Baku Container specialises in container-based rooms and buildings to rent or buy in any chosen size and with custom fittings. With 60,000 containers, 1,600 employees and 18 sites around the world, Baku Container has become a leading provider of quality, flexible room modules in Germany. Today, Baku Container is a partner to a wide range of industries, ranging from the construction industry to retail and gastronomy. With its quality, innovation and passion, Baku Container is continually opening up new markets and industries and is winning more and more people round to the effectiveness of mobile Baku room containers.
A second-generation family company
The idea for Baku's sophisticated room containers first came into being in 1972 when Bernhard Albers and his wife Elisabeth Albers founded the company Baku-Gesellschaft für Handel und Vermittlung GmbH & Co. KG. The couple was quick to identify the growing demand for flexible rooms and developed mobile container-based room solutions that could be tailored to meet individual specifications. As the second generation of the family, the siblings Tim Albers, Liesel Albers-Bentlage and Günter Albers took over the management of Baku Container GmbH in the 1980s. Today, the company is managed by Günter Albers, Dr. Stefan Leopold and Pia Albers.
Günter Albers
Managing partner
Dr. Stefan Leopold
Managing director
Pia Albers
Managing director
On course for success
Ever since the company was established, all of Baku Container's business operations have been based in the town of Haren in the German state of Lower Saxony. Over the years, Baku Container has steadily grown its distribution network from the district of Emsland. Besides its headquarters in Haren (Ems), Baku Container maintains other sites in Groß Ippener near Bremen, Trappenkamp in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Frankenberg in Saxony, Billigheim in Baden-Wuerttemberg and Moosburg near Munich. Not to mention subsidiaries abroad such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, Denmark, Sweden, Great Britain, Ireland, Austria and Switzerland.
Shipping containers for building sites
In 1972, the idea first came to the company founder Bernhard Albers and his wife to recycle disused shipping containers on land for use as storage or equipment rooms on building sites. After removing rust and straightening them out, Albers treated his shipping containers with a steel protection primer – and the first Baku container was born.
Excitement in the construction industry
Baku's building site containers did a roaring trade. Wooden crates and construction trailers on building sites were quickly replaced by the robust, securely lockable Baku storage containers. The builders were impressed: Their materials were finally safe from burglars and thieves.
The first Baku rental centre in Haren
For Baku containers, business was booming: In order to keep up with demand, Bernhard Albers purchased a plot of land in Mühlenberg industrial estate in 1977 and built an office as well as a 600 m² hall on it. He then purchased the company's first lorries for its fleet.
From a storage container to a recreational one
Baku Container saw even more potential in building sites as rooms were also needed to house the builders. Bernhard Albers therefore developed the first Baku recreational container with insulated walls, flooring, electrical installation, heating and a small window.
The first special containers
With robust steel frame constructions and walls made of pressed hard wooden panels, Baku created its first office, crew and sanitary containers. It even manufactured its first special containers for fairground rides, snack bar containers and gatekeeper buildings.
Renting containers instead of buying
By the late 1970s, Baku containers were being manufactured to individual customer specifications and sold. But demand for rented containers was growing. Business was going so well that Albers decided to develop 'high-performance containers' instead of the shipping containers. This product development has since become the basis of all Baku room containers.
The second generation takes over
The time had come for a new expansion strategy when the second generation joined the family business. With expertise, courage and a steady focus on the customer, the Albers siblings managed to transform the small crafts enterprise into a high-flying industrial operation with a strong focus on service.
On track for growth
The later history of the company is dominated by expansions, new sites, innovative product developments, new accessories and more and more new applications for Baku's high-performance room containers. Today, Baku containers can be found in almost every industry. And Baku is well prepared for the future with quality, service and expertise.