The development of diaper manufacturing companies has been very rapid in the last century,since 1940. In a few decades the disposable diaper industry has pursued what has been a continuous search of the human being: an effective technology to keep dry and clean their babies.
The industry has been able to provide the ideal devices that have allowed civil society to improve health and hygiene conditions of infants, children and adults who have this precise hygienic needs.
Since ancient times, parents have used many different tricks to keep their children clean. The need to have an effective diaper covers all segments of the population, no matter about social level or richness or place where people live. Hygienic diaper are indispensable for the entire human population. The diaper was one of the first items that distinguished man from the animals! There are several documents that handed down the various instruments used in ancient times. Packs of leaves, animal skins and other natural resources used in a creative way, that could give a minimum of absorbency and softness.
The Egyptians, the Aztecs, the Romans, and many others, have left a precise documentation about: they mention the use of various types of strips. A people Eskimo, used moss under sealskin; similarly, in some Native American tribes, mothers manifactured grass under a diaper cover made of rabbit skin, as was done by the Incas of South America. In hot tropical climates, the kids were mostly naked and mothers tried to anticipate the child's bowel movements. The wet diapers were washed rarely - Most of the time were just hanging from the fireplace to dry and then used again. As you can imagine, the rashes were a big problem in the past. In Europe, only with the Industrial Revolution, from 1820 onwards, people started to give more attention to hygiene of their children, having acquired enough wealth to buy a house and need to keep them clean.
In general, however, children were "wrapped in swaddling clothes" in many European societies, from ancient times until a few decades ago. They weared strips of linen or wool wrapped tightly around each limb and then wrapped transversely over the entire body. Towards the end of 1800, then, in Europe and North America, the children wore the progenitor of the modern diaper. It’s the early beginning of the diaper industry: the birth of a series of diaper manufacturing companies start to rapresent a necessary step for the new growing-up society.
A square or rectangle of linen, cotton flannel, folded in a rectangular shape and held in place with safety pins. "Diaper" was originally the term for a general pattern of small repeated geometric shapes, and then a white cotton or linen fabric with a rectangular pattern. Humanity start, in this period, to learn the ways to reduce the diaper rash only: there was a better understanding of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and people had figured out how to eliminate or at least control them. Early in the 20th century many mothers begin to use boiled water to sanitize everything more effectively.
But this required a great waste of water, energy and time. As with many of the great inventions, it is not clear who can be credited as "the one inventor" of the disposable diaper. The earliest forms of tissues and disposable diaper inserts were made available around 40’s in Sweden. It’ supposed that first disposable diapers were made from cellulose crepe tissue : probably because cotton had become a strategic material during the war.
A few years later, in 1946, the United States, a housewife named Marion Westport Donovan has invented a waterproof covering for cloth diapers. Her first model of disposable diaper was made of plastic canvas in which a conventional cloth diaper was inserted. Marion was granted oven patents for his designs, including the use of plastic snaps that replaced the traditional and dangerous "safety pins". It’s the moment of the lunch of the disposable diaper industry.
Spread of diaper manufacturing companies
From the birth of the first prototype of disposable diaper, it has been a very fast growth, expecially in the States, of diaper manufacturing companies: the use of diapers is not exactly the same for all the communities around the world and varies depending on weather, season and cultural practices. In tropical areas the problem was felt to a lesser extent, children have not used diapers and mothers kept them naked most of the time; in seasonal regions this practice is impossible during the winter. During the Second World War in the United States many women were employed in factories and had to devote less time to the house and has become a necessary service for the management of diapers. On hard times moms know highly creative and in 1946 Marion Donovan invented a diaper cover made from a plastic curtain.
So, around 1950 was born the first truly disposable diapers and around 1960 there were first companies producing disposable diapers. One of the most important changes in industry disposable diaper has been the introduction of a super-absorbent sodium polyacrylate polymer in the polymer 1984. All the diaper manufacturing companies, gradually, introduced this material; it drastically reduces the incidence of diaper rash, as well as reduces accidents (losses) from 10% to 1% and it help in building thin diapers.
Furthermore, the polymer makes cheapest diapers, smaller diapers are inserted in a box or package to reduce the shipping cost. In 1989, a big company introduced the first disposable training pants to facilitate the toilet training. In 1990 disposable diapers industry continues to develop ultra-thin dry diapers and stretch panels to make diapers more comfortable.
Today disposable diapers continue their development and many alternatives in technology, brands and prices available in the market area for mothers in search of well-being of their children without sacrificing the family budget. Diapers are so popular in our times: they extimate that US kids have used a number like 3.6 million of tons of this disposable pads.
World needs
Let’s see something about the spread trough the world, of the diaper manufacturing companies: the three "key attributes" : brand's reliability, value and safety are important in Europe and North America, these regions also emerges fourth attribute: the quality / price ratio. Over a third of respondents in North America (36%) and Europe (34%) attributed to a good quality / Price of the utmost importance for the selection of baby diapers. In Asia-Pacific, the quality / price ratio is a key factor in the decision to buy only 20% of respondents.
A much higher percentage of North American respondents always tries the lowest price when shopping for babies. Three respondents North Americans out of 10 (30%) give more importance to price than the brand, compared to 13% of global respondents. 47% choose the product cheapest among a limited range of acceptable options, while only 23% buy the brand has in mind regardless of price (Versus 41% of the global average). "In North America and Europe, the childcare sector is highly regulated and therefore consumers expect that all baby products are safe and effective "." In addiction, developed markets offer a more wide assortment of products. Therefore, for some consumers, the price is a important differentiating factor between brands. In these regions have emerged two very different groups of buyers among them: those who buy premium products and spend more on what he considers best products and those in look for the best quality- price ratio".
Sales in value for the diaper market are less concentrated than those of baby food and milk powder. Together, North America and Europe They represent 51% of global sales (with percentages respectively of 34% and 17%), while in Asia-Pacific and Latin America can be attributed more than a fifth sales (with percentages of 23% and 21% respectively).
The growth is more marked in the emerging markets in terms of sales in value terms, between December 2013 and December 2014 this category has recorded growth rates more high in Latin America (15.5%), thanks to a combination of rising prices and strong increase in sales volumes Venezuela and Mexico. We are likely to see further growth in the markets emerging, but these countries also have a specific challenge for manufacturers.
Do the diaper manufacturing companies point to emerging markets? Yes, in part. In many emerging markets, the diaper market is still in early stages and the manufacturers must convince consumers not only to buy a specific brand, but even to buy diapers of any type. For example, in India it is done by always limited use of industrial diapers, which are reserved to special occasions outside the home. In addition, penetration rates (corresponding to the percentage of households buy diapers) are higher in emerging markets. With the improvement of the economic situation, consumers may feel they have more financial stability on the improvement of financial stability and to provide the maintenance of a child. We expect moderate growth in the category diapers due to the resumption of births after many consumers had devised the plan to have children because of the recession more than half (51%) of sales in the global value of diapers happens in North America and Europe, but the most rapid growth takes place in emerging countries.The diapers to panties are the segment that records the rhythms of higher growth with a sales increase of 20% compared previous year. Sales are concentrated mainly in Asia-Pacific and Europe.
Skin protection and comfort are the considerations important for the purposes of the diaper choice. 70% of respondents said they had changed brand diapers and the price is a key factor in all regions, except Asia-Pacific.