How shipping containers are manufactured? | LOTUS Containers
Shipping containers were invented only 65 years ago, but the way they have revolutionized the whole world is remarkable. The biggest sector where the shipping container’s contribution has been proved phenomenal is the Logistics and supply chain. Without them, the world would haven’t been able to experience the taste of globalization. The pace at which the world is getting connected to more and more people became possible more because shipping containers gave us a way to exchange products through import & export.
A glance of the world before container boxes
Container boxes existed before their invention but a little differently. Instead of separate boxes they were attached to the trailer and were called truck entirely. The truck was used to bring cargoes to be shipped at seaports. Cargoes then were unloaded from the truck and loaded on the ships by hand with the use of pulleys or hooks. This manual process of loading and unloading would take more than a week.
The assurance of the safety of cargoes given to the shippers was not so strong. It was mostly because the packaging material was not the shipping containers like today. The cargoes were packed in drums, barrels, buckets, sacks that would offer close to no safety. They could not protect the cargoes from the extreme climatic conditions and would destroy most of the goods before reaching the port. Finding no strong safety regulations, pirates would find it easy to rob goods on the midway.
One idea that changed everything
Spotting the complications involved in the traditional shipment, there was a great urge to bring out something that would make the shipment more protected. The idea to transform the shipment was brought up by an American transporter Malcolm McLean. He had the fifth-largest transportation business in North America during the 1950s.
One day Malcolm Mclean spent whole day offloading cotton bales from his truck in Hoboken, New Jersey. The reason was the process being extremely slow. The bales were carried one by one by the laborers until they reached the ship. Seeing slow and extra involving manual labor McLean’s mind confronted several questions rising in his mind. According to him, it was foolish to carry each cargo separately from truck to the ship when the entire truck container can be loaded on the ship. Though he envisioned the idea to simplify the hectic task, most of the people could not relate to this and did not support him.
To turn his vision into a reality or maybe to contribute to the shipping industry, he sold most of his trucks and took loans and purchased the Pan Atlantic Steamship company. He bought several boats and was granted docking rights that enabled him to make modifications in the then boats. He modified boats to be able to stack containers uniformly. He patented a stackable container that could be lifted off a truck using a forklift and can be dropped on large boats.
All this took him several years. The year 1956 is known as the year when for the first time the container as a whole started to be loaded on the deck. History credits greatly to the pioneer of container shipment- Malcolm McLean. Ever since then, shipping containers have changed the way goods were imported & exported from one country to another.
How shipping containers are manufactured?
Shipping containers are manufactured from steel, aluminum, fiber-reinforced polymer, or a combination of these. Most of them are made from Corten steel known as weathering steel. Corten steel is alloyed steel which is mixed with other metals. When it reacts with the external environment (air & water) leads to the oxidation reaction. The oxidized layer prevents metal from further corrosion and makes containers live long even in the extreme environment.
The manufacturing starts with a plain sheet of steel. The sheet is sandblasted. In sandblasting, steam of abrasive material is forcibly propelled against a surface under high pressure to smooth a rough surface, roughen a smooth surface, shape a surface or remove surface contaminants. After sandblasting, the sheets are primed to remove dust and other contamination.
The plane sheets are then corrugated. Corrugated sheets of metal have some of the highest strength-to-weight ratios of almost any construction material. After corrugation, the wall panels are welded to each other.
Right after the walls, the floors are made. The manufacturers place thick pieces of marine plywood over the steel beams. The marine plywoods are strong, resilient wood which makes the floor extremely tough and less likely to be dented. The plywood is then sprayed to prevent insect infestations. The wooden floor is also varnished. Varnish is a clear transparent hard protective finish or film which when applied to wood prevents it from water damage.
After floors, the manufacturers move to door assembly and corner post assembly. The door is installed on the floor frame, followed by all sides and roof and welded properly. Next, the roof panel is welded with all the four walls.
Right after welding work, the container is primed and painted to make it withstand against the harsh climatic condition. The doors are then fitted with rubber seals, and the inner bottom of the container is waterproofed.
With all this, the finished product that comes out is an exceptionally sturdy big size box which can stand strong even in the scorching sun, heavy rain, and storms in the sea.
China- the largest producer of shipping containers
China has been the world’s largest manufacturer of steel shipping containers since 1980. Today, 82% of the total shipping containers are manufactured in China. This is because the country is the largest producer and recycler of steel after India. China also has the availability of cheap labor. Both make it perfectly suitable for the manufacturing hub of containers and hence, companies from across the globe have settled their manufacturing unit in China. Companies like Hapag Llyod, Maersk, Evergreen, Hyundai get their containers manufactured from China. Most of the boxes after coming out of the factory are loaded with cargoes and sailed to the buyer’s destination- which means they are sold as SOC Containers or One Trip containers.
Today, these sturdy cuboidal boxes are not only used for the transportation of cargoes, rather they have been introduced to various other fields as well. Apart from shipping, they are enormously used as storage units, building houses, stores, and shopping malls that look quite astonishing and amazing.
