“After finding the Box Latch™ website in December of 2013, I contacted Eco Latch Systems. We had been searching for a while for a solution to the breakdown of tape that allowed the flaps on our large pallet boxes to bulge or “tent” open. When that happens, and our forklift drivers attempt to remove them, the boxes hang up on the frames of the shelves above them. Complicating matters, this occurs in our 6-meter-high racks where we store 4,000 boxes containing up to 450-lbs of auto parts per box in our 24-acre Parts Centre. This wastes a lot time and poses a human injury potential due to ladder falls or boxes collapsing and parts falling out. “Days without human injuries” are tracked rigorously in our facility because safety is top priority for Toyota. With this product, we aim to eliminate this risk and sustain the environment by reusing boxes. Beside these important benefits, we also hope to save on costs related to the use of tape.

James Wilson & Selcuk Günaydin inside the Toyota Parts Centre, Diest, Belgium (June 2016)

We have spent nearly three years and countless hours here as we have tested four proposed solutions. Jim and Jack have been incredibly patient as we determined that one prototype after another didn’t fill our needs. Our communal teamwork and persistence have paid off with the Side Latch™ they invented with support from my side. The fact they came to Belgium in July 2016 to help us solve this problem is a tribute to their entrepreneurial spirit and customer service. We have enjoyed working with them and hope to win some innovation awards for our Logistics Division. It has been a great learning experience for us.”

Selcuk Günaydin (Packaging Specialist, Warehouse Packaging Team, Toyota Parts Centre, Diest, Belgium) September 2016