A business in East Lothian is taking the modern mantra of reduce, reuse, recycle to the next level with their ability to refurbish shipping containers for multiple uses.
Quick Containers, which was started by Mitchell Gobsill, managing director, and David Povey, sales director, is based at Ormiston just outside of Tranent.
The business specialises in taking custom requests from people, businesses or organisations that are looking for a new space.
They were set-up in 2019 after Mitchell had gained some valuable experience working in the shipping container industry from 2012.
He was so successful that he was helping to turnover millions of pounds, and then it dawned on him, why can I not do this for myself?
So Quick Containers came to fruition with David also having a stake in the company.
At the moment the business employs around six people who are all working at home for the time being.
This is due to the company really kicking off just weeks before the first lockdown.
But lockdown was to bring its own problems, as the shipping container industry ground to a halt as China closed its borders and production.
This meant that Mitchell and David were unable to sell containers in bulk but instead had to focus on the surplus that existed within the European market.
As a result, the business used the pandemic to their advantage and began creating spaces for home offices, garden salons and pop-up eateries.
Mitchell spoke of starting up the business and how they operate, he said: “We set up Quick Containers just outside of Edinburgh as there was a huge gap in the Scottish market.
“Down south there are maybe four to five companies in every city offering shipping containers in bulk or to refurbish them for other uses but the trend does not seem to have travelled across the border.
“We ran it part-time for a short while but around February 2020 we decided to do it full-time. Then within four weeks we were locked down.
“This worked out for us in the end, as lots of people were looking to create spaces for their back gardens - whether that be offices, a play area for the kids or maybe somewhere they could operate out with complicated high street spaces.
“Things really began to take off and each month we would go from strength to strength. Ultimately the workaround solutions were our biggest earner during the pandemic and majority of where our business came from.”
On how the business works he added: “The conversion of containers means a longer turnaround but a higher markup.
“The cost of each conversion really depends on what is needed. We have helped create a mini shopping centre by joining up multiple containers and this sort of development can range between £250,000-450,000.
“But then you also have the smaller projects where maybe people were just looking for storage and it would cost maybe around £4,000-£5,000.
“The cost of each conversion includes the construction costs, insulating, lining, adding windows and doors - pretty much whatever the client needs and if they have the budget then we can do it.
“I’ve always said it is like working with Lego. If you need a house, an office, a shop, a dog groomer or hair salon then shipping containers can be adjusted to meet your needs.
“You are seeing it more and more in the UK, where local authorities are maybe looking to them for housing like in Brighton or for instance in Motherwell, where we created a mini market by joining up two 40ft shipping containers.
“We have recently created a space for a client in their back garden. They wanted a breakout space for their kids to play in during the pandemic.
“Large windows and glass sliding doors were added to the insulated structure and the client informed us that they had plans to add beanbags and TV’s for their kids.”
Mitchell says that the opportunities are endless and suggests that local authorities and governments should be looking to them as a means to house vulnerable families or refugees fleeing war zones like Ukraine.
He says that their portable nature and durability makes them perfect for creating realistic and affordable temporary housing, working spaces or additional storage.
The typical lifespan of a shipping container is said to be around 25 years when out at sea but with proper care and maintenance it is not known how long the container could remain intact before natural degradation sets in.
Mitchell believes it could be around 40 years.
It is understood that there are around 25 million shipping containers in use at any one time by the shipping industry, with companies looking to replace these units every 10-15 years or so, meaning that Quick Containers will always have access to products.
The business is proud of its reuse mantra and is certainly doing its part by finding uses for shipping containers that would traditionally have been turned into scrap metal.
Alongside shipping containers, the business also offers flat pack solutions that are able to be transported to spaces where lorries etc. cannot access, like narrow back gardens or underground areas.
Those wishing to learn more about what Quick Containers do or to make an inquiry, should visit their website here.
