Forever, it seemed there were two major diaper players in the U.S.—Procter & Gamble and Kimberly-Clark. These two rivals were constantly trading market shares with new innovations and marketing strategies. When one company lowered prices, so did the other, and when one raised prices, the other would launch promo campaigns forcing prices back down.

This you go low, I go high (or vice versa) mentality was a main factor in keeping prices static in the diaper market for many years. Even though technology advanced—with things like better fit, softer feel and thinner product—prices have not increased substantially.

From a supplier’s standpoint, the challenge of keeping costs down while boosting innovation was certainly a difficult one, but most makers of things like films, elastics and adhesives were able to continuously roll out the products that made diaper innovation possible.

Fast forward to 2016 and things have become even more challenging for hygiene components. No longer are there just two major brands to contend with. Not only have the private label brands upped their game—differentiating their products with new features—there are smaller, boutique brands like Parasol and The Honest Company that are offering upscale diapers to cater to the needs of today’s modern parents. These new brands offer things like printed designs and a more transparent approach to ingredients to woo customers away from more tried and true brands like
Pampers and Huggies.
And, beyond diapers, there is the rapidly growing adult incontinence market. Manufacturers doing business in this market need to accommodate not only varying degrees of incontinences—light, heavy, stress, urge—but also different types of users old, young, obese, frail, bedridden, active—meaning that to be successful they must have a wide product line.

And, who is helping them create this large product line? Their suppliers. They are developing products that are readily compatible with many other products so they can be swapped in and out of productions without significant loss of time or money. This month we talk to many of these suppliers (see page 28) to find out what solutions they are offering to their customers in today’s new hygiene market.

Speaking of solutions, this month we also take a look at the growing role nonwovens are playing in the automotives market. From reducing noise and drag to making the interior of a vehicle more comfortable, nonwovens are finding more spots of the vehicle to call home. Find out how nonwovens are meeting these challenges on page 34.
As always, we appreciate your comments.



Karen McIntyre
Editor
[email protected]