PODS, or Portable On Demand Storage, is a moving and storage company. It was founded in 1998 and is based in Clearwater, Florida.
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Business
PODS operates by delivering a storage container to the customer's house. The containers are constructed of plywood over steel frames, and are available in three sizes. The customer can pack their items in it, lock it themselves with their own padlock, then have the unit stored at a warehouse, or have it delivered to another location. The units and warehouse are owned by local franchises. PODS is working with Sprint Nextel to use wireless GPS to track trucks in the fleet and to give directions for deliveries. PODS was bought in 2014 by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan.
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History
PODS was founded in 1998 by Peter Warhurst who was looking to expand his family's storage business. He invented PODS containers, as well as a hydraulic lift system that enables operators to easily deliver and transport the units, which he named PODZILLA. In 2005, PODS grossed over $200 million in revenue. In addition, as of 2005, PODS was still privately owned, however, PODS is now franchised in 45 states, and logs 2,500 pickups and deliveries a day. Between 2005 and August 2009, PODS service expanded to include 48 states, as well as Australia and Canada.
In February 2007, PODS was acquired by Atlanta-based Arcapita for $451.4 million. In June 2008, PODS and the Real Estate Staging Association reached an agreement to form a strategic partnership. In September 2008, PODS and Mobility Services International (MSI) announced a partnership where PODS would be providing services for MSI client transferees and assignees. In December 2008, PODS and Wabash National announced they have signed a multi-year agreement to build and service all of PODS' portable storage container requirements. In August 2009, PODS and UniGroup reached an agreement to share services. Under the agreement, PODS will have access to the packing and loading services of United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit while UniGroup can access 138,000 PODS moving and storage containers. In November 2009, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? and PODS formed a strategic alliance offering discounts and special services. In June 2010, PODS announced the sale of the first franchise in the United Kingdom. In October 2010, PODS announced their continued expansion into Canada with the sale of the Halifax Territory.
PODS reached a significant milestone in the containerized moving and storage industry as they announced the delivery of their two millionth container to a residential customer in Florida.
In 2012, PODS sued U-Haul International in U.S. District Court for trademark infringement, claiming that U-Haul "improperly and unlawfully" used the word "pods" to describe its U-Box product. On September 25, 2014, a jury ruled that U-Haul had infringed on PODS' trademarks, causing confusion and damaging business for PODS. The jury found that U-Haul unjustly profited from mentioning the term on its marketing and advertising materials and started using the word only after PODS became famous as a brand name in the moving and storage industry. The jury awarded PODS $62 million in damages.
Products
The new PODS containers built by Wabash have a steel frame construction with completely recyclable panels made of steel skins and a high-density polyethylene core and are produced in three sizes: approximately 8-by-7-by-7 feet, 8-by-8-by-12 feet and 8-by-8-by-16 feet. The top is a translucent durable polymer material that allows ambient light to pass through and illuminate the inside of the container. The entry is a light-weight steel roll up door.
Disaster recovery
PODS franchises around the country provided units for collection of donations as well as providing units for storm victims of Hurricane Katrina. PODS has also served in many situations that are less conventional than moving, such as assisting in recovery efforts during the Malibu fires and the Midwest flooding in Iowa, and routinely delivering PODS containers around the nation to communities experiencing emergency situations.
References
External links
- Official website
- AusPods - PODS Company in Australia
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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