Schenker, the logistics division of Deutsche Bahn, has tentatively started an RFID based service called SCHENKERsmartbox, the latest in a line of wireless technology systems to be applied to shipping containers. The company has equipped ten containers travelling between Hamburg and Shanghai with RFID devices which broadcast a variety of different information on the status of the container. Schenker has stated that the containers will be able broadcast their location using GPS as well as state whether it is aboard ship, located at the port or being trans-shipped. The container also has the ability to transmit 'environmental' information concerning the containers' temperature and whether its doors have been opened.

This Schenker example is the latest case in a stream of prototypes of RFID equipped containers. DHL Forwarding demonstrated last year a container that could generate 'historical' information on the temperature environment inside a container, hoping to sell the technology to the pharmaceutical sector.

However the apparent 'real-time' capability of Schenker's project highlights the potential to improve container management using this technology. It will give forwarders the ability both to manage their own container assets better as well as offer customers better 'visibility' for their loads. The latter is now an important aspect of both shipping lines' and forwarders' service-offering to large customers. It appears that this type of wireless technology offers the ability for forwarders to reduce their dependence on the container shipping lines to generate 'visibility' information for them, hence increasing their power.

It is also highly likely that container yard management will be affected by the increasing use of RFID. Already using a variety of advanced ID technologies, container ports will have to lay more emphasis on the generation of data as a service to a variety of shipping lines, shippers and forwarder customers. However the different technologies require different kinds of infrastructure. Therefore the next hurdle is to integrate the different proprietary systems with eachother.