On Monday, 6 May, the Rector of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (USB), prof. Ing. Pavel Kozák, Ph.D., signed a license agreement with representatives of ZEKO-i. s.r.o. for the serial production of roll-containers. The signing ceremony was also attended by the Dean of the USB Faculty of Economics doc. RNDr. Zuzana Dvořáková Líšková, Ph.D., Head of the Technology Transfer Office RNDr. Mgr. Růžena Štemberková, Ph.D., MPA, USB Vice-Rector for Research doc. Ing. Luděk Berec, Ph.D., and Ing. Radek Toušek, Ph.D., the main originator of the innovative solution from the USB Faculty of Economics.
One of the innovations in the field of logistics at the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice is the so-called roll-container. Through a project from the GAMA 2 programme of the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic called Development of Proof-of-Concept Activities at the University of South Bohemia, which was awarded to the Technology Transfer Office, a specific technical device for the delivery of piece shipments was developed and tested.
This is a unique concept of a handling trolley for the distribution of piece shipments, which allows loading directly at the point of distribution of shipments (at the depot of the transport company) and subsequent transport directly to the delivery van. The roll containers are equipped with special fastening rings, which make their anchoring in the van easy and safe. The shipments are thus stored safely and clearly and save time during delivery and unloading at the customer's premises. The roll-container can have any number of shelves and can be adapted to the actual need or the size of the shipments to be transported. It is an innovative concept for streamlining delivery services with minimal need for modification of delivery vans.
The concept has undergone long-term testing in live operation and has thus been fine-tuned to the last detail.
A total of three versions of the roll-container, which were gradually developed, are protected by industrial law in the form of a European industrial design.
Serial production will be facilitated by a business partner who has received a license from the University of South Bohemia. For this purpose, a new legal entity, ZEKO-i, has been established by the business partner. s.r.o. [zeko-i]. The setting of the terms of the licence agreement in this particular case was different from the commonly concluded types of licence agreements, where the form of an initial amount and subsequent % of sales on an annuity basis is most often used from the financial point of view of the agreement. Here, it was mainly the setting up of the financial aspects in terms of production volume (number of units) and subsequent sales that were addressed. The terms of the contract were mutually negotiated in several rounds to the satisfaction of both parties. Agreement was reached in the form of a licence containing an upfront payment and a progressive amount for the units of roll-containers produced.
