Where Britain's second box port gets its stores built
Southampton is generally described as the UK's second-largest container port. DP World operates the container terminal on land owned by ABP, and it has announced a £40 million improvement programme for the terminal as well as a £15 million driver facility. Around a port of that size, yards, depots and estates always need more covered space, and a modified container is often quicker to get than a new building.
We work to your drawing. Openings are framed into the rails by coded welders, doors, windows and roller shutters are fitted, and the box is painted in the RAL colour you choose. Around 50 units were built for one repeat energy-sector contractor, so a long run of identical boxes is nothing new here. The itemised quote arrives within 24 hours in the working week, with the lead time confirmed in writing.
Southampton users of modified containers
- Terminal and dock-side services City Industrial Park sits beside Dock Gate 10. Businesses serving the docks need site stores, gate cabins, workshop rooms and secure cages that can be dropped on hardstanding.
- Haulage and logistics depots Hauliers on the M27 and M3 corridors use modified containers as parts stores, driver welfare units, tool rooms and lockable cages with roller shutters.
- Marine and engineering firms Leonardo UK has a manufacturing engineering team in Southampton. Engineering firms of that kind use containers as plant rooms, test cabins and secure stores.
- Estate tenants and contractors Contractors based on estates such as Adanac and Alpha need welfare, tool and material stores on compounds. Identical boxes can be ordered as one run against a purchase order.
The larger container orders for a port city
Southampton enquiries often involve a set: eight modified storage boxes with roller shutters for one depot, a pair of linked containers forming a plant room with an internal frame, or a stack of units with a steel stair and landing for upper-floor offices. Containers can be repainted in the operator's colours and fitted with internal shelving rails and lifting points. A run can be released in stages, with staged payments on larger orders and the lead time set out in writing.
What we do to a container for Southampton use
Our container work covers structural openings framed into the rails, doors, windows and roller shutters, linking, stacking, cut-downs, repairs and repaints, all built to your drawing. You can supply the units or we source them. Recent units have cost about £3,400 to £6,800 each net of VAT depending on scope, so the quote itemises each line and you can see which options add cost. See container structural modifications and container repairs.
Whether a container needs consent depends on its use, position and how long it stays. Southampton City Council explains the route on its apply for planning permission page and recommends pre-application advice. Port land owned by ABP, and sites inside a freeport zone, can carry extra rules, so check with the landowner or site operator as well before you order.
Steelwork that goes with a container stack
Alongside the boxes we make the steel around them: stairs, landings and walkways between stacked units, handrails, access platforms and enclosures for generators, chargers and switchgear. Structural pieces are made under BS EN 1090 control and can be UKCA or CE marked. Hot-dip galvanising, arranged by us, protects steel in a salt-air location. Stairs and walkways are supplied to fit and your own installer fits them.
Southampton estates close to the docks and motorways
City Industrial Park on Southern Road is next to Dock Gate 10 and opposite West Quay. Alpha Business Park is north of the centre beside the estuary, a short drive from the M27 and M3, and Adanac Business Park is by the junction of the M27 and M271. Millbrook, Itchen Business Park and Centurion Industrial Park cover the older industrial areas, and Calmore Industrial Estate near Totton connects to the A36.
Why a Bedford workshop can cost Southampton less
Cutting, welding, finishing and checking all happen in our own 12,000 sq ft workshop, so no stage is passed to a subcontractor with its own margin. Delivery to Southampton goes through our logistics partners and shows as its own line on the quote. Put the two together and the total often comes in below a local fabricator, which is easy to check: send us the same drawing you've sent them.
Delivery and site visits in Southampton
Southampton is 111 road miles from Marston Moretaine and about 129 minutes by car, using the M1, M25 and M3. Our logistics partners deliver, and we agree the day with you, because a loaded lorry takes longer and the M25 can add time. Building the whole unit under one roof often gets our price below that of south coast fabricators.
Dock-side and estate yards need checking before delivery is booked, so our engineers will ask about gate height and width, surface strength, turning room and any port pass or induction when they visit. Say what lifting there is for containers, and we agree the drop with you. Fitting on site is for your own installer, since we supply the work finished and ready to place.
How a container job runs
- 01.Send what you have
A drawing, a marked-up sketch or a photo. Tell us how many units, what they're for and where they need to end up. Form, email or WhatsApp.
- 02.Itemised quote in 24 hours
Priced per unit, with the lead time confirmed in writing, so it drops straight into your order.
- 03.Order against your PO
Multi-unit orders are paid in stages: deposit, stage payment, balance on completion.
- 04.Units in
We can source the containers, or bring yours in to the workshop. If it helps, we send an engineer to your site first to see the job.
- 05.Built inside our unit
Cut, framed, welded and painted by coded welders in the 7,000 sq ft main shop, with the 5,000 sq ft second building for fabrication.
- 06.Checked and delivered
Checked against the drawing, then delivered to your site through our logistics partners. Progress photos by WhatsApp or email if you want them.
Work we take on
- Container modifications: conversions and modifications to drawing, single units or batches
- Structural openings: side openings, doors, roller shutters, linking and cut-downs
- Container repairs: panel, door and rail repairs and repaints for depots and fleets
- Steel enclosures: generator, acoustic, plant and battery housings
- Skids and frames: skids, machine bases, lifting frames and supports
- Commercial fabrication: fabrication to drawing, structural steelwork, one-offs and batches
- Stairs and fire escapes: supplied ready for your installer to fit
- Walkways and railings: handrails, platforms and ladders, supplied to fit
Frequently asked questions
Can you modify containers for a Southampton port-side business?
Yes. Send the drawing with the number of units and openings. We frame the openings into the rails, fit doors or shutters and paint to your RAL colour, then organise delivery to your yard.
How much does a modified container cost?
Recent units have cost about £3,400 to £6,800 each net of VAT, depending on scope. The itemised quote prices openings, doors, shutters, repairs and paint as separate lines, so you can see where the money goes.
Which motorway route reaches Southampton from your workshop?
The M1, M25 and M3. It is 111 road miles and about 129 minutes by car. A loaded lorry takes longer and the M25 can add time, so we agree the arrival window with you.
Do you install the container on our Southampton site?
No. The container is finished and delivered to the point agreed with you. Your own contractor or installer places it, and you tell us what lifting there is on site so the drop is planned around it.
Nearby areas
We also quote for firms in Reading, Swindon, Slough and High Wycombe. See every town on the areas we serve page.