NPSA Celebrates Next 50 Years of the Box that Changed the World

KANSAS CITY, MO. – Last year the world celebrated the 50th anniversary of containerized shipping. This year, the National Portable Storage Association (NPSA) is celebrating the next 50 years of the box that changed the world.

While the containerized shipping industry poured much-deserved accolades upon Malcolm McLean for his simple idea of using a standardized metal box to move cargo by land and sea, the container pioneer is also worthy of additional recognition for sparking an entirely separate industry: portable storage. The portable storage industry uses the same types of containers that McLean has made famous worldwide to help businesses set up mobile offices and leverage additional on-site storage space with a level of security that offers peace of mind.

“The NPSA continues to celebrate McLean’s contributions to our industry this year – and so do users of portable storage everywhere,” said John Finnessy, CMP. Executive Director of the NPSA, a nonprofit membership association dedicated to the advancement of the portable storage industry. “Containerization did more than transform the cargo industry – it created a practical way for companies to store their goods temporarily or permanently on site.”

Indeed, containerized shipping has transformed the world’s economy, making global transportation a reality with a protective, efficient means to move products from one continent to another, but these containers have also made impacts to local economies as a protective, efficient means to store products on-site rather than inconvenient off-site storage warehouses. Just as these truck-trailer-sized boxes dislodged the centuries-old practice of shipping goods piece by piece on the global transportation scene during the last 50 years, the portable storage industry has carved out a new niche for these boxes as a storage solution that promises companies greater convenience for many years to come.

Containers proved ideal for transporting global shipments, but they are also ideal for manufacturers, contractors, warehouses, auto dealerships, retail outlets, schools and colleges, or municipalities that need extra storage space for inventory or supplies. These ground-level storage containers can serve as a temporary or permanent storage solution, or even as mobile offices. Mobile offices are frequent installations on construction sites because they can be wired for office equipment and cooled and heated. These containers can also be refrigerated to store temperature-sensitive materials and can be used, of course, to transport goods from one place to another, as McLean originally intended 51 years ago.

“We believe McLean would be pleased to see how the containers he envisioned to help transport goods have evolved to serve a related need,” says NPSA Operations Manager Joel Rathbone. “This container, which started out solving a shipping problem, is solving portable storage challenges for organizations around the world. We look forward to celebrating another 50 years of the box that changed the world.”

For more information, visit www.npsa-us.org.

The National Portable Storage Association
The National Portable Storage Association is dedicated to the advancement of the portable storage industry. We at the NPSA are here to serve those in the portable storage industry who rent, sell or lease containers, trailers and mobile offices. The NPSA assists members with industry, regulatory and workforce issues; plus, offers members networking, marketing and legislative support at national, state and local levels.

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