this sounds like a great idea. i hope a company takes it on, it would be interesting to see the cost savings

Old Cargo containers are used here in the Philippines (& I am sure in other countries as well) as temporary shelters, construction site offices, coffee shops and even multi-tier bar-restaurant. If I were in shipping, I\'d sell my current cargo containers for such use and buy cargoshell....

a roller shutter door is nowhere as secure or as structurally strong as the 2 opening doors used normally., I would also worry about the safety of the collapsability factor when the container is partially empty,,, the standard container is stackeable whether empty, halfull or loaded,,,,,, a good idea but some obvious drawbacks for many types of cargo

Good idea, can you stack full ones 7 high as you can steel containers ? Although even if not, could use them for upper levels.

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This is a great innovation. It is a shame they cost so much more to make. Otherwise, the new ones could be returned, and the old ones recycled, gradually replacing. Has the saving on return shipping space been taken into account? This does show the huge trade imbalance with China. How about saying that they have to have contents(goods) when the containers are returned, or they won\'t be returned. On the grand scale of things, why are not more products made in each country for home use, thus saving time, transportation, and fuel?

I just had another thought. Why not fill the returning containers with fresh water, and drop it off in the Middle East, on the way through the Suez canal?

I\'d guarantee they\'re as strong as steel ones (why make weaker ones), and stronger (comparatively) once they get older as they won\'t be rusting away! Bravo, Bravo. Hindsight is 20/20

Nice idea, but it seems to me there is one glaring omission in all the stats. Sure, when shipping empty containers back to China, you only need 1 ship instead of 4. What about when that quadruple load of containers is full and needs to be shipped to the US or elsewhere? You will be missing 3 ships! If there is a regular volume of export from China, I don\'t care how small you make the empty containers, you still will need every single ship to return to China to pick up full containers. The only real savings I can see from these is the fact that they are 25% lighter and offer some modern technology for tracking. The collapsible part seems pointless.

This is a cool idea. I have a couple questions to add to the comments already posted? How is the composite structure affected by ultra-violet radiation? Further, details as to the sliding door are not given; wouldn\'t a slab door fitted in channels not be more secure. The general idea I have given some thought to and the idea of adapting this product for extreme weather situations would be a portable shelter, communication centre, able to transported by truck, helicopter and other modes of transport quickly to disaster sites, perhaps even with windows, bunks and rudimentary food packs and first aid packages built in.