Archive for May 14th, 2006

The Box. Marc Levinson

The Box. Marc Levinson. How the Shipping Container Made the World
Smaller and the World Economy Bigger. 2006.ISBN 0691123241. Today is
the 50th anniversary of the first use of shipping containers. It was
many years of battle and wearing down vested interests until the
container started to make a real impact. But, like all standards, once
achieved, it changed so much more than ever expected. The book is a
delightful work on this growth. If your product requires the adoption of
a standard, this is well worth the read. For Canadians, we should really
take note. China would not be were it is today without the gigantic
container ports they had the foresight to build. This book will help you
understand why Prince Rupert really has a shot at getting some
significant traffic if their container port goes ahead. These super
large container vessels only make money when they are moving, so
shaving off a day of transport by calling into Rupert is a really big
deal. But this is a game were you go big or go home. You can not just
put your toe in the water if you want the big ships to call. For Africa
the continued lack of investment in major port facilities will further
drive their economies in the wrong direction, no matter how cheap the
labor is. Good easy read.

Book reviews for the business side of the technology industry.

Category: Strategy

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