Interview with KRONUS: Innovation and Sustainability in Global Packaging

KRONUS is a European company recognized for its innovative and sustainable solutions across wooden packaging, steel components, gardening, and DIY products. Ahead of Aeromart Nagoya, we had the chance to interview their team to explore how KRONUS combines quality, customization, and sustainability to serve clients in over 60 countries. From aerospace packaging to modular systems for everyday use, they shared insights on their approach to innovation, digitalization, and global partnerships — revealing how expertise and environmental responsibility drive their vision for the future.

Aeromart Nagoya is a major platform in the aerospace supply chain. What motivated KRONUS to participate, and what opportunities are you targeting there?

Vivita: Aeromart Nagoya is one of the leading platforms for the aerospace supply chain, and for us it is the perfect stage to showcase our expertise in packaging and logistics. Aerospace is a sector where safety, precision, and compliance are absolutely critical: values that align with our own.

Our motivation is twofold: to demonstrate how our sustainable, customizable packaging solutions can support aerospace manufacturers, and to listen and learn directly from industry leaders in Japan and across Asia-Pacific. It’s the ideal place to build visibility, exchange best practices, and explore new opportunities in one of the world’s most advanced industrial regions.

How do you envision building partnerships and collaborations within the Asia-Pacific aerospace market through this event?

Vivita: For us, partnerships are about trust and long-term collaboration. In Asia-Pacific, we aim to connect with aerospace companies, suppliers, and logistics partners who value efficiency, compliance, and sustainability.

At Aeromart, we’re not just presenting products, we’re presenting a philosophy of co-creation. By working closely with local partners, we want to develop tailor-made solutions for aerospace challenges in this region, ensuring both technical excellence and reliable service.

Aerospace packaging presents unique challenges. How has KRONUS adapted its solutions to meet these highly specialized needs? Could you share an example?

Vivita: From our point of view aerospace packaging has to do four things exceptionally well: prevent damage over long, multimodal routes; preserve traceability/serialization, balance sustainability with certified, repeatable quality and enable true reverse-logistics. 

We believe that we have value to bring to this conversation: modular pallet-collar systems stack with pallets and lids to create robust, reusable pallet boxes; collars can be height-tuned and combined with accessories (dividers, doors, label holders) to secure and segregate sensitive parts, while lids add stable top-loading and protection. 

For traceability, KRONUS supports RFID-ready pallets to integrate part/pack serialization and fleet visibility. On sustainability vs. certification, EUR-certified pallet collars provide a standardized, high-reusability platform, and the foldable design reduces empty-return volume key to a viable closed loop. 

Two recent programs show the approach in practice. First, for a European automotive leader, KRONUS developed RFID-ready pallets, enabling transparent tracking of a high-value component fleet in transport and storage (addressing the traceability/serialization challenge). 

Second, for an Asian automotive OEM, KRONUS built a packaging pool based on pallet collars, pallets and lids: over an 8 month project the solution was engineered to spec and 600,000 units were launched into a rotatable, repairable pool across multiple plants demonstrating scale, reverse logistics discipline and fast industrialization. Similar expertise can be applied to the aerospace industry.

Can you share recent innovations in your packaging or steel products that you’re particularly proud of?

Vivita: Although in recent years KRONUS was mostly focused on consolidating the market position and optimizing our processes to offer our clients the best price to quality ratio on the market there was some room for innovations. 

KRONUS became the first manufacturer of Pallet Collars in the world to receive the certification from EUR and ÖBB to manufacture EUR Certified Pallet Collars — setting a new benchmark in quality and reusability and strengthening our position as market leader and innovator. EUR cetification ensures the steady quality of the packaging and opens up the improved reuse and resell possibilities for users, optimizing costs and ultimately driving down the C02 footprint.

Digitalization and automation seem central to your future roadmap. How do these factors support efficiency, customization, and quality?

Vivita: Digitalization is key. Smart manufacturing systems allow us to monitor production in real time, predict maintenance, and ensure precision. Digital design tools help us quickly customize packaging, while data-driven planning improves efficiency and reduces waste.

Automation provides consistency and speed, but our true strength comes from pairing it with our specialist teams. Skilled engineers and operators ensure that even highly customized solutions meet the highest quality standards. This balance allows KRONUS to innovate confidently while maintaining uncompromised quality.

Feedback from clients seems to guide your strategy. How has it influenced your recent developments?

Vivita: Covid marked a shift in our core markets in relation to how clients approach stock planning and supply chain in general. We see that clients across most of the industries move towards smaller packaging stocks, leaner warehousing operations and JIT deliveries. 

These factors put pressure on the traditional production cycles within the Pallet Collar industry, meaning that we have to adjust our production and as a result supply chain to be able to react quicker to smaller, inconsistent orders. Obviously it becomes a logistical challenge as well, since packaging is inherently ineffective to ship in smaller volumes, hence we are developing new delivery channels to ensure our clients get the desired product on time and at a competitive price.

Looking forward, how does KRONUS plan to expand beyond traditional packaging and steel products?

Vivita: We still aim to maintain the wooden industrial packaging (Pallet Collar packaging solution comprising Pallet Collars, Pallets, Lids and Accessories) as a core of our business. KRONUS believes that in the changing regulatory landscape (EUDR/PPWR introduction) we are in a unique position to offer our clients traceable, eco-friendly, durable and reusable packaging solutions to help them meet the new regulations and drive their sustainability record.

At the same time we are looking at expanding our product portfolio beyond “traditional” wooden packaging towards processed wood packaging that is lighter and requires lower levels of ISPM compliance or exploring fiber based materials, which has been growing in popularity as a one-way packaging.

Last, but not the least, it is our strong belief that key for the future development would be not so much the physical product, but service built around it and built into the supply chains of our clients, be it closed-loop packaging rotation systems, pooling services or complex fulfilment solutions. Hence, it will be our focus to boost our capability in providing our clients tailored made packaging services.