Mobile Containers for Sale in Southern Africa

Steel shipping containers are used for mobile storage of freight and other bulky items including vehicles and furniture all over the world. They may also be used for static storage either temporarily or on a permanent basis instead of traditional warehousing. Of course, mobile containers may also be converted for other uses and shipped off to become container offices, clinics, workshops, and even homes or temporary accommodation.

The beauty of shipping containers is that they are modular and relatively easy to move and transport. Also, they are incredibly versatile and available in just about every country in the world. A large percentage of companies offer one-way lease options, which means you can hire a container, have it transported, and then leave it where it is once you are done. Another client will then have the option of hiring where you left off.

Almar Container Group offers mobile containers for sale and lease in Southern Africa and in the Middle East, which is convenient for companies operating in one or both of these primary regions.

Where to Find Mobile Containers for Sale

When looking for mobile containers for sale the best option is to find units that are available locally, where you live or operate. Then you simply need to price them and make sure that delivery to your destination will be both possible and affordable. If you are planning to lease a unit, it’s best to find a company that will allow you to terminate the lease in the country and/or at the destination you are heading for.

Almar’s head office in is Durban, KZN, but the company has a global reach with offices and production facilities in Namibia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, as well as South Africa. The company is also active in the Middle East in the United Arab Emirates (in Dubai) and in Saudi Arabia. So, if you are indeed looking for mobile containers for sale, you will need to identify the centre closest to you if you want to inspect the container yourself and finalise the deal. You might also want to discuss the possibility of selling the unit back at a later stage if you aren’t going to use it anymore.

Alternatively, you can buy a shipping container from a private seller off the Internet, via a site like OLX or Gumtree. If you do this it is particularly important to make sure that you are buying a good quality mobile container that has been manufactured according to ISO standards. You need to establish age and condition and make sure you agree on transportation costs.

Mobile Containers for Sale From Almar

Almar Container Group has new and used shipping mobile containers for sale throughout Southern Africa and in the Middle East. Previously used containers are in good condition and most are eight to 12 years old.

The company has a wide range of mobile containers for sale and for lease, all of which have been manufactured to ISO standards. Call us to see how we can help you meet your needs.

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Refrigerated Containers for Sale

Transporting furniture and dry freight in shipping containers is one thing, but what happens when you need to transport perishable or frozen goods? This is where reefer containers come into play and you will need to look specifically for refrigerated containers for sale or hire to meet your needs.

Reefer containers are manufactured specifically for goods that need to be kept refrigerated and they generally offer temperature ranges of between -25 °C and +25 °C. ISO-standard refrigerated containers for sale will allow you to control temperatures up to one-tenth of a degree, which will ensure that whatever you are transporting or storing will be kept at exactly the temperature you require.

Like all shipping containers, reefers are highly mobile, so if you are using them for storage (rather than transportation) you can move the container if and when you decide to move the location of your business.

Specifications and Sizes of Refrigerated Containers for Sale

Like all steel shipping containers, refrigerated containers for sale are modular. They come in 20 ft and 40 ft lengths as specified by the ISO. The standard 20 ft (or 6 m) reefer measures 6.058 m x 2.438 m and is 2.591 m high. The 40 ft (12 m) reefer is a “high cube” measuring 12.192 m x 2.438 m and it is 2.896 m high. Both are perfect for the transportation and storage of perishable cargo.

There are also specially designed refrigerated containers for sale that are intended for the static storage market, that may be located at factory facilities or in warehouses prior to delivery of perishable items.

Features of reefers can include:

Lockable doors that are easy to open and close and ensure the container is safe and secure.
Internal lighting, man trap alarms, and emergency exit doors.
Hygienic food-grade finish for interiors as well as the inclusion of robust, reliable refrigeration machinery that is easy to adjust and monitor.
Simple installation that follows the plug-and-play concept: put it anywhere and start using it.

Refrigerators for Sale From Almar

Almar offers versatile containerised cold storage solutions that provide an alternative to tradition cold-storage applications. Also available for lease, they are ideal for frozen or chilled products, and can also be used for transportation.

Because we at Almar realize that every business is unique, we offer specialised modifications in addition to our standard product range. These include special butcher doors, blast freezers, offshore DNV-certified reefers, as well as split reefer modifications that incorporate both freezers and chiller rooms.

If you are in the market for an Almar reefer, you need to bear our basic installation requirements in mind:

You can put the reefer just about anywhere as long as the site is level and the ground is not going to sink when the container is placed. Although not usual, in some circumstances this might require throwing a concrete slab to support the reefer.
Once the reefer has been placed, it is essential to check that the front and back of the unit are level and the doors are square, or at 90 degrees with the ground. That said, a very slight (three to four degree) slope towards the door will make it easier to clean the interior of the reefer.

It is also important to check the electrical specifications for refrigerators for sale. Contact us today to discuss your needs with our friendly sale team.

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Container Fraud: Ten Tips to Keep You Safe

With a rising interest in converted shipping containers, there has been a drastic increase in container fraud and bogus operators, particularly in South Africa. Many people go online to see what the shipping container cost will be. They find a website that features what appear to be brand spanking new containers at exceptionally low prices and decide to buy.

Like phishing, which entails fraudsters purporting to be from reputable companies inducing people to reveal banking and other details, container fraud relies on people’s trust and is virtually impossible to track down.

In addition, this is largely a cash industry, so people are expected to pay the shipping container cost before it is delivered. Because containers are generally sold in large volumes from working depots, inspections are difficult. Also, entry barriers for newcomers to the industry are very low; all that is needed is a website and a phone number of some sort and you can start buying and selling containers.

So how does container fraud happen?

Modus Operandi to Make People Buy Shipping Container Online

Shopping online today is easy – sometimes too easy. Whether you are looking for a frying pan, a new outfit, or converted shipping containers, you are likely to find a website that offers exactly what you want. While there are many reputable online stores, it is so easy to create a website and sell items online, it is often difficult to identify those that have been set up to swindle us.

This is how easy a fraudulent operation can be to set up and manage.

The first step that a fraudster, or group of fraudsters, takes is to build a website using pictures of new shipping containers advertising them at very low, competitive prices.
You Google “shipping container cost” or “buy shipping container” and find the site. It all looks above board, so, depending on the contact details supplied, you phone the so-called company or email them requesting a quotation.
The response of the fraudsters not always the same, but often the quote will be sent without bank details for payment. They fraudulent operator may ask for confirmation of your bank details.
Bearing in mind that the container industry is largely cash based, the fraudster will then supply his bank details and request payment in full and as soon as payment is made, he withdraws the cash and closes the bank account.

This makes it very difficult to track down fraudsters and virtually impossible to hold them accountable. But there are some warning flags to look out for when you buy shipping container units.

Top Ten Tips to Avoid Container Fraud

Shop around to see what companies in general are charging for shipping containers (or converted shipping containers if this is what you are looking for). If you find a source that is offering containers at a price that seems to be too good to be true, it often is!
Only deal with companies that have been in business for some time and have a historical reputation you can track - www.containerfraud.co.za
Ensure other customers are happy with their service, but don’t rely on their website references or testimonials as these are easy to fabricate. Google+ and Facebook referrals are often more reliable, but it’s always a good idea to try and make direct contact with several customers to verify their authenticity.
Ideally you should meet the seller in person before committing yourself to the deal. You should also insist of inspecting the container prior to payment. Don’t be bullied into the sale by claims that this is the last container at this price, or anything similar.
If you phone the person (and you should), if the seller has a distinctly foreign accent, this might be an alarm bell. Some fraudsters operate from other countries, having no intention of delivering the shipping containers they offer for sale. This also makes it impossible to inspect the container and meet the seller.
Contact container associations like CTIA www.containa.org and COA www.containerownersassociation.org to see if the company is registered. If not, ask the seller if they belong to another associations or, if not, why not. In South Africa, sites such as containerfraud.co.za are trying to help users identify reliable and fraudulent operators - https://www.containerfraud.co.za/almar
If there isn’t a landline number on the website, this could be a sign that the company has no physical presence. This should be another alarm bell.
If there is a physical address on the website, don’t take it for granted that it is genuine. Rather check on Google Maps to make sure it really is a valid address.
Check the creation date of the website domain using a domain search website like Who Is www.whois.com. If the website was created in recent months, this too should be an alarm bell. Beware!
If you are asked to confirm which bank account you are going to use for payment, don’t provide this information other than possibly stating which financial institution you use. Chances are they are buying time while waiting to open up a suitable bank account to be able to get your payment.

Only Deal With Reliable Suppliers

Almar Container Group has been a reliable supplier of used steel shipping containers for more than 30 years. If you have any questions regarding the validity of a quote for containers for sale or containers for rent, or even if you want a reference for an alternative container supplier, please contact us as we will be able to provide an honest and objective opinion and provide correction information.

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Container Accommodation to Help Save KZN Rhinos

Almar Container Group has donated a 40-foot (12 m) general purpose (GP) shipping container to the Zululand Rhino Orphanage to provide accommodation for rhino facilities and make life easier for staff members at the orphanage working hard to eradicate rhino poaching in South Africa. The company worked closely with Container Conversions (Pty) Ltd, a longstanding partner of the rhino orphanage that has played a pivotal role in providing container accommodation and containers that have been used to establish other critical facilities to help save the rhino.

While the fight to save South Africa’s rhinos has been ongoing for decades, the Zululand Rhino Orphanage is a relatively new undertaking that was launched after a local KZN sanctuary, the Thula Thula Rhino Orphanage was attacked on 20th February 2017. Two baby rhino orphans were killed, several staff members were beaten savagely, and a young woman was sexually assaulted. The long-term implication of this horrific attack was that the orphanage, which had been operating since 2014, was forced to close its doors forever. The reason was, quite simply, that they couldn't guarantee the safety of either the animals or staff working there.

Containers Used for Urgent Rehoming of the Rhinos

With no time to waste, the Zululand Conservation Trust decided to do the impossible and create a new orphanage to save the displaced orphans and continue with their rehabilitation.

The two oldest animals, both black rhinos, were moved to a new 3.5-hectare boma on 14th March. But more formal facilities were needed for the less independent remaining three orphans, two of which were white rhinos, and a baby hippo. These animals needed to be fed every three to four hours, and they needed to be monitored 24/7. The vital requirements were a kitchen where milk could be prepared and a warm, secure place where they could sleep.

Container Conversions stepped in, and by the end of April, the young orphans were moved to their new container accommodation. Around this time, the Zululand Conservation Trust reached out to Almar after learning the company had indicated it would donate a shipping container to help increase the much-needed container accommodation and facilities.

Not long after this, in mid-May, the Zululand Rhino Orphanage received a plea for help from another KZN reserve to accept a four-month-old orphan that had survived nearly a week next to the lifeless carcass of his mother, ruthlessly killed by poachers. More temporary living space was added and extra carers brought in to help keep the animals alive.

According to the orphanage, all four youngsters are doing well and the aim is to return them to the wild once they are old enough and strong enough to survive.

About Container Accommodation

Shipping containers are strong and robust and can be converted for a multitude of uses as offices, storage facilities, clinics, classrooms, laboratories, and of course for container accommodation.

They can be stacked easily and joined together to create secure units that are much larger than a single container. They are ideal for use where the environment is rugged or where safety and security is an issue.

While Almar has provided containers for a host of uses, including remote on-site accommodation, since it was established in 1988, providing container accommodation for rhino orphans is a first. Our donation was made even more rewarding when representatives of the company were invited to visit the orphanage earlier this month (July 2018).

It was amazing to witness the dedication that the staff at the orphanage have. Well done to the team at the Zululand Rhino Orphanage and thank you for the opportunity to participate in this very deserving cause.

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