Text: Lorenz von Felten
On behalf of the "Bureau international des containers", the "Verein Verkehrshaus der Schweiz" organized the International Container Exhibition in Zurich in April 1951 to exchange experiences. It provided an overview of the "current state of container, bucket and crate transport", as was later reported in the SBB News Bulletin. Inspired by the exhibition, SBB carried out trials with the pallet in its freight depots in Berne, Lucerne and Zurich as early as the summer of 1951.

SBB produces advertising film
In order to push through the standardized transport of goods, the SBB has been busy beating the advertising drum. The centerpiece of the campaign was the self-produced film "The SBB standard pallet". It shows the interlinking of production, storage and transportation. Rolling trains, curving forklift trucks and skillful employees with pallet trolleys create an image of the constant flow of goods. SBB's efforts were successful: in 1953, 16,000 pallets were circulating in Switzerland; by 1962, the figure had risen to one million!

The documentation center contains the film as well as photographs, the newsletter and many other documents and literature on the subject. They can be studied by appointment from Tuesday to Friday between 2 and 5 pm.