The Exceptional Characteristics of Containers in Shipping
Hello, I’m Ichiki of Sync Logistics.
In this issue, I’d like to share how the use of containers in transport began and the exceptional characteristics of containers in shipping.
■ Shipping during the era of conventional ships was harsh and inefficient
Generally, ships used in trade are broadly categorized into 3 kinds: “container ships,” “RORO ships,” and “conventional ships.” In the past, only conventional ships that loaded cargo in bulk existed, and cargo wrapped in nets was loaded onto ships one by one using cranes or by hand.
Conventional ships, which have long existed, can literally handle various kinds of cargo. While such ships are highly versatile because they can be loaded with any kind of cargo, loading and unloading are inefficient, so shipping took massive amounts of labor and time.
The working conditions of cargo workers used to be very harsh. Cargo brought in by trucks was temporarily placed under a ship, but because such space was limited, loading had to be done immediately when a ship docked. Loading had to be completed rain or shine, in cold or in hot weather, so workers could not go home and had to work long hours into the night. Such loading in bulk also carried its own risks.
In addition, it was difficult to attract workers because it was a profession that had varied workloads – on days when ships came into port, working hours were long, but when ships weren’t docked, there was no work. In terms of quality, problems included a high risk of damaging cargo when they were being dangled by a crane, and inconsistencies in technique when work teams changed daily.
■ Shipping innovation brought about by containers
Such circumstances changed with the arrival of containers in the mid-1950s. The person who popularized the use of international containers was Mr. Malcolm Mclean, the president of an American trucking company. He thought that instead of unloading cargo from trucks and loading cargo onto ships, it would be more efficient to load the trucks themselves onto ships. From this idea, containers for shipping were adopted, and container transport began.
By storing cargo of different shapes and sizes in uniform, standardized containers, loading and unloading cargo equalized, and shipping quality and speed dramatically improved.
■ How to reduce shipping costs
The equalization of shipping due to container transport greatly contributes to logistics efficiency and cost reduction. However, the way shipping is requested may not utilize a container’s characteristics and may inflate costs instead.
For example, a shipping request that’s large and sudden will require hurried arrangements for the necessary personnel and facilities which easily incurs additional costs.
Container transport can produce cost benefits by systematically organizing shipping schedules and spreading out workloads.
To reduce shipping costs while maintaining quality, it is very effective for shippers to share the status of vehicle purchases and sales with those in logistics from the estimation stage. If logistics personnel know estimations such as when, where, and how much of cargo will be exported, they can proceed with preparations while anticipating upswings and downswings.
We ask shippers about their business circumstances as needed and use such information to adjust our work schedules two weeks in advance. By doing so, we can equalize our daily workloads and stabilize ship bookings and drayage operations. This allows us to help shippers expand their businesses in the medium to long-term.
If we maximize the use of containerization which is such an exceptional transport method, we will be able to export more vehicles efficiently. For this reason, we will frequently share information with shippers and related parties and we would be happy to collaborate with you.
Thank you for your time.
