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Dupont brings the ‘miracles of science’ to
Indian beds and cars!
Tyvek advantage in mattress and car covers; anti-bacterial pillows and lightweight quilts to follow
Steena Joy - Mumbai
Put those vacuum cleaners away. At least Indians bedrooms can now reap the benefits
of DuPont invented Tyvek mattress covers that have unique anti-dust mite properties.
Close on the heels of World Asthma Day on May 4, DuPont Nonwovens business launched
these mattress and pillow covers in select cities in India. Available in elegant
international packs and priced between Rs 900 and Rs 1500 for a complete set,
the products are targeted at middle and upper-middle class Indian households
to provide hygienic and disease preventive bedrooms, and comfortable sleep.
To live up to the hygienic image, the product is white in colour and has been
launched in four fast moving sizes. Custom made sizes are also available with
very short delivery periods.
“By the end of 2004, the product will be available in 100 cities and towns
in almost 2000-3000 oultets across the country,” said Mr H P Nanda, India
business leader, DuPont Nonwovens.
In a unique marketing strategy, the company is setting up its own marketing
and distribution channels to go closer to the end-customer in the middle-class
and upper-class retail segment. “DuPont is creating new product categories
that are non-existent today and bringing branding into commodity categories.
Since many of these products are new concepts to the Indian market like say,
car covers, they demand a behavioural change in the minds of consumers. So the
company is looking at various creative means of consumer awareness, product
demonstration and delivery systems for business growth” explained Mr Nanda.
That’s why the company has even got doctors to endorse the product to their
patients, while promoting general awareness about hygiene. According to Mr Nanda,
the doctor fraternity has shown enthusiastic response to the product. And they
are not the only ones. Leading hotels and hospitals are testing out the product
too. The company is hoping all this converts into sales for the company.
“We hope to sell around one lakh mattress covers by December 2004 which
translates into a Rs 10 crore turnover. By 2007 this figure is expected to touch
Rs 200 crores from 10 lakh covers”, said Mr Nanda.
What is the DuPont Tyvek advantage?
Scientific sources claim that almost one out of every three Indians suffer from
allergy or asthma and one of the major causes cited is a dust-mite. These dust-mites
are invisible to the naked eye, are 1/4th of a millimeter (250 microns) and
can easily pass through the pores of cotton bed covers and pillow covers. At
times, a double sized mattress could have as high a concentrate as 2 million
mites. At a rough estimate, 10 per cent of the total weight of any pillow could
be substituted by mites.
Tyvek is similar to human skin. The fabric has micro pores that make it breathable
and at the same time resistant to liquids. Tyvek is strong and the size of its
micro pores is many times smaller than the size of dust mites, thus preventing
their entry into the mattresses and pillows. test results have shown that the
mites present inside an old mattress, when protected with Tyvek covers, die
after 10-14 days. The entry of new dust mites is prevented as they cannot pass
through the Tyvek fabric. Mites found on Tyvek protectors can be cleaned frequently
through vacuum cleaning or occasional washing.
Tyvek also protects against all kinds of liquid spillage like tea, coffee, food;
enhances comfort through its breathable structure attribute, and protects mattresses
and pillows and helps them look new for a longer time.
The performance of Tyvek for its excellent protection against dust-mites has
been tested and reported by the Korean Consumer Science Center at Seoul and
also by the Shanghai Medical Center, China. DuPont has launched the product
in India after its phenomenal success in Korea, China and Thailand.
Why mattress covers? “Because of the huge demand-supply gap in this market
which offers at least one crore potential customers. The market covers two types
of customers: those who are already using mattresses and the new users. The
former is the bigger segment and that’s the one we aim to convert into
Tyvek users” reasoned Mr Nanda.
He added that the company is also exploring the cleanroom garment segment in
the pharma industry and will soon have products for that market as well. “Anti-bacterial
pillows and wafer-thin (lightweight) blankets and quilts are on the cards too.”
The applications are numerous. Caps, play tents, sunshades, outerwear linings,
bags and graphic soft goods are just some of the fields where Tyvek can be used.
Not to forget car covers. Tyvek Car Covers with excellent radiant and UV protection
properties, have also been launched in India. They offer unique features like:
- Protecting radiant energy by 60 per cent and hence
keeping the car interior cooler by 20-25 degree Celsius than an uncovered
car.
- UV rays protection up to 88 per cent, which means
prevention of dashboard cracking, upholstery fading, paints discoloration
and damage to sensitive interior items.
- Protection against water, chemicals, acid rain and
stains
- Breathable feature helps prevent bubble patches
and paint discoloration by reducing the formation of mildew.
- Lightweight and thus offers convenience and ease
of handling.
Customers can choose from full body covers, half body covers, sunshades and
bike covers.
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