10+ Years of Automated Parcel Machines

Automated parcel machines have been part of last-mile logistics for years. Deploying them reliably at network scale takes a different kind of infrastructure thinking. Punta has been doing exactly that since 2016.

From Dumb Lockers to Smart Networks:
A 40-Year Background

Punta was founded in 1982 in Kisko, Finland, as a manufacturer of durable storage lockers. By the 2010s, parcel volumes were rising alongside e-commerce growth.

Operators were under pressure to expand delivery infrastructure while keeping capital costs manageable. Punta’s manufacturing background translated directly to the requirements of Automated Parcel Machines (APM), and in 2016 the company began deploying APMs at scale. Over 6,000 indoor and outdoor units are now running across Finland and the Baltics.

In parallel, Punta acquired Core Factory, a technology company, to strengthen in-house software and system capabilities. The company now operates both a factory in Kisko and a technology unit in Helsinki, with additional manufacturing capacity through our partner hub in Poland.

Decade of OOH Deliveries

The APM market has grown considerably since 2016 as out-of-home (OOH) deliveries have become a standard. More vendors are competing for contracts, and operators have more options than they did a decade ago. In that context, deployment track record and operational reliability at scale are relevant factors in vendor selection.

Punta’s position is built on a decade of live network operation: over 6,000+ deployed units, 500M+ parcels delivered, carrier-agnostic infrastructure, and end-to-end ownership of hardware, software and firmware.
For postal operators and parcel carriers evaluating APM infrastructure, we are happy to discuss what that experience looks like in practice.

Lessons Learned from Ten Years in APM Business

Here is what a decade of running live networks has taught us.

Flexibility determines where and how fast you can grow. Modular central and extension units let operators scale location by location and match the hardware mix to local demand. Off-grid units with battery and solar panels remove the need for grid connection: no civil works, no trenching, no delay. New locations open up without the cost that used to make them unviable.

Reliability is not a product feature, it is an operational track record. Running 6,000+ units across Finland and the Baltics, indoors and outdoors, through every season for a decade, builds a depth of operational knowledge that no data sheet can replicate. That history is what makes an uptime commitment mean something.

A low total cost of ownership does not happen by accident. Connectivity, software licensing, field maintenance, and location preparation all compound over a network’s lifetime. Carrier-agnostic infrastructure keeps utilisation high and cost per parcel low. Off-grid units remove civil works costs entirely. End-to-end ownership of hardware, software, and firmware means no third-party licensing fees or integration costs between systems.

The fundamentals have not changed. Reliable hardware, flexible software, and the ability to deploy wherever parcels need to go. What has changed is the scale at which those things are now being asked to perform. Punta has been building for that from the start.

Scale proof since 2016.

Get in touch

And discover the right solution for your business.

Anssi Suominen
CCO, Punta Oy
anssi.suominen@punta.fi