Evolution of the container industry
Originally used to ship coal, on and off barges, ‘loose boxes’ were primarily employed to dispatch coal. This started from the late 1780’s - on places like the Bridgewater Canal. Gradually iron as well as wooden boxes started to be widely used by the 1840’s.
Many railway firms were employing similar containers in the early 20th century. The Railway Clearing House opted to standardise the RCH container in the 1920s. Five or ten feet long, wooden and non-stackable, the early ‘UK-specific standard containers’ received a great response.
Meanwhile, Seatrain Lines started carrying railroad boxcars in 1929 - on its sea vessels to transport goods between Cuba and New York. From 1926 to roughly around 1947, the then famed Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railway carried shippers’ vehicles and motor carrier vehicles loaded on flatcars between destinations like Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Chicago and Illinois.
The evolution of the container industry has witnessed many such important milestones. In fact, the standardisation process of shipping containers worldwide remains one of the most significant and important developments in the logistics industry. The container handling equipment has also become more sophisticated.
