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Introduction to The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger

01 Jan 2008-Research Papers in Economics (Princeton University Press)-
TL;DR: In this article, a refitted oil tanker carried fifty-eight shipping containers from Newark to Houston, and from that modest beginning, container shipping developed into a huge industry that made the boom in global trade possible.
Abstract: In April 1956, a refitted oil tanker carried fifty-eight shipping containers from Newark to Houston. From that modest beginning, container shipping developed into a huge industry that made the boom in global trade possible. The Box tells the dramatic story of the container's creation, the decade of struggle before it was widely adopted, and the sweeping economic consequences of the sharp fall in transportation costs that containerization brought about. Published on the fiftieth anniversary of the first container voyage, this is the first comprehensive history of the shipping container. It recounts how the drive and imagination of an iconoclastic entrepreneur, Malcom McLean, turned containerization from an impractical idea into a massive industry that slashed the cost of transporting goods around the world and made the boom in global trade possible. But the container didn't just happen. Its adoption required huge sums of money, both from private investors and from ports that aspired to be on the leading edge of a new technology. It required years of high-stakes bargaining with two of the titans of organized labor, Harry Bridges and Teddy Gleason, as well as delicate negotiations on standards that made it possible for almost any container to travel on any truck or train or ship. Ultimately, it took McLean's success in supplying U.S. forces in Vietnam to persuade the world of the container's potential. Drawing on previously neglected sources, economist Marc Levinson shows how the container transformed economic geography, devastating traditional ports such as New York and London and fueling the growth of previously obscure ones, such as Oakland. By making shipping so cheap that industry could locate factories far from its customers, the container paved the way for Asia to become the world's workshop and brought consumers a previously unimaginable variety of low-cost products from around the globe.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In the late-1950s, leasing time on an IBM 704 cost hundreds of dollars per minute; today, cloud computing, using IT as a service, on-demand and pay-per-use, is a widely used computing paradigm that offers large economies of scale.
Abstract: In the late-1950s, leasing time on an IBM 704 cost hundreds of dollars per minute. Today, cloud computing, that is, using IT as a service, on-demand and pay-per-use, is a widely used computing paradigm that offers large economies of scale. Born from a need to make platform as a service (PaaS) more accessible, fine-grained, and affordable, serverless computing has garnered interest from both industry and academia. This article aims to give an understanding of these early days of serverless computing: what it is, where it comes from, what is the current status of serverless technology, and what are its main obstacles and opportunities.

94 citations

Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2010
TL;DR: The mood of this chapter is entirely James Lovelock's fault as mentioned in this paper, who is a kind, decent, serious, wholly pacific scientist who transports his readers into the midst of a front line of terrifying intensity.
Abstract: The mood of this chapter is entirely James Lovelock’s fault. In his latest book, The Revenge of Gaia, Lovelock – apparently a kind, decent, serious, wholly pacific scientist – transports his readers into the midst of a front line of terrifying intensity (2006). Yet, he is not talking about one of those antiquated wars that so many humans wage against one another, but of another war, the one that humans, as a whole, wage, without any explicit declaration, against Gaia.

87 citations

01 Jan 2010
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify key characteristics of ocean container transport from a supply chain perspective, and find that service offerings tend to be consolidated in few service providers, and a strong focus exists on maximization of capital intensive resources.
Abstract: With supply chains distributed across global markets, ocean container transport now is a critical element of any such supply chain. We identify key characteristics of ocean container transport from a supply chain perspective. We find that unlike continental (road) transport, service offerings tend to be consolidated in few service providers, and a strong focus exists on maximization of capital intensive resources. Based on the characteristics of the ocean container transport supply chain, we list a number of highly relevant and challenging research areas and associated questions.

86 citations


Cites background from "Introduction to The Box: How the Sh..."

  • ...Apart from the contracted prices, there are also published prices for many routes, but some argue that these prices are hardly ever paid due to most prices being negotiated in specific contracts (Levinson, 2006)....

    [...]

  • ...For an excellent study on the history of the shipping container we refer to Levinson (2006), who conducted a historical study and presents both anecdotal and statistical evidence on the impact of this technological revolution in logistics....

    [...]

  • ...…Jersey”, which “five days later […] sailed into Houston, where fifty-eight trucks waited to take on the metal boxes and haul them to their destinations” (Levinson 2006), the world of container shipping has moved to a global trade which involves containers standardized at 20 and 40 feet, with fixed…...

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors introduce five general strategies for decarbonizing freight transportation, and then focus on the literature and data relevant to estimating the global decarbonization potential through modal shift.
Abstract: Road freight transportation accounts for around 7% of total world energy-related carbon dioxide emissions [1]. Energy savings and emissions reductions can be achieved by shifting freight to rail or water modes, both of which are far more energy efficient and emit far less CO2 per tonne-km than road. We briefly introduce five general strategies for decarbonizing freight transportation, and then focus on the literature and data relevant to estimating the global decarbonization potential through modal shift. We compare freight activity (in tonne-km) by mode for every country where data are available. We also describe major intraregional freight corridors, their modal structure, and their infrastructure needs. We find that the current world road and rail modal split is around 60:40, based on available data. Most countries are experiencing strong growth in road freight and a shift from rail to road. Rail intermodal transportation holds great potential for replacing carbon-intense and fast-growing road freight, but it is essential to have a targeted design of freight systems, particularly in developing countries. Modal shift can be promoted by policies targeting infrastructure investments and internalizing external costs of road freight, but we find that not many countries have such policies in place. We identify research needs for decarbonizing the freight transportation sector both through improvements in the efficiency of individual modes and through new physical and institutional infrastructure that can support modal shift.

78 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyze the role of the nature of the commodities being carried in the containerization process by "looking inside the box" and particularly unravels the dynamics for a number of commodities and demonstrates which role they play in this process.
Abstract: Conventional investigations about containerized transportation tend to overlook the goods being carried to focus upon the associated modes and terminals. Containerization is entering a new phase in its global diffusion and adoption by freight distribution systems. The emerging phase of containerization encompasses a complementarity with the commodity sector and the extraction of niche market opportunities to satisfy new demands. This phase is driven by a commodity-wise approach, which inherently creates an array of challenges. For instance, niche markets develop or disappear based on temporary market conditions, the balance of flows on trade routes, and the need for market size. Still, the nature of the commodities being carried is a fundamental element in the emerging containerization of commodities. This article aims at analyzing this emerging niche in the containerization process by ‘looking inside the box’. It particularly unravels the dynamics for a number of commodities and demonstrates which role t...

50 citations


Cites background from "Introduction to The Box: How the Sh..."

  • ...The first specialized cellular containerships were delivered in 1968, and soon, the containerization process expanded over maritime and inland freight transport systems (Rodrigue and Notteboom 2009; Levinson 2006)....

    [...]

References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In the late-1950s, leasing time on an IBM 704 cost hundreds of dollars per minute; today, cloud computing, using IT as a service, on-demand and pay-per-use, is a widely used computing paradigm that offers large economies of scale.
Abstract: In the late-1950s, leasing time on an IBM 704 cost hundreds of dollars per minute. Today, cloud computing, that is, using IT as a service, on-demand and pay-per-use, is a widely used computing paradigm that offers large economies of scale. Born from a need to make platform as a service (PaaS) more accessible, fine-grained, and affordable, serverless computing has garnered interest from both industry and academia. This article aims to give an understanding of these early days of serverless computing: what it is, where it comes from, what is the current status of serverless technology, and what are its main obstacles and opportunities.

94 citations

Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2010
TL;DR: The mood of this chapter is entirely James Lovelock's fault as mentioned in this paper, who is a kind, decent, serious, wholly pacific scientist who transports his readers into the midst of a front line of terrifying intensity.
Abstract: The mood of this chapter is entirely James Lovelock’s fault. In his latest book, The Revenge of Gaia, Lovelock – apparently a kind, decent, serious, wholly pacific scientist – transports his readers into the midst of a front line of terrifying intensity (2006). Yet, he is not talking about one of those antiquated wars that so many humans wage against one another, but of another war, the one that humans, as a whole, wage, without any explicit declaration, against Gaia.

87 citations

01 Jan 2010
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify key characteristics of ocean container transport from a supply chain perspective, and find that service offerings tend to be consolidated in few service providers, and a strong focus exists on maximization of capital intensive resources.
Abstract: With supply chains distributed across global markets, ocean container transport now is a critical element of any such supply chain. We identify key characteristics of ocean container transport from a supply chain perspective. We find that unlike continental (road) transport, service offerings tend to be consolidated in few service providers, and a strong focus exists on maximization of capital intensive resources. Based on the characteristics of the ocean container transport supply chain, we list a number of highly relevant and challenging research areas and associated questions.

86 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors introduce five general strategies for decarbonizing freight transportation, and then focus on the literature and data relevant to estimating the global decarbonization potential through modal shift.
Abstract: Road freight transportation accounts for around 7% of total world energy-related carbon dioxide emissions [1]. Energy savings and emissions reductions can be achieved by shifting freight to rail or water modes, both of which are far more energy efficient and emit far less CO2 per tonne-km than road. We briefly introduce five general strategies for decarbonizing freight transportation, and then focus on the literature and data relevant to estimating the global decarbonization potential through modal shift. We compare freight activity (in tonne-km) by mode for every country where data are available. We also describe major intraregional freight corridors, their modal structure, and their infrastructure needs. We find that the current world road and rail modal split is around 60:40, based on available data. Most countries are experiencing strong growth in road freight and a shift from rail to road. Rail intermodal transportation holds great potential for replacing carbon-intense and fast-growing road freight, but it is essential to have a targeted design of freight systems, particularly in developing countries. Modal shift can be promoted by policies targeting infrastructure investments and internalizing external costs of road freight, but we find that not many countries have such policies in place. We identify research needs for decarbonizing the freight transportation sector both through improvements in the efficiency of individual modes and through new physical and institutional infrastructure that can support modal shift.

78 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyze the role of the nature of the commodities being carried in the containerization process by "looking inside the box" and particularly unravels the dynamics for a number of commodities and demonstrates which role they play in this process.
Abstract: Conventional investigations about containerized transportation tend to overlook the goods being carried to focus upon the associated modes and terminals. Containerization is entering a new phase in its global diffusion and adoption by freight distribution systems. The emerging phase of containerization encompasses a complementarity with the commodity sector and the extraction of niche market opportunities to satisfy new demands. This phase is driven by a commodity-wise approach, which inherently creates an array of challenges. For instance, niche markets develop or disappear based on temporary market conditions, the balance of flows on trade routes, and the need for market size. Still, the nature of the commodities being carried is a fundamental element in the emerging containerization of commodities. This article aims at analyzing this emerging niche in the containerization process by ‘looking inside the box’. It particularly unravels the dynamics for a number of commodities and demonstrates which role t...

50 citations