Producer
CIMC (China International Marine Containers)
World's largest shipping container manufacturer; ~50% global new container production; Shenzhen listed; state-backed (COSCO holds major stake); also makes vehicles and energy equipment
2
Inputs supplied
1
Goods downstream
1
Facilities
0
Stories
What they make
2 inputs CIMC (China International Marine Containers) supplies
Click an input to see every good that depends on it, every country that produces it, and every other company in the supply chain.
Where it shows up
Goods downstream
Essential goods that depend on something CIMC (China International Marine Containers) makes — pick one to see the full supply chain.
What else they do
Business segments
The company's full revenue map — where this supply-chain role fits within their broader business.
Dry Freight Containers
35%Reefer (Refrigerated) Containers
15%Tank Containers
15%Vehicle & Heavy Industry
20%Energy & Chemical Equipment
10%Offshore & Specialty
5%
Intelligence
What's known
Sourced claims about this company's role in supply chains — chokepoints, concentration, incidents, dual-use connections.
Did you know2023
CIMC builds standard dry freight containers, but also builds the cryogenic tank containers that move LNG and liquid helium, the chemical tanktainers that move chlorine and sulfuric acid, and the offshore drilling platforms that extract the oil underlying all of these supply chains. The same manufacturing infrastructure -- welded steel fabrication, quality certification, logistics assembly -- serves global container shipping, the LNG trade, industrial chemical distribution, and offshore oil extraction. During COVID, CIMC also pivoted to make modular hospital units and isolation facilities, demonstrating that its industrial platform spans pandemic response infrastructure. A Chinese company with COSCO (Chinese state shipping) as a major stakeholder controls half of the physical containers that move 90% of globally traded goods.
CIMC Group ↗Origin2023
CIMC was founded in 1980 as a joint venture between China Merchants Group and a Danish shipping equipment company, initially to assemble containers using Danish technology. The Danish partner, frustrated by slow progress, tried to sell its stake in the late 1980s. Chinese management, led by Mai Boliang, organized a management buyout of the foreign partner's share and transformed CIMC from a technology licensee into an independent manufacturer. CIMC then systematically acquired or undercut every major non-Chinese container manufacturer during the 1990s and 2000s -- Triton, Trans Ocean, Singamas -- until it controlled roughly half of global production. The consolidation was aided by Chinese government subsidies on steel (the primary input) and yuan depreciation that made Chinese containers structurally cheaper than European or US competitors.
CIMC Group ↗Concentration2023
CIMC manufactures ~50% of all new shipping containers on Earth from Chinese factories — a state-backed Chinese company controls the boxes that carry world trade China International Marine Containers (CIMC) is the world's largest container manufacturer with approximately 50% of global new container production. CIMC is Shenzhen-listed with COSCO (China's state-owned shipping giant) as a major shareholder, giving China's government indirect strategic influence over global container supply. Together with Singamas (~15%) and smaller Chinese producers, China produces approximately 97% of all new shipping containers globally. No significant container manufacturing capacity exists outside China.
CIMC Group ↗