J.T. Eaton Announces OneKey Concept

Looking to implement an industry-wide, universal rodent bait station key, the manufacturer gets the ball rolling by asking PMPs for input — and offering its rodent bait station key schematic to its colleagues

TWINSBURG, Ohio — The typical pest management professional (PMP) uses a variety of stations across accounts. Sometimes the PMP gains a new account and is asked to use the stations already in place. He or she may have mouse-sized stations in a store, for example, rat-sized stations for a loading dock and a mixture of the two (along with several brands) for a warehouse. Multiply this situation by the dozens of rodent accounts the typical company may service, and it’s easy to see how a busy pest management technician may carry more than 10 separate keys to each account, simply to check and maintain the stations.
Ensuring each of its rodent technicians possesses and uses all of these keys can add both time and labor costs to a company’s bottom line. For each account, the technician must remember which key(s) to use, find the correct one on the key ring and then switch as needed as different types and/or brands of stations are encountered. In addition, the cost and effort that goes into replacing lost or broken keys is a business inefficiency that is all too common.
In light of this, the team at J.T. Eaton proposes the professional pest management industry works together toward a solution: the universal key. Regardless of make, model or manufacturer, one key could indeed “do it all.”
Such a key would make servicing an account much simpler for technicians because they only need one key to perform their station maintenance responsibilities. A spare key kept securely on the technician’s truck would ensure that work is never put on hold in the event the original key is broken or misplaced.

To make the universal key for rodent bait stations concept a reality, the J.T. Eaton team has culled support from a number of industry stakeholders already, and is opening up discussions to the industry at large. Plus, to get things started, J.T. Eaton is not only offering all PMPs free keys to all the Gold Key Stations, Mouse and Rat Fortresses and Rodent Rocks, but the diagrams and digital files for the Gold Key system to any manufacturer who is interested in using its proprietary locking system.
“We’re not saying ours should be the standard, we’re just offering the Gold Key schematic to other manufacturers to open the dialogue,” notes J.T. Eaton Vice President Dale Baker, who initiated the concept after speaking with PMPs during a recent conference about the problems inherent with keeping track of a variety of station keys. “The concept of free keys to PMPs is just another way for us to lead by example. We hope all of the other companies will do the same, to help get things started off on the right foot.”
A website, http://onekeyindustry.org, is also available for PMPs to learn more about and discuss the concept in further detail. Baker notes that he was inspired by his grandfather, PMP Hall of Famer Stan Baker, who pioneered the concept of Bait Blocks in the 1950s and glue trays in the 70’s — and set the standard for rodent control in the process.
“Just like the Blocks back in Stanley’s time, we are interested in exploring how this universal key can have a positive impact on the professionalism — and the efficiency — of the pest management industry. This is an issue that always comes up with PMPs, about how we can do something as industry to help them. I think we would be remiss if we didn’t open a dialogue and allow them input on this issue,” Baker concludes.