Doug’s Book Review

I never thought shipping containers were all that interesting, until I read The Box. Ugly and ubiquitous, they have changed the world in ways that are hard to imagine, even as we ourselves are experiencing the changes.

Did you ever wonder why in the last 20 years - less even - more and more products are being manufactured overseas? What you may not realize is that many things are not actually made all in one place. Parts are made here, components there, various raw materials from all over the place … it was not always so, because it was not always either practical nor economical.

Why are companies moving away from vertical integration and towards specialization?

Why is there less variety in the stores? Why is it that you can buy the same thing almost anywhere in the world?

How come you could, at one time, be a passenger on a freight ship, and now it is all but impossible?

Some of these questions are answered directly in The Box, and others you can well guess yourself after reading the book.

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