Orthex is a leading Nordic producer of household products, including food containers and kitchen utensils used in homes across Europe. The company launches a variety of new products each year and takes quality and consumer safety seriously.
Laboratory testing is an essential part of ensuring that products are safe for consumers, match their quality expectations, and comply with all the relevant regulations. However, navigating the world of complex testing requirements and communicating with multiple laboratories can be costly and time-consuming. Because of this, having one expert partner to cover the whole topic can be a real game-changer.
Optimizing processes with a single testing service provider
Like many other companies in the industry, Orthex was facing a fragmented testing landscape. They were working with three different laboratories to get the tests they needed, which led to an unnecessarily large amount of time spent communicating with different service providers.
They also felt frustrated with the lack of proactive support for identifying the relevant legislation and choosing the correct testing procedure. At times, this led to tests being performed even when they were not needed, or suboptimal methods being used to perform them.
The switch to Measurlabs proved to be transformative. Collaborating with just one laboratory that could offer all the tests Orthex needed eased communication about samples and testing requirements. Measurlabs’ experts proved to be highly knowledgeable and responsive, answering any testing-related questions quickly and comprehensively.
“The collaboration with Measurlabs has been a great help. Their experts are always there to provide advice and all communication goes super smoothly. I no longer need to stress about which analysis or specific method to choose – instead, the experts always make sure that the testing procedure is tailored to the product in question,” Katja Tolkki, ESG Advisor at Orthex, describes.
Measurlabs also helped Orthex set up a systematic testing process that was specifically adapted for their product lines and target markets. As a result, they have been able to avoid high-pressure situations where multiple product lines require renewal of the test results to match updated regulations and customer demands simultaneously and with a tight schedule, increasing the workload and diverting time from other important projects.
Resource-savings boost competitiveness
While improved support and smoother testing processes have been a great benefit for Katja and others working with product compliance at Orthex, they have also been delighted with the financial savings the collaboration has brought about. In addition to affordable pricing, cost savings originate from improved testing plans that cover more requirements with fewer tests, while still ensuring product safety and regulatory compliance.
“The combined effects of lower prices and better planning have saved us a significant 20 % in our yearly testing spend,” Katja Tolkki says. “When combined with the time savings, we now have more resources to invest in research and development work, which helps us stay ahead of the competition in a highly contested market.”