Global container industry standardisation
The global standardisation of containers as well as container handling equipment was one of the most significant innovations witnessed in the 20th century logistics.
Originally utilised for shipping coal on & off barges, ‘loose boxes’ were employed to containerise coal from the late 1780s, on places, such as the Bridgewater Canal. Iron as well as wooden boxes became prevalent by the 1840’s.
In the UK, many railway firms were making use of similar containers by the beginning of the 20th century. The Railway Clearing House in the 1920s standardised the RCH container. Five or ten foot long, wooden and non-stackable, these early standard containers received a great response and success, but the standard remained UK-specific.
From 1926 to around 1947, the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railway in the US carried motor carrier vehicles & shippers’ vehicles loaded on flatcars between Wisconsin, Milwaukee & Chicago, Illinois. In 1929, Seatrain Lines started carrying railroad boxcars on its sea vessels for transporting goods between New York & Cuba.
