More capacity, without compromising on performance, maintenance or ease of use
When Metsä Tissue wanted to expand the Katrin range with an XL dispenser, the request seemed straightforward. Develop a larger version for busy washrooms.
In reality, the challenge was not in the format, but in the mechanics. Because as soon as the stack of tissues gets higher, the pressure on the bottom sheet increases. And that is exactly where the problem arises. What seems like a logical upscaling can, in practice, lead to tearing, jamming and a less reliable user experience.
PEZY translated that tension into a dispenser concept that combines greater capacity with smooth dispensing and practical maintenance in daily use.
Challenge
In busy washrooms, a dispenser must do two things well at the same time. For users, the tissue must always be easy to remove in a smooth and controlled manner. For cleaning and facility teams, refilling must remain quick, intuitive and effortless.
Enlarging the existing medium dispenser therefore meant much more than simply scaling up the housing. The taller tissue stack fundamentally changed the internal distribution of forces, placing additional strain on the bottom sheet. This immediately compromised the reliability of the dispensing process.
The key question was clear: how do you increase capacity without compromising on performance, ease of maintenance and quality of use?
The insight
PEZY did not start with a complex technical solution, but with rapid experiments and targeted physical tests.
This led to a crucial insight. The solution did not lie in the dispensing opening itself, but in the way the tissue stack was supported internally. By adding controlled support and friction to the sides, the load on the bottom sheet was reduced and dispensing improved. That insight turned the process on its head. Instead of pushing harder at the exit, the solution was to deal with the stack as a system in a smarter way.
The solution
Based on this principle, PEZY developed an internal support concept with corrugated ribs on the sides of the dispenser. This rib structure stabilises the tissue stack and distributes the pressure more evenly across the whole stack. This makes it easier to remove the bottom tissues and keeps the stack in place, even when refilling. The result is an XL dispenser that not only offers more capacity, but also retains the reliable and user-friendly experience that users of the Katrin range expect.
Validation in practice
A smart concept is only valuable if it also stands up in practice.
The dispenser was therefore tested by professional cleaning staff in realistic working situations. Their feedback confirmed that the design was quick and intuitive to refill, practical to maintain and reliable to use. This validated not only the technical principle, but also the everyday value of the solution in the environment for which it was designed.
Result
The end result is a high-capacity towel dispenser for busy washrooms, designed to combine reliability and maintenance efficiency. By combining rapid experimentation with mechanical insight and practical validation, PEZY helped Metsä Tissue develop a solution that ensures:
- more capacity and fewer refills
- reliable tissue dispensing with less chance of tearing or jamming
- quick and easy refilling from the front
- compatibility with multiple tissue sizes
This project demonstrates that behind a seemingly simple upscaling often lies a fundamental product issue. And that is precisely where PEZY’s added value lies: reducing technical complexity to a working product concept that performs better in practice.
PEZY is officially certified as a Great Place To Work™. This recognition is based entirely on feedback from our employees.