William Grant and Son's 12 year old scotch by a London-based company six years ago, saw a 50% increase in production speed.The Financial Times yesterday reported on how Grant's approached LHF Design, hoping to address certain problems in it's production process.
The old Grant's bottles had a wide base and narrow, sloping shoulders. This meant that on the production line, the bottles only touched at the base, and sometimes bunched up and toppled over. To avoid this, the line was run at a slower speed. Meanwhile, the bottle caps had a short collar, which the machine sometimes failed to slot over the mouth of the bottle.
LFH improved the bottle’s stability by redesigning both its base and shoulders. On the base, a 4mm-high flat vertical area was introduced at the point where the bottles touch.
LFH also broadened the bottle’s shoulders and gave the cap a longer collar, which the machine could fit more easily.
The redesign, launched in 2007, allowed the production line to be speeded up by 50%. By October 2012 the product’s sales had risen by 28 per cent compared with 2006.
It also contributed to a 40% reduction in the cost of the bottle and its packaging.
