Container – Shanghai Metal Corporation

MINIMALIST HOMES MADE FROM SHIPPING CONTAINERS

Homes made from shipping containers are very trendy right now ! Why exactly ?

Maybe because it is capable of offering more than it’s basic use (normally we use them to transport a large amounts of goods on boats or trains). Therefore shipping containers are multi functional ; not only they serve as object carriers but we can also create stylish homes to your personal needs !

With this idea, check out these 5 houses made of shipping containers which have MINIMALIST DESIGN.

Even though you can find a bunch of other designs we think that minimalist design suits the very basic concept of shipping containers which is to accommodate some goods. Houses basically, also follows this ideal.

1. See that sweet comfortable and portable house ?

This house is the perfect movable house if you seek tranquility. It’s cozy and simple design puts your mind at ease and you can enjoy a relax stay in any spot of your choice !

The interior reminds a Japanese style house ; all wooden, natural and eco-friendly.

2. What about this simple veranda style one ?

If you’re more of a stable person, maybe you would prefer this one. This house gives you the feeling of tranquility with it’s classic and retro design. Having more space allows your mind and your body to relax more easily.

3. What’s the thing about white houses ?

White houses, particularly this white gem, define purity. If you’re in need of cleansing that soul of yours, maybe this container house will do you good.

Elegant, simple and classy, this house is located on a hilltop ; whatever your mood is, the purity that emits this house is magical whether you’re alone or with your loved ones.

4. What about for those who need a view ?

Don’t worry, this special model is built for those who seek not only a comfy home but also a view that will take your breath away. With it’s terrace, you could enjoy the beautiful sun and sky as long as you want to.

This house kinds of have two personality with it’s openness to the outside world but it also provides privacy to it’s owner.

5. Do you see a swimming pool ?

What’s better than a container house is, of course, one with a pool to dip in after a hard day’s work ; this little beauty down here makes everything better with it’s peaceful green surroundings. Once you take a dip in that jade green water, you will feel rejuvenated again.

The house’s design perfectly fits with the natural environment in which it is constructed. So not only you will gain inner peace, you will also merge with mother nature.

So you see, shipping containers are flexible to different uses and environments. These 5 minimalist houses are only a few example of the tons of variety shipping containers can offer to imagine. The adaptability is so vast maybe because their initial use was so simple that it exceeds it’s own purpose.

Based in China, Shanghai Metal Corporation is one of the leading businesses in the metalworking industry. As a major producer and exporter of shipping containers and other metal products and service, we essentially put our customer’s personal needs above all like these 5 container houses.

To know more about our company please visit our website. Also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can also download our new mobile application by scanning the QR code below.

#AddingValueAcrossTheGlobe

Maria // SMC Editor

SMC at the 2015 Intermodal Asia Exhibition

On Tuesday 24 SMC Shanghai Metal Corporation attended the second Intermodal Asia Exhibition 2015 held in Shanghai. Wondering what the exhibition is about? Launched in Europe, the Intermodal Asia Exhibition is a new platform for Asia shipping and container industry. It is a great chance for professionals and companies to come together and exchange ideas and industries about the shipping and container market. As Mr Mai Bo Liang, Chairman of the CCIA and President of CIMC, stated, “it is the perfect opportunity for professionals fro throughout the world to come together to network, do business and encourage the healthy and sustainable development of modern intermodal transport.”

Within a globalized world, where interactions and business between countries is growing exponentially, the three-day exhibition was the event that SMC Shanghai Metal Corporation could not miss. As you may know, China is rapidly growing in the market becoming the leading country in the business of containers and shipping. This is also do to the great emphasis that the government is giving to this market. New projects, such as “The New Silk Road Economic Region” and “21 Century Maritime Silk Road” will make China becoming the core of world commerce.

Untitled design (8) — SMC Sales Assistant checking the conferences program

Not only the 2015 Intermodal Asia Exhibition was for suppliers the chance to promote their products and activities, but also a chance to know more about this evolving market. Three conference theaters (The Strategy Theater, The Innovation Theater and the brand new Technology Theater) offered the visitors the opportunity to attend numerous presentations and debates gave by industry leaders such as European Shippers’ Council Acting Secretary General Joost Sitskoorn who discussed about the “Wider Economic Perspective and Intermodal Market Update in the Spotlight.”

Untitled design (6) — Conference at the Strategy Theater

Untitled design (10) — SMC International Interns

Untitled design (13) — SMC International Interns

Untitled design — SMC International Interns

Untitled design (2) — SMC Containers Department Manager and Sales Assistant

Remember! Shanghai Metal Corporation provides you with a great selection of containers. Visit our website and do not hesitate to contact us.

Scan the QR code below and stay informed about our latest updates:

Stefano// SMC Editor

The History of Containers – When It All Began

Today, Shanghai Metal Corporation brings you back in time. Are you ready to take-off? Please fasten your seat belt, sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight. This is the story of containers.

The first stop of this journey is 1936 in Hoboken, New Jersey. The idea of containers, considered by many as “revolutionary”, must be attributed to Malcom McLean. As often is the case, the greatest ideas come in times of crisis. The Economist has described McLean’s early life as follows.

“He was a farmer’s son, one of seven children. His first business transaction was selling eggs for his mother, taking a small commission. But in the 1930s, the time of the Great Depression, farming was one of the worst-hit industries. Mr McLean got a job at a petrol station and saved enough money to buy a secondhand lorry, calling himself, grandly, the McLean Trucking Company. He did well enough to buy five more lorries, hired drivers for them, but continued to drive himself“.

Malcom-Mclean-History — from http://www.intra-plus.com

By observing how the loads of cotton were moved by the trucks of his company to the hold of the ship, McLean thought of using a fixed size “metal box” that could contain the voluminous material making the operations easier. Few years later, this insight would have proved to be revolutionary. Indeed, the “new container”, in addition to speed up the operations of loading and unloading, contributed to decrease transportation costs and to avoid the thefts committed in ports.

primer-container-historia-malcom-mclean — from investorsconundrum.com

According to The Economicst, the Ideal X was the first cargo ship transporting containers. It was an elderly oil tanker “whose deck had been strengthened to accommodate 58 well-filled boxes each some 30ft (9 metres) long”. It was on April 26, 1956, when the Ideal X left Newark for Port Hudson.

According to Internazionale.it, McLean spent $0.16 per ton loaded, while the average cost of goods shipped at that time was $83 per ton. Moreover, from 1966 to 1983 the percentage of countries that used them has risen from 1 to 90 percent. The Economist claims that McLean was celebrated as the “man of the century” and the inventor of “the greatest advance in packaging since the paper bag”. Moreover, former United States President Bill Clinton said that containerisation helped to “fuel the world’s economy”.

Remember! Shanghai Metal Corporation provides you with a great selection of container houses. Visit our website and do not hesitate to contact us.

Scan the QR code below and stay informed about our latest updates:

Stefano// SMC Editor

The 2014 World’s Busiest Container Ports. The winner is…

Wondering which are the busiest container ports across the planet? And which is the world’s leading port city for 2014? This article will provide you with the answer. The list was made public a few weeks ago and, not surprisingly, eight of the top ten ports are Chinese. Moreover, according to Medi Telegraph, 14 is the number of the ports that, in 2014, have handled more than 10 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit), two more than 2013 (Kaohsiung and Dalian). In this chart the only non-Asian ports are Dubai and Rotterdam.

Here is the chart.

The winner is again Shanghai.

	Port	Country	Volume Million TEU	2014/2013
1	Shanghai	China	35.28	+5%
2	Singapore	Singapore	33.90	+4.1%
3	Shenzhen	China	24.03	+3.3%
4	Hong Kong	China	22.30	+0.1%
5	Ningbo	China	19.45	+12%
6	Busan	South Korea	18.65	+5.5%
7	Qindao	China	16.62	+7%
8	Guangzhou	China	16.16	+6%
9	Dubai	United Arab Emirates	15.24	+11.8%
10	Tianjin	China	14.05	+8.1%

Following, Rotterdam 12.30 million TEUs (+ 5.8%), Port Kelang 10, 94 million TEUs (+ 5.8%), Kaohsiung 10.59 million TEUs (+ 6.5%), Dalian 10.59 million TEUs (+ 2%). The Chinese ports alone have handled a total of 179 million TEUs, 6% more than the previous year. (from themeditelegraph.com)

shanghai-port-cargo2 — ‘Shanghai Port’ from chinarushonline.com

For the fifth consecutive time Shanghai is confirmed as the busiest port for containers in the world. Indeed, in 2010, Singapore lost its crown as leading world’s port remaining so far one step behind in Shanghai.

0x600 — ‘The Port of Singapore’ from forbes.com

Congrats Shaghai and… guess what! Shanghai Metal Corporation based in the city with the busiest world’s container port, provides you with a great selection of containers. Visit our website for more details and do not hesitate to contact us.

Scan the QR code below and stay informed about our latest updates:

Stefano// SMC Editor

The coolest student-dorm is made of CONTAINERS!

No doubts! The coolest dormitory of all time is located in Johannesburg, South Africa. Why this student-dorm is so unique? Because is made from old silos and shipping containers! The project was recently realized by the full service management company Citiq Property Services (PTY) Ltd. Here is how the company displayed this amazing idea.

“Citiq recently purchased two sets of the disused grain silos in Newtown, Johannesburg. Through creative design and leading edge architecture, the plans are to develop energy-efficient buildings that are both contemporary in design and contribute to the urban regeneration of Newtown. Conversion of Mill Junction, the first set of silos, to student accommodation started at the beginning of 2013 and was completed in early 2014, just in time for the new student intake.”

(from citiqproperty.co.za)

Mill-Junction-07 — from http://www.domusweb.it/en

As it was stated by DomusWeb website, the five silos used to build the dormitory were abandoned and grain was once stored there. Recycled containers were then placed, one on top of the other or one next to the other, both on the side and on top of the five silos. The dormitory can today host about 400 students enrolled in different school or universities thanks to the strategic location of the dormitory. This is for sure one of the most extraordinary example of how shipping containers can be used in a very fashionable way for a worthy purpose.

If you wonder how a single/double room looks like FastCoexist website provides you with the answer! How you can see from the pictures below, living in a container house/room looks exactly the same of sleeping in a ‘tradition’ house.

Not only! This amazing dorm partially made from recycled shipping containers offers numerous common areas to students such as game and computer rooms, libraries, gym and kitchens, and even a climbing wall!!

Wondering container-house might be the perfect solution for you and your family? Shanghai Metal Corporation provides you with a great selection of container houses. Visit our website and do not hesitate to contact us.

Scan the QR code below and stay informed about our latest updates:

Stefano// SMC Editor

Move right along!

Are you moving houses as the new year begins? Wondering how you will move all that furniture? Well, at SMC we know just how to make sure household furniture and other home equipment is moved safely to your new dwelling place. Our 20 feet open-sided container and open-top containers are just right for being used to load stuff onto when one is transporting goods. This can be domestically when the container is loaded onto a truck to move on land; and is also handy for transporting bulky material like furniture which is bought overseas. It’s full access doors make it highly convenient to load goods, thus making it highly desirable as it can save time during loading and offloading.

As the leading supplier of metal products in China, we offer containers in many variations to suit your needs. The 20 feet open-sided containers highly convenient for transport . This container has full size access doors which can open as wide as 270 degrees; and also allows for easy loading with a forklift truck.

These open sided containers are also handy for transport of goods such as fresh produce, which need constant ventilation.

Ensure that your goods are transported safely, contact us for inquiry about this type of container.

Scan the QR code below to download our latest app:

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Lebo Seopane//SMC Editor

Shipping Industry Insights: Ports in Asia

China is popularly known as the leader of the world’s busiest ports since decades. It possesses an important number of ports that are located in different parts of the countries, the top ones are at Shanghai, Hong Kong and Shenzhen. It has been reported that each year import and export trade moving through the Port of Shanghai represents one-fourth of the value of China’s foreign trade. The importance of activities in the Port of Shanghai has been viewed as an opportunity to establish it as an international shipping center.

Port of Shanghai

Other Asian countries fills the top list of the world’s busiest cargo ports. Although the major parts of the list is composed by ports from different cities in China, we can observe a growth of activities in Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan. Check this website if you’re interested to see the complete list.

The Port of Singapore has one of the most spectacular number of trade transportation in the world. This year, it was named “Asia Container Port of the Year“, beating China. This phenomenon isn’t surprising at all. Having a limited natural resources, the country needed to exports products as a source of revenue to purchase natural resources and raw goods. As a consequence, it becomes one of the world’s largest exporter and importer.

Port of Singapore

To respond to the increase of international trade transportation, the technology of operating it has been improving. For example, more and more cargo are converted to container. The demand of “intermodal container” has been increasing since its efficiency allows the container to be moved from one mode of transportation to another without unloading and reloading the contents, reducing the cost of operation.

Graphic from BIMCO

The size of container ships is becoming increasingly larger over time with the increased uses of intermodal container.

If you are searching for a supplier of container or other shipping equipment, Shanghai Metal Corporation can help you. Our professional experts ensure only the best quality of products. If you have any question, feel free to contact us, our English speaking staffs will help you. Follow us on social media to have a better look on our products.

Credits to Wikipedia
Pictures from Google image.

Ayu P.//SMC editor

Google – The New Creator of Container Architects

Building a container residence can be nice DIY project, especially for those who take building as a hobby or a way to relax. Still, one needs to keep in mind that building container houses is a long procedure and requires extremely professional attitude. Due to many challenges, container house projects might escalate into failures. Thereby it is a worthy option to get a professional manufacturer to build it for you. There used to be a huge challenge in that option as well.

In order to manufacture container houses, the provider need the houses’ drawings. Building a house without blueprints is impossible. The manufacturers are also unable to determine the price without really specific details about one’s dream house. Most of us lack the architectural skills for that. Luckily, today all you need is a sketch made with Google Sketchup software.

Try googling container houses designed with Google Sketchup and you’ll find many results. By sending your sketch to a provider, you’ll safe a lot of time in negotiating and explaining your vision. Sketchup is a tool for you to translate the idea of your dream house to an architectural language that the manufacturers understand.

The prices of container houses can vary a lot. The prices are dependent of the number of floors, the amount of plumbing and electricity installations to name but a few. Use your sketches to inquire the prices. That’s how manufacturers can help you.

Container houses are advantageous related to conventional buildings in the sense that they can be built elsewhere than their final destination. For instance Shanghai Metal Corporation custom-manufactures numerous container houses every year and ships them worldwide. You can submit your inquiries and sketches in our Facebook page by sending a message. Check also our other social media platforms for future updates. See our container house service description here.

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Eric Wichman’s blog, Victor Fernandez, Tin Can Cabin, Mister Swift, Land8, Google Sketchup

Illuminating a Container Cave With Improvised Narrative

Holdup Architecture‘s artwork for 2011 Kobe Biennale competition is one of those examples that show how creativity and shipping containers are a match. We previously discussed the competition’s container guitar and container kaleidoscope, but this is something far beyond!

When a user enters the chalkboard-like container cave, there is nothing but darkness. It’s only when she approaches the center of the room, when the container’s UV start activating making one’s clothes glow in the darkness. The glow grows stronger as the user approaches a drawing board. The light become the brightest when the user draws patterns.

This work called “Off To On” that cost the artists $6000 was awarded with honors. The interior part was equipped with steel gratings, mesh sheets, rubber rolls and other below shown materials that enabled this self-made exhibition. They also utilized a special software for this purpose.

The users are controlled only to the drawing interface. What the users draw is not controlled except by the surrounding intense darkness. What kind of story the visitor tells through her drawings tells a lot about the visitor herself. It is the surrounding that prevails her inner thoughts.

The company has described the Off to On as a setting where the visitor is assimilated to a speleologist discovering a primitive cave with prehistoric drawings painted on the rock, except that drawings are not relics from past ages. Basically, the whole space is dark until he draws on the table. Drawing is the only way to be involved and visualize the «self-made exhibition». (via HoldUp Architecture)

There are no words to describe this experience. You should try it yourself. If you are a container artist, you can always contact us in Shanghai Metal Corporation to find the necessary material. Our wide variety of shipping containers can be seen here. Check also our social media sites for future updates.

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Holdup Architecture, Inhabitat

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The Artistic Masterpieces of Shipping Containers

Shipping containers can be turned into almost any kind of facilities, one of them being arts. In Japan there is actually a container art competition called Kobe Biennale that motivates contestants to realize their wild ideas on how the interior space of shipping containers can be used to express art.

The biannually held competition has produced various creative pieces of art. In our former article we already discussed how Japanese artist turned a recycled shipping container into a playable guitar that lets visitors to know how it feels to be inside an instrument. In 2013 the designers Masakazu Shirane and Saya Miyazaki introduced a new container art concept.

Garden is a huge origami-inspired kaleidoscope built of 1,100 triangular mirrors that are connected by zippers. It’s big enough to walk inside for an immersive experience and small enough to fit in a shipping container. (via Gizmondo)

Even though these container artworks’ interior is rather extraordinary, their outer appearance can be described as being usual. Still, because shipping containers are made of corrugated steel walls, they can rather easily be modified by cutting and welding. Our article on South Korea’s container sunset observatory shows an example on how containers can be welded together in different angles. They can also be flipped upwards like the container train station in the Netherlands. They can also be turned into Japanese origami shaped structures like this instance in Rotterdam (via Superuse).

If you are a container artist looking for materials, we have them in Shanghai Metal Corporation. See our wide variety of shipping containers in our website. You can also contact us directly through this form. Check also our social media sites for future updates.

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Core 77 , Kobe Biennale, Gizmondo, Superuse

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