Southwest Mobile Storage, Inc.

What Southwest Mobile Storage, Inc. does

Southwest Mobile Storage, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned company founded in 1995 and headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, that rents, sells, and fabricates shipping-container-based storage and office solutions. The company serves commercial, construction, government, and residential end markets across the Southwest United States (Arizona, California, Colorado, Texas) for its rental operations and on a nationwide, increasingly global basis for container sales and custom modifications. Its core products are steel ISO shipping containers (10' to 45') repurposed through in-house welding, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, and painting work into storage containers, mobile offices (Open Bay, Split Bay, Office/Storage Combo), and bespoke configurations delivered nationwide.

The technical backbone is an 11-acre Phoenix headquarters anchored by a 90,000 sq ft indoor fabrication facility, staffed by 70+ certified engineers, welders, fabricators, electricians, carpenters, and painters with over 500 years of combined container modification experience. The facility enables simultaneous multi-project assembly lines, contamination-free welding for structural integrity, and proprietary jigs developed over thousands of custom builds—including projects for NASA, the US Navy, the US Army, the City of Los Angeles, Boeing, Amazon, Walmart, Universal Studios, and Sundt. Capability breadth spans doors (roll-up, cargo, personnel), windows, skylights, HVAC, spray foam insulation, electrical, lighting, custom paint and branding, ventilation, shelving, stairs, and platforms. Supporting platform products include a 24/7 web Customer Portal for rental tracking, invoicing, and service scheduling, and an AI-powered website virtual assistant ('Sammie') for quote intake.

The business model blends recurring and transactional revenue. Container rentals are billed on 28-day cycles with daily prorating after the first cycle, with an optional Damage Liability Waiver at 12% of the billing rate. Container sales are one-time transactions across three conditions (As Is, Refurbished, New One-Trip) carrying a 6-month warranty on used units and a 1-year warranty on new units. Custom modifications are professional-services revenue collected via a 50% upfront deposit and 50% pre-shipment balance, with a 1-year warranty. Go-to-market is sales-led: inside-sales with dedicated account managers supported by phone (800.686.9114), online quote forms, and eight physical branch locations with container show yards. Pricing is uniformly quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Name

Southwest Mobile Storage, Inc.

Legal name

Southwest Mobile Storage, Inc.

Website

https://swmobilestorage.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Family-owned Phoenix-based provider of shipping container rentals, sales, and custom modifications serving commercial, construction, government, and residential customers across the Southwest US and nationwide for fabrication projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Portable Storage Container Rental & Modification Services

NAICS

General Rental Centers (5323), Warehousing and Storage (4931)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial & Office Portable Storage Container Rental & Moving (HSAKAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

On-Site Portable Storage (Driveway/Jobsite) Container Placement (HSAKAIAC), Portable Storage Container Delivery, Pickup & Repositioning Services (HSAKAIAE), Residential Portable Storage Container Rental & Moving (HSAKAIAA)

Keywords

• Shipping container rentals
• Container modifications
• Portable storage containers
• Mobile office containers
• Custom container fabrication

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Container Rental: 28-day rental agreements with prorating by the day after first billing cycle. Month-to-month terms with flexible pickup scheduling. Minimum one month rental period. Rental options include storage containers (10', 15', 20', 24', 30', 40', 45' sizes) and portable offices (10', 20', 24', 40' sizes). Add-ons available including gorilla racks, pipe racks, padded blankets, dolly ramps, puck locks, pad locks.
2. Container Sales: One-time purchase of storage containers and portable offices in various conditions: As Is, Refurbished, or New (one-trip). 6-month warranty on used containers, 1-year warranty on new and modified containers. Container show yards available for viewing before purchase.
3. Container Modifications: Custom container modifications including expanded/shortened sizes, roll-up doors, cargo doors, personnel doors, windows, skylights, HVAC, electrical, custom paint, shelving, stairs, platforms. 50% deposit required before fabrication begins, remaining 50% due before shipment. 1-year warranty on modified containers.
4. Damage Liability Waiver (DLW): Optional Damage Liability Waiver insurance for rental containers costing 12% of the 28-day billing rate. Covers damages to storage container and mobile office rentals (except graffiti) but not contents. Mandatory unless customer provides own insurance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Southwest Mobile Storage, Inc. rents, sells, and custom-fabricates shipping containers and portable container offices for commercial, construction, government, and residential customers. The company operates an 11-acre Phoenix, AZ headquarters with a 90,000 sq ft indoor fabrication facility staffed by 70+ certified tradespeople delivering custom modifications such as doors, windows, HVAC, electrical, shelving, painting, and custom sizing. Services span short- and long-term rentals (10' to 45' sizes), purchase of new/refurbished/as-is containers, and bespoke container builds delivered regionally in AZ, CA, CO, TX and nationwide for sales/modifications.

Product overview

Southwest Mobile Storage, Inc. operates as a family-owned business founded in 1995, offering a comprehensive suite of shipping container solutions. The core product portfolio consists of three main pillars: (1) Storage Container Rentals and Sales with sizes ranging from 10' to 45', available in multiple door configurations (single door, double door/tunnel, roll-up doors) and conditions (As Is, Refurbished, New One-Trip); (2) Container Modifications providing in-house custom fabrication at a 90,000 sq ft facility with over 500 years combined experience, enabling any size modification, custom doors/windows, HVAC, electrical, painting, and specialty features; and (3) Container Office solutions available for rent and purchase in Open Bay, Split Bay, and Office/Storage Combo configurations. The company enhances its core offerings with optional add-ons including Gorilla Racks, Pipe Racks, Padded Blankets, Dolly Ramps, security locks, plan tables, and desk tops. Additional services include climate control, spray foam insulation, custom painting with logo application, and ventilation modifications. Customers access account management through a web-based Customer Portal with 24/7 access to rental tracking, payment processing, and service scheduling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Storage Container Rentals Short and long-term rental of shipping containers in sizes from 10' to 45' on flexible 28-day billing agreements with daily prorating. Available in single-door, double-door (tunnel), and roll-up door configurations including high-cube options, delivered wind- and watertight to commercial and construction sites.
• Storage Container Sales One-time purchase of shipping containers in three conditions: As Is (may have rust, dents, or discoloring), Refurbished (repainted and waterproofed), and New One-Trip (used only once). Sizes range from 10' to 40' and include a 6-month warranty on used units and 1-year warranty on new units.
• Container Modifications Custom in-house fabrication and modification services for shipping containers including expanded or shortened sizes, roll-up doors, cargo doors, personnel doors, sliding doors, storage cabinets, tool cribs, racks, shelving, partitions, stairs, ladders, platforms, ramps, vents, skylights, windows, lights, electrical, communications, HVAC, specialty painting, and signage. Requires 50% deposit before fabrication, with 1-year warranty on modified containers.
• Container Office Rentals Ground-level portable office containers for rent with electrical systems, lighting, multiple outlets, HVAC temperature control, insulated wood-paneled walls, and epoxy-coated flooring. Available in Open Bay, Split Bay, and Office/Storage Combo configurations in 10', 20', 24', and 40' sizes.
• Container Office Sales Portable container offices for purchase, including Open Bay and Split Bay units with insulated walls, built-in lighting, HVAC, and epoxy-coated floors, plus Office/Storage Combo units with refinished interiors and partitioned storage areas. Comes with 1-year warranty.
• Customer Portal Online self-service portal providing 24/7 account access for customers to view current rentals, rental and purchase history, terminate rentals online, print close-out invoices, pay invoices, and schedule service calls.
• Damage Liability Waiver (DLW) Optional insurance program covering damage to rented storage containers and mobile offices (excluding graffiti and contents) at 12% of the 28-day billing rate. Mandatory unless customer provides proof of own insurance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 years combined container modification experience
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WillScot Mobile Mini: Largest North American provider of mobile offices, portable storage, and modular space with a national branch network. Directly competes with SMS across rentals and sales, but operates at vastly larger fleet scale and is publicly listed.
• PODS (Portable On-Demand Storage): National portable storage container company serving residential and commercial customers with container rentals and moves. Closely comparable business model to SMS, though PODS emphasizes moving/relocation use cases while SMS emphasizes jobsite and modification.
• U-Box (U-Haul): Portable container rental program from U-Haul targeting moving and self-storage use cases nationally. Competes with SMS for portable storage demand and benefits from the broader U-Haul footprint.
• 1-800-PACK-RAT: Portable storage container rental and moving company operating across multiple US states. Directly comparable business model with focus on residential and commercial storage/moving rentals.
• Go Mini's: Portable storage container franchise system with multi-state US presence. Competes head-to-head with SMS for portable container rentals serving residential, commercial, and construction customers.
• Conexwest: Shipping container sales, rental, and modification company. Most directly comparable to SMS on the modification side, offering custom fabricated containers alongside rentals.
• ContainerOne: Provider of shipping containers for sale, rent, and modification across multiple US markets. Overlaps with SMS on both core product lines and on custom container fabrication.
• ModSpace: Provider of modular buildings and portable storage serving construction, commercial, and government customers. Direct competitor to SMS in jobsite offices and ground-level portable space.

Broad incumbents

• McGrath RentCorp: Public company through Mobile Modular and Mobile Mini Brands providing modular buildings, portable storage, and electronic test equipment. Larger, more diversified incumbent serving overlapping customer segments.
• United Rentals: Largest equipment rental company in the world offering an extensive fleet including storage containers and site offices. Competes with SMS for construction and industrial customers though containers are a small part of its portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/swmobilestorage
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCA1yimkYzWS5tUfUEkFdD8g
• Facebookfacebook.com/Southwestmobilestorage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southwest-mobile-storage
• Instagraminstagram.com/SWMobileStorage

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southwest Mobile Storage, Inc.