Paint it red

It is an unusual sight to see dry boxes coming out of Maersk Container Industry’s factory in China that are not dressed in all-gray, accompanied by the blue star. Nonetheless, around 8,000 new forty-foot dry containers with the distinctive red exterior paint and white lettering are ready to get global trade moving.

“Watching those powerful red boxes leaving the factory makes us very proud,” says Sean S. Fitzgerald, CEO of Maersk Container Industry. “We’re happy to welcome Hamburg Süd to the family with a brand-new batch of industry-competitive and high-quality containers that support Hamburg Süd’s well-known reputation of quality delivery.”

The containers were built in Dongguan from 15 January to 9 February. Besides the high-quality standards that customers will experience, the production also represents good business value, says Fitzgerald, enabling consistent and competitive production at full capacity.

The containers were ordered by Maersk Line and will join its equipment fleet until a joint equipment pool is established during the second quarter of 2018. 

Branding the boxes in the Hamburg Süd colours marks a welcoming gesture as the MCI production demonstrates Maersk’s commitment to a smooth integration and to the continued independency of the strong Hamburg Süd brand.

“This is a sign of our appreciation for the strong Hamburg Süd brand and a very tangible example of how we will continue to invest in it, strengthening our separate value propositions,” says Søren Toft, Chief Operating Officer of A.P. Moller - Maersk.

Important statement

While painting red boxes is a new routine for employees at the production facility, the warm and well-known colour of Hamburg Süd remains a familiar face to customers, recognised for its quality delivery of products and services. 

“The new red containers are an important statement to our customers that Hamburg Süd will keep serving their logistical needs in the well-known manner – just like we always have,” says Arnt Vespermann, CEO of Hamburg Süd, and elaborates:

“If customers work with Hamburg Süd, they will talk to the same sales and customer service staff, and they will enjoy the same high level of cargo expertise and swift exception handling as before.”

When all containers become part of the same pool, customers will experience increased equipment availability, explains Ingrid Snelderwaard, Head of Equipment for Maersk Line and Hamburg Süd.

“Combined equipment depots will reduce the number of containers laying idle in buffer stocks and the bigger pool of containers will allow us to better balance the flow of equipment to customer needs,” she says.

The joint equipment pool will be the largest container fleet in the liner shipping industry serving customers of both carriers – including a pool of more than 350,000 reefer units.