Containerization is a system of intermodal freight transport cargo transport using standard ISO containers that can be loaded and sealed intact onto the appropriate means of transport. This term is also given to determining the best carton, box or pallet to be used to ship a single item or number of items.
While the creation of the best container for shipping of newly created product is called "Containerization", the term also applies to determining the right box and the best placement inside that box in order fulfillment. This may be planned by software modules in a warehouse management system. This optimization software calculates the best spatial position of each item withing such constraints as stackability and crush resistance.
There are in fact three means of transporting goods by sea freight:
- NCL (Non-Containerized Load) shipping is the shipment of oversized loads or those unsuitable for container loading.
- LCL (Less-than-Container Load) shipping is the transportation of relatively small freight.
- FCL (Full Contained Load) shipping is the transportation of full container loads.
See also; Containerization
