Cost Analysis of a 350kW Folding Container

Do foldable containers generate revenue?

However, this does not generate revenue and incurs container management costs (CMCs). Some container carriers may use foldable containers (FLDs), such as four-in-one designs, instead of standard containers (STDs), in order to minimize the costs associated with relocating empty containers.

Do foldable containers reduce container fleet management costs?

The effect of foldable containers on the costs of container fleet management in liner shipping networks. Maritime Economics & Logistics. 2012. Vol. 14. No. 4. P. 455-479. DOI: 10.1057/mel.2012.16. Shintani, K. & Konings, R. & Imai, A. Combinable containers: A container innovation to save container fleet and empty container repositioning costs.

Are foldable containers effective in repositioning empty containers?

Foldable containers are considered an effective solution to deal with the endemic imbalance in the repositioning of empty containers. Several foldable containers were commercialized without clear breakthrough in the market and most current researches are still limited to small pilot projects.

Why are foldable containers so controversial?

One main reason for this controversy is the high purchase cost of the foldable container. The current purchase cost of the developed foldable container is currently set to US$ 20,000 but will be lowered to US$ 10,000 in case of mass production, which is still significantly higher than the purchase price of US$ 5,000 of a standard 40-foot container.