Especially for start-ups, the path from an idea to a finished product involves a great deal of effort and risk. The Swiss start-up Boum, which has developed a complete system for Smart Urban Gardening, is well aware of this.
Boum's gardening concept? The "Boum Box" contains a plastic electronic box and a water tank with a solar-controlled irrigation system. This supplies water to the pot saucers – "frames" made of plastic. Meraxis assisted Boum with material selection, sourcing and tool development.
Challenge
From prototype to serial product in just three months – that was the mission of Boum and Meraxis. In a short time, it had to be clarified: Which material would be suitable? Can it be procured in just a few weeks? And how can the intended design best be implemented? Besides the chemical factors of the components, mechanical properties and surface of the material, weathering and UV resistance were particularly important criteria. After all, Boum's plant systems are mainly located on balconies or terraces, where they are exposed to sun, wind and rain without protection.
"We had our design vision, and in working with Meraxis, we learned that the components still needed to be optimized so they could be manufactured using injection molding. Meraxis' expertise helped us produce the electronics box and frames in a scalable process within a very short time. We would never have done it so quickly on our own."
Jeremias Jurt, CEO at Boum
Solution
The chosen material was an additized ABS – a standard polymer that meets the requirements and can also be quickly obtained on the market. Meraxis provided Boum with extensive advice on the choice of material: The prime material was more beneficial than a recyclate, considering the tight schedule. Developing a custom recyclate, on the other hand, would have taken much more time in procurement Meraxis also procured the necessary injection molds from a local supplier in Germany. The short delivery routes saved extra time. After completion of the tools, Meraxis assisted with the sampling, prepared corresponding sampling reports and made optimization specifications.
Outcome
After approval, the "Boum Box" and "frames" were ready for production. Within three months of the start of the project, and thus exactly on schedule, Meraxis was able to deliver the required products and quantities to Boum. The market launch in June 2022 was very promising: Boum was able to win its first customers in Switzerland within a short time and received a lot of positive feedback.
