next. Perishable goods especially, are vulnerable to breaks in the supply chain. Any delays should be reported and dealt with as soon as possible.

Final Thoughts

Shipping perishable items requires planning for all aspects of the journey. Shipping companies must schedule breaks in shipping, to account for their drivers, or they must make arrangements to move the cargo seamlessly. There is ample opportunity for spoilage along the way, so a good shipping container will help reduce some of that waste and save the manufacturer money in the long run.
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Port Containers sells steel containers for transporting goods nationally or internationally. You can find Conex containers for rent or to buy at Port Containers.

Shipping Containers for Transport and Inventory

May 30, 2014 by · Leave a Comment 

Written by: Port Containers

Modern commerce is built by successful transportation means. Without great technology to help make transportation remain efficient and effective, then the modern economy could not flourish. One of the best innovations to the transportation industry is the long-standing, and still durable, shipping container.

Shipping containers, also known as storage containers, are very long and tall metal containers. These containers can perfectly fit onto trucks, trains, and can stow nicely onto cargo-carrying ships. Shipping containers are weather-proof and are able to shield the contents inside from precipitation and large temperature shifts. If the content being stored on the storage container needs to be at a certain temperature, then temperature control technology can be connected to the storage container to keep content warm or cold.

The advent of shipping containers helped companies store, ship, and place inventory goods. A company can pack a storage container full of products, then ship that container by truck or ship to another state or country. Those containers can also act as inventory storage when onsite storage is hard to come by. Beyond commerce, shipping containers are great to move products for a corporation or small business when they are relocating offices.

Besides shipping, the durability and protective nature of shipping containers allows them to be great objects to just store items in. There are also insulated containers in case you need to store perishable goods.

Knowing the benefits of these containers, many companies may want to jump into buying dozens of shipping containers for sale. However, there is no rush or need to buy many shipping containers until the needs of the company are figured out. There are dozens of measurements and dimensions for shipping containers, so it is crucial to carefully measure your shipment to see how many crates you will need. Measuring your shipment carefully, and coordinating your move with experts, can help reduce your overall bills from transportation.

Finally, a business can choose to buy new or old. Used storage containers are just decommissioned new ones, so they often need only a paint job to be in good working order. However, the company should investigate the quality of those containers before purchasing.

For the best way to move products or hold products in inventory, investing in shipping containers can help minimize costs and increase efficiency for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

The Perfect Storage Solution

April 16, 2014 by · Leave a Comment 

Article written by Port Containers

Are you looking for more forms of storage? You and/or your company will eventually run out of storage in whatever room or floor you are storing your other equipment in. When the time comes, you will have to look for new storage solutions.

There are many ways to go about this such as dedicating another room or even floor to store your stuff in within the building you store them in now. Another option is to make or acquire a new building or structure to store all of your company’s things. This might entail getting a warehouse for your things and other such stuff. There’s also the more costly solution of outsourcing your storage and getting storage units or other third party storage solutions.

Alternatively you and your company can choose storage container rental to get large shipping containers to store your things in. These storage containers can be new or used and are resonably priced by the right sellers. What is good about shipping and storage containers is that they do not need any more external housing such as a warehouse. You can leave one of these out in an empty area and will surely stand the elements. Not even time can do a lot of damage to these shipping containers. They are built with solid steel and can withstand harsh weather conditions, gale force winds, drops, and the most important part, years of wear and tear. A little cherry on top is that by buying used containers, you are actually recycling.


 

Port Containersshould be your no. 1 choice for shipping container sales and rentals. They have it all for you, from an open top containerto refrigerated containers.

There’s a Container Option for Your Needs

March 19, 2014 by · Leave a Comment 

By Port Containers

No matter what kind of material your company needs to ship or where they need to ship it to, there’s an option available to meet your needs. Best of all, these options will save you substantial money in overhead costs.

When most people think of containers, the same engine tends to come to mind: large, rectangular and made of steel. These are usually Intermodal Containers and they’ll meet the majority of the needs of people and companies. You can even get refrigerated varieties in case what you’re transferring needs a nice cold temperature. This piece of ingenuity alone should be enough to save most companies hefty amounts on their overhead.

But let’s say you want to send liquids. Your plan probably entails a number of smaller containers to place inside, right? Probably made out of some kind of plastic and then strapped in nice and tight? Well you can actually opt to use ISO Containers and, again, save a lot on overhead.

These types of containers have cylindrical tanks inside of them that make it easy to keep liquid in, minus paying for all those superfluous containers.

So no matter what kind of shipping you need to do, make sure you research steel containers.

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If you want to buy a shipping container, you’re in need of Port Containers. The company has a number of containers for sale plus all the information you may need as well to better understand what goes into using them.

The Future is Bright for Cargo Containers

February 18, 2014 by · Leave a Comment 

By Port Containers

When you think about how far the cargo shipping industry has come in such a short period of time, it’s almost hard to believe. Even though someone might look at a ship stacked high with cargo containers, they don’t understand the immense amount of technology backing this type of operation. They don’t understand how much cargo each ISO container can hold, how much damage it can take and how it fits into an intricate system that is monitored by the companies that own it, the shipping company and those on the docks who will offload it.

It’s all this technology behind the scenes that makes the future for cargo containers about as bright as it can be. Globalization demands more and more goods as countries continue to develop. The only realistic way to get them what they need is through giant ships stacked tall with freight.

Of course, that’s not even taking into account the many technological advances that are waiting for us in the near future as well. Transferring via container is pretty smooth already, but greater forms of tech will only allow companies to do even greater work thanks to this option.

If your company needs to ship materials long distances, you should consider Port Containers. Amongst other things, the company offers intermodal containers and Sea Containers for sale. They even have used shipping containers and offer free quotes to better help your company save money and can provide you with refrigerated containers if your cargo is temperature sensitive.