the creation and the development of pampers

2.1 The Creation and the Development of Pampers

While babysitting his first grandchild in 1956, one Procter & Gamble (P&G)
chemical engineer was determined to find a better way to diaper. He led a P&G group to
research the possibilities of a disposable diaper that was absorbent, which prevented leaks
while keeping babies dry (“Pampers Products”, 2000). Although the first alternative to
cloth diapers was imported from Sweden by Johnson & Johnson in the 1940s, that
product was marketed mainly as a convenience for traveling families. It was Pampers,
introduced in 1961 as a result from the P&G research, that removed the diaper container
and laundry delivery truck in most American households by the end of the 1960s. Ever
since, Procter & Gamble and its main competitor, Kimberly-Clark (maker of Huggies),
and other smaller diaper manufacturers have engaged in an active competition in diaper
marketing and technology for a $3.5 billion annual market (Revkin, 1997).
Similar to the Swedish imported disposable diapers, most parents initially used
Pampers only for special occasions, such as traveling, or to make diapering easier for a
babysitter. Nevertheless, Pampers created a whole new category and established a new
industry. For a while, the supermarkets and drug and department stores did not know
where to stock Pampers. At the time, Pampers were found in the convenience section,
the food aisle, the paper product section, and even in the drug section (“Pampers
Products”, 2000).
By the mid-1960s, Pampers became the leader in the diaper industry and has
steadily maintained its leadership. The primary reason for Pampers’ initial success was
the technology Procter & Gamble used from the very beginning to develop the unique
three-piece construction. The first Pampers had a thin outer sheet of plastic to help
prevent leaking, which also eliminated the need of separate plastic pants. Inside, a pad of
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absorbent material helped draw moisture away from baby’s skin. Touching the skin was
a porous sheet that allowed fluid pass through to the absorbent material. However, after
the diaper was developed, P&G engineers needed to design machinery that would
manufacture these new diapers more efficiently and quickly. A seemingly simple task of
folding and gluing the three substances together actually was a difficult task since it
required a handling of three sheets of different stress-strain character. In addition,
although consumers liked the disposable diaper, it had to be sold at a lower price than
originally planned; P&G needed to find a way to increase manufacturing and efficiency.
Rigorous research led to dozens of material, design and process patents for
Procter & Gamble. As a leader in the disposable diaper category, P&G continued to
make major product innovations with more than 100 patents in file. In the 1970s,
Pampers replaced the pin used to fasten diapers with tape, which enabled a quick peek in
the diaper. In the 1980s, Pampers introduced the first thin diaper with a core containing
an absorbent gelling material for extra dryness. It also developed elastic leg gathers,
refastening tabs, the first waist shield, and a softer liner. In addition, the 1990s were a
beginning of a new technology with the introduction of a curly fiber, which pulled
moisture into the core of the diaper and then recoiled back to absorb additional fluid.
Pampers also launched the first stretch panels that would custom fit the baby and a clothlike
outer sheet, which allows air to flow through to control humidity inside the diaper.
In 2000, Pampers patented a lotioned topsheet, now applied on all of its diapers, that
protects baby’s skin against wetness and keep skin soft and smooth. Furthermore, the
latest edition, Pampers Rash Guard was the first diaper specifically designed to help treat
and prevent diaper rash (“About Disposable Diapers & Pampers”, 2000). In addition to
its numerous product innovations, in 1985, the company made an investment of more
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than $500 million in high-speed, advanced equipment to create a shaped, better-fitting
diaper (“Disposable Diaper Technology”, 2000).
As easily seen in the local supermarkets, Pampers is not alone in the disposable
diaper industry. In 1978, Kimberly-Clark (K-C) introduced Huggies diapers with elastic
at the legs and an hourglass shape. Over the years, K-C researchers have also persistently
improved the product’s absorbency and fit, making Huggies the second leading brand in
the U.S. By 1996, Kimberly-Clark had captured 33 percent of the U.S. disposable diaper
market (“K-C History”, 2000).