Efficiency in the Supply Chain by a New Container Invention w/ Trevor Pan of BidBird - AZ TRT S04 EP41 (204) 10-15-2023

Efficiency in the Supply Chain by a New Container Invention

w/ Trevor Pan of BidBird

AZ TRT S04 EP41 (204) 10-15-2023

 

Things We Learned This Week

• Malcolm McLean was the inventor of the shipping Container, and a key person in trade & globalization
• BidBird invented a container skin, a smooth panel for the side to reduce wind resistance & improve fuel efficiency
• Patent process and Patent Cooperation Treaty to register an invention in foreign countries
• Building a Prototype and doing a road test with a Truck plus a Container on a race track

 

 

 

Guest: Tevor Pan, BidBird

Principal Architect - February 2018 - Present

Undergraduate Professional Degree - Landscape Architecture, Colorado State University,  Fort Collins, Colorado 2003

Master Degree - Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Scottsdale, Arizona 2006

 

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https://bidbird.co/about

THE FIRST CONSTRUCTION MARKETPLACE,
AT YOUR FINGERTIPS.

 

Trevor Pan, BidBird Founder & registered Arizona architect.

 

Spending 21 years as an architect immersed in construction, manufacturing, and design, I’ve built a unique understanding of the construction industry’s constant movements and challenges.

I know that construction professionals are exhausted by the RFP game—and the collusion that can come along with it.

 

I’ve seen invasive service platforms that trap users into thinking they’re a lead generating machine, but then unethically charge them thousands with no quality results.

 

When I set off to launch BidBird, I wanted to eliminate the red tape and corruption for suppliers, manufacturers, contractors, and building owners. And when my barber approved the irresistible alliteration of the name, BidBird was born.

 

BidBird is the new way for construction professionals to achieve a constant-but-necessary thing: capture competitive bids for their materials through an efficient process.

 

At its core, our mission is simple. We connect construction industry professionals around the country through an honest platform that doesn’t cost users unreasonable fees, or their dignity.

 

With its simplicity comes big things. BidBird is an opportunity to beat out the “big guys” by just a penny, equalizing the hunt for businesses around the country.

 

We strive to combine high-value jobs + the innovation to evolve with construction professionals’ needs to transform businesses, one bid at a time.

 

 

Notes:

 

Seg 1

Preview clip of Trevor Pan

 

Malcolm McLean and the History of the Container

 

This leads to a new level of capitalism, modern globalization & wider trade

 

Malcolm Mclean is the inventor of one of the most major inventions in history that affects people daily. He is also not known by many people despite the impact he has had.

 

McLean owned a trucking company and he used to ship goods via boat. He’d be waiting on the docks with cotton in the 1940s in early 1950s for hours.

 

Ships would be docked for a month, as men were loading crates by hand. The same system was being done with global trade and sea trade for thousands of years.

 

Mclean got tired of this, and trying to figure out a solution to the problem like any entrepreneur. Find a need and fill it.

 

January 1956 - he debuted the box ship. McLean got a $22 million loan & bought 2 World War II tankers and converted them. In April 1956 the first one sailed from New Jersey to Houston. This cut cost from 5.86 per  to $.16, a 95% drop or 36 fold savings.

 

Oct.1957 - the first real containership Gateway city launched. Trip went from New York to Florida to Texas and then on later to Puerto Rico. Per McLean, ‘the ship makes money when at sea’.

 

In 1963, container ports had been created, by 1966 in Europe, 1967 Vietnam had container service, and 1969 Hong Kong and more Southeast Asia.

 

McLean got a patent which is shared, called – standardization, and the standardize size container for shipping.

 

He created a company, called Sealand Industries - which was then bought by RJ Reynolds. Eventually they were mergers and oil companies that bought out the line and today it’s on by MAERSK.

 

Goods are shipped today for pennies on the dollar, all because of McLean‘s invention. He changed global trade, shipping, oil exploration, and more. It’s a multi trillion dollar invention. It also created port cities like Oakland. Every day it affects all sorts of goods and trades finance, big companies like Walmart and Apple.

 

Not sure if we would have globalization if not for Mclean. At least not as fast.

 

 

More Info on Malcolm McLean: HERE

 

 

 

Seg 2

Trevor Pan of BidBird created a skin for a shipping container. Smooth out the side of the container and stops wind drag and the grooved pockets that are trapping air. It is a panel that is magnetically put on the side of a container.

 

Saves mileage and fuel efficiency with truckers, likely will have the same effect on trains. Could even help fuel efficiency on freighter ships which are carrying 10 containers stack tie and 1000 feet long with hundreds of containers on a ship.

 

Trevor started the company in 2020, with his background as an architect. Also has experience in coding and engineering.

 

He has created construction materials. This led to him researching freight from East Asia to build and create its construction materials. Meanwhile the time during Covid and 2020 shipping rates were off the coast of California with the supply chain issues. Created his container skin and got the patent in July 2021.

 

 

Seg 3

Process for an invention

 

First, come up with the idea, which is easy. Then have to do a patent application.

 

Now to the hard part, build a prototype. Then to the hardest part - you have to market and sell your initial product.

 

Find the problem, solve a problem, create the solution, & find a client to sell to.

 

Trevor did his own patent filing. Trevor had a background already with his design skills and had done a patent for previous inventions. Also did his own legal paperwork. Patents for shipping container scan. Under utility patents, which are patents for machines.

 

Patent It Yourself - book by Donald Pressman

 

Normally you would hire a patent agent or an attorney to file your patent but Trevor read the Pressman and did it himself. He was so obsessive, that he actually  read a 6 Volume set on patent claims, which was over 2400 pages and took almost 6 months.

 

Also got a Patent Cooperation Treaty so you do the work one time with filing the patent and then you can use the same patent template in multiple countries.

 

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) assists applicants in seeking patent protection internationally for their inventions, helps patent offices with their patent granting decisions, and facilitates public access to a wealth of technical information relating to those inventions.

 

By filing one international patent application under the PCT, applicants can simultaneously seek protection for an invention in a large number of countries.

 

He is working on building a prototype to prove that his container scan is aerodynamic and would work on a real road test. He has contacted major industrial companies like Piedmont Plastics to build machine grade plastics. Also used a 3-D printing machine to create a mini prototype.

 

Trevor has done the math to keep the magnets and panels on the side of a truck driving down the highway at 65 miles an hour.

 

Regarding the marketing and sale of the product, Trevor actually contacted the top 6 logistics companies in the US and got little to no response.

 

 

Seg 4

Big logistics companies like JB Hunt did not even respond to Trevor on his idea.

 

Trevor has worked to sell his idea organically. He went to Innovation Zero trade show in London as well as a Sustainability Summit also in the London area being put on by the Economist.

 

He was able to talk with the business and trade department in the UK.

 

Has a contact who is a trucker, and would rent a raceway to test his prototype container skin on the road.

 

Have to have flexibility to get a good idea going.

 

Is also working on buying a shipping container. Researching shipping containers, you can get one for $500 from Russia. Actual cost for a container from the U.S. for about $3000.

 

Putting together a patent, you have to do a search report to see if someone has an already patented the idea. This takes upwards of 1 year to file a patent.

 

Trevor also reached out to government organizations about the fuel efficiency with his product. Reached out to the EPA, and their smart way program, to see about certifying the aerodynamic capabilities. The EPA contacted him but is not going to move forward with it.

 

He also contacted an environmental organization in the state of California and did not get anywhere.

 

Question: Since Trevor still needs to do the prototype and show a real world road test, is it too early to contact organizations as potential sponsors or clients?

 

Sometimes the idea is too early, and the world is not ready yet.

 

 

 

 

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More - BRT Best of Tech:

Best of AZ Tech Council

BRT of Tech 2022

BRT S02 EP52 (99) 12-26-2021 – Tech for the Holidays – BRT 

 

 

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