Client Background
We had the pleasure to work with a client who is an glass flower vase importer based in Denmark. They are mainly focusing on providing boutique décor shops and online Scandinavian home-style retailers with their products. For their fresh spring collection, they required a custom-made ribbed-texture glass flower vase with an electroplated gold rim.
This design was selected by them because changing the surface to a ribbed one makes the vase reflect the light in an exquisite way and the gold rim gives the impression of a higher value, which is in line with the Scandinavian décor key trend of minimalism with a luxurious touch.
The glass vase importer decision to work with Mosteb as their vendor was influenced by our:
- Strong capability in custom surface textures and metallic finishing
- Stable production lines suitable for mid-to-large volume B2B orders
- Transparent communication and engineering support
- Experience working with European décor brands that demand premium visual outcomes
Challenges
The importer had issues that were very plausible and real during the first phase of the mass production of the product:
- Color Variation Across Batches
The plating of the golden rim for the small-scale pilot batches was not visually consistent. There were some rims that were a little more towards the rose-gold side, while a few others were more yellow.
- High Breakage Rate During Trial Logistics
The long ribbed figure needed the importer’s special packaging, and he saw a breakage rate that was more than double of what was expected during their sample air-freight test.
Cause Analysis
Our engineering team went through a detailed process to figure out both the issues.
Regarding the color variation issue, we pinpointed the major factor:
- Just a little bit of difference in the time of the plating and the density of the solution resulted in the slight but quite noticeable changes of the shades.
Regarding the breakage issue, we figured out:
- The ribs on the surface of the material resulted in the creation of the uneven areas of the stress, hence the vibration standard packaging cushions were getting damaged.
Mosteb to fix these problems:
- Performed three different sets of controlled electroplating experiments, changing the timing, the voltage and the solution calibration.
- Ran impact-simulation experiments through drop-test machinery to figure out the pressure distribution along the ribbed structure.
- Worked closely with the importer by giving him weekly engineering reports, plating samples, and packaging prototypes.
Solution
Mosteb took a number of steps, each aimed directly at one of these challenges:
- Plating Formula Standardization:We designed a single plating method that allowed for the density of the solution, the voltage, and the time to be fixed, thus, making the coloring of the gold rim very stable.
- Golden Color Reference Plate:We invented a “Gold Tone Standard Plate” just for the case that both sides need one universal color benchmark before the production to match.
- Upgraded Protective Packaging:We built a custom EPE groove insert that not only fit the ribbed geometry but also helped to eliminate the pressure points during the hours of the parcel’s journey.
- Reinforced Quality-Control Checkpoints:Mosteb integrated product quality control stages into the production process, thereby adding the screening for rim coloration and surface uniformity features.
Result
By the time of the second term of production, the importer was able to make the following statements:
- 0.5% plating deviation, which is a great deal better than that of their previous suppliers
- More than 90% of the breakage that had occurred during the logistics activities has been eliminated
- An excellent launch of the new upscale vase line that had been their top sellers in Denmark for a long time, and changed them very quickly to one of their best sellers
After that, the glass vase importer enlarged the connection with Mosteb and made another two vase collections to the following season.
