Gustafson

"The basic idea came to him from one of Tetra Pak’s demonstrators who had suggested in retail that housewives should fold in the corners of the tetrahedron so that it would not take up so much space in the refrigerator. Starting from there, Gustafson figured that if you took a paper cylinder and folded in the edges at the bottom and the top, you would end up with a cylinder that could be used for continuous filling. It also wouldn’t use much more material than the tetrahedron did. Thus, it was possible to stay within the packaging markup, which by then had increased so much that a slightly more expensive packaging could be made."

"Gustafson succeeded in what few within the company believed he would manage: to produce an aseptic Tetra Brik machine that worked flawlessly. By the spring of 1972, the new, improved design was ready and many within the company management were amazed. Hans, who had led the Brik project, but who had started to doubt it over the last two years, could not believe his eyes. Erik Torudd, who had never believed in Brik, wanted to wait and see until the machine was tested out in the field. Ruben was relieved, although in the long run, he expected Rigello to outdo Brik as the company’s most important product."

"Gustafson also identified quite promptly, in accordance with his assignment, the technical deficiencies in the Briks’ design. He did not consider them particularly serious, compared to the poor discipline and uncertainty that characterized the work at the companies. Faulty filling machines were delivered to customers without anyone raising an eyebrow. Paper with incorrect folding instructions was delivered, oxidized plastics were used, joints were not sealed, and so on."

"The conflict between Gustafson and Järund was a living proof of what can happen when two different cultures must collaborate. Järund, who was primarily a practitioner of the old engineering tribe, had no understanding whatsoever of Åke Gustafson’s theoretical reasoning. On his part, Åke Gustafson believed that one cannot keep trying things randomly without scientific development work. It was simply a total collision between the old and the new engineering cultures."