"New container" is born! It is expected to be the savior of port congestion

Recently, Staxxon, a New Jersey-based startup, launched a shipping container that can be folded like an accordion, greatly saving storage space. The company believes that this container will help solve the historical congestion problem at some of the largest ports in the United States.

It is reported that this container can be reduced to about one-fifth of a typical 20-foot or 40-foot container. Staxxon plans to start commercial production this year and provide reservation services, with a deposit of $100 per container.

If the Staxxon design is adopted by major carriers, it could represent the first update to shipping containers in decades. The first container was patented in 1956 by Malcolm McLean, owner of one of the largest trucking companies in the United States. Soon after, the International Maritime Organization standardized the container.

However, the recent supply chain crisis has forced major carriers and retailers to rethink the way they move goods.

Over the past two years, standardized shipping containers have clogged ports, railroads, and warehouses. Last year, Insider reported that empty containers could be seen from 80 miles away, clogging shipyards and even nearby communities. At the nation's largest port in Southern California, more than 110,000 empty containers took up space on the port's docks.

More importantly, empty container transportation costs are huge. The approximately 27% of empty containers in the world generate costs of up to $20 billion each year. Supply chain analyst Shao Hung Goh said that foldable containers can save up to 57% of inland transportation costs.

Shao Hung Goh, a logistics and supply chain lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, told the publication that carriers could save up to 57 percent on inland transportation costs by relying on collapsible containers -- even if the purchase price of replacing old containers increases.

According to Staxxon CEO George Kochanowski, the new containers take up only one-fifth of the space of the original containers, and carriers can save up to 57% on inland transportation costs by relying on foldable containers.

Staxxon isn't the only company looking to use collapsible shipping containers.

A Dutch company called 4Fold says it is developing a container that could save up to 37% in costs and emissions. A dozen shippers have also tested foldable containers from a Dutch company called Delft, Bloomberg reported in December.

While congestion has declined at Southern California ports in recent months, it has increased at ports on the East Coast as they prepare for a peak in shipping demand heading into the fall, as retailers and shippers continue to struggle to recover from the effects of the pandemic nearly two years later.

Editor✎ Ashley/

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