Royce Newcomb demonstrates the eDOR, a device that allows delivery people to drop off packages securely through a front door.

If a local startup gets its way, package thieves worldwide are likely to have a serious problem on their hands in the near future.

Rolled out by Strategic Innovations LLC, the eDOR and eBOX delivery system have been designed to create a secure way to deliver products ordered online to their customers without the worries of missed timings for pickup or theft. According to Royce Newcomb, the chief designer, the system was wholly developed in Fresno, including the parts, production and mobile app, but also the custom trailer Newcomb uses to give demonstrations of the product.

“We were able to develop the entire system right here out of Fresno, and that was amazing to us because I couldn’t have done it in the Bay Area. I couldn’t have done it in Sacramento,” Newcomb said. “And to do it here where everything was local was really amazing.”

In order to protect deliveries, the eDOR is secured by an electronic code (eKEY) possessed only by the deliverer and the customer. Upon activation, the eBOX in the door then automatically expands, allowing the goods to be placed inside, and then it closes. The eKEY is good for one use. The eBOX itself can also be retrofitted to any part of the building, and is available for offices, apartments and condominiums.

Meanwhile, larger products such as bicycles are protected by the eTETHR – a wire that attaches to the item and triggers an alarm as soon an unauthorized person undoes it. The perpetrator will then be notified by the security system that their phone has been tracked by GPS and that law enforcement is on its way. The eDOR and eBOX come with a built-in GPS and automatic mobile location system that registers any smart device that comes within range of it.

According to Newcomb, the eDOR and eBOX have the potential to entice further customers into the eCommerce industry, as it eliminates the fear of theft, which is the biggest cause of hesitation for potential users. Last year alone, thefts cost more than $6 billion.

To highlight this, he pointed out that the largest market segment in the country – groceries – only sees a delivery-rate of 2 percent. To better facilitate these deliveries, the eDOR and eBOX also have available upgrades for the box’s temperature control.

“I was able to invent this product through just recognizing a giant black hole in the industry, just creating a solution on our own which has turned out to be a stand-alone solution that nobody’s ever thought about,” Newcomb said.

By filling this hole, the Oregon native and Sacramento transplant said that he hopes to put his new home on the map as a manufacturer of high-tech equipment. Newcomb himself relocated to Fresno to join the engineering firm creating the product, and has since grown attached.

“I didn’t know anything about Fresno when I first came here and have fallen in love with city since I came here, because not only is it a great quality of life and very low traffic, but it also has resources that I don’t think I could get anywhere else,” Newcomb said. “And it’s become my mission to continue to develop products throughout Fresno with the team of people that I’ve created here.”