GEORGE KOCHANOWSKI

» I received a bachelor ’ s degree in Chemical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn . Some graduate studies in Business at Northwestern University . As the inventor of all-plastic retro-reflective traffic signage , I received Plastic Product of the Year in 1998 . As Manager of Process Control for GE Plastics , I received a leadership award for state-of-the-art computer control systems and networks at GE ’ s Alabama facility . I ’ ve held senior corporate leadership positions with public and private companies , ranging from electromagnetics to advanced composite materials .

» We design foldable intermodal shipping containers that exceed ISO and CSC standards and the systems needed to fold them standing upright in bundles , safely and quickly . We are in the process of developing a network of fabricators in Europe and North America to produce our assemblies .

» Empty containers clog roads and ship terminals , causing port congestion and leaving little space to unload ships . This then forces many ships to wait offshore , wasting resources and slowing the supply chain to a crawl . The problem disappears only as the ships sail away .

» Unfortunately , due to global importexport imbalances , the ‘ empties ’ – when delivered to terminals – cause port congestion . This has a domino effect , as they need to be stored on their chassis , temporarily , at off-terminal storage facilities reducing chassis availability . ( A chassis is a trailer or undercarriage used to transport ocean containers by road .) This then starves exporters both of empties and . The empties are at the wrong place and at the wrong time . The environmental price is steep for each move , as each non-productive activity is handled by fossil-fueled equipment . As we move into the post-pandemic era , where there will be less commerce , port productivity should increase . But at a price , as the cost of labour and fuel have risen by double digits , sparking global inflation . More than ever empties are more expensive to reposition ; it costs more to move nothing around .

» The intermodal shipping container is 70 years old . Over the years it has been refined but ownership costs have increased . For example , example , this year , the annual