We are always excited to communicate that we are moving forward. This time we are spreading the word about all the work and knowledge acquired in the training sessions so that our Zbox foldable containers can officially be part of the solution to different problems in the transport sector.
We would like to thank all the people involved in these trainings for their welcome, willingness and hospitality in the ports of Tangier and Istanbul.
Our innovation process
Product innovation refers to changes that improve design, materials, feel, look, appearance, capability, functionality and overall user experience. These improvements can be tangible, such as a physical product, or intangible, such as software or services.
Within this rigorous process of changes, it is necessary to explore the viability of the product, along with its entire manufacturing process, its profitability and customer acceptance. All these aspects are examined during the “Testing and Validation” phase.
Therefore, the product undergoes several internal, user, production and sales tests. All this, in order to keep gathering feedback as everything progresses, inside a continuous improvement process, to make sure to listen to what works, and change or eliminate what does not.
Trainings in Tangier and Istanbul
Although the Zbox container looks exactly the same as a standard container, since its dimensions are the same, its innovative folding technology changes everything. This great functionality implies some simple manual operation very important for the folding process to run smoothly.
That’s why inside the Zbox service it is included the training the team in charge of handling the containers at the ports where our customers operate. This training has been developed first in the ports of Tangier and Istanbul, where the Zbox containers have arrived from Valencia on their first trips for our first clients.
Tangier Port
Since ancient times, the Mediterranean has been a very important area for transport and trade, linking three continents, Europe, Asia and Africa.
According to Container News, the port of Tangier Med is by far the busiest container port in the Mediterranean with 7,173,870 TEUs in 2021. The African port has managed to record the highest percentage of container growth among all other ports, seeing its last year’s box volumes increase by 24%.
The set of containers now working for Romocean arrived to this port, completing half of de round trip. A training team from Navlandis team visited Tangier for the first workshop on Zbox folding-unfolding operations.
Istambul port
Ambarli is the 48th largest container terminal in the world with 2.7 million teus annually. Ambarli is Istanbul’s only port facility in the European section, thus covering a large hinterland with 20 million inhabitants.
The first bundle of containers now working on the Turkey route of the shipping line Marguisa arrived to Mardas terminal. Navlandis met the teams from Marguisa, Link Lojistik and Mardas Terminal in order to develop the training workshop on Zbox technology.
Results and conclusions
From each of the two trainings, the Navlandis team has returned quite satisfied with the performance of the training processes to the respective port operatives. It was a complex challenge as it was the first training abroad and with a new product, and even so, it has been verified that it is a simple operation, easy to follow and understand, and consequently, easy to find solutions in case of any difficulty.
In terms of specific results:
- The time spent, the explanations given and the learning process were sufficient.
- The team has come back with the certainty that the operation is easily transmitted and understood.
- The concept is quickly perceived.
- Although there were certain difficulties in some units, there were no doubts about the necessary actions to solve them.
Some of the difficulties had already been detected in previous procedures and have already been addressed in the next version of the Zbox folding container, in which the manual intervention of the operation has been simplified and reduced to a minimum.
We are still working to improve all those aspects that we identified in these two trainings and that will be solved in the new version. The next time we return to Morocco and Turkey, we will come back with an improved Zbox thanks to everything that has been done.
Thank you again for the attention received at both ports, for the attitude of the staff and for the positive feedback we are left with.
