ExtraPlatz, a Switzerland-based self-storage startup company that opened a fully automated facility last year in Wolfhausen near Zurich, intends to bring its integrated smart-lock and software technology to North America. The operator is using its first facility as a proof of concept to demonstrate how customers can book a unit online and then download a mobile app that provides instant access to the facility and reserved storage space, according to a press release.
The smartphone app is available for iPhone and Android devices. Once a unit is booked, tenants gain entrance with a personal code communicated via Bluetooth, the release stated. “Logistics companies can book storage space at any time and cancel it when it’s not needed anymore; and this [is] with just one click,” company officials said. “This helps their bottom line, and becomes worth a premium to them.”
ExtraPlatz is looking to partner with companies that can help bring its technology to U.S. self-storage operators, according to the release. “Self-storage is not going to disappear. Instead, it is becoming an even more essential part of the global logistics infrastructure,” officials said. “ExtraPlatz is building the software and partnerships that not only increase comfort for traditional clients but ultimately aim at increasing value and profits.”
The Wolfhausen self-storage facility comprises 860 net rentable square feet in 23 units. The company intends to open additional locations in the Zurich market this year, the release stated.
Founded in 2014, ExtraPlatz is owned by Fruchtlänge 7 AG, a full-service agency specializing in administrative, management and technical services for the real estate sector.
Sources:
- ExtraPlatz: Website
