Today we’d like to introduce you to Ed Baker.
Ed has been in retail consumer plastic packaging since 1992. He started in distribution sales. Subsequently Ed joined the leading manufacturer for rigid plastic packaging in North America. When the company decided to discontinue certain products Ed seized the opportunity to start his own company Baker Supply to fill that void.
Specializing in the automotive industry he discovered a need for the up and coming capless fuel systems being rolled out by Ford Motor Company. In layman’s terms, the car does not have a gas cap. When filling up a car there is no gas cap to unscrew. It has a capless system with a locking flap that is unlocked by the fuel nozzle at the pump. With this locking flap, no one can add a fuel additive to their car. That is when the patented EZ Funnel was launched.
The Ford capless system was first included on a mass production car on the 2008 Lincoln MKZ followed by the Explorer, Mercury Mountaineer and the Mustang. By 2010 all Ford models had a capless system.
Additionally and since some Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, General Motors and even Honda vehicles have adopted capless systems. Other manufacturers are scheduled to introduce systems in the near future.
Ed started a separate company EZ Funnel with a few partners in 2012 to launch and patent this innovative product. The EZ Funnel simply snaps on to a fuel additive product and unlocks the flaps in the capless system.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A startup company is never a smooth road. It took three years for product introduction and patent approval. EZ Funnel was way ahead of the curve. It was a complete education process for the fuel additive industry not only about the capless systems but also how the funnel solved a need for their products.
As luck would have it an entirely new category was born during the launch period of EZ Funnel. The second hottest emerging product was pre-mixed fuel for lawn and garden equipment. No more mixing oil and gas. Pre-mixed fuels come in a can with ethanol free gas and oil already combined with a long shelf life. The EZ Funnel easily snaps on to those products as well.
The biggest current challenge EZ Funnel is facing is getting into the big box retailers. Automotive supply stores for the fuel additives and lawn and garden retailers for the pre-mixed fuel products. Entrance into the big box retailers for a single skew vendor is very difficult.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Our focus on customers’ needs and development of our product to fit their needs is our greatest asset. We are dedicated to a mutually beneficial partnership to sell their product and ours.
Contact Info:
- Website: ezfunnel.com
- Phone: 678-585-7440
- Email: Ed@ezfunnel.com
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
