From Google news:
At ProMat, Eco-Latch Systems debuted its Box Latch [reusable and low-tech" plastic device that allows manufacturers and distributors to quickly and securely hold the top flaps of a Corrugated Box closed. The response by visitors to the booth was [jaw-dropping," inventor and chief operating officer J W recalls.[I`m interested in sustainability, and when I learned that 90% of Corrugated Box are only used once before they are sent to the landfill or recycled, I was motivated to invent a way to rapidly close and reopen boxes so they could be reused," W says.The first of 20 different gadgets for closing boxes without tape, staples, bands, glue or overlapping and folding the corners was patented in 1907, W notes, [but ours is the first one to come to market."Offered in multiple sizes, the Box Latch device slides onto the two flaps that meet in the middle of the box`s top. Integrated ridges and a slight pitch hold the cardboard securely, keeping the flaps closed yet still easy to open without damaging the box.[Because the device protects the integrity of the box without damaging it as the other methods would, it can be used repeatedly," he explains. [We`ve calculated that if just 10% of the Corrugated Box used globally were reused just 10 times, worldwide need for recycling of those boxes would be reduced by 40%."That reusability contributes to companies` sustainability initiatives, particularly as they seek to reduce waste in their supply chains, W adds.[Box Latch units are ideal for closed-loop systems, work-in-process, inventory storage operations, case picking, in-store replenishment and more. Manufacturers and assemblers working within an integrated supply chain have used them when handling partial components boxed and transported within a closed loop, for example," he says.The device eliminates expenses associated with tape, glue and other sealing methods-as well as the need for knives to cut into sealed boxes. That reduces both the risk of product damage as well as potential worker injury, says W.[According to OSHA figures, the average direct and indirect costs for laceration injuries total $36,472, which can be eliminated by the use of our Box Latches," he adds.