Could we take our legendary foam quality from our commercial dispensers and shrink it down into a convenience dispenser that could be used at home? This was the challenge that began the creation of the Cloud Bottle
Halftime
When is a product half a product? We originally created a bottle-top foam pump for our partners and the wide variety of companies that need a high-quality foam pump but may already have a bottle they use.
While this foam pump is a full product by itself, we realized that we were sitting on the start of a complete package for small businesses, restaurants, and at-home.
Two areas of expertise
It was only natural that we should combine two areas of expertise at our Canadian plant to create a 100% Made in Canada product. We have been producing high-quality bottles for our X10, KX, and Hospitality dispenser lines at our Beamsville, Ontario plant and have built up expertise in this area.
What is needed to be
We started this project by sketching out what we wanted in a bottle. It had to:
- Be able to made with 100% post-consumer recycled plastic.
- Connect and extend the design language of our bottle-top foam pump.
- Be robust enough for commercial use, but also fit in aesthetically by a kitchen or bathroom sink.
- Be used as the basis of a Euro bottle.
- Fit in a cup holder in a car.
This bottle also needed to be a design that our partners could adopt in their own product lines. These design constraints helped us find something.
A deeper collaboration
OPHARDT Hygiene has a strong engineering-focused culture. Our CEO is an engineer and we consistently outspend similar-size companies on R&D. Many of our product ideas emerge out of our engineering teams. Not only do we design and make products—we also design and make the processes that make the products we make! The Cloud Bottle builds on this, but introduces a new type of collaboration.
The design process was a collaboration between three Canadian teams: the design team, the marketing team, and the pump design and engineering team. This collaboration helped the marketing team better understand the manufacturing process and get to see OPHARDT’s design prowess.
Constraints that shape creativity
The design process started with mood boards followed by a series of 3d sketches from Mark Liu, ranging from standard to whimsical shapes. The list of requirements helped us craft a bottle that met our needs and the needs of any future partner.
Our manufacturing process also helped shape the bottle, adding a section to the bottle that inspired the design team to think about creating future, wall-mounting accessories for the Cloud Bottle.
A long-lasting recycled and recyclable bottle
Heading into production this year, the Cloud Bottle is a Canadian-made, recyclable and recycled bottle designed to fit into new spaces for OPHARDT—whether that’s in people’s homes, cars, or even bags.
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