What do Containers and Banks Have In Common?
In the event of a large scale disaster, banks in the United States are required by federal law to have fully-detailed Business Continuity Plans (BCP) and Disaster Recovery Plans (DRP) in place. An important component of these plans is what facility they will conduct business out of should their existing facility become uninhabitable or completely destroyed. Companies like Bank-ina-Box are very experienced in quickly providing immediate modular space for the banking industry. Constructed on heavy-duty trailer frames to support the weight of the banking equipment and case goods, these modular buildings arrive on site equipped with the everything a banking customer would need to operate a bank branch.
The banking industries in Europe and Asia take a different approach to provide banking space in remote locations or in the event of a disaster recovery situation. Instead of using trailers as the basis of the building, they modify shipping containers for use as banks (and many other applications for that matter). Steel shipping containers are great candidates for this type of conversion; their rugged construction makes them difficult to break into without causing a great deal of commotion. Space is often at a premium in these portions of the world. Shipping containers 20’ and 40’ foot prints are typically more workable than the larger units typically found in North America. In addition containers are plentiful making them affordable.
Addis Container in New Zeeland recently fabricated a bank branch for Westpac Bank using two 8’ x 40’ containers to create a 16’ x 40’ bank branch. In Singapore, a bank was created by using three 8’ x 20’ shipping containers set in the shape of a “U.” One container housed the tellers, one housed IT and phone equipment and one housed offices and document storage. A large canopy was placed over the center, carpet was rolled out and furniture placed about to create an inviting reception area for the banking customers.
Innovative entrepreneurs are finding never ending uses for retired shipping containers and shipping containers are delivering as a durable and flexible platform to design almost anything. If you need additional space, look for shipping containers for sale and see what you can come up with.