Tim Minnshall

then the fact that a factory is very, very far away from you doesn't matter anymore because the cost of shipping is so low, it's almost a tiny percentage of the overall cost of the customer. So you're right, by people far away being able to manufacture things cheaply makes it very attractive. But it only works if the transport costs to and from that country are cheap as well.

then the fact that a factory is very, very far away from you doesn't matter anymore because the cost of shipping is so low, it's almost a tiny percentage of the overall cost of the customer. So you're right, by people far away being able to manufacture things cheaply makes it very attractive. But it only works if the transport costs to and from that country are cheap as well.

So before the shipping container, you did what's called break bulk. You literally had very, very skilled longshoremen and dock workers who would be tasked with saying, here are all the things that need to go on a ship, and we're going to have to load the ship in the optimal way. So imagine the shape of a ship. It's got curves in it and all sorts of things.

So before the shipping container, you did what's called break bulk. You literally had very, very skilled longshoremen and dock workers who would be tasked with saying, here are all the things that need to go on a ship, and we're going to have to load the ship in the optimal way. So imagine the shape of a ship. It's got curves in it and all sorts of things.

So before the shipping container, you did what's called break bulk. You literally had very, very skilled longshoremen and dock workers who would be tasked with saying, here are all the things that need to go on a ship, and we're going to have to load the ship in the optimal way. So imagine the shape of a ship. It's got curves in it and all sorts of things.

So loading a ship with lots of products is actually very, very skillful. Because you get it wrong, the ship becomes unbalanced and bad things will happen in the ocean. So loading a ship was a highly skilled job that required lots and lots of dock workers to bring things onto the ship and stow them where they were needed. So it was what's called break bulk.

So loading a ship with lots of products is actually very, very skillful. Because you get it wrong, the ship becomes unbalanced and bad things will happen in the ocean. So loading a ship was a highly skilled job that required lots and lots of dock workers to bring things onto the ship and stow them where they were needed. So it was what's called break bulk.

So loading a ship with lots of products is actually very, very skillful. Because you get it wrong, the ship becomes unbalanced and bad things will happen in the ocean. So loading a ship was a highly skilled job that required lots and lots of dock workers to bring things onto the ship and stow them where they were needed. So it was what's called break bulk.

Lots of things in small units being just one by one brought onto the ship. The shipping container just completely removed the need for that. And so by just making this very elegantly simple

Lots of things in small units being just one by one brought onto the ship. The shipping container just completely removed the need for that. And so by just making this very elegantly simple

Lots of things in small units being just one by one brought onto the ship. The shipping container just completely removed the need for that. And so by just making this very elegantly simple

leap of faith by saying rather than lots of little products, each being taken onto a ship one by one or in little bundles or on trolleys or on small hoists, put everything into a big box and just lift the big box onto a ship. So this, I believe, goes back to the 1950s when it was started.

leap of faith by saying rather than lots of little products, each being taken onto a ship one by one or in little bundles or on trolleys or on small hoists, put everything into a big box and just lift the big box onto a ship. So this, I believe, goes back to the 1950s when it was started.

leap of faith by saying rather than lots of little products, each being taken onto a ship one by one or in little bundles or on trolleys or on small hoists, put everything into a big box and just lift the big box onto a ship. So this, I believe, goes back to the 1950s when it was started.

But as you can imagine, this had a very dark side to it as well, because it put a huge number of people out of jobs. So this idea of innovation and advanced technologies and new technologies that make life better, that reduce costs, is absolutely great. But very often there's a negative side to it as well.

But as you can imagine, this had a very dark side to it as well, because it put a huge number of people out of jobs. So this idea of innovation and advanced technologies and new technologies that make life better, that reduce costs, is absolutely great. But very often there's a negative side to it as well.

But as you can imagine, this had a very dark side to it as well, because it put a huge number of people out of jobs. So this idea of innovation and advanced technologies and new technologies that make life better, that reduce costs, is absolutely great. But very often there's a negative side to it as well.

And so the communities that are built up around the docks employing thousands of workers, often generations upon generations of workers. I mean, if you look at the Port of Los Angeles or anywhere in the world, there's relatively few people working there now.

And so the communities that are built up around the docks employing thousands of workers, often generations upon generations of workers. I mean, if you look at the Port of Los Angeles or anywhere in the world, there's relatively few people working there now.

And so the communities that are built up around the docks employing thousands of workers, often generations upon generations of workers. I mean, if you look at the Port of Los Angeles or anywhere in the world, there's relatively few people working there now.