Containerization of Grain: Emergence of a New Supply Chain Market

Barry E. Prentice; Mark Hemmes

doi:10.4236/jtts.2015.52006

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Journal of Transportation Technologies > Vol.5 No.2, April 2015

Containerization of Grain: Emergence of a New Supply Chain Market ()

Barry E. Prentice¹, Mark Hemmes²

¹I. H. Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
²Quorum Corporation, Edmonton, Canada.

DOI: 10.4236/jtts.2015.52006 PDF HTML XML 5,200 Downloads 5,902 Views Citations

Abstract

The containerized shipment of freight continues to grow rapidly. This development can be traced to a transformation of bulk and break-bulk service to containerization. Demand has been driven by opportunities to broaden logistical options as well as advantageous freight rates. Logisticians and policy makers are unsure how much more bulk traffic can be converted to containerization, but the trends are evident. Of particular interest is grain. Bulk grain handlers have successfully resisted the conversion of grain shipping to containerization, except on the North American-Asian traffic lanes and the Australian-Asian traffic lanes where growth has been significant. This paper reviews the theoretical case for grain containerization from a logistics perspective, followed by an examination of the current trends in the United States and Canada. Subsequently, the analysis considers the restrictions and resistance to the conversion of grain from bulk shipping to containerization.

Keywords

Containerization, Grain, Agricultural Logistics, Transportation

Share and Cite:

Prentice, B. and Hemmes, M. (2015) Containerization of Grain: Emergence of a New Supply Chain Market. Journal of Transportation Technologies, 5, 55-68. doi: 10.4236/jtts.2015.52006.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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