A foldable solution set to reduce the impact of empty container transport
There is a global imbalance between imports and exports. A consequence of this is that 20 % of the containers at sea are empty and on land this percentage is 40%. Additionally, shipping lines spend about EUR 25 billion per year on repositioning empty containers and unnecessary emissions of CO2, NOx and PM10 are generated. Holland Container Innovations (HCI) has proposed the technical solution of 4FOLD foldable container to overcome the challenges of empty containers.
4FOLD containers under the spotlight
Project coordinator, Simon Bosschieter, explains: “Four stacked folded 4FOLD containers have the same dimensions as one container, enabling the reduction of transport movements by up to 75 %.” He further adds: “A reduction of 25 % on operational costs can be achieved, giving a huge economic boost to the EU logistics sector and the total EU economy.” Taking on board the environmental aspect of the 4FOLD foldable containers, “the EU in 2016 decided to include HCI in the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme,” notes Bosschieter. The project’s overall goal was to catalyse market uptake of the 4FOLD foldable container.
Highlighting key achievements
“To kick-off the EU 4FOLD Phase 2 project, HCI gave several demonstrations at key places in Europe to showcase 4FOLD to a wider audience,” reports Bosschieter who adds: “HCI also participated in the Intermodal fair in Rotterdam, the largest container exhibition in the world.” Thanks to these events, 4FOLD containers are well known within the container transportation industry and created a lot of attention for an environmentally friendly solution in the shipping industry. HCI has also tested the 4FOLD containers on different routes with different parties all over Europe. As a result of these trials, the 4FOLD foldable container is now a proven product and has prompted HCI to develop and implement an international training programme to certify several depots worldwide to become a ‘certified 4FOLD depot’. Furthermore, HCI was able to improve the production process with the factory, as well as updates to the container design where necessary. “With this endorsement of EUR 2.5 million from the EU, HCI now has a partnership with a manufacturer with a production line in China that allows production of 4FOLD containers on a large scale at lower costs and an acceptable lead time,” adds Bosschieter. On the manufacturing side HCI has implemented further updates to bring the labour costs down for the building of containers, one of the key objectives of the project. Bosschieter also notes that, “during the pilots, we were able to prove that emissions are reduced by the use of foldable containers.” Apart from the economic, environmental and financial benefits, the foldable container also influences social aspects like noise pollution, aesthetics, (city) development and employment.
Looking forward
“We will further expand our 4FOLD container fleet and continue with the partnerships that have been created during the last years,” confirms Bosschieter. In order to push 4FOLD containers in the market HCI will approach potential customers on their sustainability targets. During the subsidy period HCI noticed the importance of (an increasing) sustainability among their partners.
Keywords
4FOLD, foldable container, empty containers, environmentally friendly solution, shipping solution, sustainability
