BIG 3 - prediction of consumers’ urine leakage experience based on raw material properties of the diaper core

Abstract

The most important need of a parent regarding diapers is the containment of urine and feces, which prevents clothes being soiled. This basic need of leakage prevention is the key parameter for diapers to achieve a good competitive market position. The most important part of the diaper in terms of leakage performance is the core, which is responsible for urine absorption and hence for the probability of leakage occurrence. Each diaper manufacturer follows his own approach on core design using different raw materials to achieve an optimized performance with minimum raw material costs. In this PhD thesis, a model is developed which identifies urine leakage influencing parameters of the diaper core in general, as well as their influence for a wide range of diapers from different countries covering different technologies and manufacturers. The model allows the performance of the main leakage influencing components, "Acquisition System" and "Absorbent Gelling Material and pulp" layer, to be estimated, based on their physical and chemical properties. Based on the performance assessment, an analysis of the cost versus performance of these raw materials is given. The model includes the applied core technology design. An estimation of raw material costs versus performance of the diaper, as a whole, is given. The key competence area of the model is to predict the urine leakage performance of competitive diapers in a fast and inexpensive way. The thesis closures by stating three business-related examples of model’s application.