When you’re running around work, you’re thinking about meeting your deadlines, planning for future meetings, and considering what you’ll have for lunch that day. The last thing you want to worry about is retrieving documents or equipment from a storage facility not located on-site. This can result in time away from the office and can cause frustration between different parts of your organization as time spent dealing with storage takes away from other important tasks. In this blog, we’ll discuss some of the problems that off-site storage presents and how you can benefit from secure on-site storage.
The Problems with Off-Site Storage
Off-site storage is a material organization tool that keeps valuable materials stored away from the organization’s main facility. These storage sites can be self-storage or other providers that hold storage material in a rental space in exchange for a monthly charge. Units may be climate controlled and accessed during the facility’s regular business hours.
However, there are some problems with self-storage facilities. The following are a few of the issues that you may encounter with off-site storage facilities and why on-site storage is better.
Inconvenient Access to Your Storage
Storage facilities have spread like a stubborn weed across the country, sprouting up on nearly every American street. Did you know self-storage facilities outnumber Starbucks, McDonald’s and Subway locations combined? The United States has 53,000 self-storage facilities. The rest of the world only has 10,000. That’s a lot of storage! However, it doesn’t always translate to a more comfortable storage experience.
While there might be a self-storage location close to you, it may cost more than one located further away from densely populated areas. To secure a “good” deal on self-storage, you must travel to and from a storage facility farther away from residential areas. This can be inconvenient and frustrating for renters and contribute to the next problem with off-site storage.
Preventing You from Decluttering
When your organization stores a large amount of material at a self-storage facility, keeping track of what you have can be challenging. The saying, “out of sight, out of mind,” applies to self-storage facilities as a selling point, but it could be a curse in disguise.
When you forget what you have stored, you don’t feel obligated to re-evaluate if you really need what you’re keeping. In some cases, items stored off-site can be forgotten and not examined for years. If you have a large organization and have stored materials off-site for many years, you might be paying for storage space when your team doesn’t know what’s being stored.
If you have a physical location but run out of space, an on-site storage solution can be an excellent middle ground. While your stored objects are out of sight, they’re still close enough for regular check-ins and decluttering. It’s the best of both worlds!
Expensive Drains on Your Money
The other factors could be overlooked if self-storage was cheap. Unfortunately, it’s not as budget friendly as it may first appear. Self-storage rentals average $160 to $250 per month, excluding administrative fees, monthly insurance costs and other expenses associated with long-term storage.
Depending on what’s stored, you may pay more rent than the items stored inside are worth! If you need storage, there are cheaper alternatives that have more accessibility.
The Benefits of On-Site Storage
In contrast to off-site or self-storage, on-site storage offers easy access to stored material while keeping clutter out of the way. If your organization doesn’t have a physical location, as is often the case with painters and construction subcontractors, a storage solution that can secure your work materials is essential.
The best solution for on-site storage requires portability, security and easy accessibility. The best choice for reliable on-site storage is a steel shipping container. These robust containers can easily provide a secure storage space free from environmental interference. They’re wind and weather-tight and can reliably keep stored material safe.
On-Site Storage for Commercial Industries
Commercial industries can take advantage of on-site storage by using shipping containers when their storage space is filled or looking to organize materials or renovate an existing property. For some businesses, a physical location is out of the question. It might be too expensive for some to justify the cost of building or renting a physical space, or it may be that the nature of the business doesn’t lend itself well to a physical building.
Whatever the case, commercial industries can use on-site storage to keep work materials close. When materials are easily accessible, your team can be more productive, reducing time spent retrieving and storing. Containers can even be modified with insulation and HVAC units, enabling them to store temperature-sensitive materials.
On-Site Storage for Construction
Construction companies can also include on-site storage as a part of their inventory management strategy. Construction is an industry that’s constantly moving around. Contractors must be flexible with their storage solutions from one job site to another.
Storage containers 20 ft long or less can be transported on a forklift while loaded, allowing contractors to reuse storage space on multiple job sites. While job sites typically don’t pay for security, containers are secure enough to protect stored materials against tampering. Rented containers include a lock box for added protection and may offer security features like slide-bolts and puck locks.
Next Steps
Storage containers are a great way to secure valuable storage. They’re secure, portable and you can place them precisely where needed. Southwest Mobile Storage offers a wide range of containers for rent and sale. We can ensure that your on-site storage needs are handled, from 20ft and 40ft containers to ground-level offices and more.
If you require off-site storage, we allow container renters to keep containers at our location. Talk with a container expert today to receive your free quote and talk about your storage needs. We can customize a container that will work for you and help you achieve your organizational objectives.
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