Ponera Group
Instilling Sustainability in Freight Logistics with Smart Modular Packaging

As companies increasingly prioritise limiting the impact of their footprint on the environment, they are narrowing down their focus on the amount of secondary or reusable transport packaging used in manufacturing and retail supply chains. If optimally designed, reusable packaging can move products through the supply chain in a faster, safer, and more cost-effective manner and with less impact on the environment. Despite all the benefits, due to the high complexity of different products shipped every day, with different sizes, weights, and shapes, custom-made wooden packaging is the industrial standard. It is estimated that over 40 percent of all pallets and crates are used once before end of lifecycle, and approximately 30 percent of all industrial wood is consumed to produce these products. This is particularly relevant in industrial equipment manufacturing, art, some commodities, and furniture transport, leading to high costs and overhead, extreme environmental impact, and low digitisation. Keeping these sobering statistics in mind, the impulse to embrace a sustainable smart packaging system is gaining momentum. “We created a solution to all those problems with our intelligent modular packaging system. Ponera Group was born from the industry with deep industrial knowledge of the logistics sector and industrial packaging process, and status quo technologies. Combining this with highly qualified scientific backgrounds, we were able to invent a game-changing industrial packaging solution,” says Matthew Reali, Co-Founder and CEO of Ponera Group.

Ponera’s solution combines cost efficiency, environmental sustainability, and digital transformation of freight logistics through smart industrial packaging. To have an impact, not only are great solutions required but collaboration with multiple stakeholders, from distribution partners to investors. Ponera’s unique logistic solution based on an innovative modular system of pallets decreases packing costs by minimising transport inefficiencies. The flexibility of this innovation makes it applicable to a wide range of industries.

Ponera is replacing consumable material with reusable, changing industrial packaging from a linear business to a circular business. Circularity and reuse is also a key enabler to effectively digitise logistics operations, as active connectivity comes at a cost; way too high for consumable (used once and thrown away). To this end, Ponera is creating re-conditions to effectively digitise logistics at a package level, which in turn will create larger efficiency potentials, and environmental impact mitigation opportunities, thanks to full supply chain transparency.

Ponera’s patented product is the first of its kind and is a major differentiator for the company. “Our combination of hardware and digital enablement highly distinguishes us in the industry. However, we do not see the producers of the old products as competitors, but rather potential distribution partners. We have a few partnerships already in place with regional market leaders in packaging,” comments Reali.

Furthermore, he adds that working with packaging companies is a win-win relationship. Their low differentiation has brought down gross margins, especially in light of the current wood prices. With Ponera, they can increase margins whilst providing their customers with savings. This is a win-win approach: they are more competitive and profitable, and Ponera taps into their distribution potential.

Moving forward, by combining efficiency, sustainability, and digitisation in one solution, Ponera is committed to delivering on its mission to facilitate circular logistics through the use of smart, modular and digitally-enabled industrial packaging solution. The company is also a front runner in the development of the Physical Internet.