P&G spent five years researching the uneven tear to get to the bottom causes of the problem. There is a department for toilet paper R&D and the research found the straight line perforation was the cause of the uneven tear. According to senior scientist Gregg Weaver, "Toilet paper fibers mostly run vertically through the roll, which means that when you tear across, you’re tearing against the grain of the paper. And the motions people use to tear vary widely, depending on where the paper lives in their bathroom, whether they’re left-handed or right-handed, whether they prefer over-the-roll or under-the-roll. But most people tear in more of a downward diagonal than a straight line, which leads to that last straggling strand being left on the roll."
Charmin reinvented the square by replacing the traditional perforation line with a wavy edge. The scalloped edges are not merely aesthetic; they provide a better, smoother tear.
Now that the #1 consumer complaint has been resolved, I wonder what the #2 project will be.
I can't imagine spending years of my professional life, researching and solving that "problem." When I was in law school there was litigation in nearly every state over keeping pigs as household pets. I collected the cases, as a reminder that there were bigger problems to work on, and I never wanted to be the pot bellied pigs lawyer.
ReplyDeleteThis made me laugh out loud. I just recently noticed this change and I wondered what caused it. Now I know. It does tear better.
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