About Borgert Design
Year 2009
The Idea for a Product
Around 2009, I started sketching out a product I felt was missing. Since I’ve had skin issues since the age of 14, I’ve always needed to bring my own skincare products, even for something as simple as a sauna with a friend. I created a prototype that stayed tucked away for a long time, waiting for the right moment...
Year 2018
Development of the Product
In 2018, Borgert Design’s journey began. Ellinor Vinghammar, a family friend, was studying to become a design engineer in Skövde and chose to base her thesis on my product.
This led to the creation of the first prototype, made out of paper, and soon after, the CAD drawings took shape, laying the foundation for the product’s development. I 3D-printed the first plastic prototype and started sketching how the magnets would be attached.
This year, Borgert Design AB was founded, and I was really getting started!
Year 2019
The Hunt for Manufacturers
Finding a manufacturer for the product was harder than I had thought, and I received nothing but rejections. I visited numerous trade fairs, but I couldn't get any leads. I was ready to give up. If no one could manufacture my product, how was I supposed to move forward?
I continued searching online and eventually found a suitable machine in South Korea. However, this solution required me to handle the manufacturing myself, which I had promised my wife I wouldn’t do. Unfortunately, this was not the last time I had to deviate from my original plans, but I realized I needed to be flexible if I wanted things to go my way.
Continuation of 2019
The Search for Materials
I continued to attend trade fairs, hoping for a miracle to find the right material for the product. I knew I wanted a recyclable plastic, but it seemed nearly impossible to find the right type that would work with my design.
Now, I truly felt ready to throw in the towel and give up on my dream. Despite my sense of despair, I headed to a scheduled trade fair and, by chance, met an exhibitor with exactly the material I was looking for!
I ordered the plastic and sent it for testing in South Korea to ensure it worked with my new machine.
Year 2020
The Journey to South Korea
Shortly after I sent the material for testing, I flew down to Seoul to see the machine with my own eyes. I received a quote for the machine, handwritten on a scrap of paper, and a wave of uncertainty washed over me. Had I been deceived? Who writes a quote on a crumpled note?
After a few months, I could confirm that everything was under control, and I set off for South Korea once again to assemble the machine, pack it into a container along with the tools, and ship it off to Sweden. Imagine my shock when I saw that the machine was in full production the day before the shipment. But nothing is impossible, as it turned out.
Year 2020
New Challenges
Now I suddenly had to learn how to operate the machine, and I had two half-days in South Korea where I gradually learned to use it despite a clear language barrier between me and the man instructing me. When the machine finally arrived, it was assembled in my new factory space, and a few months later, we produced the first bottle!
Now came the next challenge – attaching the magnet to the bottle. After testing where the machine was stopped and the magnet was attached with a manual tool, we confirmed that my theory about how the assembly could work was correct. The magnet was in place, and all those sleepless nights spent worrying about this dilemma were over. What a relief!
Year 2021
New Tools and a Robot
After what felt like an endless number of variations, the design of the cap was finally complete, and we began constructing tools to manufacture the caps. The molds for the caps were created in Sandvik using a unique 3D machine. When we received the parts, they looked like they came from another planet; I had never seen anything like it.
I also sold my Harley Davidson to invest in a robot that would automate the magnet assembly process, as continuing to do it manually was not an option due to the 65-ton pressure involved. It could be very dangerous.
I continued to educate myself and took courses in marketing, film, and photography, as I planned to manage everything without employees—another commitment I had made to my wife, although I would later have to change that.
Year 2022-2023
Moving through molasses
In the following years, the machine with the new robot for magnets is tested to ensure that it works as intended. I visit trade fairs and attend seminars, but beyond that, everything moves very slowly. I work on improving the design and manufacturing. The solution lies in the details, and many small changes take an enormous amount of time.
Year 2024
Here we go!
2024 is the year I decide it’s time to launch the product. After conducting a market survey in town, I find that most people prefer a blue bottle with a gold cap, so that’s what we go with. The final details of the machine and the design are addressed, and the first real bottles in the blue color are produced. I launch the webshop, and now we’re truly underway.
Since I’m not getting the impact I had hoped for, I finally take the step of hiring an Operational E-commerce Manager. Caroline Simar, who has a background in e-commerce and has run her own business, joins the team, and now we’re two working together to reach new heights. We’re testing and exploring new ground, moving forward with your feedback. The product is named Bottler, and we’re ready to showcase this fantastic travel container to the world!
Torbjörn Borgert
Torbjörn with his family.