The Hindu Business Line : A box to store stuff away from kids

In safe custody
Pharmaceuticals, match and packaging industries are potential users for the product.
Freak accidents, due to choking or drug reactions, can be avoided at home.
The design makes it difficult for the children with fine motor skills to open the box.

Hyderabad , Oct. 3

It is a small plastic boxwith the locking mechanism that can be used to put medicines, matches, nails or any explosive or dangerous material out of reach. But this product is no child's play. Tested and patented, the manufacturer says it can beata child's developing skills and efforts to prise open the lid and the box can stay locked and the contents are safe inside and beyond the reach of infants.

Potential users

An Australian company, Safer Concepts, claims that it has developed this totally child-resistant packaging product, which is ready for the commercial market. Pharmaceuticals, match and the packaging industries are potential users for the product.

The simplest utility is at homes, where Pharmaloc - as the product is named, can ensure that the curious infant moving around will not accidentally swallow medicines. Which means, freak accidents, due to choking or drug reactions, can be avoided at home.

Looking for prospective collaboration with Indian companies, especially in the pharma and packaging sector, the inventor and Managing Director of Safer Concepts, Mr Nick Katsis, said, "The product has a locking mechanism, which kids between 0-60 months cannot break or unlock easily. We have a design, which makes it difficult for children with their fine motor skills to open." It has passed the safety criteria of Kidsafe and Standards Australia for child-resistant packaging, he said.

The raw material used is high impact polystyrene, which the company wants to source from India, where it is abundant and cheap, Mr Katsis told Business Line here.

Mr Katsis and his team from the Melbourne-based research driven company are in India discussing with potential pharma and packaging companies in Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.

"We think India is the hub for the product, especially with this large pharma, plastics and match industries . Also the domestic consumption and exports are growing", he said.

Currently, each box costs equivalent of Rs 5.50 each in Australia, after the raw material is imported from India. The costs can be substantially brought down, if it is made in India. This is another reason, we are seriously trying to forge a collaboration, he said.

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