Founded in 1890, Hansen Bros. Moving & Storage the parent company of Portabox has successfully weathered many history-changing events including the Great Seattle Fire, WWI, the Spanish Flu of 1918, the Great Depression, WWII, the 2008 recession, and 9/11 among many other public crises. We are taking the current COVID-19 threat very seriously and will promptly adhere to any and all directives from local, state and federal government officials. Hansen Bros. and Portabox have been categorized as an essential industry business (moving & relocation) within the current mandate established by Washington State Governor Jay Inslee.

As essential services, we will maintain normal operations until such time as either company management determines we must close our offices or we are directed to do so by a governmental authority. We are taking extensive precautionary measures including the adoption of all CDC guidelines and the establishment of our own policies intended to minimize health risks for all customers, employees, contractors, vendors, and community stakeholders. We are proud to be able to support the needs of our customers during this crucial time but are prepared to quickly change course as required.

Stay safe together with Hansen Bros. and Portabox

The COVID-19 crisis is fluid and there are many uncertainties and factors outside of our control that may, with little or no advance notice, impact our delivery of moving & storage services. Please be aware the current crisis could potentially result in small inconveniences such as a delayed project start time or significant inconveniences such as the complete rescheduling of services.

Although there are many unknowns to be navigated, you can be certain that Hansen Bros. and Portabox will be timely and transparent in our communications regarding servicing your moving & storage needs, and our professional relocation consultants will work diligently to offer creative solutions in the event your project is impacted by the current health crisis.

Steps We're Taking:

  • Company-wide Implementation of all precautionary measures recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
  • Office staff and crews are being monitored daily for symptoms and/or known exposure by management and asked to go home, contact their healthcare provider, and self-quarantine as directed. Staff that experience symptoms and/or aware of exposure when not at work have been directed to stay home and notify their supervisor.
  • Office staff and crews are receiving daily briefings on precautionary measures and have been directed to follow them on and off the job.
  • Office staff and crews are being instructed to maintain appropriate “social distance” of 6 feet minimum between one another, customers, and all other people.
  • Office staff and crews are being provided with appropriate hand sanitizer and surface disinfecting supplies. They have been directed to disinfect truck cabs and moving equipment between each move to the best of their ability. These supplies will continue to be replenished as we are able, based on availability from retailers.
  • We are limiting visitation to our branch offices. If you wish to purchase moving boxes or supplies, please simply call in your order and we will happily deliver to your vehicle outside.

We are all in this together.  The team at Hansen Bros. and Portabox is proud to continue offering our services in accordance with the necessary precautions outlined above. We are here to make the process of storing belongings seamless & safe for you.

Inventory Storage: Tips and Solutions to Manage Your Business

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If you are a business owner, then you know just how important and critical inventory storage is. A lot of businesses fail precisely because they fail to adequately store their inventory and optimize their operations. You cannot allow that to happen! It’s not enough to just rent the best storage units North Seattle provides. You have to really dedicate yourself to finding the best solution for your inventory that will reduce your overhead cost and boost sales at the same time. We want to help you succeed! That’s why we are writing this article, to show you all you need to know about inventory storage. Let’s dig into it!

What is inventory storage and what are its types? 

Put simply, it’s a system that helps you as a retailer organize, manage, track and store the goods you are selling. Since you are a business that sells physical products, it is crucial that you find the right one for you so you can save time and money! There are three main types:

  • self-storage,
  • traditional warehousing, and
  • 3rd party logistics. 

Self-storage

If you are just starting your business, self-storage is most likely the choice you will make right off the bat. As a new business, you probably don’t have the funds yet to go for a classic warehouse and stock up on loads of products.

Indoor storage units great for inventory storage
Indoor self-storage units are a good place to start when your business is beginning to grow

Instead, you will store your inventory anywhere you can. You can keep them nearby at your home, place of business, mobile storage containers Seattle has on offer, or in a regular storage facility, for example. Once you start to grow, you will probably need to level up and go for the other choices.

Traditional warehousing

Warehouses are used by stable businesses, that have a steady flow of orders and income. Once your forecast starts getting bigger, you will need more space for your inventory. You can’t keep them in your house or storage units forever! You’ll instead put them in a trustworthy facility. There are certain downsides to warehouses. If you can only choose one, you really have to be smart about picking the right location, so you don’t waste time in fulfilling your orders. Also, you probably will have to hire some workers to fulfill those orders, so that’s an additional cost you’ll have to make. 

3rd party logistics

These companies do all the work for you and you are not involved in running the whole fulfillment operation. They usually have multiple fulfillment centers, so getting to your customers is much easier. They also provide you with tools to track and manage your inventory. The downside is that you are giving away control of your inventory and it is definitely more expensive than doing the whole thing yourself.

Warehouse, great place for large inventory storage
Warehouses are a great resource if you have large inventory storage that keeps on growing

What are the best tips and tricks to streamline the inventory storage process? 

Let’s take a closer look at the most important things you have to know when running a business. These tips and tricks can really make or break your whole operation! 

Get to know your inventory and demand inside and out 

You should only be making data-driven decisions! It is essential that you don’t either overestimate or underestimate how much of a certain product you should have in stock. It’s imperative that you use good software for tracking your inventory, purchases, and leads. Once you have all that information centralized in one place, you can accurately forecast and make appropriate predictions and plans. For example, if product X hasn’t been selling as much or at all in the past month or two, there is no point in ordering a quantity larger than the one you sold. Focus on your best-selling products and make sure those are always available and on hand! 

Organize your stockroom

You should be very meticulous when organizing your warehouse or stockroom! It is going to help your business immensely if you operate in an efficient manner. If your warehouse is disorganized, it can lead to many problems. Lost inventory means losing not only revenue but also the funds you’ve already invested in those products! If you keep losing your products, how can you fulfill your orders? You will drive your customers away with that way of running your business. We offer some of the most reliable inventory storage Seattle provides, and we will for sure help you organize your stock in a way that will only benefit your business! 

Create standardized processes for inventory storage

It’s easy to use a piece of software for keeping track of sales and orders, but there are certain things that you just cannot digitize. Every process that can only be performed by people can potentially be a place for errors. In order to avoid human errors, which are clearly probable, make sure you create some standardized processes.

Laptop, phone, pen, paper and a coffee mug
A key step in organizing your business and inventory storage is to set standardized processes everyone will follow

For example, when you are about to receive a stock of your products, create a plan for inventory control everyone involved with that has to follow. Who handles the goods, how they handle them, where should they be placed, how to unpack them, etc. Don’t leave any room for improvisation and you will thereby reduce waste and lost revenue.

Use drop shipping if and where you can 

Drop shipping basically means your products are sent to the end user directly from the manufacturer. This process has many upsides, but downsides too. For instance, you are usually limited by the location of the manufacturer of your products. If they deem the cost of shipping to a distant location too high, your reach gets smaller and therefore your profits won’t be as high as you want them to be.

Conversely, if the buyer is near and the manufacturer can ship the product to them, then you can spend less money on shipping that way. You also don’t have to worry about inventory storage. But if you decide to use the drop shipping method but still want to reach more people, use the best on demand storage Seattle business owners use and expand your enterprise!

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Locations Served

LYNNWOOD PORTABOX

2902B Lincoln Way Lynnwood, WA, 98087

SEATTLE PORTABOX

10750 Aurora Ave N Suite B Seattle, WA 98133

NEWCASTLE PORTABOX

6868 Coal Creek Pkwy SE Newcastle, WA 98059

BOISE PORTABOX

103 N Curtis Road Boise, ID, 83706