New website helps solve box imbalance issue

There’s a new website which
is designed to help lines
solve the imbalance issue – a
major waste factor and costly
problem for the shipping
industry.
Analysis conducted by the
Boston Consulting Group
(BCG) provided a classic
example of this unnecessary
industry waste.
BCG says that it costs the
equivalent of up to R285.5
billion annually to move
empty shipping containers
and generates up to 19 million
tonnes of carbon dioxide
globally.
So BCG developed a webbased
marketplace called
xChange – an online market
place for the exchange of
container equipment and
vessel/train/truck slots
– designed to increase
the number of container
exchanges and reduce the
movement of empty containers
by up to 30%.
Launched last November,
the system is being tested by
20 leading container carriers
and leasing companies.
And one, Japan’s NYK Line
– one of the world’s oldest and
largest shipping companies
- said it had already saved
the equivalent of over R1.43
billion by getting better at
spotting and using empty
containers.
BCG pointed out three main
advantages stemming from
use of the xChange system.
These were:
• Increased utilisation of
existing inventory and
vessel slots – which reduces
fixed costs.
• Higher box availability in
demand regions – which
improves sales.
• Fewer empty movements
of boxes – which reduces
handling costs.