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David Baur, Aeler Technologies co-founder. Photo Credit: 2022 EPFL

Shipping containers are a linchpin of global trade — some 80% of products worldwide are transported via this method.  (Lausanne, Switzerland), an  university startup, has taken shipping container advancements further with the reveal of the fiberglass Unit One container. The units still meet industry-standard specifications for size, the company notes, though their structure has been improved to provide a bigger payload, greater strength and better insulation. Container design also includes a smooth exterior and embedded sensors that send data directly to an application, enabling operators to track goods, monitor shipping conditions and streamline fleet management. 

Aeler raised CHF 7.5 million (~$7.5 million) in an initial funding round and plans to carry out a second one soon. With more than 60 Unit One containers already sailing the high seas, the company anticipates rapid growth starting in 2023.

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The startup co-founder, David Baur, an entrepreneur at heart, has long been convinced of the potential for improving standard metal containers. During his Master’s project at EPFL’s Laboratory for Processing of Advanced Composites (School of Engineering), headed by Véronique Michaud, Baur began developing and testing a framework made of glass fiber-reinforced composites.

“When David first spoke to me about his idea, I doubted it could work,” Michaud says. “But his enthusiasm won me over. That wasn’t the first time I’d agreed to a research project that initially seemed a little crazy!”

With standard metal containers, the wall strength comes from their crenellated structure. Using composites, Baur refined this structure, so that the strength came from the material instead, resulting in what is said to be a stronger unit. Composites have also aided in more passive insulation. “Moisture-related losses can run into the hundreds of thousands of Swiss francs,” Baur says, referring to the temperature swings metal containers typically experience, which can can lead to condensation within the payload, a problem for goods like foodstuffs. “That’s especially true when the cargo contains pharmaceuticals.” 

The composite containers are also said to be lighter and able to carry more goods; they can transport 11% more cargo than a regular refrigerated container and 17% more than containers for liquids. “Because our Unit One containers have such a resistant structure, they don’t bulge under the pressure from liquids,” Baur says.

The company estimates that its containers can reduce carbon emissions from maritime transport by 20% owing to their bigger payload — meaning fewer containers are needed to ship a given amount of cargo — and smooth, aerodynamic shape. By the same token, when Unit One containers are used on trucks, they can lower the fuel requirement by 4%.

And with the rise of “logtech,” or logistics tech, Aeler wanted to open the Unit One containers to new possibilities for connectivity, automation and security. “Our technology is the only one of its kind in the industry, because its embedded devices let operators see exactly what’s going on inside a container,” Baur explains. The system’s artificial intelligence (AI) programs can make sense out of large amounts of data so that shipping companies can make faster, better-informed decisions about the optimal routes for their containers. This brings cost savings as well as environmental benefits. Aeler’s system also includes an application for tracking input from containers’ embedded sensors as well as a fleet-management program.

written by Cécilia Carron from EPFL