Collaboration & Contract Design/Development
Have an idea for a new gardening, nursery, or landscaping product?
Ponix MicroAg can help make it happen within 1 season with their 35 years' experience in R&D, engineering, and manufacturing.
Ponix MicroAg provides product development services that fit specific needs of
- Garden center owners who want to capitalize on identified product gaps
- Manufacturers who need R&D support or want to explore new offerings with a low-risk approach
- Nursery owners, landscaping companies, and greenroof installers looking for innovative productivity solutions
- Individual inventors looking for guidance or technical support
We offer engineering and design consulting services to get your idea from concept to market with:
- Concept feasibility study (including limited IP guidance)
- Prototype planning, creation and testing
- 3D CAD modeling of prototype and production parts
- Beta product development
- Supply chain planning
Services are available individually to support existing product development, or as a turn-key collaboration on new concepts.
Ponix MicroAg's R&D and collaboration services are headed by Christopher Wark, founder of Ponix MicroAg LLC. Chris has been doing engineering work in R&D environments since 1988, starting in research and product development labs of advanced laser manufacturing companies. After getting his BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering (and minor in Material Science Engineering) with an emphasis in thermodynamics, Chris spent 4 years in the Engine Research group of Caterpillar Inc before starting SHADE Consulting with his wife, Wendy, and beginning a new venture into the development of unique solutions for greenroof systems, including the introduction of the MiniHex planter system, development of EZscape, and design of the Gyco System with Guiyang Chuangjia High-Tech Accelerator Co. LTD in Guiyang, China. With the development of the pPod, Chris focused all of his past R&D experience, manufacturing knowledge, and engineering expertise on the successful pilot introduction of the pPod mini-greenhouse in 2022.