Smart Marketplace for Containers

Due to imbalances in the global flow of goods, an estimated one in three of the millions of containers moved every day is empty. Repositioning empty containers costs the container shipping industry an estimated USD 15-20 billion each year – and has a huge environmental impact. A new Hamburg-based startup – xChange – is now operating the world’s first online platform to optimize the use of otherwise empty containers. The dedicated marketplace uses intelligent matching algorithms to facilitate direct contact between would-be users and suppliers of containers for one-way journeys on a wide range of routes. The startup, which works together with carriers, leasing companies and dealers has already filled more than 230,000 container units that would have otherwise made empty runs.