How to make the ‘right’ disposable hygiene product?

BCH along with a consortium of international companies which mainly constituted either machine manufacturers or raw material suppliers such as Avery Dennison, Curt G. Joa, Fibertex Personal Care, Fulflex, Henkel, Optima, Osprey and Sandvik, presented to India’s business community the right way forward. At a time when the Indian manufacturer is ready to grab every opportunity to feed a growing demand, it becomes quintessential to know about advanced technologies and important prerequisites for decision making which were very well talked aloud openly during the presentations.

What was particularly interesting in this symposium was the impressive presence of more than 100 attendees which comprised of manufacturers (convertors) of feminine hygiene products, baby diapers & adult incontinence products as well as the new and aspiring entrants, who were eager to hear about the latest developments in this sector and understand the ‘wrongs’ and the ‘rights’ that may take place. To name a few, there was representation from  Procter & Gamble, SCA, Unicharm, Nobel Hygiene, Emami, HLL Lifecare and many more noteworthy established companies of India.   Further highlights of this event included the much talked about award ceremony, the panel discussion on ‘2020 and beyond’ and the cocktail evening which offered a great opportunity to network in a relaxed atmosphere.

The symposium had a very positive feeling with Ms. Ritika Gupta from BCH, who set the tone of the event by appraising the current market scenario for the disposable hygiene products followed by Mr. Michael Gritzbach from Curt G. Joa who shared his insight about the importance of right decision making when it comes to investing in machinery may it be for feminine hygiene products or diapers. The succeeding session began with Mr. Christoph Ritter from Osprey, who conferred about clean & efficient air – system design for effective plant running and Mr. Ajay Sahni from Fibertex Personal Care, who spoke about nonwovens that are ideal for hygiene products.

Thereafter Mr. Michel Verstraeten from Henkel gave a brief about operational excellence in hot melt utilization during the course of manufacturing.  The subsequent sessions had, Mr. Patrick Curtin and Mr. Daniel Marchal both from Fulflex talking about the importance of the perfect fit and comfort which can be brought about through elastics which are critical components of these products.  Ms. Birgitta Van den Driessche from Avery Dennison focused on the innovations in production and the importance of the right closure systems which are used for diapers. The summing up session had Mr. Paolo Ocleppo from Sandvik Hyperion putting across the value added cutting solutions which are again very important and Mr. Wilfried Laser from Optima Nonwovens who aquainted us with the perfect packaging for disposable hygiene products.

The symposium ended on a very visionary note with a panel discussion amongst the distinguished speakers and the audience. The emphasis was to discuss the future of the disposable hygiene industry of India and its upcoming future trends. All were enthusiastic enough to wear their thinking caps and discuss the future of this exciting industry in India from 2020 and beyond.  The most discussed issue was how the Indian industry will address the sustainability factor in the near future and all the speculative ideas were put forward regarding how the products and processes would evolve in the coming times.

One major highlight of the event was the award ceremony. Stalwarts of this Industry in India were felicitated with a heartfelt applause during the event. The awards were presented by eminent personalities from this industry. Mr. Samir Gupta, Managing Director of BCH personally addressed the awardees for their outstanding performance and significant contribution to this dynamic absorbent hygiene industry of India. The four awards announced were as follows:

1. Social Responsibility – Best Practices – This award went to Bella Premier Happy Hygiene Care Pvt. Ltd. and was received by Ms. Agnieszka Wronkowska, Sales & Marketing Director for India.

2. Best Indian Private Label Initiative – This award went to Nobel Hygiene Ltd. and was received by Mr. Kamal Johari, Managing Director.

3. Market Leaders in Quality – This award went to Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Limited and was received by Mr. Amaranna Angadi , Manager – Production.

4. Market Evolution through Product Differentiation and Innovative Marketing Strategies – This award went to Unicharm India Pvt. Ltd. and was received by Mr. Yukihiro Kimura, Managing Director.

The tabletop exhibition which was held in a separate hall offered a unique business opportunity for participants to see displays of the talked about products and offerings and casually network amongst the gathering. For further strengthening of decisions and to generate a positive feeling for existing and new investments in this field, the breaks and the cocktail evening offered a great opportunity for one to one knowledge dissemination in a relaxed atmosphere.

As the manufacturing and sale of these products is majorly being influenced in the country, the inquisitiveness of the Indian businesses to explore this growing segment is evident from the developments that have taken place in the last few years. The idea of forging partnerships was launched to a new industry through the earlier symposiums organized by BCH on disposable hygiene products in 2006 & 2008 and with the outcome of this symposium BCH plans to feed the need of this industry through many more initiatives in the coming years.