AN entrepreneur with a licence to manufacture a revolutionary gadget designed to save industry billions of pounds is looking to set up business in York within the next two months.

York-england.com, the inward investment organisation, is helping Ray Jinks to find premises to produce his Pallet-Lok, a South African invention which keeps cargo secured to pallets.

It could generate up to 20 jobs in the first year, mostly sales staff.

In the US alone, $2.5 billion is lost every year due to insecure cargo falling off pallets while in transit.

Mr Jinks, 54, himself a South African, was working in London as a trade facilitator when he made a journey to York and fell in love with the city to which he moved two years ago.

Now he hopes to make York the centre of Pallet-Lok's UK and European operations.

Mr Jinks said: "We now have a worldwide patent for the system. It consists of four V-shaped non-pollutant polypropylene corner pieces which slide between corrugated cartons housed on the pallet. These are strapped taut to create absolute rigidity.

"They have been tested across the fruit industry in South Africa, replacing the buckling cardboard supports farmers normally use and the results have been absolutely astonishing. It augurs well to save millions of pounds in what would otherwise be damaged food.

"But its use is clearly more wide ranging. The more valuable the cargo, such as circuit boards or bone china, the greater the savings. I'm expecting massive demand because it can apply across so many industries."

Mr Jinks, who lives in Huntington Road, said that initially he would rely on consignments of the device from South Africa to demonstrate their efficiency and generate enthusiasm. He already has enough in store to offer a free trial of the system to manufacturers in York and North Yorkshire.

"But once I have established a production unit here, then we could start manufacturing in earnest."

He believes that the environmentally-friendly system would prove particularly attractive because it would comply with European Union regulations governing waste management

Imelda Havers, chief executive of york-england.com, has pledged all the help she can give and will introduce Mr Jinks to representatives in the region's food technology and cargo logistics sectors.

She said: "We are always keen to help new ideas and innovations in our region and welcome new investment to the sub-region."

Updated: 11:07 Wednesday, April 20, 2005