Jayaashree Industries: Revolutionising sanitary pad use in India

Publication Type

Case

Publication Date

11-2012

Abstract

Arunachalam Muruganantham is a social entrepreneur dedicated to solving India’s menstrual health problems. He developed an unprecedented product as a solution: a low-cost, locally produced sanitary pad. In a paragon effort of frugal innovation, he reverse-engineered the industrial processes used to make sanitary-pads. The result was a small-scale, low-cost machine that could manufacture quality pads sold at a retail price 20% lower than the cheapest mass-produced brands. However, no one bought his pads until his wife began to sell them. After which, the two were unable to keep up with demand. This triggered his realization concerning the importance of including women as stakeholders in the operation. His next step was to figure out a way to increase the availability and access of the pads. He needed an innovative, bottom-of-the-pyramid solution and wanted to create a positive social impact along the entire value chain.

Keyword(s)

Social Enterprise, Social Entrepreneur, Social Entrepreneurship, Development, Gender Development, Women, Menstrual Health, Menstrual Hygiene, Hygiene, Feminine Hygiene, Bottom of the Pyramid, Innovation, Frugal Innovation, Women's Groups, Distribution, Sales, Scale Up, Reverse Engineering

Discipline

Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Marketing | Operations and Supply Chain Management | Technology and Innovation

Research Areas

Information Systems and Management

Data Source

Field Research

Industry

Feminine Hygiene

Geographic Coverage

India

Temporal Coverage

1998-2012

Education Level

Executive Education; Postgraduate; Undergraduate

Publisher

Singapore Management University

Case ID

SMU-12-0046

Comments

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Additional URL

https://cmp.smu.edu.sg/case/2341

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