The repositioning of empty containers has long been a major headache for air cargo operators and Dutch company VRR has developed collapsible Unit Load Devices (ULDs), which have been approved for use by the EU Safety Agency. Collapsible containers for the shipping industry have been in the works for a while already, with an Austrade media release from April 2019 reporting that Sydney-based CEC Systems had pioneered their product called COLLAPSECON – the world’s first semi-automatic collapsible container.
An article this week from online journal The Loadstar reports that Rotterdam-based VRR has developed collapsible air cargo ULDs, the AAX and AAY, which have been recently approved for use by the EU Safety Agency. According to The Loadstar, Ben Lakerveld, VRR sales manager, said that the ULDs had been developed to address three main industry problems: the ULD imbalance globally; environmental objectives; and optimising storage capacity.
A VRR demonstration showed that when collapsed, the AAY unit can be stacked up four high in the aircraft hold and up to six high in a shipping container, saving transport costs. However, the concept of foldable ULDs has been discussed within the industry before and sceptics have frequently questioned the scale of industry deployment and the level of adoption likely to be achieved.
Heavier containers increase a flight’s fuel consumption, and VRR says a fleet of lighter ULDs would help move the airline’s emissions needle in the right direction.
The Austrade report tells how an Australian company called CEC Systems took on the task of developing pioneering technology to solve some of the shipping industry’s foundational problems. Expressing similar sentiments to the air cargo industry, they say that problem number one is the sheer inefficiency of shipping empty containers around the world. CEC Systems’ solution: a collapsible shipping container.
Their product, COLLAPSECON, is the world’s first semi-automatic collapsible container. Collapsing down to a quarter of its original size, enabling customers to collapse and combine four empty units to form a single container. This drastically cuts costs associated with shipping and sorting empty containers.
As part of an ‘empty container ecosystem,’ COLLAPSECON represents the physical solution however, it also is integrated with tracking technology and a digital platform that lets users analyse the movements and stockpiling of their container fleets. [Read our related article: Tracking Devices for Shipping Containers].
Headquartered in Sydney, most of the CEC Systems team is based in Singapore, and the production facility is in Vietnam. With Singapore a key hub for the shipping and logistics industry, the island nation was always part of CEC Systems’ strategy.
In January 2017, CEC Systems received an Accelerating Commercialisation Grant of $282,500 to build a fleet of COLLAPSECON units for trials with major shipping lines. During the project, however, the company decided the funds would be better spent on enhancing the original system through optimisation, prototyping and redevelopment, and were able to adjust the project specifications.
Looking ahead, CEC Systems plans to expand into the US and Europe, and will continue exploring opportunities to innovate and solve problems in one of the world’s biggest industries.
As licensed Customs Brokers and International Freight Forwarders, Colless Young offers you professional advice on all your shipping requirements by air and sea, both containerised and general. We provide a complete range of import and export logistics services, including Customs clearance, warehousing and trucking, at all major Australian ports and airports.
