Product Description: Sanitary napkin is a product used by women during their menstrual periods. This sanitary product can be made either from cotton only or from a combination of absorbent paper, water proof paper, crushed pulp and non- woven cloth or rayon paper. Absorbent cotton is found to limit bodily movement considerably and it is not also very comfortable to use. Besides, it is expensive. Sanitary napkin which is made from absorbent paper, water proof paper, crushed pulp, etc. has largely replaced absorbent cotton for handling menstruation. Sanitary napkin is clean; it is easy to carry around; and it is thrown away once used. The need of establishing an absorbent cotton making plant is identified in another project idea. This project idea is to give another project idea for producing a product for the same purpose but to be made from different raw materials.
Market Potential: In 2006, there are about 4.6 million women in the Amhara Region who are in the reproductive age group. These women are the potential consumers of sanitary napkins. But up to now only women in the urban areas use sanitary napkins during their menstruation periods. Probably due to lack of awareness, women in the rural areas do not use sanitary napkins. And this creates so much inconvenience and many a time embarrassment for many women. With proper introduction of the product to rural markets and with effective awareness creation about the benefits of sanitary napkins, practically all rural women of reproductive age will want to use the napkins. Of the 4.6 million women of reproductive age group in the region, about 4.1 million live in rural areas. If 30 percent of these women use sanitary napkins, total number of consumers in rural areas will be 1.2 million women, If one woman uses about 4 pieces of sanitary napkins per menstruation cycle, total annual demand for this product will be 57.6 million pieces (1.2 mill. X 4 x 12 months). This estimated demand is for 30 percent of rural women of reproductive age. If we include urban women and if we raise the percentage share of rural women who will use sanitary napkins, the estimated demand for this product will be much higher than indicated above.
Source of Raw material: As stated above, the raw materials are absorption paper, water proof paper, crushed pulp and non-woven cloth or rayon paper, adhesive tape. The non-woven cloth can be purchased locally while the rest will be imported. Probably absorption paper and water proof paper could be secured from domestic sources.
Process and Technology: The manufacturing process of sanitary napkin will differ depending on the raw materials used, the shape of the finished product, etc. Therefore, there is no fixed method of processing. Main machinery and equipment needed include manufacturing machine, small conveyor, hoist, sealing machine, and other accessories.
Estimated Investment: For a plant that will produce 3.6 million pieces of sanitary napkin, the estimated investment will be:-
Buildings 800m2 at Birr 2000/m2 = Birr 1,600,000
Machinery ……………………………= Birr 1,700,000
Working capital ……………………. = Birr 600,000
Total = Birr 3,900,000
Benefits: reduces the inconvenience women face during menstruation period, enables women to do physical work without much hindrance, improves the personal hygiene of women, introduces new culture to the rural areas of the region, and introduces new skills and technology.
Location: Combolcha