Standards Leadership & Ecosystem Co-Building
Building an open and mutually beneficial foundation for the development of smart containers.
Building on the key conclusion from Part 1 — Industry Consensus: container intelligence driven by IoT is no longer an option, but a mandatory requirement for the survival and development of the entire industry — we now move to Theme 2: Standards Leadership & Ecosystem Co-Building. In this issue, we break down the core perspectives shared by forum speakers on standards formulation, ecosystem implementation, and open interoperability across both sessions, uncovering the underlying logic behind high-quality development in maritime IoT.
At this year’s two BoxPlus-hosted forums, from the top-level framework of international standards organizations to the real-world implementation practices of leading domestic enterprises, industry participants collectively reinforced a central judgment:Standards are the universal language of ecosystem interoperability, and the ecosystem is the core carrier of value realization.Without unified standards, there can be no true ecosystem. Without an open ecosystem, there can be no sustainable long-term industry development.Together with industry partners, BoxPlus is building upon standards as the foundation and ecosystem as the driving force, jointly accelerating smart containers from isolated breakthroughs toward full-chain, interconnected.
Standards as the Foundation
Building a universal language for interoperability across the entire industry.
Standards are the cornerstone of ecosystem development and a key prerequisite for breaking down data silos.
At the forum, leading participants in international and domestic standard-setting fields jointly elaborated on the core value of standards for the industry.
Afra Guo
Deputy General Manager of Enterprise Process & Information Department, COSCO SHIPPING Lines
Managing Director of BoxPlus
As a key driver in IoT standardization, Ms. Guo Jianfei precisely outlined the three core values of standards:
“The power of standards lies in providing guidance for technology applications, safeguarding the direction of innovation, and building the connective link for ecosystem interoperability.”
She shared that in the early stage of industry development, BoxPlus, as a core member of the Container Owners Association (COA), participated throughout the formulation of the COA UDM reefer data exchange standard. This standard broke down barriers in cross-brand reefer data exchange, enabling interoperability across devices from different manufacturers.
In 2022, BoxPlus further took the lead in implementing the upgraded COA UDM PLUS standard, which added high-value data such as positioning and door status monitoring, enabling seamless data flow between devices, platforms, and customers.
She emphasized that standards are not meant to restrict innovation — they define safe boundaries for innovation while providing the foundation for interoperability, allowing all participants’ achievements to integrate into the industry ecosystem and generate greater value.
Dr. Marianna Levtov
Vice Chair, Smart Container Alliance
Senior Vice President, Hoopo Strategic Alliance
Ms. Marianna also affirmed the critical role of standards, stating:
“The value of IoT is fully unlocked only when data can be trusted, understood, and exchanged across stakeholders. Standards turn pilots into reality and transform fragmented technologies into globally scalable solutions.”
She further elaborated on three key dimensions of modern standardization:
1. Semantic consistency
In the era of AI adoption, it is not enough to ensure data quality — we must also unify semantic definitions. For example, what constitutes an “exception event,” and what each data point on a map actually represents. This is the foundation of cross-entity data interoperability.
2. Accountability and trust
While standards such as UDM focus on data interoperability, safety standards define responsibility boundaries. Standards also enable auditability and traceability, which are essential for reliable AI deployment.
3. Regulatory alignment and scalability
Standards must align with international regulatory frameworks and support mutual recognition across major economies such as China and Europe. Only then can digitalization move beyond isolated enterprise systems and evolve into a fully connected global supply chain network.
Mr. Gong Dongbin
Deputy General Manager, Reefer Trade Division, COSCO SHIPPING Lines
Speaking on the challenges of scaling smart reefer container adoption, Mr. Gong Dongbin highlighted a pressing industry bottleneck:
“Unified and interoperable standards have become an urgent requirement for the large-scale deployment of smart reefer containers.”
He noted that a single ocean-going vessel often carries containers from multiple shipping lines. However, IoT devices, technical architectures, and data systems vary significantly across carriers, resulting in fragmentation and incompatibility. This lack of standardization has become a major barrier to data exchange and ecosystem collaboration across the industry. He added that industry stakeholders are actively working together to explore and promote unified, practical standards that can truly be implemented at scale.
Ecosystem as the Wings
Building an open and mutually beneficial industry community.
Standards lay the foundation, while the ecosystem unlocks value. At the forum, guests from shipping lines, ports, and terminals across different segments shared their achievements in ecosystem co-building, as well as their expectations for the future, unanimously recognizing that “openness and win-win collaboration are the core path for industry development.”
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Mr. Xu Xiang
Deputy General Manager, Qingdao Port International Container Development Co., Ltd.
Head of Ark Intelligence Port & Logistics Services
From a port ecosystem perspective, Mr. Xu Xiang emphasized that the essence of ecosystem development lies in breaking down data silos across shipping lines, ports, customs, and cargo to enable shared value creation.
He noted that many of the pain points in traditional operations can only be solved through coordinated efforts across the entire industrial chain. However, current data interoperability across different nodes in the industry remains incomplete.
Looking ahead, he stressed that ecosystem development requires an open mindset from all stakeholders — enabling data and business processes to interconnect, evolving from isolated points into a continuous value chain, and ultimately forming a fully connected “value network.”
He cited “Zhi Wen Xing”, a jointly developed solution, as a typical example of multi-party collaboration. Through authorized data sharing, the solution improves regulatory efficiency, reduces enterprise costs, and optimizes port and shipping operations — achieving true multi-stakeholder win-win outcomes.
He further emphasized that the core of an ecosystem is not “who leads whom,” but rather “who benefits together.” Only then can an ecosystem sustain long-term development.
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Mr. Zhang Jinyang
General Manager of Operations Department & Tongda Division
Xiamen Ocean Gate Container Terminal Co., Ltd.
From the terminal perspective, Mr. Zhang Jinyang provided further insight into full-chain ecosystem construction.
He stated that terminals are a critical hub in the shipping ecosystem, and collaboration among port, vessel, and container operations is the key leverage point for improving end-to-end efficiency. Open interoperability is the core objective of terminal digital transformation.
He further explained that the key to terminal IoT intelligence is not how “smart” a single terminal becomes, but whether a multi-dimensional ecosystem can be established — built on a trusted, secure, and standardized data exchange mechanism agreed upon by all stakeholders.
With unified data standards in place, terminals can obtain container status information before vessel arrival, enabling advance yard planning and operational scheduling. After vessel departure, operational data can also be seamlessly shared with shipping lines and cargo owners, achieving end-to-end visibility, predictability, and coordination across the logistics chain.
He concluded that as a core node in the shipping supply chain, only by adhering to openness and standard co-construction can terminals truly maximize their value as system-wide amplifiers — a direction shared by smart terminals worldwide.
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Mr. Zhang Chenbo
General Manager, Operations Center, Sinotrans Container Lines Co., Ltd.
From a shipping operator’s perspective, Mr. Zhang Chenbo stated that Sinotrans Container Lines will systematically and selectively advance the deployment of smart container solutions across the entire logistics chain, while continuing to expand its ecosystem partnership network.
He also emphasized deeper collaboration with BoxPlus in co-building industry standards.
He vividly expressed this vision:
> “I would like to use the Hailian Zhitong logo as a metaphor. We have already achieved ‘Box Plus,’ and are now moving toward ‘Vessel Plus.’ As more partners join the ecosystem, we will also see ‘Service Plus,’ and ultimately, every participant will achieve their own ‘Value Plus.’”
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Ms. Afra Guo
Deputy General Manager of Enterprise Process & Information Department, COSCO SHIPPING Lines
Managing Director of BoxPlus
When asked about the role of standards in ecosystem co-building, Ms. Guo Jianfei provided a clear and profound explanation:
For the entire maritime IoT ecosystem, unified standards serve as the fundamental infrastructure enabling end-to-end interoperability, ultimately allowing all stakeholders to share value across the ecosystem.
For technology providers, standards act as a clear roadmap for development, helping reduce trial-and-error costs in both R&D and real-world deployment.
For end users, unified standards significantly shorten implementation cycles for smart transformation projects, improve deployment efficiency, and — at a foundational level — ensure both data security and operational safety across the entire logistics chain.
She further emphasized that the attitude of technology providers is crucial to ecosystem development. She called for an open and collaborative mindset:
The maritime industry and global supply chain are vast enough to accommodate all participants in a cooperative and competitive environment. Stakeholders should work together toward a more sustainable, efficient, and secure future.
Truly valuable industry standards will ultimately benefit all participants and enable win-win growth across the entire ecosystem.
Standards as the Foundation, Ecosystem for Shared Success
Shaping a New Future for Multimodal Transportation
Theme II — Standards Leadership & Ecosystem Co-Building clearly demonstrates that standards serve as the “universal language” of industry development, while the ecosystem acts as the “core carrier” of value realization. The two are mutually reinforcing and together form the foundational base for high-quality IoT development.
Across the entire industry chain, a highly unified consensus has been reached: use standards to break down barriers, and use ecosystems to create value, jointly building an open, collaborative, and mutually beneficial multimodal transport community.
As a key driver of ecosystem development in the industry, BoxPlus has consistently taken an open approach to participating in standard formulation and embraced a win-win philosophy in ecosystem co-construction. Together with upstream and downstream supply chain partners, it continues to build an IoT development landscape that is both open and ecosystem-friendly.
Coming Next
In Theme III: Value Implementation, we will dive into the real-world outcomes of intelligent transformation shared by industry leaders, and explore how BoxPlus solutions generate tangible value across the entire supply chain.
Stay tuned for more insights.