Why not just buy bulk medical gauze and fold it up? That's got to be cheap as hell, and if it's good enough for bullet holes...
An Indian Inventor Disrupts The Period Industry
121–130 of 153 posts
Re: An Indian Inventor Disrupts The Period Industry
#122Earlier quoted context omitted.
When the bottom billion in India make around $1-$2 a day, his estimate is off by about an order of magnitude.
India has 1B people and a GDP per capita of about $1400/year, making it a mathematical impossibility that the bottom billion earns $1/day. The minimum wage in India is 115rs/day, or 11.5rs/hour with a 10 hour workday, so it wouldn't even be legal to pay 5rs/hour (an order of magnitude less than the 50rs/hour algoshift postulated). Assuming the machine operators earn a median Indian wage, assuming 8 hour days, 6 days/…
India has a little over 1.17 billion people, so if almost all the wealth goes to the top 15%, it's mathematically possible for the bottom billion to make $1 a day.
As you say, though, it still doesn't sound legal.
Re: An Indian Inventor Disrupts The Period Industry
#123Wait a minute... According to the article and his website the machine costs $2,500 each, can produce 2 napkins per minute and requires 746W of power. Each machine employs a crew of four people. A full scale industrial machine is claimed to cost $500K and, from a quick bit of google-ing can produce 350 napkins per minute and requires about 80KW of power. Each machine seems to be operable by a small team of five or so,…
Better 'usage' numbers (as a female):
>assuming five pads used per period
Assume 1-5 per DAY, at 3-6 days per 28 days. So, 3-30 per month, 40-400 per year per adolescent -> menopausal female.
Oh, and don't forget these are also useful for men in their old age.
I almost cried with pride reading this article. It is a massive, massive problem in the undeveloped world stopping girls and women from working and getting an education. By putting the means of production in the hands of a village collective, the results could be staggering.
See S.H.E. (Sustainable Health Enterprises) for another market-based example in this effort, based in Africa using plant matter without all this processing: http://www.sheinnovates.com/
Re: An Indian Inventor Disrupts The Period Industry
#124Re: An Indian Inventor Disrupts The Period Industry
#125I love that this guy figured out how to make and re-sell a cheaper manufacturing machine! I have some questions though. One is about the suggestion in the article that not using disposable napkins results in reproductive tract infections. That seems unlikely. Another is that while good, cheap, reliable period-managing supplies are useful and liberating for women, there are movements to use menstrual cups and washable…
>not using disposable napkins results in reproductive tract infections. That seems unlikely.
Some sources that show that infection, death and loss of reproductive ability is a clear concern:
http://www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/addressin...
Addresses many forms of health problems caused by using rags, e.g. in flood areas and where dangerous insects live.
http://www.probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2011/10/aussie-launc...
"..unhygienic materials use to deal with periods lead to rashes, sores and bruising, and the women are regularly exposed to reproductive and urinary infections."
http://www.corporateknights.ca/article/sanitary-pads-some-de...
"..women rarely washed their rags in clean water and hid them in dark places, which encourages the growth of mould. This has led to vaginal infections and cuts that are hidden and dealt with in silence."
Lastly a note about reusable cloth and cups: these require clean water, which is the first problem here for these communities. Bring clean water to a village and the schools and workplaces and a safe place for cloth/cups to be boiled and dried and you have solved the problem. But clean, running, untainted water is not easy to provide.
Re: An Indian Inventor Disrupts The Period Industry
#126I believe my invention will disrupt the wind power industry...
https://sites.google.com/site/verticalwindfarm/
send wampum.
Re: An Indian Inventor Disrupts The Period Industry
#127I heard this guy tell his story to a live audience in Chennai a while ago. He's an electrifying speaker. You should see his passion for his project. He is an inspiration, reminded me of Dr. Varaprasad Reddy of Shantha Biotechnics, who also has a great story to tell.
Re: An Indian Inventor Disrupts The Period Industry
#128Brilliant example of the design thinking process in action.
This man has certainly practiced the 'design thinking' process outlined by Tim Brown in "Change By Design" - a book about the process of innovation. The Design Thinking process involves lots of ethnographic research, and developing empathy for the user - the same tenets as user centered (UCD) or human centered design (HCD).
In this case, the inventor developed empathy by going so far as wearing a fake uterus that emitted goats blood!
I find this story and others like it to be very inspiring. However, knowing that the world can be changed for the better or worse by people who believe strongly enough about something is both reassuring and frightening at the same time.
Re: An Indian Inventor Disrupts The Period Industry
#129Earlier quoted context omitted.
India has 1B people and a GDP per capita of about $1400/year, making it a mathematical impossibility that the bottom billion earns $1/day. The minimum wage in India is 115rs/day, or 11.5rs/hour with a 10 hour workday, so it wouldn't even be legal to pay 5rs/hour (an order of magnitude less than the 50rs/hour algoshift postulated). Assuming the machine operators earn a median Indian wage, assuming 8 hour days, 6 days/…
India has a little over 1.17 billion people, so if almost all the wealth goes to the top 15%, it's mathematically possible for the bottom billion to make $1 a day. As you say, though, it still doesn't sound legal .
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Re: An Indian Inventor Disrupts The Period Industry
#130Wait a minute... According to the article and his website the machine costs $2,500 each, can produce 2 napkins per minute and requires 746W of power. Each machine employs a crew of four people. A full scale industrial machine is claimed to cost $500K and, from a quick bit of google-ing can produce 350 napkins per minute and requires about 80KW of power. Each machine seems to be operable by a small team of five or so,…
> Workers: 700
Good!
The production is decentralized and it enables small business growth in rural areas.