EasyFill AB (publ.) applies for a patent for the product TurnLoader.

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) is an international agreement which simply means that by submitting a single application in a single language, an international filing date will be issued, which means that the application is considered to be filed in all PCT member countries (over 150) on that day..

PCT is administered by a UN body, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), based in Geneva.

Choosing the PCT path is good when the company wants to save time before final decision is made in which countries the company wants to apply for a patent.

The Product

TurnLoader is primarily designed to be installed in different types of Multideck (refrigerated display cases). Previously, EasyFill has the RotoShelf MD 1250/2 product, a product that is supposed to be installed in the same type of refrigeration cases.

In TurnLoader, EasyFill has a product that provides:

· Faster filling times: min 50% quicker than standard shelving.
· Reduced food waste: Since TurnLoader is rotated and refilled from behind, the product placed on the shelf first is the product first sold. Tests with RotoShelf show a reduction of food waste by 50% in a normal store. Note that there are stores that have a lower yield but then you automatically have more working time to front products and pull out the oldest products at the front of the shelf. TurnLoader suits a larger amount of products (than the corresponding RotoShelf) and has its great advantage in a straight front.
· Sales uplift: In the sales position, the shelves lean forward, so when a product is taken from the shelf, the next product slides forward. In that way the shelf looks always full. Market tests show that a shelf that is fronted sells 10-25% more goods than standard shelves, the big range 10-25% depends entirely on which goods it is and how good the dealer is to manually front their shelves (Manually fronting goods cost money in the form of labor)

MultiDeck/RotoShelf/TurnLoader

In a MultiDeck case, the section width in 90% of cases (in Europe) is 1250mm wide but in varied depths and heights. With the product RotoShelf MD 1250/2 as product description indicates 1250mm is divided in 2 equal parts. What happens then is that the RotoShelf shelf has a round surface in all four corners that reduces the use because many products are not round or too big to fit into the corner. We have also found that some cooling models are not deep enough for the RotoShelf MD 1250/2 a worry that does not exist with MultiDeck because the entire shelf section slides out before it rotates.

EasyFill has experienced a significant increase in interest in our MultiDeck products in recent years, but sales have mainly been made for soft drinks, while the big market is all other cold products.

With the product TurnLoader, the problem with four cut corners is solved because each TurnLoader section becomes 1250 mm wide by default (other widths are manufactured on request) while the shelf surface becomes significantly larger and most of the products can be placed on the shelf. The MultiDeck cases comes in the dimensions of 1250, 2500, 3750 etc and TurnLoader is mounted in section by section without losing the shelf area.

What is TurnLoader?

Next step in the evolution of unique innovations for easy replenishment of items in MultiDeck cases in all possible sizes, both with and without doors.

When TurnLoader is rotated, the entire section slides out a few centimeters before it is rotated and slides in again for refill.

Once the filling is complete, TurnLoader is easily rotated back to sales position.

In the above manner, FIFO = the product placed on the shelf first is sold first because all refills are done from behind.

Labor saving for the same reason as above.

Increased sales because the shelf leans forward so when the customer takes a product the next product slides forward, the shelf looks well-filled even though there are few products left to sell. Straight front means that all types of products can be placed on the shelf.

Easy shelf adjustment in height. The shelf can be adjusted on the newly developed frame completely stepless at any height.

The shelves on TurnLoader have flexible dividers that are adjustable without tools and can be placed anywhere on the shelf.

TurnLoader can easily be customized to virtually any MultiDeck in different sizes available around the world.

TurnLoader has shelves of sheet metal that have a sliding powder coating that makes the goods glide. For production, there are no problems with adjusting the shelves for all possible dimensions, both in width or depth.

The only slight drawback with TurnLoader is that the shelf has two cut corners on the back that reduces the surface with a number of square centimeters, but with a shelf that is much faster to fill and sells more products, the EasyFill management is convinced that the slight decrease of the shelf surface will not negatively affect sales.

What products is TurnLoader suitable for?

Milk, dairy, juice, yogurt, multipacks, meat, ham, cheese, soft drinks and more.

When will the new product be launched?

Since the patent documents are now submitted, information will be sent to all our contacts around the world. The goal is that the first TurnLoader products will be installed in the market at the end of January or early February 2018.

How has TurnLoader been tested

At the development department in Nizna Slovakia, where the product is developed, 80kg per shelf has been added (5 shelves with 80 kg per piece = 400kg) and rotated x number of times. The test showed no sagging on the shelves, and despite the high weight it is easy to rotate from full filling mode to sales mode.

The sliding powder coat on the shelves have been tested for sliding and partly for wear. The tests show that it slides smoothly for years (the years are simulated in the test) and have significantly longer durability than plastic shelves. Slightly simple, one can say TurnLoader will survive the MultiDeck refrigerator several times.

Link to product presentation

At the below link you can find a presentation and some video clips of the new product. 

https://www.easyfill.se/turnloader  (https://www.easyfill.se/turnloader) 

Additional

The company now has more business at a time than ever and we have previously announced in a newsletter some of these:

https://www.easyfill.se/news/press-release/  (https://www.easyfill.se/news/press-release/) 

All production of plastic shelves and dividers, frontstopers and so on has taken place in Sweden and Norway. All tools are now moved to Slovakia.

Before the tools were moved, we created a security store in early November. This was supposed to be February out. The pressure on purchases from our customers is great, so already in early December, the safety stock we manufactured was finished, so the plastic manufacturer in Nizna is working in every way possible to start manufacturing the first/second week of 2018.

Comment from CEO Håkan Sjölander

EasyFill’s product portfolio is constantly increasing, and after joining with Ebeco in Nizna Slovakia in April 2017, our opportunities to develop new products have grown.

A shelf that is rotated, in one way or another, out of the refrigerator is a product I have been thinking of for several years and with clever engineers in Slovakia, we have now developed a product (TurnLoader) that fits all MultiDecks with and without doors.

When I travel around the world, I have often been told that with our RotoShelf 1250/2, too much space is missing and square packs cannot be placed on the shelves. With TurnLoader, these problems are solved.

in 2017 EasyFill has laid the foundation for great success, but it is not yet apparent in our sales figures, but everything points towards 2018 being the major breakthrough year.

I am fully aware that there are several who doubt me, which I understand, but keep in mind that we are launching products all over the world and “things take time”. My faith is adamant EasyFill products have all the conditions to become standard in most parts of the world.

Håkan Sjölander
Bräcke 2017-12-20