Ponera
When Ponera submitted the first patents for their smart modular reusable industrial packaging solution in 2018, the aim was to create nothing less than a more sustainable international transport system. Three years later, the start-up is on the verge of fundamentally changing the way industry looks at shipping goods – thanks to persistence, a drive for innovation and a little help from a friend.
Lukas Hofstetter, November 30, 2021
The facts are astonishing. When Bühler machinery is being shipped to customers around the world, packaging can account for approximately one third of all outbound logistics costs. Globally, crates and pallets made of wood represent 30% of global industrial wood consumption, and 40% of them are only used once before disposal. Industrial equipment manufacturers including Bühler mainly use wooden crates once in outbound logistics due to the non-standard packaging requirements. Apart from the high costs and wood consumption, the crates – which represent 15-20% of the total weight of goods being shipped – come with hefty CO₂ emissions; it’s no surprise that transportation of cargo goods accounts for 7% of global CO₂ emissions, while manufacturing stands at 17%.
For Bühler, this is a fantastic opportunity to lead the change and impact the sustainability targets. It’s these facts that got Matthew Reali thinking that there must be smarter and more sustainable solutions out there in 2018. “I was working at MLS (Manufacturing, Logistics and Supply Chain), where we had the chance to substantially reduce logistics costs and negative environmental impacts through the consolidation of operations, smart processes, and improving global packaging guidelines challenging the status quo,” he remembers.
But no matter the efficiency gains, the more I would think about it, the more the thought of resolving the root cause became an obsession. Our mission was to eliminate single-use packaging and change from linear to circular models,” he says. Matthew’s verdict was crystal clear: The transportation needed a disruption on a global scale.
On average in less than four usages of the modular solution, the investment is already making a profit, and we already have a product which can be produced from 100% recycled materials.
Matthew Reali,
Co-Founder of Ponera
The solution? A modular system, optimized for manufacturing, transport and convenience, which enhances process flexibility by standardizing and aligning the value streams while increasing efficiency and sustainability. “It really ticks all the right boxes for a smarter, more efficient and more sustainable transportation of goods. On average in less than four usages of the modular solution, the investment is already making a profit, and we already have a product which can be produced from 100% recycled materials,” Matthew points out.
But there’s more to it. The packaging weight is reduced by 50% on average, which directly translates down to cost savings in shipping and reduced transport CO₂ emissions. Thanks to the flexibility of the packaging modules, almost the entire space of standard containers and trucks is being used, and the modules require three times less storage space compared to wood when empty. Considering the current global supply chain issues, Ponera’s circular solution can deliver peace of mind to manufacturing and logistics companies around the world. “The price of wood skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, laying bare the disadvantages of relying mostly on single-use solutions. With a system designed for continuous reusability, this problem is a thing of the past,” he adds.
In 2019, Matthew founded the start-up Ponera together with Masoud Talebi Amiri; convinced by the purpose and vision behind Ponera, Christian Rüegg and the rest of the team joined shortly after. Ponera quickly gained recognition as a leading innovative start-up in the cleantech and logistics space. In 2019, it was a finalist at the International Physical Internet Conference and was selected as a top two Swiss start-up by ClimateLaunchPad. In 2020, Ponera won the IMD start-up competition, was selected as a top three international start-up for smart mobility by the World Energy Council, won the logistics innovation TIP award, and was asked to join the Logistic associations VNL and ALICE.
In 2021, the momentum only increased. Ponera won support from the Canton Ticino, the Swiss Climate Foundation, held a keynote at the ChangeNow event, was a finalist at AcceliCity, and was selected as one of the top 10 hottest start-ups in Switzerland. Additionally, Matthew’s team was both certified by the SolarImpulse Foundation as one of 1,000 efficient labeled solutions, and ISO Certified for 9001/14001.
Bühler has been a real door opener to us as a start-up. We were able to conduct first trials in the shop floor, then transports from Bühler Uzwil to Bühler Appenzell to gather as much data and experience as we could.
Matthew Reali,
Co-Founder of Ponera
Apart from the HQ in Ticino (CH), in 2020 the team set up camp at the Bühler Cubic early on, and at the EPFL Innovation Park, to help develop their vision. Ponera’s disruptive idea got a major boost when Holger Feldhege, Chief Operating Officer at Bühler, joined the start-up on the advisory board very early on. “The fact that we had Holger Feldhege on board not only meant access to his incredible know-how, but also gave us credibility in the market,” remembers Matthew. Bühler also enabled Ponera to participate at MassChallenge Switzerland, an accelerator program for high potential start-ups.
After creating the first prototypes in 2020, setting up the first industrial supply chain, and completing the lab tests and small-scale testing early 2021, Ponera was ready to begin large industry scale pilots in May 2021. In these 3 months, Ponera was once again welcomed to the packaging and transportation site at Bühler Uzwil.
“Bühler has been a real door opener to us as a start-up. We were able to conduct first trials in the shop floor, then transports from Bühler Uzwil to Bühler Appenzell to gather as much data and experience as we could. The main focus has been to test our assumptions, improve our Standard Operating Procedure, and take immediate action where required to guarantee a great product and user experience, making a few mistakes on the way,” Matthew says, smiling.
It’s November 2021, and Matthew inspects a pile of polymer elements ready to be assembled and used for their next application. “We just ran pilots with five companies. The results are in and confirm that we can expect a return on investment after less than 3.5 usages. CO₂ return comes in after around 2.3 usages, and we’re not too far off our initial calculation of 98% of potential container capacity usage and wood usage reduction,” he says. During the pilots and sales process with different companies, we calculated the ROI, savings, and environmental impacts of Ponera’s solution on different types of logistics flows. Where it is quite obvious that regional transports for large volume project the benefits are very high, it must be noted that many inter-regional shipments as well would benefit from the circularity. One of the analyses looked at all costs involved with shipping goods from Switzerland to the United States for an OEM supplier, with annual of CHF 95,000, waste reduction of 102 tons per year and CO₂ reduction of 36 tons per year! It is one application example, for one specific flow.
With Ponera’s innovation getting more and more visibility in the packaging business, the question is what’s next for the start-up? “As with any new idea, the key is to scale-up as quickly as possible to get the most impact. The transportation business has huge potential in terms of CO₂ reduction. We have 2,000 modules today – which generate around 300 square meters of packaging capacity – and have begun production for 2,000 more. They also planned to add another 13,000 modules in Q1 2022 as demand from packaging and manufacturing companies continues to increase. We have fantastic opportunities to make real positive change on a global scale,” Matthew adds before heading to the next meeting. It truly feels like Ponera’s dream of disrupting an entire industry with a smart packaging solution is becoming a reality – one module at a time.
Gupfenstrasse 5
Uzwil
9240
Switzerland
